Risālat Ibn al-Qayyim ilā Ikhwānih - Ibn al-Qayyim - (الكتاب/40)

Aspect (1) Two: the scene (2) of truthfulness and sincere goodwill.

It is that one empties his heart for Allah during the prayer, expends his utmost effort in turning to Him while engaged in it (3), gathers his heart upon it (4), and performs it in the most excellent and complete fashion, both outwardly and inwardly—for the prayer has an outer form and an inner reality (5). Its outer form is the visible movements and the audible words (6); its inner reality is humility, vigilant awareness, freeing the heart for Allah, and turning to Him with one’s whole being, so that the heart does not glance away from Him toward anything else (7). This (8) is to the prayer what the spirit is to the body, while the physical motions are but its body; when bereft of the spirit, it is like a body that has no soul. Should a servant not feel ashamed to face his Master with something of that sort? For this reason it is rolled up like a worn-out garment, flung back at the face of its owner, and it says, “May Allah forsake you as you have forsaken me.”

The prayer (9) whose outward and inward aspects are both perfected [and complete] (10) ascends, radiating light.

(1) Omitted from manuscript C. (2) “Spiritual state” (mashhad) is omitted from manuscript C. (3) “In it” is omitted from manuscript C. Manuscript B reads, “in it, in his attentiveness,” instead of, “in his attentiveness to it.” (4) “And concentrating his heart upon it” is omitted from manuscript C. (5) “For the prayer has an outward and an inward aspect” is omitted from manuscript B. (6) Manuscript C reads, “statements and actions,” instead of, “visible actions and audible statements.” (7) The passage from “and emptying the heart” to “other than it” is omitted from manuscript C. (8) Manuscript C reads, “and it is,” instead of, “thus, this is.” (9) “The prayer” is omitted from manuscript C. (10) The original reads, “which”; the adopted reading is based on manuscripts B and C.

المشهد (١) الثاني: مشهد (٢) الصِّدقِ والنصح وهو أن يفرِّغ قلبه لله فيها، ويستفرغ جهده في إقباله فيها (٣) على الله، وجمع قلبه عليها (٤) وإيقاعها على أحسن الوجوه وأكملها ظاهرًا وباطنًا، فإنَّ الصلاة لها ظاهر وباطن (٥)، فظاهرها الأفعال المشاهدة والأقوال المسموعة (٦)، وباطنها الخشوع والمراقبة وتفريغ القلب لله، والإقبال بكليته على الله فيها، بحيث لا يلتفت قلبه عنه إلى غيره (٧)، فهذا (٨) بمنزلة الروح لها، والأفعال بمنزلة البدن، فإذا خلت من الروح كانت كبدن لا روح فيه، أفلا يستحي العبد أن يُواجِه سيدَه بمثل ذلك! ولهذا تُلَفُّ كما يُلَفُّ الثوب الخلق ويُضرب بها وجه صاحبها، وتقول: ضيعك الله كما ضيعتني. والصلاة (٩) [التي] (١٠) كمل ظاهرها وباطنها تصعد ولها نور

(١) ساقطة من ج. (٢) (مشهد) ساقطة من ج. (٣) (فيها) ساقطة من ج، وفي ب (فيها في إقباله) بدل (في إقباله فيها). (٤) (وجمع قلبه عليها) ساقطة من ج. (٥) (فإن الصلاة لها ظاهر وباطن) ساقطة من ب. (٦) في ج (الأقوال والأفعال) بدل (الأفعال المشاهدة والأقوال المسموعة). (٧) (وتفريغ القلب) إلى (غيره) ساقط من ج. (٨) في ج (وهو) بدل (فهذا). (٩) (الصلاة) ساقطة من ج. (١٠) في الأصل (الذي)، والمثبت من ب و ج.