Page 86 - The Basic Concepts in the Qur’an

And remember Job, when He cried to his Lord, “Truly distress has seized me, but You
are the Most Merciful of those that are merciful.” So We listened to him: We removed
the distress afflicting him, and We restored his people to him, and doubled their
number, as a grace from Oursef, and an admonition to all who serve Us. And
remember Isma’il, Idris, and Zul-kifl, all men of constancy and patience; We admitted
them to Our mercy, for they were of the righteous ones. And remember Yunus, when
he departed in wrath. He imagined that We had no power over him! But he cried in
the darkness, “There is no god but you: glory be to you: I was indeed wrong!” So We
listened to him: and delivered him from distress: and thus do We deliver those who
have faith. And remember Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord: “O my Lord! do not
leave me without offspring, though you are the best of inheritors.” So We listened to
him: and We granted him Yahya: We cured his wife’s barrenness for him. These three
vied with each other in good works and called on Us with love and reverence, and
humbled themselves before Us.
(Al-Anbiya, 83-90)

The worshipper who prays realizes that Allah is All-Knowing and All-Seeing and expresses
his respect for and fear of Him. He never hesitates to admit his status as a servant before Him.
Since prayer is an important worship, it is not only done to make a wish. Every need or
wish signals the time of this worship. Since man constantly needs and demands things, he
should also pray consistently. There of course, are particular times for prayer: regular night and
morning prayer times are mentioned in the Qur’an as the proper moments for prayer in the
Qur’an.
Nevertheless, man should consistently pray all day long since every course of action
proceeds under the control of Allah. Man should turn to Him for guidance and help in all his
deeds. Moreover, he should pray for Allah’s acceptance of his services. The prayer of Abraham
is an example:
And remember Abraham and Isma’il raised the foundations of the House with this prayer:
Our Lord! Accept this service from us: For you are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
(Al-Baqara, 127)

The believers who pray to Allah, and turn to Him under all circumstances are described in
Surat’Al-Imran, as “men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on
their sides...” (Al-Imran, 191). The believers are naturally praised in the Qur’an for this attitude.
For Abraham was, without doubt, forbearing of faults, compassionate, and devout.
(Hud, 75)

Abraham was indeed a paragon, a devoutly obedient to Allah, and true in Faith, and
he associated no other gods with Allah.
(Al-Nahl, 120)

Have patience at what they say, and remember our servant David, the man of
strength: for he always turned to Allah.
(Sad, 17)

“ Truly We found him (Ayyub) full of patience and constancy. How excellent he was
in Our service! He always turned to Us!
(Sad, 44)

The verses below are a key to understanding the significance of prayer:

Say (to the Rejecters): “My Lord would not care for you were not for your prayer. But
you have indeed rejected Him, and soon will come the inevitable (punishment)!”
(Al-Furqan, 77)