From the Discourses of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (ra) – Tafseer-e-Kabir, Commentary of Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:1-12, pp. 280-282 (2023 edition)
Qoo anfusakum wa ahleekum naara
“Save yourselves and your families from a fire …” (Al-Tahrim 66:7)
Allah the Almighty has stated in the Holy Qur’an: Qoo anfusakum wa ahleekum naara (Al-Tahrim: 7), that is to say: O My servants, not only save yourselves from the fire of Hell, but save your families from it as well. It is not sufficient merely to save yourselves; saving others is equally essential, for if they are not saved, they will inevitably drag you down with them.
It should be borne in mind, however, that regularity in prayer admits of several degrees.
The First Degree
The very first degree, beneath which there is none, is that a person offer all five daily prayers without fail. A Muslim who offers the five daily prayers and never misses them attains the lowest degree of faith.
The Second Degree
The second degree is that all five prayers be offered at their appointed times. When one observes this, one places a foot on the second rung of faith.
The Third Degree
The third degree is that prayer be offered in congregation. Through congregational prayer, a person ascends to the third rung of faith.
The Fourth Degree
The fourth degree is that a person offers prayer while comprehending its meaning. Whoever does not know the translation should learn it and then pray accordingly, and whoever already knows it should pray slowly and with deliberation, until satisfied that the prayer has been offered as it truly deserves to be offered.
The Fifth Degree
The fifth degree is that a person attains complete absorption in prayer. Just as divers plunge deep into the ocean, so too must one plunge into prayer until one attains one of two stations: either seeing God or praying with the firm certainty that God sees them.
An illustration of this latter state is that of two children sitting in their mother’s lap. [One blind, the other sighted.] The sighted child finds comfort because he can see her; yet the blind child, too, finds comfort, knowing that although he cannot see her on account of his blindness, she is watching over him all the same.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said that at the time of prayer, a servant must attain one of these two stations: either beholding God, or having the heart brim with the certainty that God Almighty is the beholder (Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Su’al Jibreel al-Nabiyy ‘an al-Iman). This is the fifth station of faith, and at this station a servant’s obligations are fulfilled. Yet the summit one ought to reach has not yet been reached.
The Sixth Degree
The sixth degree is that voluntary prayers (Nawafil) be offered. The one who offers voluntary prayers declares before God Almighty, as it were: I have fulfilled the obligatory prayers, but they have not satisfied my heart. O God, I wish to present myself at Your court even beyond the times appointed for the obligatory prayers. It is as if a person visits a dignitary and, once the appointed time has elapsed, says, “Please, grant me just two more minutes.” There is a special delight in those additional moments. In the same way, when a believer offers voluntary prayers after the obligatory ones, the heart says to God Almighty: I now wish to present myself for some additional time of my own accord.
The Seventh Degree
The seventh degree is that a person offers not only the five daily prayers and the voluntary prayers, but also the Tahajjud prayer in the stillness of the night.
These are the seven degrees through which prayer attains its perfection. Those who reach this station are the very ones about whom it is recorded in Hadith that God Almighty descends from the Throne at night, and the angels call out: O My servants, God Almighty has come to meet you; rise and meet your Lord (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tahajjud, Bab al-Du’a wa al-Salat min Akhir al-Layl).
One should, therefore, strive to benefit as fully as possible from the supplications of Tahajjud. Until a person safeguards prayer in this manner, the hope of winning the pleasure of Allah the Almighty remains nothing more than a mere illusion.
