Azam Ali, an Ahmadi Moslem
Chapter 16 – Prayers
Man of Prayers
The one word to describe what my father did by anyone who knew him would be that he prayed. Father’s prayers were accepted as he prayed, but often far better and more desirable results ensued that lasted for much longer .
On congregational prayers, wedding ceremonies and family gatherings the attendees asked him to lead the prayers because of their knowledge that his prayers produced results as he prayed the way God Almighty had directed and the Holy Prophet, s.a.w., had exemplified.
Ch Azaz Ahmad Bajwa was a District Judge like Father and a close friend. Both friends practiced law after their retirement. He offered Father half the revenue from their attorney’s law office if Father agreed to just contribute with his prayers.
Father gathered all his family as any of his children got ready to go off to college in some distant town. Then with a small lecture to the whole family and a treasure of his ever-flowing prayers the family ember was set off. No wonder they all reached the top of the line they chose.
I remember him praying for and along with me every morning before I left for the High Court while my clerk and clients waited and watched before we walked to the Court that was hardly three minutes walking distance from our office on 21 Edwards Road, Lahore.
Method
Father’s all-encompassing spiritual training was uninterrupted by anyone else. Extending from our infancy to formative years to our adulthood and married life with our children, it was perpetually focused on praying, praying and praying, all the time, standing, sitting or lying down.
He was a total embodiment of practicing the following Command in the Holy Qor-aan.
Ul-la-ze-na yauz-ko-roo-na ul-laa-ha Qay-yaa-maun wa qo-oo-daun wa alaa jo-noo-bay him سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان – Ch 3, Verse:192
Those who remember Allah Standing and sitting and on their sides. 003:192
Father led us into the habit of always praying, before starting daily activities and before taking every major or minor step in life. The words of prayer had a specific order of choice.
- The best choice always was to use the divine words of the Holy Qor-aan.
- The next choice was to use the compact nuggets of wisdom in some
- Finally, choosing a prayer in our own language so that feelings from deep down one’s heart and mind could be expressed well.
Father had learnt and sought all his children to evolve and reach the Goal Of Creation. First, to recognize and start one’s journey on to harness his Tendency To Do Wrong as everyone is created with the Nauf-say Amma-rah (012:054). Second, to strengthen one’s inner soul and develop courage to accept Blame For One’s Actions, i.e., reach the Nauf-say Lauw-waa-mah (075:003). The ultimate is to is become Nauf-say Moot-ma-innah and receive the welcome of “You The Contended Soul, Return To Your God, Totally Pleased.” (089:028)
Father explained things in a manner that even a child could easily understand. Who creates a cause produces the effect of generally getting the results. Studying hard and working smart brings success. Taking proper medicine and good care of brings recovery faster.
Father taught us that the results and progress invariably follow the prayers. All religious people, saints and sages advocated that attaining God’s pleasure was the highest, noblest and the best purpose why the Creator gifts us with life. Prayers at every step resolved issues.
Preparation
The rationale Father had in pursuing his determination to raise his children according to his dreams and in the form he raised was that food is the seed that produces blood that feeds the brain that conceives ideas that lead to action.
Father shared with us the elementary principle of success. God’s plan is to reward every doer the results of his efforts. Eating food is the first basic act which then leads us to whatever else we do in life. One becomes what he eats, and actions during the rest of the life are a natural byproduct of all our earlier actions – good or bad, whatever they be.
For example, asking the Almighty Provider to provide for oneself and family for a …
- ‘Clean and pure food,’ that produce
- ‘Clean, pure and healthy blood,’ that generate
- ‘Clean, pure, healthy and noble thoughts,’ that materialize in
- ‘Clean, pure, healthy, noble and productive acts’ to serve God and His creatures.
Eater of physical and spiritual food produces quality results. He stays on the quality track, makes quality progress and often in rapid strides. I wonder if enough words in dictionary are there or on my ability to fully convey my father’s emphasis on eating clean and lawful foods.
One who eats filth develops filthy habits of begging and living upon other people’s handouts like a scavenger eating out of others discarded trash. The fact is that whoever did a bad thing and was then surrounded with enormous other wrongs are destined to burn (002:082).
Father used to make his point by punctuating his approach with a summarized version of his life experiences. He explained that his conclusions could have unintended consequences that could be avoided by using the tool of prayers, an appeal to God soliciting His help..
Father maintained courtroom décor where that was the norm even when issuing simple order for litigants as once in a lifetime affair. He modified that technique for use at home where he prepared his children for their lives and they had to prepare theirs for their lives, and so on.
Father had a routine well stablished and prayer was the central pivot.
- He stated necessary details of his experience and underscored that he prayed so that he may not be exposed to any unforeseen unpleasant consequences.
- He repeated things in many ways, in many words, in many scenarios to make him clear, very clear, to the point that at times others construed that it was an over-kill.
- He told us children at home: “You heard me. You think you understand me. Now tell me what is that you understand that I said.”
Father, in court as the presiding Judge, had to remind a witness sometimes that on oath sworn to tell the truth he must provide truthful testimony.
Once he reprimanded a woman witness telling her to answer counsel’s questions and not talk of things not asked for. She suddenly started screaming that the Judge had addressed her as Ma-ee, a term by which older women are customarily addressed in most of the Punjab province.
Father was confused over her screaming. Lawyers informed him that she felt offended for being addressed as Ma-ee because she was not a young damsel but a grandmother. Such unintended consequences are against which Father used and recommended prayer as the shield.
Circle
Desired results are multiplied when a prayer is added to an effort made. Prophets’ prayers perpetuated in the Holy Qor-aan are known to produce far better and quicker results than mere acts done without those prayers. Prayers of the Holy Prophet s.a.w., are a proven key to success.
Using a prayer adds psychological boost to a beseecher’s acts. Such a declared intention of an innermost mind draws spiritual benefits as well. Progress becomes better and faster when prayer and causation are combined, hand in glove.
Determined efforts entail consequences. Genuine devotion produces success. Appropriate action generates consequences. Sincere prayers produce results. Invoking God’s benevolence guarantees outcome. Conjunction of all these on one intended goal causes miracles do happen.
Our father was one such miracle who laid foundation for many more to materialize in its wake. It is no surprise because he had followed the Holy Prophet s.a.w., and tried to be a little Mohammad as recommended by the Khaleefatool Massih II, r.a.,
Progress
Father impressed on us with a very simple but far-reaching concept relating to prayers and progress. One needs to contact a postmaster for a problem with mail delivery and visit a doctor if sick, and not a mailman. Likewise, one must pray to God when in need, and not a man.
God Almighty does what is best and that includes for a man. On the other hand, no human can ever do what he deems or even is the best for him.
Prayers verbalize the requester’s concentration, determination and resolution. Prayers taught to prophets have perpetually greater possibilities of being granted. Prayers show precedents that had previously led beseechers to swift successful solutions. Prayers bring more than what man asks from the core of his heart. Prayers nourish man’s soul and strengthen his bond with his Maker. Prayers express intentions. If coupled with appropriate actions, they produce results. Prayers resolve situations; using proven words and concepts is a sure way to get results.
Father put us on that right road by practicing his Memorize-Internalize-Exercise drill. He told us to select a prayer that was most suitable to meet a need at hand. He taught, tutored and trained us for success laying astronomical emphasis to take proper actions to reach our intended goals and by adding prayers to our actions. He made it clear that doers reap good results whether they pray or not, but efforts by those who add prayers to their actions produce far superior results.
The presence of prayers in a person’s mind builds imagination, creates ideas, provides resolutions, forms goals, precipitates activity, and brings success. The more they are the better it is. This is what Father spent his lifetime in teaching us.
And his prayers showed even more spectacular was what we feared, expected and maybe wanted. Anything good we did, he knew it and prayed for more. Anything we did to the opposite, he knew it and prayed for forgiveness for the past and correction in the future. His prayers were on-going, and the progress they brought we are enjoying over half a century after his Transition.