on Matters Relating to Prayer, with Which the Chapter Concludes
Continuation on Establishing Prayer
Establishing prayer is making its constitution appear in the most complete form of its creation. Its creation differs according to the one to whom it is ascribed. When prayer is ascribed to God, its constitution differs from its constitution when ascribed to someone other than God, an angel, a human being, or another creature. The Real brings it forth in a complete constitution. This is why He says, “My mercy embraces all things” [al-Aʿraf 7:156], because of the completeness of its creation, since the prayer ascribed to Him in His words “He is the One who blesses you” [al-Ahzab 33:43] is His mercy toward His servants. This will be discussed.
Ascribing prayer to an angel likewise brings it forth and establishes it complete in constitution. Whatever prayer the angel makes manifest, he manifests only in completeness. The angel’s prayer is therefore complete in constitution and creation.
The same applies to every prayer ascribed to an inanimate thing, a plant, or an animal, apart from human beings and jinn. When either of these brings forth prayer, it may be fully fashioned, meaning complete in creation, or not fully fashioned, meaning incomplete in creation. Let us first mention the prayer of the Real.
Continuation on His Words, Exalted Is He, “He Is the One Who Blesses You, and His Angels”
The Most High says, “He is the One who blesses you, and His angels” [al-Ahzab 33:43], in general, and “God and His angels bless the Prophet” [al-Ahzab 33:56], in particular, with a particular kind of blessing,
Notlar
Translator’s note TN2271-1: The Arabic ṣalāh covers prayer by a worshiper as well as blessing from God and supplication by angels. The argument follows the same word through these different ascriptions.
