Page 25 - Prayer in the Qur'an

PRAYER IN THE QUR'ANIC SENSE 23

Avoiding Hastiness While Praying

Man is impetuous by nature, a fact which is also stressed in the
verse, "Man is a creature of haste. I will show you My Signs so do
not impatiently urge me." (Surat al-Anbiya': 37). When this hasti-
ness surfaces, a person may well behave without considering the

consequences of their behavior. Indeed, this hastiness usually re-
veals itself in the desire to attain worldly blessings.
People feel an inner desire for Paradise and Allah's blessings.
One of the reasons why these blessings have their counterparts in
this life is to ensure a better grasp of Paradise and thereby the desire
for it. However, people, out of their hastiness and desire to attain

these blessings, want their wishes to be granted immediately. This
hastiness may sometimes reveal itself in prayer too. People expect
an immediate answer to their prayers. When a person feels their
prayer is not answered, they may wrongly conclude that it is not ac-
cepted. In time, impatience turns to hopelessness, even to the point
of abandoning prayer. Our Prophet (saas) also drew attention to this
point saying, "Your supplications will be answered as long as you are not
impatient by saying, 'I have supplicated to my Lord but He has not an-

swered.'" (Al-Bukhari)
We must bear in mind that it is Allah Who knows best what is
good for us. The Qur'an states this with the verse, "… It may be that
you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you
love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do
not know." (Surat al-Baqara: 216) This is why, when the servant asks
for something from our Lord, he must be pleased with Him, what-

ever the outcome, aware that the decision rests with Allah alone.
Not everything we wish for may be good for us. Therefore, Allah an-