up until today, you have been invited to several
campaigns, boycotts, and mobilizations, or
witnessed them; perhaps you even joined some of
them.
We invite you to a campaign which will save your life
both in this world and in the hereafter: to the Revival
with the Prayer mobilization! We invite you to perform
your prayers if you already perform them, and to hold
fast to your prayers if you do not miss any prayer times.
We invite you to discover humility through prayer.
Prayer, to which Our Lord gives the greatest value,
commanding it seventy times in the Quran, is a must in
our religion! Islams first obligation is to believe in Allah
and the second one is to establish five daily prayers.
COME AND JOIN
THE REVIVAL WITH
THE PRAYER
MOBILIZATION
According to the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh), prayer
will be the first deed we will be questioned about in the
hereafter. Again, based on His (pbuh) sayings, prayer is
the pillar of the religion, the believers ascension, the
key to paradise and the glory of my eyes.
A major reason for the troubles the Muslim world
and the entire Muslim ummah are suffering today is the
abandonment of prayer. This is because prayer, whose
abandonment is not permitted not even in times of war,
and whose performance is a requirement upon us, is the
reason for Allahs mercy and blessings.
The main reason for negligence in the matter of
prayer is not knowing how outstanding its importance
and value is. Unfortunately, until now there has been no
serious effort to bring prayer into the national agenda
in our country. There are almost no movies, plays,
documentaries, novels, stories, poems, songs, radio and
TV programs, which inform people of the significance
of the prayer.
Fortunately, in this field there are good books which
deal with various aspects of the prayer and try to generate
awareness of prayer.
Those of us who have written about the prayer and
who have taken up the cause of prayer have come together
and decided to bring prayer into our nations agenda.
Up until now, we, in the name of our assembly, have
carried out several gatherings, conferences, panels and
programs. We have also planned cassettes, CDs, VCDs,
movies, radio-TV programs, symposiums, congresses
and similar activities, which deal with prayer.
We, as the volunteers of the prayer platform want to
start this mobilization with the Revival with the Prayer
booklet. And we want this booklet to reach our people
as a gift. For this reason, we are calling for support for
the publication and distribution of this booklet from
everyone who has heard our call.
In the following days we plan to coordinate consecutive
Revival with the Prayer meetings in numerous places. In
that matter, we, as the platform, will give our support to
organizations of our nation and various corporations.
In this setting, we invite all the employees of religious
affairs, teachers, employers, companies and corporations,
mothers, fathers, newspapers, magazines, radios and
TVs to support the mobilization of the prayer.
We invite you to the mobilization of the prayer, which
you can join at any place and at any time.
Let us join together and work towards explaining all
aspects of the prayer to people everywhere.
Being a nation and Muslim community, let all of us
strive together for the establishment of prayer. Let us
perfect our qiym (standing), ruk (bowing down), and
sajdah (prostration), and revive the prayer so that we
may attain our salvation.
Let us join the rows of praying believers, in which
color, language, social status, sect, or character are not
distinguished. Let us join the prayer in recognition of the
oneness and uniqueness of Allah. Let us stand together
shoulder-to-shoulder, living together in unity and
brotherhood.
Let us embrace the prayer so that it would embrace us
on the Day of Judgment.
Let us fill our mosques so that Allahs mercy and
blessings will pour down upon us.
Let us love the prayer so that the Prophet (pbuh) will
love us.
Come to prayer!
Come to revival with prayer!
Come to true salvation with prayer!
web site: www.namazladirilis.com
The volunteers of the prayer platform
e-mail: namaz@namazladirilis.com

MEETING WITH
A REAL FRIEND

Allah Almighty created all beings for humanity, and
He created human being for Himself. Therefore
human being has the excellent design.
Lets think a tree. When we observe why this tree was
created, we look for what kind of qualities it was equipped
with and what is the use of it. From the conclusions we
have reached, we figure out the purpose of its creation.
This method may be applied to all the creation, and at
the same time manifests the value of it.

The above mentioned method can be applied to
Human being, too. When we look at his spiritual and
material qualities, we easily understand that this perfect
being was created for a paramount objective.
Nobody uses a vase decorated with precious pearls for
flower cultivation. That vase would be set to a worthy
place as a decoration.
Human being, who has several seen and unseen
superior powers, shouldnt be at the same living level
with the other creation. Above the common qualities
between them, he must take his place for a much more
superior purpose in the scene of the creation.
Allah Almighty proclaims that mankind must be
beings consciously communicating with Him. Because
only mankind can achieve that with the capabilities of
his creation and possibilities he holds.
In this matter, even if a person experiences all the
material joys of this world, gets every thing that he wants,
and acquires highest position, rank, and fortune, none
of these will bestow him the tranquility. Momentary
pleasures and every action staying here in this world
and not reaching to the eternity can not go beyond the
temporary satisfactions. All of these are on the lower
levels of humanity.
Even if you do nothing in this world but only perform
your worship, since it is the raison dtre of our creation,
that means you have done everything. If you accomplish
everything and do not perform your worship to Allah,
that means you have achieved nothing. This is similar
to a teacher who doesnt follow the educational plans
given him and does every kind of activities outside the
educational program, that means he hasnt done his duty
as a teacher.
A living style centered by connection with Allah
Almighty is the most ideal living mode. The spiritual
universe of the people who continue their lives
disconnected from their Creator, since they can not get
spiritual nourishment, will not be able to nurture like a
plant without water.
Peoples connection with their Creator materializes in
the worship of prayer as the highest level. Because, prayer
is the only type of worship which combines all other types
of worship. By means of Prayer, a servant personally goes
to the presence of Allah Almighty. He converse with
Him. This is the most sublime bliss for a human being.
We become friends with the people who understand us
most. Since only Allah absolutely understands us, our
only true fried can be Our Lord. With the prayer and
chapters of the Quran recited in the prayer, we explain
our situation to our Real Friend. When we say Guide us
to the straight path while reciting the chapter of fatiha,
good tidings of whatever My servant desires is given
suddenly comes. He bestows hundreds of thousands of
gifts from the paradise for we meet Him.
In this book, you will find a rich explanation of prayer
from different perspectives. You will rediscover it, and
you will realize your missed revival with it.
You will perceive that prayer is a solution. You will
find the escape from stress, which is one of the biggest
problems of our age. You will live that none of the
meditation methods offered to humanity for serenity is
as effective as it is. You will feel your elevation from lower
levels to the highest ranks of the universe.
You will see that prayer turns into a glory and take you
to completely different horizons through your spiritual
world. Then Lets come to the prayer, lets come to revival
with the prayer.

Abdullah Yildiz


PRAYER IS A REALIZATION OF
TAWHID
(UNITY OF ALLAH)


Faith in Allah's unity and uniqueness, which is based
on the principle: ''There is no deity but Allah'',
transforms into action through the prayer. Standing
in the presence of Allah, the servant turns toward the
qiblah with a purified heart and a spotlessly clean body
and clothes. The believer, who turns towards Allah's
house, the Ka'bah, concentrates his or her heart and
thoughts on Allah, and turns away from all the other
qiblahs. When the believer raises his hands and utters
the words Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest), he puts all worldly thoughts and concerns behind his hands and
fixes his heart upon Allah. Servant who recites Ftihah
every rakats of a prayer renews his ''contract of servitude''
with his Creator. The servant utters to the Lord of the
worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful on the Day
of Judgment: ''Thee alone do we worship, and Thine aid
do we seek'' knowing that s/he will eventually need to
explain his/her deeds to Allah.
The servant who stands in reverence in front of his
Lord with hands crossed should know that the qiyam
(standing) is a physical stand against the worship of false
gods.
The ruku' (bowing) is an act of submission and
surrender to Allah. In ruku', the servant declares that
she will not submit to any other authority other than
Allah. Sajdah (prostration) is the peak of worship,
obedience, and liberty. The prostrating believer admits
his or her weakness and lowliness while glorifying and
praising his Lord. He or she declares that they will not
prostrate to any other being. Two units of prostration are
symbolic of person's emergence from the earth and their
eventual return to it. In tashahhud, the believer opens
his or her heart to the Creator and acknowledges his or
her servitude, just like the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh)
conversation with his Lord without a mediator during his
ascension. Prayer, as an act of tawhid, turns the believers
into active subjects and not passive objects.

''Prayer turns
the believers into
active subjects
and not passive
objects.''

Mawlana Jalalddin Rumi

DON'T GO TO THE DOOR
OF THE FRIEND EMPTY
HANDED


Arriving at the door of friends
empty-handed is like going
to the mill without wheat. On
the day of Judgment, Allah the
Exalted will ask to the people:
''what gift did you bring for the
Last day?'' He will say: ''You came
here empty handed, without
provisions, alone and destitute
just like the day we had created
you'' '' tell me what gift did you bring for the Last Day?'' ''Or did you not expect to come
back from the world to afterlife and stand in the presence
of Allah?'' ''Did you regard news of afterlife in the Qur'an
as frivolous?''
If you believe in hereafter, how can you stand at the
friend's door empty handed? Give up sleeping, eating
and drinking just a little bit and prepare your gift for the
time when you will meet the Truth. O lover of truth be
among those who sleep little at night and beg forgiveness
of their vices in the middle of the night.
Like a fetus in the womb move and wiggle, so you may
be bestowed senses to see the Light. If you get out from
this womb-like, distressed, troubled and sorrowful Earth,
you will go into a wider and more comfortable world.

''Be among those who sleep little
at night and beg forgiveness of their
vices in the middle of the night.''

Jeffrey Lang

MY FIRST
PROSTRATION


I took a deep breath and then forced myself to the
floor. Now on my hands and knees, I hesitated for a
brief moment, and then I pushed my face to the carpet.
Ridding my mind of all other thoughts, I mechanically
pr*nounced three times, ''Subhana rabbi-l 'ala'' (Glory to
my Lord the highest!).
''Allahu Akbar,'' I called and sat back on my heels. I
kept my mind blank, refusing to allow any distractions
to enter it. ''Allahu Akbar,'' I pr*nounced and put my face
again to the carpet With my nose touching the ground I called out
mechanically, ''Subhana rabbi-l 'ala, Subhana rabbi-l 'ala,
Subhana rabbi-l 'ala.'' I was determined to finish this, no
matter what.
''Allahu Akbar,'' I called out and lifted myself from
the floor and stood up straight. Three cycles to go, I told
myself.
I had to wrestle with my emotions and pride the rest
of the prayer, but it did get easier with each cycle. I was
even almost calm during the last prostration. While in
the final sitting posture, I recited the tashahhud and
then ended the prayer by calling ''Assalamu 'alaikum
wa rahmatullah'' with my head turned to the right, and
again, ''Assalamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah'' with my
head turned to the left.
Spent, I remained on the floor and reviewed the
battle I had just been through. I felt embarrassed that I
had struggle so hard to get through the prayer. with my
head lowered in shame I prayed: Please forgive me my
arrogance and stupidity. I have come from very far and I
have so very far to go.
At that moment, I experienced something that I had
never felt before and which is therefore difficult for me
to put into words. A wave of what I can only describe
as coldness swept through me, which seemed to radiate
from some point within my chest. I was rather intense,
and initially I was startled; I remember shuddering.
However, it was much more than physical sensation, for
it affected my emotions as well in strange way. It was as
if mercy had taken on an objective form and was now
penetrating and enveloping me. I cannot say exactly why,
but I began to cry. Tears began to run down my face, and
I found myself weeping uncontrollably. The harder I
cried, the more I felt the embrace of a powerful kindness
and compassion
When I finally stopped crying, I was completely
exhausted. The experience I had just had was for me
too unfamiliar and overwhelming to try to rationalize
at that moment, and I thought that it was definitely too
strange to tell anyone right away. I did realize this much,
however: I needed God and prayer desperately.

Excerpt from Jeffrey Langs book Even Angels Ask

Yasar Alptekin

I WAS REBORN
WITH PRAYER


When I heard Sakip Sabanci's death, I went to Fatih
mosque for his funeral prayer even though I had
not known him very well. Because I didn't know how to
pray, I took a friend of mine with me who knew how
to pray. One of the most affluent citizens of Turkey was
dead, worn his cerements and alone. For a moment I
thought ''If I were him, would I be different? I decided to pray regularly, after Sakip Sabanci's
funeral. That night my friend, who was with me at the
funeral, came to my home and taught me how to pray.
At 2 AM, I walked to a mosque. It was closed. I waited
two or three hours shivering in the middle of the night.
Then mosque opened and I went inside. Then I was
startled with loud noise. It was like an earthquake. When
I heard the azan, I felt that all of my body cells started to
tremble.
I started pray dismissing everything in this world. I
was in the presence of my Lord from whom I tried to
escape for the last forty years. I threw my past which
was fancy on the outside but filthy in the inside. Now I
am like four years old. Because I dont count my years
without prayer as part of my life.


If that man in the coffin were me, would I be different?

Sezai Karakoc

PRAYER IS THE BRIDGE
TO PARADISE IN
THIS WORLD


Prophet said: ''Prayer is the pillar of the religion.''
Yes, prayer is the first of the main columns of the
religion.
If religion is a magisterial tree rooted in the soul
of the society, then its root is faith, its trunk is prayer,
around this column are circles of fast, zakat and
pilgrimage, its branches are good ethics and behavior,
its fruit and flowers are good deeds, kindness, and
righteousness.

Prayer is a bridge whose one end is connected to faith
and the other is connected to good deeds, righteousness,
and high deeds.
It is like a bridge to Paradise in this world. It is a hero
coming from heaven five times a day and killing all the
sources of evil.
It is a ceaseless miracle like the Holy Qur'an


''A new Muslim convert
American professor Jeffrey
Lang explains his first
prostration in a remarkable
and fascinating passage''

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

PRAYER CAN BE
PERFORMED TODAY


O my soul! Know that yesterday has left you, and as
for tomorrow, you have nothing to prove that it
will be yours. In which case, know that your true life
is the present day. So throw at least one of its hours
into a mosque or prayer-mat, a coffer for the hereafter
like a reserve fund, set up
for the true future. And
know that for you and for
everyone each new day is
the door to a new world.
If you do not perform
the prayers, your world
that day will depart as
dark and wretched,
and will testify against
you in the World
of Similitudes. For
everyone, each day,
has a private world
out of this world,
and its nature is dependent on each person's heart and actions. Like a
splendid palace reflected in a mirror takes on the colour
of the mirror, if it is black, it appears as black, and if it is
red, as red. Also it takes on the qualities of the mirror; if
the mirror is smooth, it shows the palace to be beautiful,
and if it is not, it shows it to be ugly. Like it shows the most
delicate things to be coarse, you alter the shape of your
own world with your heart, mind, actions, and wishes.
You may make it testify either for you or against you. If
you perform the five daily prayers, and through them
you are turned towards that world's Glorious Maker,
all of a sudden your world, which looks to you, is lit up.
Quite simply as though the prayers are au electric lamp
and your intention to perform them touches the switch,
they disperse that worlds darkness and show the changes
and movements within the confused wretchedness of
worldly chaos to be a wise and purposeful order and a
meaningful writing of Divine power. They scatter one
light of the light-filled verse,
God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth
over your heart, and your world on that day is
illuminated through the reflection of that light. And it will
cause it to testify in your favour through its luminosity.

''O my soul! Know that yesterday has left
you, and as for tomorrow, you have nothing
to prove that it will be yours''

Alija Izzetbegovic

PRAYER IS THE SCHOOL OF
DISCIPLINE, UNITY AND
SOLIDARITY


''Once prayer was a school of discipline, unity and
solidarity, and it needs to be like that again. When
Persian commander saw the Muslim soldiers performing
prayer in straight and tight lines just before the battle of
Kadisiya, which defined the fate of pagan Persia, he said
that:

''Look, Omar's soldiers at field operation''
Praying in congregation, which is feverishly
recommended, is another dimension, it is a social
dimension... Object of congregational prayer is to bring
people together in order to worship and to establish
direct personal ties. Thus congregational prayer clearly
stands against negative individualism and separation.
Life separates people from each other, and mosque brings
them together and unites them again and again.

''Life separates people from each other, and
mosque brings them together and unites them
again and again.''

Roger Garaudy

PRAYER IS THE ONLY GOOD
EXAMPLE TO BE UNITED IN
THE SAME OBJECT


''In my opinion, a Muslim's prayer is his constant
acceptance of himself as the object of the Prophets
message, and show this acceptance in action. It is an overt
proclamation of Allahs nearest moment to His servants.
It is the moment when the faithful feels the existence of
Allah in their hearts, and clearly proves the unbeliever
that he is with Allah.
At the same time different movements in the
performance of prayer proves the harmony between the
believer and all the other creation.

As to all Muslims facing the same direction during
prayer is the best and most unique example showing
people who do not recognize any power except Allah
united in the same object.
I think prayer is the expression of that a world in
harmony can only be established by turning to Allah.

''Prayer is the expression of that a world
in harmony can only be established by
turning to Allah.''

Vehbi Karakas

I AM SUCH A NICE PERSON,
BUT I HAVE ONE MISDOING:
I DO NOT PERFORM MY PRAYERS


One of my
businessman friends
asked me during a visit:
''O my friend, I am
such a nice person, but
I have one misdoing:
I don't perform my
prayers. What should I
do?''
I told him: ''In the
state you are in, you
are both good and bad.
You feel remorse for not praying, which is a proof of your goodness. However,
you don't perform your prayers, which shows your bad
side. I will give you an example to redeem you from this
badness.

If you heard an invitation coming from the prime
minister telling you: ''I would like to meet with all the
businessmen of Gebze on such and such day and at such
and such time in Ankara.'' Now honestly think about it.
Would there be any businessman in Gebze, who wouldn't
run to Ankara? No, there wouldn't. Why? Because the
order is coming from a high authority. Because meeting
with prime minister is an honor.

Now I am asking: Can a man who runs to the invitation
of the prime minister, but stays away from the invitation
of the Lord of the worlds and Lord of all the prime
ministers, and who does not consider this invitation to
be the highest honor be an intelligent person, Even if he
owns a fortune as great as that of Vehbi Koc''

Therefore, when Satan and your nafs (lower self) want
to prevent you from performing the prayer, you must
think about the source of the order and the invitation.
This thought will make you stand up; it will push you
towards the real source of the blessings you have, and it
will uplift you with His love. It will tell you that you owe
your gratitude to Him and it will tell you that prayer is
the only possible way to express your gratitude.

As a matter of fact, not performing prayer is not merely
one misdeed, but is one thousand misdeeds. People who
do not perform prayers firstly harm themselves, for
they are not giving Allah His right. People who do not
give Allah His right will not pay attention to the rights
of others. Even if they do pay attention it will not be
acceptable, because Allah will not be pleased, since that
person does not perform their prayers. All the actions
of a person who performs their prayers turn into acts of
worship, and bring that person divine rewards.


''not performing prayer is not merely one misdeed, but is one
thousand misdeeds''

Cemil Tokpinar

IS IT WORTH CRYING
OVER MISSING
THE PRAYER TIME?


Years ago while I was traveling on a bus, the time for
fajr (dawn) prayer came. The end of the allocated time
for the prayer was fast approaching.
I turned to my friend accompanying me and said:
''The prayer time is almost over. I will ask the driver
to stop for prayer. If he does not stop, I will get off.'' He
frowned and retorted:

''Are you out of your mind?''
I was surprised, saddened, and hurt at the comments
of my friend, who himself prayed regularly. Was I really
out of my mind? Should I sleep peacefully in the bus and
sit without thinking of my Lord?
I questioned myself. Was I wrong to place so much
emphasis on the fajr prayer?
Whereas one morning when my father asked his
crying nephew why he was crying, he was given an
interesting response:
''We didn''t wake up for fajr prayer. Don't you see that
the sun has already risen.''
Again an old farmer who missed the fajr prayer was
constantly weeping and screaming:
''What have I done? What have I done?''
A missed prayer is indeed worth crying over. In fact,
it is even worth losing one's mind over; and indeed one's
life and love. Unfortunately we live in such a time that
thinking about fajr prayer is regarded madness, and
crying over for missing it is considered weirdness.
Should we really pretend like nothing happened when
we miss fajr prayer?
''Should we act normally and do nothing when we
miss the prayer time, which is the second most important
principle after faith?'' Watching the world cup finals all
night is deemed reasonable, but is thinking about prayer
something that is worthless?

A student who misses the university entrance exam
might tear apart everything he owns due to his misery.
Well, is fajr prayer, which is twice referred to by our
Prophet (pbuh) as ''more auspicious than everything in
this world and hereafter'', less important than a soccer
game? Is the fajr prayer, which is more valuable than all
the treasures of this world and afterlife, less significant
than a university entrance exam?
Aren't we supposed to be sad and cry over missing a
prayer, which is ordered by our Lord seventy times in
the Qur'an?

''Unfortunately we live in such a time
that thinking about fajr prayer is regarded
madness, and crying over for missing it is
considered weirdness.''

Veysel Akkaya

EVEN YOU ARE BLIND



Abdullah Umm Maktum was a companion of the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). 'Abdullah believed
in the Prophet (pbuh) and gave his heart to the Prophet's
(pbuh) cause. His material eyes could not see. In spite of
his blindness, however, his spiritual eyes were open. He
went to the mosque for every prayer throughout the day.
Perhaps you may wonder how he managed to do this.
He sometimes did this with the help of his friends, and
sometimes with the help
of his cane.

In those days wide
roads did not exist. The
slightest amount rainfall
would leave deep holes in
the roads. For this reason,
rarely a day would go by
without 'Abdullah being
involved in an accident.
His friends felt pity for him
in his condition. They told
him to seek the Prophet's (pbuh) leave from attending the mosque. One day he
plucked up all of his courage and went to the Prophet
(pbuh) in the mosque. 'Abdullah said: ''O Messenger
of Allah! I do not have any relatives to escort me to the
mosque. May I be permitted to perform my prayers at
home?'' The Prophet of Mercy gave him permission.
'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) thought that
this was a good decision, and that it was good that he
had asked. After a few steps on his way back to home, he
heard the Prophet calling him:

''Do you hear the adhan?
''Yes''
''Then respond to the call and come to the
congregation!'' (Muslim, Masajid, 255)
It is obvious how important congregation is for the
Prophet (pbuh). He is not even content with a blind
companion not attending to congregation. Think about
what his reaction would be to those of us who have no
such afflictions, but do not attend the congregational
prayer.
Then Mosques should be an inseparable part of our
life. We need to live a life centered around the mosque.
It is impossible to think about the Prophet's (pbuh) life
without mosques or congregation.

''It is impossible to think about the Prophet's (pbuh)
life without mosques or congregation.''