What is "PRAYER"?

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.

"What is PRAYER?" This question was asked in another forum.

I will give my perspective as a Member of the Nation of Islam, from more of an "esoteric" view than an "exoteric" one.

We believe that Allah (God) has always been, is now, and always will be Manifested through the Form of the Human Being. We believe that the "Person" of the First God, the Originator, is no longer present among us; but that His IDEA, Intelligence, Wisdom and Spirit are passed down from Generation to Generation, so that there is always One among the People of our Planet who is the Representative and Carrier of the Idea and Will of the Originator. This One is always referred to as the Supreme Being. This is the One Whose Mind is the "Nexus" for the Universal Intelligence, so that His Mind is one with, and has power over the Laws of Creation.

We believe that Being Came to North America in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, and chose Black People in America as His People for the purpose of using them (us) to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, as it is written in the Bible that "the stone(people) that the Builders(of civilization) rejected, the same has become the headstone of the corner."

We also believe, as we have been taught by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, that Master Fard Muhammad has actually "Perfected" the Wisdom of the Originator; which means that He is greater in wisdom and power than the Originator. He is the One Who has "closed the Circle", so to speak. When the Circle is "closed", Eternity begins.

Now, that means that we believe that He - Master Fard Muhammad - is the Supreme of "Supreme Beings", and therefore we "pray" to Him.

However, I remember once hearing that the Hon. Elijah Muhammad was once asked if Master Fard Muhammad "Prays". The Hon. Elijah Muhammad answered, "Yes".

Now, this certainly presented a sort of a puzzle..lol.

"IF Master Fard Muhammad is the SUPREME Being, then WHY does HE Pray? And WHO does He pray TO, especially if HE is the Supreme One?"

Well, the Hon. Louis Farrakhan once said, regarding this, that Master Fard Muhammad prays "in rememberance of Him Who Originated the Heavens and the Earth."

Not "TO" the Originator...but "In rememberance of" the Originator.

So that got me to Thinking...

"Perhaps prayer for the student(neophyte) is not the same as Prayer for the Master."

It is my understanding that Children need a focal point, a Teacher, to Guide them. If I am in a Math Class and run into a Problem I don't have the answer to, I don't call on "Mathematics". I call on the Teacher...the one who has the answers to my questions.

However, the Master's Aim is to make Masters out of the Students, so that they Grow to the point where they draw from the Same Source as HE does, therefore negating the need for any more "Masters"; for if ALL are Masters, then All are Guided by the Same Universal, or Divine Intelligence, which is the Root of our Being.

So...then it appears to me, in this context, that "prayer" is the Alignment (or RE-Alignment) of one's Consciousness and Intention with the Divine Will, or Universal Intention; or the IDEA of the Originator. But for most of us, we need a focal point (Master) to Guide us into our own Mastery, after which we rely on the Master within.

Please consider the following, from the Hon. Louis Farrakhan:

"Master Fard Muhammad is the Conduit through Whom the Message from the Lord of the worlds came to us. He is Alive and has Absolute Power to bring His Will into fruition because His Will is in complete harmony with the Eternal Will of the Originator of the Heavens and the Earth.

"If Master Fard Muhammad is so Powerful, why does He pray? He would not have such Power if He did not pray. Through His prayer, He draws from the Power and Creation of The Originator at the point of its origination."

Worthy of the deepest consideration...

RM