When a Prayer Can Be Dangerous
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
17 May 2023
Here's a
favourite of the Sufi Master Sa'di of Shiraz:
A friend of
mine was delighted that his wife was pregnant. He ardently desired a male
child. And he made vows to god with this in mind. His wife gave birth to a boy.
My friend rejoiced and threw a party for the entire village. Years later, on my
return from Mecca, I passed through the village of my friend and was told he
was in jail. “What happened?" I asked.
“His son
got drunk, killed a man and ran away. So, his father has been thrown into
prison. "
To
persistently ask god for what we want is laudable---and perilous as well.
“The
Universe is aware of every individual's needs and wishes. There's a perfect
scheme of things for everyone. Don't spoil that with your fervent prayers and
entreaties," wrote Paulo Coehlo in his book “Manual of the Warrior of
Light."
Prayer is
good but it often degenerates into begging. Humans pray for two reasons:
Pestering god, universe or some unknown higher power to fulfil their quotidian
wishes AND as an indoctrinated and inculcated habit. We seldom pray for the
beatitude and a state of ineffable bliss.
Rumi says,
' a desireless prayer pleases the Almighty.' There was an episode in the life
of the great Iranian mystic Bayazid Bastami (804 CE-874 CE). It could be
apocryphal but is important to understand the profound timelessness of a
desireless prayer.
One day at
the age of 29, Bayazid sat for a prayer and went into a state of trance. When
he regained consciousness after some time, he realized that more than a year
had elapsed! “I thought it was just a fraction of a second." He heard a
voice, “No, you transcended time." His prayer transcended time and space
and it transformed him. It's said that after that indescribable experience,
Bayazid became all the more mellowed and compassionate. Earlier, he was
fanatically against the Zoroastrians (his ancestors embraced Islam from
Zoroastrianism; Bayazid's grandfather, Sorushaan, was a Zoroastrian, who
converted to Islam), but his rigid stand towards them changed completely.
A wordless
and desireless prayer can transform an individual. But that's for the seekers
and evolved souls. Most of us are abject beggars, asking for a new job, a
beautiful wife, a sprawling house, increment or promotion. Because, that's the
(limited) range of spiritual wisdom we're endowed with. We cannot remain silent
even during our prayers and keep asking for something or the other like nagging
mendicants!
-----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in
comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed
articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including
Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/prayer-dangerous/d/129793
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