As-Salaam alaikum,
If everything is already fixed in God's knowledge, if destiny is already written, if nothing truly belongs to you, then what is the purpose of prayer? In a life that is not yours, with a soul that is not yours, with a will that is not yours, what weight does your prayer really carry? At this stage, one must pause and consider that prayer is not a wish, it is a state of recognition as some of the senior 'Ulama of the Ummah say/teach.
For Sheikh Muhiyideen Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, prayer is not about telling God something, it is about remembering yourself .... It is knowing before whom you stand, and it is forgetting who you think you are, because the one who prays must let go of himself in the act of speaking, otherwise prayer becomes nothing more than the pious mask of the ego.
But then why do we pray? Is it truly to change something or is the prayer the state of awakening inside what already exists? Ibn Arabi said: ''When the servant prays, it is God who places words upon his tongue. So, prayer is not your desire, it is the words that He makes you carry. That is why prayer is not a request; it is a trust.''
The modern mind sees prayer as a tool, I want this.... if I get it, I will be happy; but this view reduces prayer to a transaction. Sufism teaches something different. Prayer is the servant returning himself to God - so when you pray, it is not to change something outside you, it is to change yourself; and that change is nothing new. It is simply the unfolding of what was written long before. Thus prayer does not alter destiny, it opens what is hidden in destiny within your heart.
Ibn Arabi said God wills for his servant to know Him through prayer, so prayer is not as much yours as you think - you pray because He has prepared you for that moment. And the words that leave your lips were already written since eternity.... But the question arises, does man not wish, does man not desire? Yes, he does! but he must not ask from himself, he must ask from Him - prayer becomes prayer only when the servant strips himself away, and this stripping is not an escape from life, it is an escape from the self.... [then] every 'Oh Lord you whisper becomes the banner of surrender.
You/We pray but destiny has already been written; what was to happen has already happened - all that remains for you is to live it. So, what then is the role of prayer? According to Ibn Arabi, prayer is the reflection of destiny. Whatever God has written for you, the echo of that writing in your heart becomes prayer. So yes, your tongue speaks the word(s) of prayer but the prayer is not yours.... it is not your need that creates the prayer that unveils the need within you. That is why for the people of Sufism, prayer is not reminding God of something, it is God reminding you of Himself within you.
You do not ask, you only recognize your need and that recognition itself becomes prayer. Does prayer change destiny? Ibn Arabi answers, ''If prayer is written into destiny, then destiny does not change, but if what destiny has written for you is prayer, then you will pray.'' In other words, even your prayer is itself part of what is written. That moment of prayer is not outside destiny; it is the manifestation of destiny itself.
Many Regards.
For further reading on this, you may see
Ibn Arabi's 'Futuhat Makkiyyah' and 'Fusus Hikam'.
If everything is already fixed in God's knowledge, if destiny is already written, if nothing truly belongs to you, then what is the purpose of prayer? In a life that is not yours, with a soul that is not yours, with a will that is not yours, what weight does your prayer really carry? At this stage, one must pause and consider that prayer is not a wish, it is a state of recognition as some of the senior 'Ulama of the Ummah say/teach.
For Sheikh Muhiyideen Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, prayer is not about telling God something, it is about remembering yourself .... It is knowing before whom you stand, and it is forgetting who you think you are, because the one who prays must let go of himself in the act of speaking, otherwise prayer becomes nothing more than the pious mask of the ego.
But then why do we pray? Is it truly to change something or is the prayer the state of awakening inside what already exists? Ibn Arabi said: ''When the servant prays, it is God who places words upon his tongue. So, prayer is not your desire, it is the words that He makes you carry. That is why prayer is not a request; it is a trust.''
The modern mind sees prayer as a tool, I want this.... if I get it, I will be happy; but this view reduces prayer to a transaction. Sufism teaches something different. Prayer is the servant returning himself to God - so when you pray, it is not to change something outside you, it is to change yourself; and that change is nothing new. It is simply the unfolding of what was written long before. Thus prayer does not alter destiny, it opens what is hidden in destiny within your heart.
Ibn Arabi said God wills for his servant to know Him through prayer, so prayer is not as much yours as you think - you pray because He has prepared you for that moment. And the words that leave your lips were already written since eternity.... But the question arises, does man not wish, does man not desire? Yes, he does! but he must not ask from himself, he must ask from Him - prayer becomes prayer only when the servant strips himself away, and this stripping is not an escape from life, it is an escape from the self.... [then] every 'Oh Lord you whisper becomes the banner of surrender.
You/We pray but destiny has already been written; what was to happen has already happened - all that remains for you is to live it. So, what then is the role of prayer? According to Ibn Arabi, prayer is the reflection of destiny. Whatever God has written for you, the echo of that writing in your heart becomes prayer. So yes, your tongue speaks the word(s) of prayer but the prayer is not yours.... it is not your need that creates the prayer that unveils the need within you. That is why for the people of Sufism, prayer is not reminding God of something, it is God reminding you of Himself within you.
You do not ask, you only recognize your need and that recognition itself becomes prayer. Does prayer change destiny? Ibn Arabi answers, ''If prayer is written into destiny, then destiny does not change, but if what destiny has written for you is prayer, then you will pray.'' In other words, even your prayer is itself part of what is written. That moment of prayer is not outside destiny; it is the manifestation of destiny itself.
Many Regards.
For further reading on this, you may see
Ibn Arabi's 'Futuhat Makkiyyah' and 'Fusus Hikam'.
