In a very beautiful hadith it is narrated that `Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) led a group in Salah and he made it short. After he finished, made the after-prayer dhikr, and walked out the masjid.
Some people followed him and said, “You led us for a too short prayer. Why did not you make it longer?”
Now pause here: when was the last time you ever heard a complaint in a masjid about the Salah being too “short”? Right, those were the good old days!
So, they were complaining about the shortness of the Salah. What was the reply of `Ammar ibn Yasir?
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Special D`uaa’
He said that even if he did a short Salah, he made a special du`aa’ (supplication) in it that he heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Even if it’s a short prayer, he made this very special du`aa’ and so he was happy at that du`aa’.
Somebody asked, “What is that du`aa’, O `Ammar ibn Yasir?”
`Ammar related a very beautiful du`aa’ that he heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). There’s only one phrase that’s relevant to us in this lecture but I am going to narrate all of it because of its beauty:
O Allah I ask you through your knowledge of the unseen and your power over the creation, to give me life as long as you know my life is good for me and give me death when You know death will be better for me.
This is how the du`aa’ begins. a Muslim does not want life just for the sake of living; a Muslim wants to live for the sake of the hereafter (Aakhirah) a and once life does not help achieve that goal he would like to finish up his life and move on to the Aakhirah.
The du`aa’ goes on as follows
O Allah I ask you your fear in open and in secret (wherever I am I want to fear you.)
O Allah bless me with the truth whether I am happy or angry.
Notice here the two extremes: you want to fear Allah when people are looking at you and when you are alone; you want to speak the truth when you’re happy and when you’re angry.
O Allah I ask you for a happiness that never finishes and the coolness of the eye that never ceases.
And now listen to this:
O Allah I ask you for the sweetness (ladhaah) of looking at Your Face, and eagerness to be with You.
He called it a sweetness to look at the Face of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught the sahaba and taught `Ammar ibn Yasir to aspire for the sweetness of looking at His Face and to experience the eagerness to meet Him.
Why? Because every single desire of love is manifested in eagerness to meet and see the beloved. The love of Allah is the greatest love; so the meeting of Allah is the greatest meeting and the looking at Allah is the greatest blessing.
More in the Video:
What is greater than Paradise?
Acts qualifying for seeing Allah’s Face
Impact of seeing the Face of Allah
Prophet Moses’ request to see Allah in the World
Did Prophet Muhammad see Allah in the Night of Israa’
The light veil
Signs of loving Allah