Page 29 - Prayer in the Qur'an

PRAYER IN THE QUR'ANIC SENSE 27

may grant this wish. But because of the ostentation and arrogance
of this wish, a person will be distanced from Allah, and will have no
reward in the hereafter for this desire.

So, a prayer that is oriented solely to mundane blessings is not
only unbecoming to a believer, but also a form of insincerity on his
behalf. A believer's main goal is Paradise. In their prayers, believers
must not forget their real abode and devote all their attention to the
life of the hereafter. They must ask for things for the sake of both
this world and beyond.

Rather Than Being Personal,
Prayers Must be For all Believers

In societies of ignorance, people crave the best of everything:
they want to have the best car, the best house, lots of money, a beau-
tiful spouse and so on. It is not uncommon to see them quarrelling

jealously with their close friends or relatives.
Those who live by the Qur'an's values, however, share what they
have with others. Believers understand that they do not really
"own" their blessings in this world, rather that they are from Allah,
so when they can, they share them with others. Indeed in the
Qur'an, Allah calls our attention to this point while making men-
tion of believers' attributes:

... [Those who] do not find in their hearts any need for what
they have been given and prefer others over themselves even
if they themselves are needy. It is the people who are safe-
guarded from the avarice of their own selves who are success-
ful. (Surat al-Hashr: 9)

This fondness believers feel for one another, and the significance