By Banji Ayoola
The posture of an adherent of Islam when observing his daily prayers expresses a deeply touching picture of humility.
It displays, gives the picture of a most profound and deepest humility of the human spirit before its Creator. Total submission to the Will of Allah in thoughts, words and deeds.
As expressed in his mode of worship openly demonstrated in casting or throwing himself down, touching the ground with his fore head: Mo f’ori ba’le fun Yin. Mo ju’ba fun Yin. Mo wo’le fun Yin. I submit myself, my whole bodies, my whole being to Thee, to Thy Will. I worship Thee in body and soul. I give myself unto Thee alone.
The uppermost part of my body, the highest, my head, I submit unto Thee; I bring down before Thee; I am down with my head on the ground before Thee; I am down with my whole being before Thee; regardless of my social status, of my earthly designations, I am nothing before Thee, before Thy Holiness. These and more he expresses in his entire mode of worship.
First in the ablution which portrays the picture of cleanliness, of purity, of reverence; symbolising that before I dare appear before the Beneficent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent Almighty Allah, the Most High and Creator of the Heavens, the universes and the earth, of the entire Creation spanning fabulous distances with everything it contains, in my prayer at all, I must cleanse my self thoroughly of all and whatever uncleanliness; that I must purge myself of all impurities, all filth. Which do not swing in His Will. Before I step before the very distant steps leading to His Nearness.
That I must drop, cast aside the baggage of dirt, filth, uncleanliness, of all impurities that I carried in thoughts, words and deeds before I dare to step before the distant steps leading to the Nearness of His Holiness, before Him.
That I must step, appear before Him pure and radiantly so.
While praying, the adherent stands arms folded on his chest or hanging loosely by his sides, with his head bowed reciting his prayer.
Simply dressed, bare footed, he bends down or rukuu, reciting. He goes ahead and throws himself down on the ground on all fours, touching the ground with his forehead, reciting.
And he sits on the bare floor, expressing again a great humility. That he is nothing before the Almighty Father. symbolising his nothingness before Him.
That he is prepared to part with his comfortable arm chairs, his comfort, forget his material wealth, close his eyes to material earthly wealth and comfort, and bring himself down before Him, the Only One.
In all simplicity, in humility. In total reverence. In absolute worship.
Again he sits apart from the women who sit in a special place either on a level high above; or behind the male on the same floor; but out of sight of the male.
Women having their physical body fully covered, fully draped nobly, enabling both the male and female to concentrate fully on the prayer.
How great the world will be, how great will our existence be if we grasp and honour the meaning of these symbolisms, and live on their basis daily.
Symbolisms which all urge the human spirit to seek truly the right path; and humbly cast himself down to submit himself, his entire being absolutely, only to the pure Holy Will of the Lord Almighty Father.
