THE CLOSEST OF PEOPLE TO GOD

Islam surpasses all other beliefs – the Islamic faith is above all religions and is an understanding that each moment of our lives we stand before God, Glorified be He.

According to Islam, God is accessible at any time and in any place.  We need only call on Him and He will answer the call.  Prophet Muhammad advised us to call on God often.  He told us that God said,

“I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e.  I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if he remembers Me.  If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.”

In the Quran God says, “Remember Me and I will remember you…” [Quran 2:152]

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that when God, Glorified be He, made Adam from the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, Adam sneezed. After the sneeze Adam's first words were these:

"All praise be to God"

No one practices this act today except Muslims.

When a Muslim sneezes, he says:

"All praise be to Allah"

When a Muslim yawns, he seeks refuge in God.

"I seek refuge in Allah from the Rejected Devil"

When a Muslim initiates a permissable act, he says:

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".

Muslims pray in a ritualised way five times every day and interestingly the Arabic word for prayer is ‘salah’, which means a connection.

The most recognisable posture in the Muslim prayer is touching the forehead to the ground. This posture is mentioned in the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad as the position in which a believer is as close to God as it is possible to be:

"The nearest one comes to his Lord is when he is kowtowing."

This was how the Prophets and Messengers prayed towards their Lord. The Bible says:

Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
[Bible -- Genesis 17:3-6]

"And he (Jesus) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed..." (Matthew 26:39)

"And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship..." (Joshua 5:14)

"And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces…" (Numbers 20:6)

"…and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God." (Revelation 7:11)

"…then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." (Nehemiah 8:6)

"…Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces." (1 Chronicles 21:16)

In many others places in the Bible where we find the method of prayer mentioned, it calls to mind the way Muslims pray.

"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did a foretime." (Daniel 6:10)

It is interesting to note that Prophet Daniel prayed towards Jerusalem.  In the early days of Prophet Mohammad’s mission the believers also prayed towards Jerusalem. About sixteen months after Prophet Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to the city of Medina the direction was changed to facing the sacred House of God in Mecca.

"Stand in awe, and sin not."(Psalms 4:4)

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker." (Psalms 95:6)

"…all that go down to the dust shall bow before him…" (Psalms 22:29)

And in the book of Kings we find Prophet Elijah casting himself upon the earth in the position of kneeling before touching the forehead to the ground.

"…and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees." (1 Kings 18:42)

"And he (Jesus) was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed." (Luke 22:41)

Even though the Jews and Christians today do not pray as we read in the Bible, Muslims continue to pray in the similar way to the Prophets, as intended by the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

Muslims are connected to God and can communicate with Him easily. They call on God in any language, at any time and in any place.  They supplicate to Him, and give thanks. As God says:

"To God belong the East and the West: Wherever you turn, there is the Face of God. For God is all-Pervading, all-Knowing." [ Quran 2:115]

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The (whole) earth has been made a place of prayer and a means of purification, so wherever a man of my community (a Muslim) may be when the time for prayer comes, let him pray."

According to Islam, the entire world (except graveyards and lavatories) is a place for prayer.

Wherever a Muslim is when the time for prayer comes, he should pray: in a mosque, if possible, or else in a hallway or park, on a sidewalk or in a parking lot, or in a corner of a store, or on a tree, in the forest, in the street – anywhere at all. A Muslim can also pray in every kind of a temple, such as a church or a synonogue if one can find no other place.

One of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"The Prophet (pbuh) used to pray when travelling on his camel, no matter which direction it was facing...."


Muslims also pray to God at every moment of their life during communication with every human being. One example is greeting a Muslim with Salaam.

The Islamic form of greeting is universally comprehensive. It comprises the remembrance of God, it portrays the relationship of one Muslim to another, it is a perfect prayer and it also assures that you are safe from the evils of my hands and tongue. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said the following traditions:

"The closest person to God is he who initiates the Salaam"

"Salaam (which means Source of Peace ) is among the names of God which He has sent down to this earth. When a person comes to a gathering and offers Salaam to the people, he acquires a lofty status in the Sight of God because he reminded the people of God...."

"When a person enters his house, he should offer Salaam unto the people of the household as this entails blessings of God for him as well as the people of the household"

The Prophet (pbuh) enumerated a number of virtues, blessings and rewards for its implementation.

Another example is being just towards non-Muslims. God says in the Quran:

“Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear God. Verily, God is Well-Acquainted with what you do”
[Quran 5:8].

God has enjoined the Muslims to treat non-Muslims with justice as this is part of the faith.

It was reported that a sheep was slaughtered for 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr. He asked his slave:

"Have you given any to our Jewish neighbour? Have you given any to our Jewish neighbour? I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Gabriel kept on recommending that I treat my neighbours well until I thought that he would order me to treat them as my heirs.'"

Islam encourages people to honour one's neighbour and guest, and to remain silent unless one has something good to say, and regards all of that as part of the faith.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) observed:

"He who believes in God and the Last Day should either utter good words or better keep silent; and he who believes in God and the Last Day should treat his neighbour with kindness and he who believes in God and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest."

Islam was revealed from God to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). It was not made up by a human or any other creature nor it was influenced by other religions. The sole SOURCE of Islam is God Who guaranteed its preservation (not Zoroastrianism as some ignorant people believe it is).

All the Islamic beliefs, acts of worship, etiquettes, morals, laws and systems come from God. Muslims do not perform worship except in ways ordained by God, whether such acts of worship are prayer, fasting, alms giving or pilgrimage.

As this is a divinely-revealed religion, it connects a believer to his Lord with no intermediary. So a person worships his Lord whenever he wants, and calls upon Him when he wants. He is connected to his Lord by ties of worship, by turning to Him and beseeching Him. He does not need the intercession of priests or rabbis. Rather he turns directly to Allah, the One, the Subduer of all.

This is why it is not essential for the one who wants to utter the twin testimony of faith (al-shahadah) to have witnesses present. He may simply utter the words with his tongue, and that is sufficient for him to enter Islam.

The key to Islam is no more than two simple phrases: “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa anna Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah (I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah).” With these few words, a person enters Islam in a matter of seconds. There is no need for baptism or priests or any witnesses, or even to go to a certain place such as a mosque or anywhere else.

Muslims are the closest of people to God and are never alone or far from His Mercy, Forgiveness and Love.

107. Say: "Whether you believe in it (the Quran) or not, it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration,

108. "And they say: 'Glory to our Lord! Truly has the promise of our Lord (to Abraham) been fulfilled!'"

109. They fall down on their faces in tears, and it increases their (earnest) humility. [Quran 17:107-109]