Page 23 - Prayer in the Qur'an

PRAYER IN THE QUR'ANIC SENSE 21

attempt to conceal his mistakes from Allah, aware that He knows
everything whether he conceals them or not. Aware that hiding
one's wrongdoings brings a believer nothing but harm, she repents
and seeks His forgiveness for all her sins. Indeed, the Prophet
Ibrahim's prayer begins as follows:

Our Lord! You know what we keep hidden and what we di-
vulge. Nothing is hidden from Allah either on the earth or in
heaven. (Surah Ibrahim: 38)
A believer knows that, no matter what his or her wish may be,
everything is under Allah's control and that He needs only to com-
mand "Be" and it is. With this in mind, he feels no insurmountable
barrier to attaining Allah's blessings, and overcomes any hardship
and obstacle through prayer.
Aside from asking for help from Allah and expressing one's
needs, prayer is a means to remember and exalt Allah. The Qur'an

gives us examples of exalting Allah by uttering His names in the
prophets' prayers. Some of these prayers are as follows:
He (Sulayman) said, "My Lord, forgive me and give me a king-
dom the like of which will never be granted to anyone after
me. Truly You are the Ever-Giving." (Surah Sad: 35)
"Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have
guided us. And give us mercy from You. You are the Ever-
Giving." (Surah Al Imran: 8)
He [Musa] said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother and
admit us into Your mercy. You are the Most Merciful of the

merciful." (Surat al-A'raf: 151)
Then and there Zakariyya called on his Lord and said, "O Lord,
grant me by Your favor an upright child. You are the Hearer of
Prayer." (Surah Al Imran: 38)