Our Elders & Their Prayers

Ever since I was little, I saw my elderly loved ones worshipping to Allah with great devotion and sincerity. Their prayers were never for show-off. They rather prayed with deep focus, seriousness and genuine feeling because it’s what they had learned from their elders. They prayed for the health of their families, for forgiveness, peace, and for those who had passed away. For them, du’a was the strongest weapon against fear and hardships. Our elders made namaz their top priority. They would devote much of their time in worshipping Allah. To them, nothing mattered more than being close to Allah. They didn’t hanker after material pursuits like what is done by us in the present scenario. They one conviction was to stay close to Allah (SWT). They believed that if they took one step towards Allah, He would take ten steps towards them. They may have lacked worldly wealth, but they had peace, which most of us only dream of today.  Nowadays people live in palatial houses, have luxurious cars, and are rich, but as far the peace in the lives is concerned, that is missing. The reason is, we have forgotten our roots. We have forgotten to walk on the footprints of elders who devoted much of their time in worshipping Allah (SWT). Though in those times, mosques were not as concrete and spacious as they are now, yet, our elderly loved ones would quite often remain busy in praying to Allah. There are beautiful mosques being built by us in Kashmir nowadays, but as far the worshippers are concerned, they are least in number. Our elders kept alive their simple mosques through worship, not by tall buildings. They remembered Allah everywhere—under chinar trees, in fields, by streams, in gardens, and that’s why they were blessed in all things. They weren’t surrounded by deadly diseases like us. In those days, people never faced any plague, epidemic, drought, etc. Floods, gusty winds, hailstorms, drugs, corruption and others disasters were never a concept at all because they invested in their spiritual upliftment and not in anything else. Today our hospitals are full while our masjids are empty. We have access to everything, yet, we feel alone in the crowd. Homes are filled with unused items, big houses with only a room or two occupied, and cars that don’t get us there on time. Literally, our lives run on loans and interest. However, with our elders, it was never so. They lived simply and peacefully, and cared about what was halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). We have lost all that. Now we hold community feasts and congregational prayers to ward off calamities like earthquakes, floods, drought and wildfires, etc. But honestly, in our elders’ time, such disasters were rare because congregational prayers for forgiveness were common across Kashmir. Our elderly saw calamities as divine warnings, not just natural events. When one struck, they would repent for months and turn to Allah ta’lla in tawbah (repentance). Those gatherings also gave people time to reflect on right and wrong. Still we feel the smell of old and frayed Jainamaz (prayer-mat) at our edifices that quite often remind us how devotedly our great grandparents worshipped. Those worn Tasbih (rosary) beads and those worn condition Qur’ans, or other miracles are just the reminders for us how our elders prayed to. We say we are busy, but it’s a barren busyness. We make time for everything except worship. Prayers are rushed, masjids are empty, holy Qur’ans have gathered dust, and rosaries hung unused—yet, we still expect Allah’s blessings. In our grandparents’ time, our house would buzz with prayers, recitation of holy Qur’an, Darood-e-Sharief, Na’nts, Dhikr, Mankabts, etc. but now such sweet practices are missing. Our elders’ prayers were quiet, and sincere. They stayed touched with their roots. They had memorized by heart Shah-e-Hamdan Sahib’s (RA) gift of ‘Awrade Fatiya’ to be recite everywhere. But now, smart phones and tv screens have taken the place. Now, if there is any place where less time is spent, that’s undoubtedly Masjid. We have enough time to spend on shop fronts, in parks, in showrooms, etc but when it comes to offering prayers, we get late. However, our elders were careful and prayed sincerely, without showing off. They knew this world was temporary, so they prayed well—and their prayers were answered. On a personal note, I often remember seeing my grandfather, Dadaji recite the holy Qur’an at home and in the village mosque. Sometimes, when I heard him reciting the Qur’an or reciting na’at outside his room; his voice was so calm and soothing that I wanted to listen to him again and again. Even today, we still have his old prayer beads, his worn copy of the Qur’an, and his frayed prayer-mat. These things remind us how deeply devoted he was to worshipping Allah. There is also a spot in our garden, we call it Paend—where he used to pray after working in the fields. Just thinking of that place brings back the memory of his dedication. Dr. Rafeeq Masoodi, a writer, noted broadcaster and former secretary cultural academy Srinagar, says that our elders had no equal when it came to worshipping Allah. He remembers them praying with deep focus and sincerity, often crying during namaz, reciting the Qur’an, and doing dhikr. That kind of devotion is rare today. P.s. We should learn from how our elders worshipped and bring that same sincerity into our own lives. Manzoor Akash, educator & author, is a regular voice in GK’s Senior Citizens’ Lounge