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I know many of us (believers) have been through this, and I personally experienced my boat sinking and I know it is tough getting it back up. But if you won't understand why you have to get back up then you're definitely going to drown. My point of bringing this topic up is not to scare you away by telling you about the torment of hellfire or the agony in the grave, surely I'll do that by the end of our short exchange, but before everything else I want you to know what benefits and positive change prayers can bring to your life! BENEFITS OF PRAYING There are actually a lot; me and you could go on and on about how practicing Islam can benefit you and the people around you, but this once, let me just mention a few of those that I experienced first-hand. Health Prayer can be a source of exercise for most people. It keeps check on your physical fitness. All the obligatory acts in prayers benefit greatly to ones health. For example, going to ruku and sajda and tash'had saves one from back pain and knee-joints pain. Prayer also wards off many illnesses. Down to Earth When you go down in sujood, it gives you a feeling of how small and insignificant you are in front of all the blessings and creations of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى. He made so much, and still blesses you and showers upon you from good. Prayer kills your ego and brings you closer to Allah and the reality. Focusing on how you're alone in this world, and how only Allah is your supporter and benefactor even in the time of adversity. Strengthens the heart and the belief Prayer gives you the strength that you are lacking when facing adversity. It becomes a driving force when met with a lot of short-comings. It strengthens ones resolve to keep moving forward and facing new challenges while knowing that Allah never burdens a soul more than what it can bear. Closeness to Allah When we recite the verses sent down to us Humans by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى, we naturally feel close to Him. His words are the reflection upon our own-selves. When we make dua to Him and kneel down to Him, it shows that we are ready to give in our desires for pleasing Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى. And that: He is the only "one" we can turn to in the time of adversity... There's nobody else, is there? Countenance and Spiritual Pleasantness Did you know that prayers make your face and spirit brighter? Who wouldn't want their face glowing with happiness and zeal. This not only allows others to look at you in good light but also brings a smile to their faces (especially your family). And it takes off a lot of tension from their shoulders (for some reason). Keeps you away from sins and keeps sins away form you Now this is note-worthy, because both sound just about the same. So where lies the difference? The difference is that there in you will come a sense of responsibility and a sense of accountability once you start praying. You will become more aware of your performance near Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى, and you'd want to please him more and more. Who wouldn't want beautiful reward from Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى?And alternatively, Allah will keep you away from sins with his authority over you if he finds your actions pleasing. And no doubt, he is the most merciful and the most benevolent. Along with oft-forgiving. Gets rid of laziness and grooms punctuality Most of the time we are extremely lazy when it comes to our responsibilities and obligations. But once we start being punctual in prayers habitually, we (Insha'Allah) will become more aware of the limited time we have and the utilization of it. Prayer somewhat grooms the instinct of time within you. When you start praying five times a day, you'll begin to realize if you're spending the remaining time the right way. You will have thoughts like: Am I fulfilling my religious obligations correctly? Is Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى going to be pleased enough with the current me? Have I been listening to every words my parents say? Have I done the job that I must in time? Sense of Accountability I know I am kinda repeating myself here, but I couldn't just skip this point. Because this one is very significant when it comes to prayers. In our daily life, if we skip a prayer, do you know how many things go wrong then? How many times we attempt sins and bad acts? Have you ever reflected upon them?Prayer gives you a chance of reflection. And in the future it keeps you intact and in-check that you don't fall astray to bad acts from Satan. Keeps you pure and clean Before going to prayer, you remember, that you have to be Tahir (pure from any impurity). Thus this single remembrance can keep you more than enough clean and pure. Also, performing ablution three-to-five or more so times a day, protects you from Satan and his devilish whispers. Takes away nightmares and bad dreams I am sure many of us had nightmares or dreams that were bad, something you wish you'd never seen. But if you sleep after doing a wudu, and with faith that Allah and His angels will protect you from such dreams (that come from Satan), you'll be protected. WHAT DOES THE QURAN SAY ABOUT PRAYERS? I hope this thread will open your eyes to the importance of prayers and will bring you closer to Allah. If I made a mistake somewhere in the text, then it is solely from me. Forgive me, as I am only human. P.s. Thanks to my brothers and sisters here, they gave me confidence enough to post my material here. lol. I have some serious confidence issues. :P Anyways, thanks to everybody for reading and supporting! Jazak Allah Khair. Hope it will be helpful to at least a single soul!

Assalam o Alaikum people. I'm a Computer Science student in India. And I'm not boasting but I try to be spiritually uplifted through various prescribed activities in Islam by our Imams (a.s) whenever I get time after the obligatory acts on a daily basis. I find it really very hard to find a friend (brother) with whom I can share approximately a similar lifestyle. All my friends (very few indeed) don't fit into this category. I also have one more question to ask. "Studying Computer Science and working in a Tech firm make will me more Materialistic? My Spirituality will be decreased in a Materialistic environment? If yes, What should I do. I'm hoping for a mature and logical reply Wassalam.

Salaam, I thought some might be interested in an event like this. This is geared towards young professionals and students (ages 18-35, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis). Instructors present will be Shaykh Amin Rastani, Sayyid 'Ali Zaydi, and Sayyid Hasan Naqvi. The retreat will take place in Ocoee, TN. This is the 2nd annual retreat titled, The Criterion: Qur'anic Lessons on Islamic Identity. The following message was sent out by the organizing team. Please participate by registering at alwahdah.org. For those that can't, please try to support the cause by donating on gofundme.com/alwahdah. Looking forward to seeing some inshaAllah

My dad has been saying he is ill, I ask what kind of illness, he says he is fine physically and he feels spiritually ill. He has been down like this for a few days now, do you guys know any cure about this kind of spiritual illness. I told him to speak to God, he said that won't do it. I don't know what else, sometimes when I feel down I just sit at prayers and talk to God, it cheers me up so much. My Father is a learned man and he still doesn't know the cure to his spiritual problem. He does his wajibat and he doesn't sin so I don't know what's wrong.

Salaam Alaikum A brilliant opportunity for an educational trip, as well as activities, please email the email on the poster for any further questions. Would not miss this opportunity!

Salam everyone, I just thought I should share this BEAUTIFUL dua with you all, it's an amazing dua! Dua-e-hazeen (grief) In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, the Merciful O Allah bless Muhammad and his family I whisper unto You O One Who is present in every place so that You may hear my call for surely my sin is excessive and my shame is less My Master, O my Master which of the terrifying states shall I remember and which of them shall I forget for if there was nothing except death it would be enough then what about after death greater and much worse? My master O my Master up to when and till when will I say, I am to blame, again and again, but then You do not find any truth or loyalty in me? I call for help and I call for help, O Allah from desires which have overpowered me and from the enemy which has pounced on me and from the world which attracts me and from the soul that leads towards evil except that on which my Lord has mercy (12:53) My master O my master if You have had mercy on the likes of me then have mercy on me and if You have accepted from the likes of me then accept from me O One Who accepts the early morning prayer accept me, O One who, I still know only good from Him O One who nourishes me with blessings morning and evening have mercy on me when I come to You alone, my glance fixed on You my actions carried on my neck When all of creation will withdraw away from me yes, even my father and mother and those for whom I worked and struggled then if You will not have mercy on me who will have mercy on me who will give me solace from the loneliness of the grave and who will make me speak when I am alone with my deeds and when You will ask me about what You know better than me? Then if I say yes (to my sins) where will be the escape from Your Justice? And if I say I did not commit it You will say was I not a witness over you? So (I beseech) Your Forgiveness Your Pardon O my master before the wearing of the clothes of Hell Your Forgiveness Your Pardon O my Master before the Hell and the Fire Your Forgiveness Your Forgiveness O my Master before the hands are tied to the necks O the most Merciful and the best of Forgivers This is he link we're you can find it in Arabic and on YouTube http://www.duas.org/Misc/dua_e_hazeen.htm

Salamu3alykum everyone So Rajab is coming soon and we should not let it go by with out taking full advantage of the great month! Share ur hadiths and websites and duas and anything about anything to do with Rajab here so that we can all make sure we do as much as we can in Rajab Inshallah http://duas.org/rajab.htm

Salam, I was just going through the "Rules of Attaining Spiritual Perfection" in the book "Light Within Me" http://www.al-islam.org/LWM/ As some of you may have read earlier, my parents are very spiritual, so I was hoping to understand the irfan aspect of Shi'asm..my mums completely dismissed the version of Islam which she has been exposed to (i.e. Sunni Islam) saying that its too ritualistic and based too much on fear, without any spirituality or going within yourself, meditation, self-realization etc. I am working on telling them that I'm Muslim, but would like to let them know about what irfan teaches us in Shia Islam..and from what I read, this is EXACTLY the point my parents have reached. The 4 worlds, which the spiritual traveler finally reaches at the end of his spiritual journey.. this is exactly the point my parents have reached, especially my dad..his experiences match precisely what is written here..and he says he has experienced every bit of it...and he has followed a lot of the rules of the spiritual journey also mentioned here (Especially meditation, silence, belief in God, early morning meditations and contemplations, abstinance from much food, etc etc..) The only thing is - they aren't Muslim, though they believe in One God and that God sent many messengers including Prophet Mohammad saww...his point is "reach the level of enlightenment of the messengers - don't merely follow them and stay stuck at that point"..so anyway, they've been on this spiritual journey for about 12 years now, and generally very calm, openminded people, who match the descriptions that the arifs have reached (without the precise belief in Imams, but they believe in any and all spiritual masters..and have their own masters) Well my issue is - its a good thing that I have found something so deep in Islam, which is so similar to their belief...but since my dad had reached the same position without Islam, he's going to be more firm that organized religion is not needed to reach that point of enlightenment. For him, this peak of spirituality is the main purpose in life, while ofcourse helping others, providing for the needy, continue learning, etc.. So according to any arifs here, or anyone at all, please help me with what i can tell him..his questions are going to be more like "why do you still need Islam? and why follow rules and go on blind faith based on a book, when you haven't experienced the afterlife or any such thing?why not just stick to the spiritual path which has anyway led to the same destination in actually experiencing the Oneness of the Divine?" I personally know that its essential for me..but not sure how to put that across to him..I know many reverts know that they're convinced, but can't communicate it properly to family.. Regarding angels, afterlife (all the unseen), he just says "I haven't experienced it, and I don't blindly believe any book..so I'm going to say I don't know, and the state of not knowing unless experienced will keep you the most free, away from concepts drilled into the mind from any scripture" For him, everything should be experienced..and he has experienced irfan. And he loves the state of not knowing, coz it keeps the mind free..and there is no reason to know more than ur experience.. I believe that the journey of self-realization and the point he has reached are important, but theres a lot more further than that too...what is the purpose of getting to this point..yes in your mind u are free, but where does that lead then? I'm sure Islam is needed for the next steps in the journey...I just haven't reached as far as he has on his journey (which i believe is also much tougher without Islam, but he still did it), but I know Islam is an integral part of our journey and purpose as humans, and even after attaining that self-realization and realization of this world etc... I just don't know how to tell him that coz he thinks I'm way tooo young and inexperienced in life to know this stuff..and maybe I am..but he talks only about spirituality and sometimes it really does go over my head, especially when he gets very deep. But I have truely not gone as deep as he has into the journey, and I am much younger than him, so he uses it to his advantage and then i don't have answers for him.. So he also thinks that we can never know enough to make life-changing decisions such as conversions etc..coz spirituality is a lifelong journey..and so is learning..and theres no way I should or can come to a conclusion at this stage in my life and I shouldn't close the doors, and my mind, to other spiritual paths, or form any concepts based on scriptures..(I'm in early twenties) so i request if the experienced people can please help me here? thx Wasalam

www.shiatranslation.org Every Worship has an Esoteric and Exoteric Aspect Every [act of] worship has an esoteric and spiritual aspect to it. Hajj, for example, is not merely those actions that the pilgrims perform. Similarly, the esoteric dimension of ṣalāt is not merely the common movements [of ṣalāt]. Additionaly, the narrations of the Prophet (pbuh) and Ahlul-Bayt (pbut) clearly indicate this reality. The following narration probably sheds some light onto this point: Imam Ali (pbuh) says, "If the person performing ṣalāt knows what descends upon him from the Glory of God, he would be dismayed to lift his head up from prostration." Imam al-Sadiq (pbuh) said, "When a person stands up for ṣalāt, mercy descends upon him from the highest heavens to earth, and the angels surround him, whereby one [of the angels] calls out, "If this person [praying] knows what [bounties] are in ṣalāt he would never abandon it." Meaning that he would not leave the ṣalāt if he was to realize the esoteric reality of ṣalāt along with the meanings that the ṣalāt embodies within the presence of God, the Glorified and Exalted. Two Forces Exist in Every Human The person must live a state of anticipation for ṣalāt, for the pious believer who wants to reach the esoteric reality of ṣalāt must live this premonition before the time [of prayer] enters, yearningly anticipating the ṣalāt. The major events in life, and the lofty meanings initiate [primarily] by instilment and then transform into reality. The person must not become fatigued of constant instilment, for wayfaring towards God, the Exalted, is a diametric movement in the nature of the human due to the presence of two factors [in the human]: firstly, a driving force; and secondly, a preventing force. We must realize that there is a driving force which drives the wayfarer towards an opposite direction from what he desires [spiritually], meaning that it compels him to: lean towards temporal desires, lax towards the temporal realm, give precedence to the temporal over the ethereal, give precedence to the desire over the intellect, and give precedence to the immediate interest over the future interest. I would like to add that [the act of] worship is [a form of] dealing and interaction with the invisible world, and if the invisible world remains purely invisible, then it is no longer a driving force for the human. He who believes in God and the origin and return but does not live true realization by presence in his heart, would, naturally, not journey towards God, the Exalted, in an active manner and thus will attempt to go against the current. The swimmer who wants to swim against the current would initially require struggle, hardship and combat until he becomes accustomed to swimming with the wave thus overcoming the obstacles. Preliminary self preparedness is Necessary Hence, entering the ocean of ṣalāt requires preliminary self preparedness. Prior to the time [of prayer] entering, it would be beneficial for the person to create a barrier between himself and ṣalāt, i.e. creating a transitional area as a barrier between the two dimensions: Thus it is neither ṣalāt, nor is it interaction with others. For this reason, it is seen that the noble Qur'an emphasizes on the [following] reality: Performing tasbih prior to sunrise and sunset. The person must sit in the prayer area before the sun sets.. in an area where he prepares himself to be in the presence of God, the Exalted, while performing some tasbihat, tahlilat, and other recommended acts whereby he gradually dissuades from interaction with the elements of this world. Therefore, the ṣalāt of the believer begins a while before the [actual] time, for the righteous [people] and saints prepare themselves to meet the Lord an hour or so before, whereas the [ṣalāt] time surprises the laymen, and they even probably (deep inside) wish that the time does not enter, so that [the ṣalāt] doesn't spoil their [worldly] leisure! Now, if it was necessary to pray in the house - not in a house of God, the Exalted - then he must prepare an empty location for worshipping in his house to assert his anticipation and lenience to meet his Master. continuation of part I will be coming soon ... http://shiatranslati...temid=4〈=en

In His Name, the Most High Salam My blog has gone through a slight transformation and is now titled "The Spiritual Path of Ehsan" with the new "Journal" category as its main section of updates. As lovers of Ahl al-Bait(A) and seekers of the divine presence we come across many ideas, thoughts and inspiring literature in our journey. The idea with the journal is to collect all of these thought provoking gems in (mostly) short and simple to read posts as a point of reference for myself as well as others who might find it interesting. It could be a quote I stumble upon and wish to write down, or a thought which I'm reflecting upon, or something I've listened to etc etc. Basically a spiritual journal. The first post has already been made and I will inshaAllah put up new posts in this thread as they are published. The need of a spiritual master http://www.ehsan.me/...iritual-master/ Please feel free to comment and discuss the posts as well as share your thoughts and give feedback. Salam Ehsan