Prayer is the way to call on Allah; indeed, it is one of the most important characteristics that distinguish a believer from an unbeliever. Prayer is a significant indicator of one's faith in Allah.
Most of the people may think that there is no divine control on the universe and everything is interacting independently. However, what they do not know is that every soul in the heavens and on the earth has already submitted to Him; there is no creature whose destiny is not determined by Allah and who is not obedient to Him. When He decrees a thing, He only says, “Be,” and it is
The unbelievers do not understand this substantial fact and spend their whole life by trying to affect this universe made up of imaginary matters. The believers, on the other hand, learn this great mystery of the universe from the Qur’an. They are aware that the only way to obtain the things they want is to ask them from the One Who controls them. They know that Allah is the Creator and Director of all things: “When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me: Let them also listen to My call, and believe in Me:
However, it should also be understood that Allah's answering to prayers is not necessarily giving all that is wanted from Him. For man is ignorant and he “prays for evil as he prays for good; for man is ever hasty.” (Surat al-Isra, 17:11) So Allah answers to all our prayers, but sometimes gives what is wanted, and sometimes not, since it is in truth, "evil". The way we should pray is also defined in the Qur’an: with humility and in private, in all sincerity, having hope but also fear of Allah in our hearts, and with strong concentration:
“Call on your Lord with humility and in private:
...., call on Him in fear and hope: for the Mercy of Allah is always near to those who do good.”
Our prayers are actually a matter of confessing our weakness while showing our gratitude towards Allah. Abstaining from prayer shows arrogance andrebellion against Allah. Allah states in His book:
"Call on Me; I will answer your prayer:
but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell in humiliation!”
Calling on Allah is both a prayer and also a great blessing. This very simple act of making a request is the key to attaining all physical and spiritual objectives.
