Holy is my Lord
The word Rabb means “Lord” with a primary signification on “bringing a thing to a state of completion by degrees.” (Dictionary of the Holy Quran, pp. 306)
The meaning of Rabb is especially relevant because many failures related to Salat are because of our own impatience and going to extremes. Satan puts it in our mind that either we advance quickly or it’s not worth it at all. Misguided spiritual ambition is the cause of many failures. The antidote to falling in these extremes is an appreciation of Allah as Rabb. Allah causes us to progress gradually, and satan does the opposite. We should examine our hearts to see if our ambition for spiritual progress is according to the way of Allah or according to the way of satan.
Hazrat Musleh Mau'ud(ra) explained a difference between how angels inspire us to do something good and how satan inspires us to do something good.
“When an angel inspires us, there is an order in it and it advances stage by stage. For example, a mother first carries her child, then holds his hand and helps him walk, and then the child slowly learns to walk. … Or, an example of the difference between an angelic and satanic motivation is like a teacher who wishes well for his student. First, he teaches him the basics, and slowly he has the student advance. However, if the teacher is the student’s enemy, then he will initially teach such a difficult lesson that the student will tire and won’t come back. An angelic motivation will be progressive, stage by stage. It will not suddenly overburden him, and he will not be hurried in anything. But when we find ourselves suddenly overburdened and are motivated to hurry, we should understand that this motivation is not angelic; rather, it is a satanic motivation. For example, satan will motivate us to become a saint today and to observe prayer all day and to fast all year. However, if one acts on this motivation, then the result will be that he will tire and become frustrated and will completely leave prayer and fasting.” (Anwarul ‘Ulum, vol. 5, pp. 549, Malaikatullah)
The first obstacle that we face when improving our Salat is ignoring common sense. When we want to achieve anything in the world, we use our common sense and understand that we progress gradually. Many of us lose this common sense when we approach spirituality. We start observing Salat with childish expectations of seeing immediate results after a week. As a result, we fail to gather the resolve needed to see this journey through the years of effort it will take. Then we fall prey to impatience and become frustrated. Allah’s lordship means that no one can become a saint without a long stage by stage process.
The Promised Messiah(as) said,
“It is a pity, however, that many of those who pay heed and wish to gain the nearness of God Almighty seek immediate results. They know not the degree of patience and ambition that is required in matters of religion. It is surprising that they wait years on end for the acquisition of worldly objectives, for which they strive day in and day out, and for which they exert their best efforts. A farmer plants a seed and waits for quite some time, yet when it comes to matters of faith, they would like to be transformed into saints in a heartbeat. On the very first day, they expect to reach the throne of Allah, without undergoing any toil and hardship on this path, and without being subjected to trial. Remember well, this is not the law and practice of God Almighty. Even in religious matters, every form of progress is gradual” (Ruhani Khazain, vol. 20, pp. 484, Advent of the Promised Messiah, pp. 38-39).
The only result that can come of this impatience is despair. Many of us fall into despair in improving our Salat, and there are two causes of it.
One is that when we set such unreasonable expectations for what we expect to achieve, we will feel disappointed when we fail to achieve it. Although our dream of completely changing ourselves within a week is a delusion, it feels very real. If it feels real to us, then when we fail to achieve that dream, the feeling of disappointment will also be very real and crushing. For example, many people go into marriage with unrealistically high expectations. Their infatuation makes them blind to each other’s reality. When that infatuation wears off, then their disappointment with each other often ends up causing the deterioration of the relationship. Whether our expectation was a delusion or not is irrelevant. When we set ourselves up in a delusion, then we suffer the consequences of everything in our reality. The more unreasonable our expectations about Salat, the more of a disappointment we set ourselves up for. That feeling of disappointment can be so devastating that some people never recover and spend the rest of their lives in despair of trying to find Allah. Being mature in setting our expectations is critical. It may be surprising that satan uses Salat to misguide believers, but this is exactly what the Holy Quran has described. It quotes satan as saying to Allah Almighty,
“I will assuredly lie in wait for them on Your straight path.” (7:17)
The second cause of despair is that when we overextend ourselves, we get tired of Salat itself. For example, if someone never exercises and then starts going to the gym every day for two hours, everybody at the gym can see that he’s going to begin to hate exercising, and then he’ll never be seen from again. It is obvious to our common sense that this approach will end in failure, but sometimes we don’t use this common sense in spirituality. We have to build a liking for physical exercise gradually, and the same process is needed for the spiritual exercise of Salat. If we ignore this process, we won’t just fail at Salat, we may start hating it as well. It is Allah’s lordship (
) that brings things to a state of completion by degrees. It is satan who acts opposite to lordship and convinces us that we can change overnight.
Hazrat Musleh Mau'ud(ra) said,
“Satan will motivate someone to think that he has to find God today. Then, he will create despair in that person’s heart when he fails. Many people observe Salat for a week and then say that they didn’t find God. Many people observe Salat for a few days and desire that the Holy Prophet(sa) meet with them, however, these are all satanic whispers. When man becomes worthy of seeing God Almighty and the Holy Prophet(sa), then he can see them, otherwise, how can he? This type of hastiness is from satan. Its result is that when he fails to achieve what he desired, he despairs and then leaves everything.” (Anwarul ‘Ulum, vol. 5, pp. 550, Malaikatullah)
So many failures in Salat are because of falling into extremes. The importance of managing our motivation cannot be understated. Fluctuating from being overly motivated to having no motivation is a recipe for disaster.
The bare minimum we can all start with is the obligatory five daily Salat. Some people say that five daily prayers is too many to start with and that one prayer is an easier starting point.
However, the Promised Messiah(as) said,
“Some prayers take less than fifteen minutes to offer. It is surprising that time in prayer is considered a waste of time when it has so many benefits.” (Malfuzat (10 vol. edition), vol. 2, pp. 153)
If we cannot even make the resolve to observe the five daily prayers, then our own actions demonstrate that seeking communion with Allah is not a priority for us. The discipline and effort with which we pursue our worldly ambitions stand as a testimony against us. Even if at first we have no concentration in any Salat, it is necessary to maintain this minimum discipline of five prayers. For example, if we fall ill and lose our appetite, we will keep taking medicine regularly until we are restored to health. We don’t care how bitter that medicine is; we won’t stop taking it until we have regained our health and appetite.
The Promised Messiah(as) said,
“As he derives pleasure from delicious food, he will begin to derive pleasure from his weeping and crying in Salat. Before he experiences that condition in his Salat, he must persist in Salat as he swallows bitter medicine to restore his health. In the same way, he must persist in Salat and in making his supplications while he derives no pleasure from them. In such a condition, seeking pleasure and delight in Salat, he should supplicate: “Allah! You know how blind and sightless I am, and at the moment, I am like the dead. I know that in a little while, I will be called and will present myself before You and no one will be able to stop me. But my heart is blind and unenlightened. Do cause to descend upon it such a flame of light that thereby it may be inspired with Your love and devotion to You! Do bestow upon me such grace that I will not be raised up sightless nor join the blind!” When he supplicates in this manner and persists in the supplication, he will see that a time will come when something will descend upon him while he is engaged in this type of prayer that will melt his heart.” (Malfuzat (10 vol. edition), vol. 4, pp. 321-322)
If we have no concentration in Salat, then our Salat becomes a bitter medicine. Although it is bitter, it is a medicine that has to be taken regularly. We cannot deviate from the minimum prescription of five daily prayers and still expect to regain our health and appetite. We should resist the black and white thinking that if our Salat is not perfect, it is not worth observing at all.
The Holy Prophet(sa) said,
“Observe moderation (in doing deeds), and if you fail to observe it perfectly, try to do as much as you can do and be happy for none would be able to get into Paradise because of his deeds alone.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 52, Chapter 17)
We should analyze whether our motivation for Salat comes from the lordship of Allah Almighty or if it goes against it. If we find ourselves overly motivated, we should ask ourselves if we will be able to sustain this level of discipline when our motivation goes down. We should remind ourselves that no matter how much Salat we observe in a day, the lordship of Allah Almighty will only give us gradual progress. If I do a thousand push-ups today, I’m not going to become stronger, I’ll probably only hurt myself. Similarly, if we do a thousand Nawafil in one day, we will not make a thousand times more spiritual progress; instead, we will probably end up falling back. On the other hand, if we find ourselves with no motivation, we should remind ourselves that Allah Almighty is still just as present to accept our prayers now as he was when we were feeling motivated. The blessings of the lordship of Allah Almighty are there now more than ever for those who continue to strive when they are faced with a trial.
The Holy Prophet(sa) said,
“The acts most pleasing to Allah are those which are done continuously, even if they are small.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Chapter)
It is a sign of spiritual immaturity to get carried away by extremes in pursuit of short term goals. It is a sign of spiritual maturity to be able to manage our motivation according to our long term goals.
The word Rabb means a lord, master or chief, ruler, fosterer, and nourisher. (Dictionary of the Holy Quran, pp. 306) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) explained that when we say “my Lord,” everyone else disappears who we may have believed to be our master, ruler, or nourisher. We remind ourselves that our Lord is only Allah. (Tadris Namaz, pp. 34-35)
It takes a leap of faith to say that we will not rely on anyone else as our nourisher, fosterer, and ruler. Some people would worry about what they will do when they are desperate.
Hazrat Musleh Mau'ud(ra) said,
“When worldly support is taken away from a person, naturally he will need some other support because man is extremely weak. If a person is weak and ill, he needs crutches or a chair. At times of weakness or illness, man needs support. In the spiritual world, man is extremely weak, and thousands of hidden obstacles arise that prevent his progress. That is why in that world, he needs some support or another. A worldly person saves himself by lying, cheating, and fraud. However, Allah Almighty tells believers never to lie, cheat, or resort to fraud. Now, when the Shari‘ah has taken all support away from a weak person, what should he do? … Allah Almighty has replied in the words “bow down,” meaning you should lean on Us and find support in Us. This is similar to someone taking away an older person’s cane but giving him his shoulder to lean on. Similarly, when Allah Almighty has forbidden us from using illegitimate supports, and since we need one support or another, He tells us to lean on Him and take support in Him. Thus, the words “bow down” speak of trust in Allah.” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, vol. 6, pp. -102)
When we go into the posture of Ruku‘ in Salat, it is after having seen through the glorification in Qiyam that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. The Ruku‘ is a symbol of breaking away from every reliance on worldly supports and leaning on Allah alone. It is a symbol of Tauhid and Tawakkal (trust). The words 
mean, “he completely turned towards God and worshipped Him alone.” (Dictionary of the Holy Quran, pp. 341) When we take the posture of Ruku‘ and say that Allah is “My Lord,” we remove every other crutch or support we could lean on and take only Allah as our Lord. With both our words and action, we take Allah as our support. Once we are in Ruku‘, the glorification of Allah becomes a reassurance that the Lord we have taken for support will never let us fall and is free of all imperfections.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) explained that when we refer to Allah as “my” Lord, then it means that we should have a personal affinity with Allah; the attributes of Allah should be found in us. When we say “Holy is my Lord the Most Great/Lofty,” we should ask ourselves if we are also trying to become holy, and great, and lofty. If not, then we cannot truly call Allah “my” Lord because the word “my” implies personal affinity. (Dhauqe ‘Ibadat, pp. 494, 498) (Tadris Namaz, pp. 35)
When we say that Allah is holy and He is “my” Lord, if we are not holy ourselves, then we would be disgracing the name of God by attributing ourselves to Him. To claim that Allah is “my” Lord is a great responsibility. For example, most people would feel some shame in being caught lying. But if someone knew us personally as an Ahmadi Muslim and they had great respect for Ahmadi Muslims as honest people, then we would feel a greater aversion to lying because it could disgrace the Jama‘at. Rather than being a sign that brings people to Allah, our example could make people turn away from Allah. If someone graduates from Harvard, he feels responsible for being successful and living up to the name of the institution he attributes himself to. If he succeeds in school only to end up failing in life, then every mention of Harvard would make him feel ashamed rather than proud. His academic accomplishments could be used to mock him, and Harvard, rather than to praise him. When we say that Allah is “my” Lord, we attribute ourselves to Him. A servant of Allah is an ambassador of Allah; it carries great responsibility. If we then cheat someone out of their money, he would not just mock us, in his anger, he could also mock the God we claim to attribute ourselves to. Whenever we see a weakness in ourselves, we should worry as to how it reflects on Allah.
Expressing this sentiment, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Awwal(ra) quoted a prayer found in poetry.
“I fear that an enemy, seeing my needy and desperate condition, may mock You, saying, ‘This is a servant of the God who they claim is Benevolent!’” (Hayat-e-Nur, pp. 37)
The words “Holy is my Lord” also carry hope. While we are burdened with the responsibility of creating within us the attributes of Allah, we also seek help from the Lord who created us from nothing. By saying “holy is my Lord,” we say that only He can remove our imperfections, only He can make us worthy of being His servant.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) said,
“When we say “my Lord,” it becomes a hope, not just a responsibility. It is a prayer to a Being who helps us. Holy is my Lord, my Lord is free of every imperfection, and thankfully He is my Lord, and He is the one Who reforms me.” (Tadris Namaz, pp. 35-36)
With the words “my Lord,” we address Allah Almighty in a uniquely personal way that we have not yet used in Salat. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) explained that when we addressed Allah Almighty as “Lord of all the worlds” in Suratul Fatihah, we referred to Him in the third person. We have not yet expressed a personal connection with Him because so far, He is the Lord of not just “me” but of all creation. In the words “you alone do we worship and you alone do we implore for help,” we address Allah Almighty in the second person, and a personal connection is expressed. However, since we speak in the plural and say “we worship,” the expression is collective and not as personal as “me.” In the words of Thana’ when we said “holy are you O Allah,” we addressed Allah Almighty in the second person as well, but we have not yet referred to Him as “my” Allah. We are not worthy of calling Allah as “my” Allah so long as we have praised Him with words alone. When we go into the posture of Ruku‘, we put our praise of Allah into action and we offer a symbol of obedience. When we act on our words, only then we become worthy of referring to Allah as “my” Lord. When we bow down and obey Allah, then Allah becomes “my” Lord. (Dhauqe ‘Ibadat, pp. 493) (Tadris Namaz, pp. 32)
Also, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) explained that we only earn the right to refer to Allah as “my Lord” after we have accepted Allah as Lord of all the worlds. In Suratul Fatihah, we seek to become a representative of the Lord of all the worlds by seeking mercy for the entire world. When we say, “You alone do we worship and You alone do we implore for help,” we seek mercy with the word “we” for the whole world, or for everyone under our care. As a reward for seeking mercy for everyone collectively, we are rewarded by Allah Almighty manifesting Himself to us personally. Allah Almighty can only become “my” Lord after we have accepted Him as “our” Lord. (Dhauqe ‘Ibadat, pp. 90-91)
The Most Great
Lane quotes, “
signifies esteemed great...by another or others; differing from 
which signifies “great...in itself:” …or the former is the contr. of 
[i.e. it signifies of great account or estimation;] and as 
a is inferior to 
so 
is superior to 
(Lane’s Lexicon, Root: 
Entry: 
).
When compared with one another, the word Kabir describes the greatness of a thing objectively, whereas ‘Azim describes the greatness of a thing subjectively. This can more easily be understood by knowing the antonym of each word. The antonym of Kabir is the word Saghir (small), whereas the antonym of ‘Azim is the word Haqir (despicable, worthless). For example, if we say a Tafsir (book of commentary) is Kabir, it means it is large in its size; this is a simple observation. If we say a Tafsir is Saghir (small), it means that it is small in its size. We are not necessarily criticizing it; we are just making an observation. If we say that a Tafsir (commentary) is ‘Azim, now we are speaking from our experience and we are praising its grandeur, we are saying that it is esteemed as great. If we were to say that a Tafsir is Haqir (despicable, worthless), we would have to be criticizing it. The word Haqir (despicable, worthless) is more sharp in its criticism, whereas the word Saghir (small) is far more broad. Similarly, the word ‘Azim is more specific in its describing the manifestation of greatness, whereas the word Kabir is more broad.
When we say “Allah is the greatest,” we describe how great Allah Almighty is in and of Himself, whether we see that greatness or not. We speak in more of a matter of fact way, saying that He is greater than everything in every way. When we say that Allah Almighty is “My Lord, the Most Great,” we speak more based on our experience of the magnitude of that greatness. We describe how enormous the manifestation His grandeur is.
When we compare Al-‘Azim to the rest of the attributes of Allah Almighty, a unique quality of this attribute appears. Whenever we experience the manifestation of any attribute, we see its ‘Azmat (greatness). The attribute of Al-‘Azim expresses our living experience with every name of Allah Almighty.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) explained that the attribute of Al-‘Azim is unique in that it is the only attribute that can be applied to all other attributes. We would generally not say that Allah Almighty is the Gracious Avenger or the Forgiving Avenger. But we can say that Allah is the ‘Azim Ghafur (the Great Forgiver), or the ‘Azim Muntaqim (the Great Avenger), or the ‘Azim ahir (the Great Manifest), or the ‘Azim Awwal (the Great First). This cannot be done in the same way with any other attribute. The word of ‘Azim manifests each attribute of Allah in a new glory. For example, if a person is seeking the forgiveness of Allah Almighty for His sins, then when he says “my Lord, the Most Great,” he can be reminded of the grandeur of the forgiveness of his Lord. We can link every attribute to ‘Azim. (Khuṭbate Ṭahir, vol. 4, pp. 996-7, 20 Dec 1985)
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) said,
“‘Azim (great) has an awe and a manifestation in it. Its manifestation of awe is seen from up close. When you consider something as great (‘Azim), one way to know that it is great (‘Azim) is by observing it from a distance. Your ears hear of it, or your eyes see it from a distance. However, its ‘Azmat (greatness) cannot be felt without coming close to it. Until you reach the foot of a mountain, you cannot understand what it means for a mountain to be great (‘Azim). We heard about the ‘Azmat (greatness) of the Himalayan mountains, but when we traveled, reached the foot of the mountain, and saw the mountain tops from up close, we understood what the ‘Azmat of a mountain is.” (Dhauqe ‘Ibadat, pp. 491)
The ‘Azmat (greatness) of every attribute of Allah can be felt from up close. For example, when we say that Allah is Master of the Day of Judgement in Suratul Fatihah, we think about the concept of the day of judgment. We observe it comfortably from a distance. We generally think about how deeds will be weighed and how Allah will decide everyone’s fate. Thinking about the day of judgment as a concept does not create awe in our hearts; it merely fascinates the mind. However, when we now picture ourselves standing before Allah Almighty with all of our deeds in front of us, when we picture that moment when there will be no turning back and nobody can save us, now we see the Master of the Day of Judgement from up close. Now the ‘Azmat (greatness) of this attribute creates an awe in our heart. There is a difference between understanding Allah’s attributes as a concept and feeling their presence as a reality. We ease into the remembrance of Allah by starting in a world of concepts, of thinking about the day of judgment as a concept. But then when our eyes refocus in Salat and we come back to the here and now, we realize we are standing right in front of the Master of the Day of Judgement, similar to how we will be standing in front of Him on the day of judgment. This realization causes a sudden shift from seeing with our minds to seeing with our hearts. Reflecting on Allah Almighty changes from creating a fascination in our mind to now bringing an awe to our hearts. When we feel the presence of Allah up close, that moment is the manifestation of the ‘Azmat (greatness) of Allah Almighty upon us.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) said,
“When someone’s ‘Azmat (greatness) is manifested by his nearness and is felt, only then can changes happen in people as a result. Thus, after understanding the meaning of “holy is my Lord, the Most Great,” we understand the manifestation of the ‘Azmat (greatness) of God that we saw in Suratul Fatihah. We have come very close to Him, so close that we have bowed down to Him and have accepted obedience of Him. A distant God is not enough to inspire obedience. True obedience of God can only happen when His ‘Azmat (greatness) is felt, and ‘Azmat requires nearness. Thus, Ruku‘ has completed this subject. Ruku‘ is a state of obedience.” (Dhauqe ‘Ibadat, pp. 491-492)
Our purpose in reflecting on Allah in our minds is to feel the awe of His presence in our hearts. The mind is not our destination; it is a necessary step in our journey towards our heart. “Believers are only those whose hearts are smitten with awe when Allah’s name is mentioned” (8:3). The remembrance of Allah achieves its purpose if it reaches our hearts. When it reaches our hearts, then it moves us to action.
The Holy Prophet(sa) said,
“Remembrance of Allah has a great reward.” A Companion asked, “O Prophet of Allah, is it higher in reward than striving in the cause of Allah?” He said, “Yes, because it is the remembrance of Allah which encourages you to undertake the striving.” (Remembrance of Allah, pp. 5)
True remembrance of Allah moves us to act. Moving to the posture of Ruku‘ is a symbol of our heart moving us to action. The awe of Allah Almighty makes us want to spontaneously go into the posture of Ruku‘. The purpose of Qiyam is to create the desire for Ruku‘. If by the end of Qiyam, the glorification of Allah has made us restless to go into Ruku‘, then we have observed Qiyam correctly. If our dhikr (remembrance of Allah) remained confined only to our mind, then it cannot move us to action or purify our lives. The Ruku‘ we do would only be done out of habit; it would not be a result of the remembrance of Allah.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Rabi‘(rh) said,
“As a result of seeing the ‘Azmat of God up close that Suratul Fatihah described to us, our soul spontaneously goes into Ruku‘. The Ruku‘ of the body is subservient to the Ruku‘ of the soul. Our body does Ruku‘ after the soul, not before it. Thus, when you understand the subjects in Qiyam and recite them well, your heart should enter a state that causes your soul to bow down. As a result, your body should also be restless to bow down along with it. This state is called Ruku‘. After this, when you reflect on the subject of ‘Azmat in a state of Ruku‘, then to observe the words “holy is my Lord, the Most Great” three times will seem very brief.” (Dhauqe ‘Ibadat, pp. 492)
Before going into each posture of Salat, we should create in our hearts the sentiment that the posture expresses. We will find pleasure in going to a posture only when the body follows the heart, not the other way around. If our heart follows our body, that pleasure won’t be there. For example, if we go into Ruku‘ without thinking about the sentiment behind Ruku‘, then we will only adopt the posture out of routine, not out of enthusiasm. Once in Ruku‘, we will try to find the sentiment that Ruku‘ symbolizes, but since we did not prepare for it in Qiyam, we will likely feel frustrated. However, when our heart feels the ‘Azmat (greatness) of Allah Almighty in Qiyam, we will be restless to bow down in obedience to Allah before we go into Ruku‘. When the body follows the heart, we find pleasure in going to each posture because our body is anxious to express the sentiment that is in our heart. Then we find pleasure without even having to say anything. Imagine doing an entire Salat where we do not recite any words, where we express ourselves only with our body language, where our heart expresses the sentiment of each posture. We stand before Allah Almighty in Qiyam and express with our heart all the sentiments this posture symbolizes. We prostrate to our Allah and declare all of the sentiments of submission with only our body. That Salat may have no words, but it would not be silent. That Salat would be filled with eloquent expressions of our body language. Just bowing down before our Allah without any words is a worship and a pleasure in and of itself.
The Promised Messiah(as) said,
“Remember that it is necessary in the Prayer for both physical state and verbal expression to unite. … In Prayer, just as the tongue recites certain words, so too the physical movements of one’s body and limbs display a certain image.” (Malfuzat (English), vol. 2, pp. 148)
“Bear in mind that anything physical in nature that is empty of spirit cannot prove beneficial. For example, just as the meat of sacrifices does not reach God, your bows and prostrations do not reach Him either, until they are performed with a true spirit. God desires the essence.” (Malfuzat (English), vol. 2, pp. 109)