Title of the Sermon: Prayer – the comfort of the believers’ eyes
Elements of the Sermon:
Prayer is the comfort of the believer’s eye.
Why is prayer the comfort of the eye?
How can prayer become the comfort of the eye?
Have you thanked Allah for the blessing of prayer?
All praise is due to Allah, through Whom the eyes of the people of Tawḥīd find peace; in Whose intimate communion the hearts of the believers find solace; and by Whose nearness the foreheads of those who prostrate are honored. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him in abundance.
To proceed:
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, as He should be feared, and be mindful of Him in secret and in open, as He says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
“O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except in a state of submission to Him as Muslims.” [Āl ‘Imrān: 102]
O servant of Allah:
Do you know what is the greatest delight for the people of Paradise? The Prophet ﷺ said: "When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah – Blessed and Exalted – will say: 'Do you want anything more so I may increase you?' They will say: 'Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not admitted us to Paradise and saved us from the Fire?' Then Allah will lift the veil, and they will be given nothing more beloved to them than looking at their Lord, the Almighty." (Reported by Muslim)
A single dip in Paradise is enough to make one forget the misery of worldly life, yet a glance at the face of the Most Merciful is more beloved to the people of Paradise than all of its joys and pleasures.
And how could it not be, when Allah is the One of complete perfection, majesty, and beauty? His face is the most perfect, the most magnificent, and the most beautiful of all faces. He is the one true God, the supremely beloved, through Whom the eyes of the people of Tawḥīd find peace in both this world and the Hereafter.
The true comfort of the believer’s eyes in this world was standing before their Lord in prayer—reciting His Book, bowing and prostrating for Him, calling upon Him, and enjoying closeness to Him.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "The comfort of my eye has been placed in prayer." (Reported by al-Nasāʾī)
Do you know what it means that something is the comfort of the eye (qurrat ʿayn)?
It means the utmost love and joy—that you look at something and delight in it so deeply that your eye rests upon it, not wanting to turn away from it due to the pleasure and tranquility it brings.
But why was prayer the comfort of the Prophet ﷺ and the believers?
Because prayer is a connection and intimate conversation between the servant and his Lord and Master.
Come, let me tell you about some of the beauty in this conversation.
Allah the Exalted said in a ḥadīth qudsī:
"I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant into two halves, and for My servant is what he asks. When the servant says: ‘All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,’ Allah says: ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says: ‘The Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,’ Allah says: ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When he says: ‘Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says: ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says: ‘You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,’ Allah says: ‘This is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he asks.’ And when he says: ‘Guide us to the straight path—the path of those You have blessed, not of those who incurred anger, nor of those who are astray,’ Allah says: ‘This is for My servant, and for My servant is what he asked.’" (Reported by Muslim)
To feel, as a believing servant—weak and in need—that you are speaking to Allah, the All-Powerful King, the Most Rich and Most Great, and that He hears you, answers you, and has mercy on you—this is the greatest intimacy, joy, and blessing.
Indeed, prayer is the comfort of the eye because it is nourishment for the heart and sustenance for the soul. Can the heart find peace with anything besides Allah? Can the soul find life except through meeting Him?
Know that your share of that nourishment and spiritual vitality is in proportion to the completeness of your prayer and the presence of your heart and soul in it. Listen and reflect upon the words of the Prophet ﷺ: "Perfect your bowing and prostration. The one who does not perfect his bowing and prostration is like a hungry person who eats only one or two dates—they do not satisfy him at all." (Reported by Abū Yaʿlā)
How profound this description is! That hungry person who took nothing from his prayer—his heart and soul remain starved. And if the heart starves and the soul thirsts, the servant’s heart becomes ill—and perhaps his soul dies.
Prayer is the comfort of the eye because it is the true rest from all the hardship and distress of this worldly life, from the harm and bitterness caused by people. Allah said to His Prophet ﷺ:
وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ * فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ السَّاجِدِينَ
“And We certainly know that your heart is distressed by what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be among those who prostrate.” [Sūrat al-Ḥijr: 97–98]
Have you not heard what the Prophet ﷺ said to Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him): "Stand, O Bilāl, and bring us rest through the prayer." (Reported by Abū Dāwūd)
Bring us rest through the prayer!
Bring us rest through the intimate conversation with our Lord and Master—the One who protects and none can protect against Him, who answers the desperate when they call upon Him, who removes harm, rescues the afflicted, and relieves the distressed.
The prayer is the comfort of the eye because it is light—the light of the heart and the light of the path. A light for the believers in this world, illuminating their hearts and insights, and a light in the grave and on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Prayer is light.” (Narrated by Muslim)
You enter your prayer, and Allah illuminates your heart, guides you to the truth, turns you away from falsehood, and distances you from immoralities. Allah says:
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ
“Establish the prayer. Indeed, the prayer prevents immorality and wrongdoing.” [al-‘Ankabūt: 45]
How miserable is the one who lives in darkness and confusion because he neglected his prayer and turned away from his Lord!
The Prophet ﷺ tells us about the prayer: “Whoever guards it, it will be a light, proof, and salvation for him on the Day of Judgment. But whoever does not guard it will have no light, no proof, and no salvation, and on the Day of Judgment, he will be with Qārūn, Fir‘awn, Hāmān, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.” (Narrated by Aḥmad)
The prayer is the comfort of the eye because it is like a pure river that cleanses the heart and soul from sins and burdens. With every prostration, Allah erases sins and elevates the servant in the ranks of Paradise.
Prayer is a purifying river before you. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If there were a river at the door of one of you, and he bathed in it five times a day, would any dirt remain on him?” They said: “No dirt would remain on him.” He said: “That is the likeness of the five daily prayers, by which Allah erases sins.” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)
Thawbān asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Tell me of a deed that, if I do it, Allah will admit me to Paradise, or what is the most beloved deed to Allah?” He said: “Prostrate often to Allah, for you will not make a single prostration to Allah but that He raises you one degree and erases a sin from you.” (Narrated by Muslim)
Do you know what happens when you prostrate? The Prophet ﷺ said: “When the servant stands to pray, he comes with his sins, which are placed on his head or shoulders. Every time he bows or prostrates, they fall away from him.” (Narrated by Ibn Ḥibbān)
How could prayer not be the comfort of the believer’s eye when he fears his shortcomings and sins, dreads the punishment of his Lord, and knows that prayer is his deliverance from the burning of sin and disobedience?
The Prophet ﷺ said: “A caller is sent at the time of every prayer, saying: ‘O children of Ādam, stand and extinguish the fire you have kindled upon yourselves!’ So they rise, perform ablution, and their sins fall from their eyes, and they pray and are forgiven for what occurred between them.” (Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī)
Prayer is the comfort of the believer’s eye because it brings Allah’s protection, nearness, and companionship. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever prays Fajr is under the protection of Allah.” (Narrated by Muslim) That is, under Allah’s protection—and what protection is more honored than His?
Someone might ask: How can I make prayer the comfort of my eyes?
Know, servant of Allah, that you will not truly feel that comfort unless Allah is the greatest in your heart—more exalted and more beloved to you than anything else. Then your meeting with Him, your intimate conversation with Him, becomes like the meeting of a lover with his beloved, a servant with his Lord, without whom he cannot do without even for the blink of an eye.
That is the path to true joy. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that among the three qualities which, if found in a person, he will taste the sweetness of faith is: “That Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else.” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)
Then the one who prays must honor the value of prayer in his heart as Allah has honored it in His law. He must establish it properly for Allah, so it becomes the comfort of his eyes.
He perfects his ablution for it, wears his best attire for it, approaches it with humility and attentiveness, performs its bowing and prostration well. For no servant who is heedless of Allah, turning away and distracted in heart, can find comfort in his Lord.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah faces His servant in prayer as long as he does not turn away.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī)
He ﷺ also said: “No Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rakʿahs, focusing his heart and face on them, but that Paradise is guaranteed for him.” (Narrated by Muslim)
And he ﷺ said: “Whenever a Muslim’s obligatory prayer becomes due, and he performs its ablution, humility, and bowing properly, it will be an expiation for the sins committed before it—as long as no major sins are committed. This applies throughout his lifetime.” (Narrated by Muslim)
May Allah bless me and you through the Noble Qur’an, and benefit me and you with what is in it of verses and wise reminders. I ask forgiveness from Allah for me and for you—so seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
The Second Sermon
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and all who follow him. To proceed:
Who is like you, O servant of Allah? The prayer niche is opened before you—you may enter upon your Lord and speak to Him whenever you wish, without any intermediary. Will you not then give thanks for the blessing of prayer?
The Prophet ﷺ would stand in prayer for long hours until his feet became swollen from standing, and when his companions asked him about it, he said: “Should I not be a grateful servant?” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)
Indeed, the prayer is the best of all deeds in Islam, and there is no share in Islam for the one who abandons the prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Know that the best of your deeds is the prayer.” (Narrated by Ibn Mājah)
Our Lord, make us among those who establish the prayer, and from our offspring as well. Make us among those who attain its humility, experience its bliss, and whose prayer You accept through Your generosity.
O Allah, grant victory to Islam and honor to the Muslims, and destroy the criminal disbelievers. O Allah, send tranquility into the hearts of those striving in Your path, save Your oppressed servants, and raise high the banner of the religion by Your strength, O All-Powerful, O Firm One.
O Allah, grant us safety in our lands, rectify our leaders and those in authority over us, and entrust our affairs to those who fear You, are conscious of You, and seek Your pleasure.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
