Originally posted 2024-03-01 07:06:39.

Are Souls Meant to Wander, Abandoned?

Are souls to be left abandoned, wandering aimlessly through the labyrinths of life, without a Lord to protect them or a helper to support them?

No matter how strong a person claims to be, the truth remains: human beings are inherently weak. When alone, a person may be overwhelmed by desolation and uncertainty. They may stand at a crossroads, unsure of which path to take. If they choose the wrong one, they could toil along it for years without ever reaching their destination—simply because they began without proper guidance.

Human beings are in desperate need of someone who inspires the right decisions and points them toward the truth when they are confused or misled. The human body is vulnerable to pain from any direction. It is like an open city, exposed to attacks from all sides. Every limb could become the gateway to a chronic disease that brings immense suffering. Reflecting on this, one realizes how fragile life is—how a single event can change everything.

We are in dire need of ongoing care and relief from hardship. That care comes through a strong connection with our Creator—a bond that makes life flow with ease, peace, and blessings.

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Prayer: The Believer’s Lifeline

Prayer guarantees all of this to the believer. Along the path of each day, Islam prescribes five beautiful pauses, distributed at specific times. In these moments, the believer meets their Lord—opening their heart, praising His greatness, seeking His blessings, asking for protection from harm, and replacing their flawed knowledge and limited power with His infinite wisdom and strength.

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Prayer & the Purification of the Soul

As the body races through the struggles of life, it becomes sweaty and covered in dust—so too does the soul, clouded by worry and darkness. After each exhausting round, it needs a moment of cleansing, restoration, and renewal. Prayer is a brief yet powerful opportunity to recover the soul’s lost serenity and spiritual purity.

Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:

“The five daily prayers serve as expiation for sins committed between them. (Imagine) a man whose work lies beyond five rivers between his home and workplace. Each time he crosses one, he washes himself. After passing all five, how much dirt would remain on him? Similarly, whenever one sins, they pray and ask for forgiveness—and are thus purified.”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

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Fighting the Fires of Life

So much is sacrificed in the relentless pursuit of survival—this battle for “bread” that consumes people’s lives. The most active instinct in this fight is often selfishness, pushing ideals like mercy, altruism, and compassion into the background.

Abandoning people to these fiery emotions stifles their humanity. It’s no surprise, then, that Allah established prayers throughout the day and night—as lifelines thrown into the flames of daily struggle.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Allah has appointed an angel who calls out at every prayer time: ‘O children of Adam! Rise to the fires you’ve kindled and extinguish them.’ Then he said, ‘You burn! You burn! And when you pray Fajr (dawn), it puts them out. Then you burn again, and when you pray Dhuhr (noon), it puts them out…’”
(At-Tabarani)

This hadith illustrates how minor sins accumulate in our entangled lives, and how prayer acts as a calming, cleansing force to counter them.

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Prayer & Psychological Resilience

Prayer elevates the soul whenever it becomes stuck to the material world. It reconnects the heart to its Lord when heedlessness severs that tie.

Even secular thinkers recognize this. Dale Carnegie, quoting Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Alexis Carrel, wrote:

“Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. It is a force as real as terrestrial gravity… Like radium, prayer is a luminous, self-generating energy. When we pray, we link ourselves with the inexhaustible power that spins the universe. No man or woman can pray for even a single moment without being changed for the better.”
(How to Stop Worrying and Start Living)

This truth is captured in the Qur’an:

“When My servants ask you about Me—indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when they call upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be rightly guided.”
(Al-Baqarah 2:186)

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Protected by the Divine

Beginning your day with remembrance of Allah surrounds you with strength and protection. If you wake with His name on your lips and seek His refuge, He will never forsake you.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever prays Fajr is under Allah’s protection. So do not violate Allah’s protection, for whoever does so, Allah will seize them and cast them into Hell.”
(Muslim)

This is how close the relationship is between Allah and His sincere servants. He takes them under His care—and any aggression toward them is treated as aggression against Him.

In a sacred hadith, Allah says:

“Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I declare war against them… My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with voluntary deeds until I love him. And when I love him, I become his hearing, his sight, his hands, and his feet. If he asks Me, I will give; if he seeks refuge, I will protect him.”
(Al-Bukhari)

Whenever hardship arises, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would rush to prayer, as reported in a hadith:

“Whenever anything distressed him, the Prophet would turn to prayer.”
(Abu Dawud)

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A Remedy for the Anxious

Prayer addresses fundamental psychological needs embedded in our human nature. As Dale Carnegie wrote:

“Religious faith brings peace because it roots us in something greater than ourselves. William James said: ‘The surface storms of life leave the deep waters untouched.’”

Even if you’re not deeply religious, prayer can help you more than you expect—because it is practical. It fulfills three key psychological needs:

1. Clarifying our troubles: To ask for help, even from Allah, we must identify and articulate our problem. That clarity is the first step to healing.

2. Sharing the burden: When we can’t even confide in close friends, we can always confide in Allah. This lightens the emotional weight we carry.

3. Catalyzing action: Sincere prayer naturally leads to action. We pray and then begin taking steps toward what we’re asking for—consciously or not.

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A Final Reflection

In a sacred hadith, Allah calls out with unmatched mercy:

“O My servants, all of you are astray except those I guide—so seek My guidance. All of you are hungry except those I feed—so ask Me for food. All of you are naked except those I clothe—so ask Me for clothing. You sin day and night, and I forgive all sins—so seek My forgiveness.”
(Muslim)

Can you feel the loving insistence in these words—Allah reaching out, urging us to return to Him, rely on Him, and draw strength from His endless grace?

Only those poor in heart and mind live cut off from such an abundant, divine wellspring.

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Source: onislam.net.