Skip to main content

Prayers

Image
By
This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom

There is freedom in praying to God. I have been connecting with and getting closer to God for the last few years but I only recently started reading my salat (5 daily prayers in Islam). Before that I would do one voluntary salat everyday after I bathe. I am a late bloomer in this regard and I still have things to do to master my salat and my faith and my life. I play the azan and iqamah from youtube and also the prayer after azan. I follow along the steps of the salat from youtube until I could on my own. I have an app called prayer alarm that lets me know it is time to pray. I also have the Quranly app I use to read daily verses from the Quran. This is my journey and I thank God for guiding me along this path. In hindsight my life could have kept me and taken me down the wrong roads but somehow my heart was always on the straight path even when my mind and desires and circumstances and flaws were sending me the wrong way.

The word ray is contained in the word prayer. Prayer is a ray of hope. Prayer allows us to connect with a Higher Power. To call on our Creator. It is a reminder of our purpose and what is most important in our lives. My prayers are being answered and this strengthens my belief in prayers. I was saddened when the police commissioner called for prayers (among other things) to deal with crime and she was being mocked by many. If you do not believe in the power of prayer, how do you expect it to work? Also prayer is not about getting everything you want but about being guided and given the strength to deal with whatever tests we are tested with. God tests us with good and bad so do not become disenchanted when bad happens.

God gave us the freedom of choice and free will. Freedom is the root of religion and prayer. No one can force you or should force you to pray or choose a religion. That is the beauty of it all. Prayer is a choice we make. I am glad Islam chose me and I am glad that I accepted. What worked for me was an open mind and an open heart and recognising that there were things outside of my control. There were things that only a Higher power could fix. That the joys of this world are fleeting and the joy of God is everlasting. When we pray we free ourselves from our burdens and problems and lay them in the hands of God. We are less and less slaves to our fears and those destructive forces. We become slaves to God so that we are not slaves to this world. I let God guide me and chose a random verse from the Quran and got 3:60 "This is the truth from your Lord, so do not be one of those who doubt." And that would be the takeaway from this chapter for me, freedom lies beyond fear and doubt. A clap of thunder sounded as I reviewed what I wrote. Maybe, just maybe, a sign from God.
Labels:

Comments

Rasheeq said…
Insanely good post
June 17, 2024 at 1:59 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A pot of callaloo

By
Call for Submissions: Archipelagic Entanglements   https://singaporeunbound.org/opp/archipelagic-entanglements When I saw the call for submissions online I was doubtful. I do not know enough history. I do not understand the topic. Then after chatting with my friend Chatty I realised maybe I can be the topic. My ethnic and racial makeup is an archipelagic entanglement. Colonialism meets indentureship meets slavery. My mom is East Indian muslim and my dad is French, Portuguese and Mulato christian and who knows what else. I am an example of a pot of callaloo. Everyone's favorite Sunday lunch. I am what happens when lineages cross oceans and histories collide. I am thinking to myself now, what is the message I want to put forward with my blog post? What is the direction I want to take? Maybe it is this. What can we do when we have such a rich heritage and know so little of our own history? First of all I do not think I am alone with this struggle. I did not realise this until I though...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cup of coffee

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . The cool morning breeze blew the hat off the tourist passing the coffee shop. We sat at the table waiting for our order of coffee and bagels. I had stayed up late writing and was now needing caffeine to stay awake. On entering the veranda of the coffee shop, the sign reads "happiness is a cup of coffee" and "sip your troubles away". This had me thinking about what is happiness? And was the theme of my chat with Chatty as we enjoyed our breakfast in Tobago. I told my friend Chatty that if we could put happiness in a bottle and sell it we would be rich. My friend Chatty then told me that money cannot buy happiness but it was a good idea to make a living. If according to the sign, happiness is a cup of coffee then maybe happiness is coffee in a bottle then. We could call it Caffibean, a taste of the Caribbean in Tobago, a blend of the happiest coffee beans from Tobago. Tobago is not known for its coffee p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sandy beaches

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . This story begins on a cool Friday evening in May. Fridays are the best days. Already a great start. It had rained earlier in the day and the clouds were moving away and the sun peeking through. I walked from the apartment where I was staying to Pigeon Point beach. Along the way I stopped for coconut water freshly extracted from the nut and straight into my mouth leaving traces on my cotton jersey. They say that coconut water is the drink of God—fresh from the nut, sweet with a hint of salt, a liquid reminder that paradise can exist in small and simple things. They did not say that but my friend Chatty did. It is my friend Chatty's first trip to Tobago. I asked him what he thinks of Tobago so far? He grinned, wiping a drop of coconut water from the corner of his mouth. "Man… it is like stepping into a painting. The air, the colors, the way everything smells after the rain—it is unreal. I did not know paradise cam...
Post a Comment
Read more