Sadullah Khan – 18th Post Witr Talk Ramadaan 1444 2023

Moral guidance from everyday experiences.

Now as Muslims,

we pray daily

and often we reflect on the salah

and some of the postures of the salah

that we perform,

And these are things we observe on a

daily basis. We observe it. We do it.

And sometimes

we are curious as to why we do

certain things in the manner in which you

do them.

Today, we recall an incident

that provides some insight

into some of the curiosity we may have,

and only Allah knows best.

Somebody asked Sayedna Ali

he

said

He said why in the salah when we

make a a,

a a, rakat of salah,

why do we make ruku one time but

make sujud two times?

Is there any reason for that? Why don't

we make 1 sujud and one and

one ruku?

Why don't you make 2 ruku into sujud?

Why 1 ruku and 2 sujud in every

rakar?

And said

then responded by saying,

and he explained in detail and

he said, Saidna Ali said,

part of the symbolism

of the reasons why we do some of

these things are in obedience to Allah and

in our servitude

and in our worship of Allah.

And there are possible symbolic meanings

behind the ritual movements

that we perform

and explained that though our bowing

in aruku is a sign of respect

and a sign of veneration of Allah,

it is very clear

that the sujood, the prostration,

there is an expression of humility,

of submission,

of reverence

more than there is in the record.

He went and explained

moreover,

the sujood,

a human being moves

the most honored, respected, valued part of his

body, the most honored,

valued, and respected part of the human body,

which is the head containing the brain,

which is the seat of the ankle,

as well as the most recognizable

part of a person, which is also in

the head, which is called the face.

And you move that highest part to the

ground.

So instead, you place the highest part of

your body literally and figuratively

and physically and metaphysically,

the highest part of your body on the

lowest level

onto the ground, that very ground on which

you walk and that very ground which is

made of dust.

Said Na'ali then made reference

to Surah Paha, a verse in Surah Paha

in the whole

and you raise your head,

it is reflective of the words of the

Quranic verse,

the dust on which you made sujood from

dust we come.

Allah created us from dust. In other words,

we have come from that dust.

And then there's a very short jalsa.

One of the shortest part of the salah

is the portion between the 2 sujuds.

Then you go back into sujood

and then we're gonna return to the dust.

Then you put your head down again.

And

when you come up for the set for

the second time from the 2nd sujood,

And from the dust, Allah will bring us

back to accountability.

So he says, don't forget when you go

back to the dust, it means you are

gonna die the inevitability of death. You've come

from it, and these are the same verses

we read when you throw sand into the

grave.

So the first surjda,

you acknowledge the low your lowly humble origin

from which you have come. You've come from

the dust.

Then the second one, you return symbolically the

reality of death and that you are ultimately

going to be buried in that dust.

And when you get up from Sujood the

second time,

it symbolizes you being brought back to life

to give answer for your life in this

world for the deeds that you have done

while you were alive.

As a concluding point for our observation,

we know that janazah salah.

There is no azaan, there's no iqamah,

but there is a salah.

When you are born, they give azaal in

1 year, iqamah in the other year, but

there's no salah.

It is symbolic of that space between the

2 sujoods.

That life is so short

is but a fleeting moment.

So they keep Adal in a kamah and

after a kamah the start, Normally the salah

begins immediately after iqamah.

There's hardly a space between the iqamah and

the salah,

so that's the paucity of life.

As the one of the shortest portions of

the salah,

you pause for the moment

and then you go back to dust.

You see,

this is as the prophet

will reflect reflect about the reality of life.

Said, now I'll explain

perhaps why we make symbolically

as a symbolic gesture of our servitude to

Allah, but also we are in this world

as we know as travelers. Andi Rasool said,

hadith documented

by Imam Atilmiri,

what have I to do with the world,

your Rasool said? I am merely like a

rider who sat under a tree of shade

of the tree for a short while, and

then I moved on. That's the nature of

life. And perchance when we make the sujood

and we make ruku and we reflect upon

this

that we don't know

as the Rasool said,

when you do pray, pray as if it's

your last prayer. The next prayer may be

over your body.