Prayer For Purity Of Heart and Humility

Humility in Prayer

How to bring together your body, mind, heart and soul in prayer is not easy but not difficult as well. Why should a Muslim perform their prayer with humility, get closer to God?

Our salah needs to be constantly shielded and guarded from everything that affects its quality.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have some form of an invisible protective shield around us while we pray to keep the distractions away from us? Yes! And here’s some good news: each one of us can and should build this protective shield to guard our Salah as per the instructions given in the Qur’an and the Sunnah:

And those who strictly guard their Prayer (Al-Mu’minun 23:9)

This averse goes to show that our salah needs to be constantly shielded and guarded from everything that affects its quality.

The collective attentiveness in the actions of the heart, tongue and limbs form the basis of the khushu` protective shield.

In the first part of this article, we looked at the nature of khushu` and how it affects us both in and  salah. Now we will look at some practical steps you can take on your path to developing khushu` in your own salah.

Here are some practical tips to maintain humility in prayer:

1- Knowledge

Increase in Islamic knowledge; learn about Allah, tawheed, His Names and Attributes, and various aspects and sciences of the Sunnah. Why? Because Allah says:

It is only the learned amongst His servants who truly fear Allah. (Fatir 35:28)

With regards to gaining knowledge, even our Prophet (peace be upon him) had a teacher to understand the deen (religion) of Allah: it was Jibreel (Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him). Therefore, we must seek knowledge under the guidance of Islamic teachers and scholars.

2- On Time

Pray on time and plan your life around salah timings and not the other way around. Prioritize pleasing Allah over pleasing people. We can’t say, ’But I have work, I have to meet so-and-so etc.

’ because before all of that came about, we already knew about our salah timings; so that’s not a valid excuse. But in situations that are our control, such as an exam, try to ask the moderator if a few minutes can be allowed for salah.

That way we would have at least tried our best rather than not trying at all.

3- Seek Refuge in Allah

Seek refuge in Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) from Satan by saying  ‘a`udhu billahi min Ash-Shaytan ir-rajeem’ (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan) before starting the salah and during the salah too when needed. Also say bismillah (in the name of Allah) before beginning the salah.

4- Be Mindful

Contemporary psychologists use a very simple technique called ’Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy‘ to help people stay focused in the present moment rather than being engrossed in foggy thoughts of past or future while losing touch with reality. It means to simply remind yourself to come back to the present moment as soon as you realize that your thoughts have drifted away from what is happening right now.

Perform every salah as you would perform your last salah.

With practice, insha’Allah we can benefit from this technique to maintain our khushu`. Start by being mindful of Allah when you make the intention for ablution; be attentive while doing the ablution; then recite the recommended du`aa’ (supplication) after completing the ablution. At all times of the day, keep away from anything that makes you forget the remembrance of Allah.

Satan will use various tricks and tactics to divert us, so we have to be aware of his methods. The moment you realize that the heart and mind have wandered off, try to bring your attention back. The more often you do this, the more your humility will improve insha’Allah.

5- Understand

Read the tafseer (exegesis) of Surat Al-Fatihah; understand each verse and pause in between. (Tafseer by Ibn Kathir is recommended.

) Remember, well-begun is half done! Read translations to understand all the surahs that you recite during salah.

Try to offer Tahajjud and recite the Qur’an during those hours of the night, as that is a good time for understanding the words of Allah.

6- Visualize

Always try to remind yourself that you are standing in front of Allah, pray as though you see Him; and if you cannot do that, then be aware that He is definitely seeing you. As you recite, visualize the Arabic words of each surah (chapter of the Qur’an). Do not close your eyes, but focus on the place of sujud (prostration).

7- Never Stop

Be wary of sticking to your salah, particularly in times of distress – it will help a lot in dealing with the situation as mentioned in the Qur’an:

Seek Allah’s help with patient perseverance and prayer. It is indeed hard except for those who are humbly submissive. (Al-Baqarah 2:45)

Help children develop their humility and concentration from a young age. Do not force them to offer salah; rather inspire them to come to salah.

8- Good Pace

To attain humility in prayer be attentive and relaxed by maintaining a good pace between salah actions, giving a minimum of 5 seconds or more per action. Every time you say ‘Allahu Akbar’, say it from your heart. Make your sujud a bit longer than usual, recite du`aa’s in it and also before the final Tasleem.

9- It Could Be the Last

Before approaching salah, remember the inevitable reality: death. Allah created us only to worship Him. Perform every salah as you would perform your last salah. We may not know when, but one day we will be praying our last one.

After each salah, develop a habit of reciting the supplications as recommended by our Prophet.

To grow humility

After reading this article and understanding what it says, it is really up to us to take a moment and step outside of our self, honestly analyze the quality of our prayer, level of our iman (faith) and the impact of these on our life as a whole. We’ll all agree that correct knowledge is absolutely lovely, but it will be of no use to anyone at all until we actually decide to implement what we now know. It is only then that knowledge becomes lovelier and in turn beautifies us from inside and out.

Do not lose hope or give up if these tips do not work at first or do not provide an immediate solution. Remember that the seed of khushu` and humility will grow only after a gentle rain of consistent reminders seep into the heart by Allah’s will.

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Source: productivemuslim.com

Источник: //www.newmuslim.net/acts-of-worship/prayers-salat/humility-in-prayer/

Prayer of the Heart and Humility

If one enters into the prayer life of Orthodoxy, you will find a great emphasis on keeping Christ on your heart and mind at all times.  The monastics and many laypeople strive to attain “prayer of the heart,” in which their heart speaks the name of Christ or what is known as the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me” at every waking and sleeping hour.

Entering into this realm of life is exciting and transformative.  It requires two things: first of all is grace from God.  Without His grace, everything else is worthless.  Secondly, it necessitates a readiness on our part to receive him.

 If our hearts and minds are full of the cares, attachments, and desires of this world and our flesh, then there is no room for grace within us.

 Of course, it takes the grace of God to remove these things, but we must make ourselves available and take the tiniest step of effort toward Him.

Releasing the desires and attachments of the flesh is a slow process.  The more we dig around inside of us, the more we will realize needs cleansing.  The command of Christ “Be ye perfect” begins to sound quite daunting if we have spent any time in honest introspection.

St Gregory of Nyssa teaches us that we can never reach that final resting place called “perfection.”  God himself is perfection, and God is infinite and limitless.

”  Instead, we move from glory to glory, and the very journey itself toward Christ is the perfection that has been commanded of us.

HOW TO BEGIN PERFECTION

So, where does one even begin their journey toward perfection?  One place that most people start is attempting to keep Christ in mind at all times.  Working toward receiving prayer of the heart is an excellent place to begin.

However, there is another place too, that perhaps for some of us is an even better place to begin.  Today, I read about venerable Sisoi the Great who was a disciple of the well known Anthony the Great.  I came across the following story:

To the question of one of the monks as to how he might attain to a constant mindfulness of God, the monk remarked:

‘That is still not of much consequence, my son, but more important is this – to account oneself below everyone else, because such disparagement assists in the acquisition of humility’

WHAT IS HUMILITY?

I’m not sure I know what humility is.  I’ve read about it, and I recognize it in the lives of the saints, but I am unable to offer an experiential definition.  Elder Porphyrios teaches that it is impossible to be a Christian, much less attain to the Kingdom of Heaven without humility.  In Wounded by Love, he states “The heart gives life to the body and humility gives life to the soul.”

St Theophan the Recluse teaches that when one begins to very purposefully work with God toward the Kingdom, the enemy will attack in one of two ways: either he will lash out with everything he’s got, or he will completely back off and allow the person to feel they are rapidly excelling in their spiritual life.

This second tactic is extremely dangerous for us because it so often leads to vainglory in those who are pursuing constant remembrance of God and prayer of the heart.

 Without a foundation of humility, the person who is practicing great spiritual disciplines will easily think of himself as being superior to those around him.

 He will have feelings of affection toward others, but it will be in a condescending way.

For this reason, Sisois the Great taught that monks should first practice thinking more highly of everyone else than themselves so they can begin to acquire humility, and then worry about the spiritual disciplines.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF HUMILITY

Because I know so little about humility, I am going to allow the fathers of the Church to speak about it:

From Wounded by Love* (Elder Porphyrios):

Within us there is a part of the soul called the ‘moralist.’  This ‘moralist’ when it sees someone going astray, is roused to indignation, even though very often the person who judges has strayed in the same way.  He does not, however, take this as an occasion to condemn himself, but the other person.  This is not what God wants…

In this way we do harm, not only to our neighbor, but also to ourselves  because we distance ourselves from the grace of God.  And then we pray and our prayers are not heard…

On teaching and correcting our fellow Christians, St Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes in The Arena**,

He who acts in his own strength, acts for vainglory; he offers both himself and those who listen to him as a sacrifice to Satan…

We will observe that the Fathers forbid us to give advice to our neighbor of our own accord, without our neighbor’s asking us to do so.  The voluntary giving of advice is a sign that we regard ourselves as possessed of spiritual knowledge and worth, which is a clear sign of pride and self-deception.

Elder Zosimas, a desert father, was one of the first fathers that I ever read when venturing into Orthodoxy.  His teachings began to turn my world upside down because they resemble the teachings of Christ,

Who could ever persuade a humble person to weave thoughts against someone else? For, no matter what a humble person suffers or hears, that person will see this as an opportunity to insult and shame himself…

For, a person that longs for the true and straight way will rebuke himself harshly when troubled by something this (being insulted). That person will always practice self-examination, saying:

“My soul, why have you lost your mind? Why are you troubled those who are insane? It is precisely this, which indicates how unwell in fact you are. Had you been healthy, you would not have been troubled. Why do you neglect to blame yourself and begin accusing your brother for revealing to you your illness both in deed and in truth?

Learn the commandments of Christ: ‘When He was abused, He did not return abuse; when He suffered, He did not threaten ’ (1 Pet. 2.23). Listen to Him, when He says and when He shows us in reality : ‘I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who beat me. I did not hide my face from insult and spitting’ (Is. 50.6).

After all, what more can a demon do to such a soul, that it has not already done to itself? We see the cross of Christ, we read of His passion each day, what He suffered for us. Yet, we cannot endure the slightest insult.

We have indeed deviated from the straight way.”***

All of this can be a bit overwhelming when I realize my lack of humility.  But as St Gregory says, perfection is being on the journey toward Christ; that is all that is requested of us…that daily, little bit by little bit, we allow God to transform us into the image of His Glory.

*Elder Porphyrios, Wounded by Love.  Published by Denise Harvey, copyright Holy Convent of the Life-giving Spring (Chania, Crete, Greece), 2005.

**Brianchaninov, Ignatius, The Arena.  Holy Trinity Publications 2012.

***Chryssavgis, John (2008-06-06). In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Treasures of the World’s Religions) (Kindle Locations 2170-2171). World Wisdom. Kindle Edition.

Источник: //www.orthodoxroad.com/prayer-heart-and-humility/

Prayer for humility and gratitude

Jehovah Shalom, shower Your grace and tender mercies upon our loving hearts and upon our difficult lives today. Vanquish our iniquities, clear our thoughts so we can hear the sound of Your great voice as we stand firm and still, awaiting Your instruction.

Psalm 51:1 – Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions.

Ephesians 4:32  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,  forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Eph 4:32 Click To Tweet

• 1 Give us Compassion and Humility
• 2 May we be a blessing to others

Give us Compassion and Humility

Give us compassion and humility in our hearts. Let us be kind, gentle, generous, loving, giving and forgiving wherever we may go.

Allow pride to never get the best of us as You fulfill our dreams. Help us not to have a boastful tongue against our brothers. Let humility invade our souls.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy,  brotherly love,  a tender heart, and  a humble mind.

Psalm 111:4- He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

May we be a blessing to others

Allow us to be as compassionate as the air we breathe. Give us the strength to help our brother, especially if he falls by the wayside.

Allow us to be a blessing to others as we travel through life’s journey. Aid us in leaving an impact on the people that surrounds us. Change our hearts today, Oh Father, let hatred vanish in Your Holy presence.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons  of God.

We declare and decree that we will follow the example Jesus has set before us, in his Mighty name we pray! Amen and Amen!

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matt 5:9 Click To Tweet

Galatians 6:2  Bear one another’s burdens, and  so fulfill  the law of Christ.

christianstt.com

A Prayer for Humility and Thankfulness

By Jack Graham

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Heavenly Father, it is easy to sing your praises when life is well, but how quickly we forget when the road turns hard. Help us to give thanks in all circumstances.

Perhaps you’ve heard the story about Alexander the Great when he confronted a thief in the ranks of his army. The man was brought before the great conqueror to be punished, and Alexander stood to his feet and asked, “What is your name, soldier?”

“My name,” the young soldier quivered, “is A-A-Alexander.” Furious, Alexander the Great got right in that young man’s face and said. “I could have you killed for your crimes, but I’m not. So either change your name or change your ways!”

As believers, we bear the name of Jesus Christ each and every day of our lives. Yet, so many easy-believing, churchgoing, cultural Christians love to claim Jesus on Sunday, but show no thankfulness during the week for the name they bear. They’ll say, “Oh yes, I’m a Christian,” only when it’s convenient.

Dear Lord, may we never be ashamed to praise your name. In good times and in bad, may we always seek to follow you, Amen.

*Editor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of “How to Bear God’s Name Humbly and Thankfully” from Powerpoint Today. To read the full article, follow this link.

www.christianity.com

A Prayer for Humility and Thankfulness

By Jack Graham

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Heavenly Father, it is easy to sing your praises when life is well, but how quickly we forget when the road turns hard. Help us to give thanks in all circumstances.

Perhaps you’ve heard the story about Alexander the Great when he confronted a thief in the ranks of his army. The man was brought before the great conqueror to be punished, and Alexander stood to his feet and asked, “What is your name, soldier?”

“My name,” the young soldier quivered, “is A-A-Alexander.” Furious, Alexander the Great got right in that young man’s face and said. “I could have you killed for your crimes, but I’m not. So either change your name or change your ways!”

As believers, we bear the name of Jesus Christ each and every day of our lives. Yet, so many easy-believing, churchgoing, cultural Christians love to claim Jesus on Sunday, but show no thankfulness during the week for the name they bear. They’ll say, “Oh yes, I’m a Christian,” only when it’s convenient.

Dear Lord, may we never be ashamed to praise your name. In good times and in bad, may we always seek to follow you, Amen.

*Editor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of “How to Bear God’s Name Humbly and Thankfully” from Powerpoint Today. To read the full article, follow this link.

www.crosswalk.com

All liturgies are in truth consummation and proclamation of a state of being—making the invisible become visible on the physical level. We make altars to our own inner truths. Bowing to the Buddha, I bow to awakening and stillness in me. I learn humility before the Divinity in me, and then begin to learn from the wisdom of those people, places and things which surround me.

Daily prayer and contemplation compliment my meditation and tea, as does academic study of inspirations of masters past and present—for in their words I find the maps to my truths, as well as the words and ways I’ll need in order to articulate my experience, strength and hope to others. In study, we do not seek to ape the ways of any saint, sage or seer, but rather to find inspiration and guidance in our quest to know ourselves. In prayer, we do not seek to petition the Divine with our desires, but to recognize outwardly our ownmost truths. We seek to create a sacred space in our life that is always there to remind us of our true face. Surrounded by flowers, fruit, incense, tea and light we remember and make ceremony of the fact that we are Mother Earth, we are suffering and forgiveness, we are Buddha-nature. Proper prayer is for forgiveness, or gratitude for the endless blessings each and every one of us is showered with daily; prayer is for loving- kindness and the sharing of our merits as we follow this spiritual path; and prayer is to ask the Divine, or our higher self, for knowledge of the Divine will and the power to carry it out. We ask that the Divine will, not our own, unfold in our inner connection to the Dao. And having seen this path, we ask for the acceptance and courage to walk it. Tea is prepared with mastery only when it prepares itself. As in life, we must step the way and let the current flow through us—the way the tea flows through the pot and cups.

The remaining posts in this series will publish as follows:

Bowl Four: Cleanliness; Purity April 22
Bowl Five: Physical wellbeing; Diet and Movement April 29
Bowl Six: Healing and Community; Work and Service May 6
Bowl Seven: Connection to the Great Nature; Bowl tea May 13
Bowl Eight: Grace and Beauty; Gong fu tea May 20

Click to read Bowl One and Bowl Two.

“Eight Bowls of Life” was written by Wu De and first published by Global Tea Hut in February, 2013. Post image courtesy of Global Tea Hut. Loading image from T Ching archives.

www.tching.com

Источник: //4prayertoday.com/prayer-for-humility-and-gratitude/