ON PRAYER

On tk Nature of Prayer
WREN God had created the 2Jl.imals, after the pbnts, the minerals
and the clements, and after the spheres, the stan, the unsub-
stantial spirits and the intclligcnecs perfect in themselves ; when
He had completed His work of origination and creation, He
desired to fullsh His creation with the most perfect species, even
as He had begun it with the most perfect genus. He therefore
distinguished Man from out of al\ His creatures, so that as the
begdming 112d been with Intelligence, so too the conclusion
should be. He began with the noblest ofsubstances, Intdligencc,
and He concluded with the noblest of beings, the Intdligent.
The high purpose of creation was Man, and nothing else.
Having realized all th.is, thou must know that Mm is the
Microcosm ; and as all other beings arc graded in their world,
so too m":ln is graded according to his deeds and his nobility.
Som.c men there are whose deeds accord with those of angels ;
some whose aets accord with those of devils, so that they perish. ••
For Man has not been produced. out of one thing only, that he
should be subjea to • single set of conditions : God Ls com-
pounded him of many things of various sorts, and temperaments
of <liven kinds .• God clivided Man's subst:Ultiality into body
and soul, the former containing his grosser and the latter his
snbtlcr clements. He bestowed upon him sense and reason,
both secret and manifest ; then He adorned his outward and
manifest part, his body, with the five senses in the amplest degree
and fullest order. Next out of his inward and secret parts He
chose those which were strongest and noblest. The physical
so
 ON PRAYER SI
clement He"implantcd in his liver, to regulate his digestion and
evacuation (or attraction and repulsion), to balance the members
and replace by means of nourishment the parts lost through
dissolution. The animal clement He associated wit.h his hcan,
connected with the faculties of appetite and anger, to accord
with the congenial and oppose the uncongenial : this He made
the fountainhead ofthe live senses, and the source of the imagina-
tion and of movement. Lastly He fashioned the human, rational
soul in the brain, which He lodged in the highest situation and
most appropriate station. He adorned it with thought, memory
and recollection, and gave the intellectual substance power over
it, that it might be as it were a commander with the faculties
foe. soldiers ~ the •• common--sensc " served as a courier, co act
as an intermediary between the brain and the senses. The
senses were to be the spies of the brain, each stationed at its
appropriate gate, to sally forth from time to time into their
own world and pick up all that was let fall by their fellows,
which they should convey to the particular messenger ; the
latter would then deliver it, sealed and cnvdopcd, to the faculty
of the intc!ligcnce, to <liscrim.inatc and choose what accorded
with it, and to reject that which was not genuine.
Man was thus equipped with these souls out of all the world,
through each faculty sharing with one class or other of living
beings. By virtue of the animal soul he slurcs with the ani.mals ;
his physical soul links him with the plants ; his human soul
is a bond between him and the angels. Moreover each of these
faculties has a special sphere, and a particular function to per-
form : according as one of the three prevails over the othc.r
two, the individual is defined by that prevalent sphere, and
related afrcr his perception to his own genus. Similarly each
function has its own sphere, its own reward, and its own purpose.
The function of the physical soul is to eat and drink, to

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 52 AVICENNA ON THEOLOCY

maintain the parts of the body, and to cleanse the body of

superBuities : th..t is all : it has no business to compete or dis-
pute with the function ofany other. The purpose of its function
is to keep the body in order and the limbs in proper balance,
while supplying strength to the physique. The proper order
of the body is proved by a well-oiled flesh, sturdy limbs and
a strong physique ; and these are acquired from eating and
drinking. The reward of the physical soul's function is not
to be expected in the spiritllll world, and does not wait upon
the resutrection, for this soul will not be raised up afrer death :
it Ct$CIDbles a plant, in that when it dies it is dispersed and
oblitmtted, never to be recalled to life.
'I1ie funaion of the animal soul is movement, imagination,
and the defence of all the body by good management. Its
=sary sphere and particular function is confined to appetite
and anger ; anger is a branch ofappetite, since it seeks to repress,
to ovcrcoWt, to dominate and to tyrann.iu ; these are the
vuious sorts of leadership, and leadership is the fruit of appetite.
The special function of the animal soul is fundamentally appetite,
and incidentally anger. Its purpose is to preserve the body
through the faculty of anger, and to perpetuate the species
through the fu:ulty of appetite ; for the species is perpetuated
alw.ys by means of genention, and generation is regulated by
the faculty of appetite ; while the body remains guarded from
injuries by virtue ofits being defended, which means to dominate
the enemy, to bar the gate of luim, and to prevent the harmful
dfu:ts of tyranny, and all these ideas are contained and confined
,, Within the faculry of anger. Its remrd is the realization of its
' liopes in this lower world; it is not to be expected after death,
for thc animal soul dies with the body, and will not be raised
<Up.at the t'CSUttCction. It resembles all the animals, in that it
lr not qualified to ~ve the Divine AllO<:Ution, and may'not
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 ON PRAYER 53
therefore expect any reward. When the emanation of a•thing
is annihilated, it cannot be raised up after death ; upon death
its entire existence dies, and its happiness is past.
The function ofthe human, rational soul is the noblest function
of all, for it is itself the noblest of spirits. Its function conWt:s
of re6ccting upon things of art and meditating upon things of
beauty : its gue being turned towards the higher world, it
loves not this lower abode and meaner station. Belonging as
it docs to the higher side of life and to the primal substances,
it is not its business to cat and drink, neither docs it require
luxury and coition ; rather its function is to wait for the
revdation of truths, and to reflect with perfect intuition and
unclouded wit upon the perception of subtle ideas, reading with
the eye of inner vision the tablet of Divine Mystery and opposing
with strenuous devices the causes of vain fancy. It is distin-
guished from other spirits by the possession of perfect reason
and far-reaching, all-embracing thought; its ambition and
striving all through life is co purify lhe seruu.tl impressions and
ro perceive the world of intelligible troths. God has singled
it out above all other spirits for the gift of the fu:ulry of reason.
Reasoning is the tongue of the angels, who have no speech or
utterance ; reasoning belongs to them especially, which is per-
ception without sensing and communication without words.
Man's rdation to the world of Spirit is established by reasoning ;
spocch follows after it. If a man possesses no knowledge of
reasoning, he is incap•blc of expressing truth.
The function of the soul is therefore as we have summ.uixed
it here, in the fewest possible words. The subject can be greatly
ampli.6.ed, but we have abbreviated its discussion here, since our
purpose in this treatise is not to give an account of the human
f..cultics and their functions. We havcthcrcforc broughtforwud
~d csmblished mcrdy what we required by way of~ .

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 54 AVICENNA ON THEOLOGY

The function peculiar to the human soul is knowledge and

p<:rception : its use is manifold. To it belong remembrance,
humble petition, and worship. When a man knows his Lord
by we medium of his thoughts, and apprehends His .Essence
through his reason acting upon his lmowledge, and perceives
His Goodness with his intellect acting upon his reason, lie con-
siders attentively the inward nature o( creation, a11d perceives
crcorion as most pcrfeccly displayed in the heavenly bodies and
supctna! subst211ccs : these are the most perfect of created beings
because they ue the furthest removed from corruption, im-
purities and diverse compounds. Then he secs within his
ational soul • semblance of that immortality and rationality
which subsist in those bodies. Reflecting upon the Creator, he
reali= dut Command is indeed associated with Creation, as God
Himself declares : To Him belong the Creation a11d the Command
(Koan vii. 52). Knowing thus that the Divine Emanation
descends into creation out of the wodd of Command (which
is ro say, those spiricual substances}, he desires mkntly to
comprehend their seven! ranks, and is eager to establish relations
with them and to resemble their elevation. So he is ever
humbling himself and meditating passionately, with prayers and
fasting ; and he attains co a great reward. For the l1uman
soul has indeed • rewud : it survives afrer the body has
perished, and decays not with the lapse of ti111e ; it is raised
up after death. · Dead1 is the sep:antio11 of the soul from the
body ; resurrection is its Union with those spiritual substances ;
lhe soul's reward and felicity come afrer these events. A ma11
is rewuclcd a<:fOrding co his acts ; if he is pcrfoct in works,
he obtains an ample.reward; but if his acts uc imperfect and
~ short, in like measutc is his felicity imperfect a11d his rcw:u:d
falls short, so chat he remains forever sorrowful and downcast,
.!· ' nay, forsaken and damned. If bis animal and physical faculties
 ON PRAYER
prevail over his mional faculty, he is bewildered after death
and wretched after resurrection ; but ifbis blameworthy faculties
arc deficient, and his soul is divorced from evil thoughts and
mean passioru, if bis self is adorned with the ornament of reason
and the necklace of knowledge, if he has trained himself ro
acquire all praiseworthy qualities, he will remain forever pure,
refined and happy ; having attained his heavenly reward. he
will abide eternally with his owi.i dear kith and kit>.
Now that we have fmisl1ed this preamble, we would remark
that it is prayer which causes the human, rational soul to
resemble the heavenly bodies, eternally worshipping Absolute
Truth, and seeking the imperishable reward. The Prophet of
God declared, " Prayer is the foundation-stone of religion " ;
and religion is the purifying of the human soul of all devilish
impurities and ca.rnal suggestions, turned away from mean
worldly intcrcscs. Prayer is the wonbip of the First Cause,
the One Supreme 2nd Mightiest Worslllpful : adoration is to
know Him Whose Being is Necessary. It needs not that we
should interpret the text And ji'!.ns and ~· u•ere nat crt~d save
10 worship Me (Koran Ii. 56) as meaning "to know Me", for
worship is knowledge, and to be aw2re of the existence of One
Whose Being is necessary and absolute, being seized of His
Being with a pure heart, a spirit undefiled, and a soul wholly
.devoted to Him. The real nature ofprayer is therefore to know
Alm.ighry God in His Uniqueness, as a Being wholly Ncccss"'Y,
Whose Essence is infinitely exalted and Whose QU2.litics are
infinitely holy, with habits of sinccriry in prayer; by which
sinC:crity I mean, that one should know the Qualities of God
in such a manner dut there remains no opening to a multiplicity
of goils, no intent to join others to His worsbip. Whoso acts
thus may be said to be truly sincere in prayer, not erring or
. straying from the plth ; but he who acts not thus is a forger,

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 AVICENNA ON THBOLOCY

a liar and a rebel against God, Who is Supreme and Omnipotent'

beyond all such confoundings.
Of tk OuJward Form arul Inward Tmth of Prayer
When thou hast understood all that we have already stated
in this discourse regarding the nature of prayer, it now becomes
n=ry for rhcc co realize that prayer is divided into two
parts, one being outward (the part of discipline, that appertllins
IX> the body) and one inward (the real prayer, that concerns the
soul). The outward part of prayer is that prescribed by the
i:digious law and recognized as a fundamental duty of religion :
our Lawgiver imposed it as an obligation for every man, calling
it fa/at and making it the founchtion of faith, saying. " There
is no faith in him who has no faliit, and there is no faith in him
who is not faithful."
The numbcl. of prayer arc recognized, and its times precisely
Uid down : the Prophet counted it as the noblest of devotions,
arul assigned it the highest rank among all aces of worship.
This ourward or disciplinary part is connected with the body,
because it is composed of =t>in postures and clements such
as rcdration, gcnuBection and prostration : while the body js
likewise compounded of certain principles and clements, such
2S Wltt.C'r, t:'2-rth, ;a._ir, fire :tn.d $imi{:;ir tc-mp~~mt-nts:. T he body
is the physical envelope of man ; and that which is composed .
is itself connected with its like. These postures of prayer, oom-
pascd of recitation, genuflection and prostration and occurring
in:rcgolar and ddin.it.c numbers, arc visible evidence of that real
:, pra,yct which is connected with and adherent to the rational
.. - soal They act as controlling the body, to bring it into cone
~· with the· gen=l harmony of the universe. The nnmbc<s. 6f
·:; · pi:aycr a.te part of the_scheme of discipline prescribed .by,the
L;i.,· '. .rc:oligioas law ; the Lawgiver.imposed them upon every .adult '
,;;<
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 ON PRAYER 57
mm of sound mind. In this manner the body is made to imir.:u:c
that attitude, proper to the soul, of submission to the Higher
Self, so that th.rough this act man may be distinguished from
the beasts. The beasts are not favoured by the Divine Alloeu-
tion ; they arc exempt from Judgment ; they do not look for
Div.inc chastiscme11t md reward. Mau however has received
the Word of God, and shall be chastised or rewarded aeeord.ing
as he obeys the commandments a.nd prohibitions of religion awl
reason. The Law follows in the wake of Reason. The Law-
giver, having observed that Reason imposes upon the rational
soul the duty of prayer true and wudultcratcd-the knowledge
and apprehension of God-therefore prescribed prayer for die
body as an outward symbol of that other prayer ; he com-
pounded it of numbers, and arranged it precisdy in the mOSt
beautiful forms and most perfect postures, so that the body
might follow after the spirit in wot>hip, even though it docs not
""-Cl'lrd with it in rank. The l:twgiver realized that :ill mm
are not capable of mounting tl1e steps of reason ; they therefore
required some regular bodily rraining and discipline to oppose
their natural .inclinations. He pioneered a road and fashioned
a rule consisting of these numbers of prayer, which men could
generally follow and underst:1nd with the senses ; they would
be connected with the outer pans of man, and would prevent
him from imitating the beasts and other ani=ls. He ordained
this as a supreme commaudmcnt, saying, "Pray .in the manner
that ye have seen me pray." There is much advantage in this,
and a general benefit which, will not escape the notice of an,y
intelligent man, even though the ignorant may not acknowledge
the fact.
& for the second or .inward part or ttuth of prayer : th.is is
to-ccontemplate God with a pure heart, awl a spirit abstracted
aA<i; .clcanscd of all desires. TWs part docs not follow the W1>Y

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 s8 AVICBNNA ON THEOLOGY

of bodily numbers •nd sensual dements, but rather the path

of pure thoughts and eternal spirits. The Prophet himself
w.is oftcn preoccupied with the true apprehension of God, and
W>S thereby prevented from following the numerical order of
formal prayer, which he sometimes shortened and sometimes
prolonged. This is the kind of prayer that is exclusively the
concern of the intellect: ; reason confirms this statement, bearing
in wind the Proplt<:t's words, " The man at prayer is in secret
converse with his Lord." lt is obvious to the intelligent nun
that such converse is not effcctc<I through the physical parts
and the audible and visible rongue, because conversation and
converse of that kind ~ only take place with somebody con-
tllned it\ space and cktermined by time. As for the One
Supxcme Being, Who is circumscribed 1101 by space nor touched
by time, ro Whom reference cannot be made through any
direction, Whose Predicament varies not in respect of any
pmicular Attribute, and Whose Essence changes not at any
time : how should He be perceived by man, who is limited
by form and body, is subject to physical dimensions and em-
powered only to the extent of his senses, faculties and physical
frame ? How should mortals have converse with Him, the
confules of Whose Directions they know not, neither perceive
the environs of the padu of Bio Tcnd.ings ? The True and
Absolute lleing is absent from the sensible world, and is neither
seen nor contained in space ; while it is the wont of corporeal
beings only to have converse and concourse with such beings
as they can see and point ro, reckoning as absent and far off any
, that they cannot so behold ; and converse with one absent is
pWnly impossible. It is axiomatic that He Whose Being is
Noa:ssary must be absent and far off from these physical bodies,
since they are subject to accidental change and corporeal accid~
require space and preservation, and by vircue of their weight
 ON Pl\AYBR 59
and grossness dwell upon the face of this dark earth. Even
those simple, sublime substances which arc not touched by time,
nor set it1 any me>sured space, 11.ee away fi:om these bodies as
anitnated by the hostility of contrariety ; and the Necessary
Being is loftier than all simple substances, far more exalted and
sublime thau they-how then should He be associated with by
sensual, corporeal beings 1
Since it is established that it is impossible and absurd to assert
and specify God in relation to any direction, it is ob\riously still
more absurd to suppose or conjecture that converse with Him
may be established through the cxternal senses. The Prophet's
words, " The man at prayer is in secret converse with his Lord,"
are therefore only to be predicated of that inward knowledge
which belongs solely to pure souls that are abstracted and free
fi:om events in titne and directions in space : they contemplate
God intellectually, and behold Him with spiricual, not corporeal
vision. It is thus evident that true prayer is spiricual contempla-
tion, and that pure worship is spiritual Divim love.
All the foregoing argument proves conclusively that prayer
is of two kinds. And now we would observe that the outward,
disciplinary part of prayer, which is connected with person.I
motions according ro c:ertaID numbered postures and confined
clements, .;s an act of abasement, and of passionate yearning on
the part of this lower, partial, comPound and limited body
towards the funary sphere ; which latter, operating through the
Active Intellect, controls this world of generation and d=y.
~raying after this fashion is converse with that Intelleet by means
of the human tongue ; for it sustains and controls all a:eated
beings. Outward prayer is a humble petition that the Active
In.tellcct may preserve and maintain the integrity of the pawn
so. abasing himsdf in worship and emulation, that he shall,
thereby continue guar&d and proteeted against the misfortunes
" P.

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 6o AVICENNA ON THEOLOGY

of time, so long as he remains in this world. The true, inward

part of prayer, which is unassociated with postures and divorced
from :ill changes, is an abasement unto God through the ration.al
soul, which knows and is aware of the Unicity of the True
God : this kind of prayer has no reference to any <lirection, and
is not in any way confounded with any physical element. It is
an imploring of Absolute Being to perfect the soul through
contemplationofHi.m, and to complete the worshipper's felicity
through the inner knowledge and apprehension of Him. The
Intellectual Command and Holy Em=ition descends from the
Heavenly Void into the confines of the rational soul as a result
of this prayer ; this form of worship is imposed without
corporeal weariness or human imposition. Whoso prays after
this fashion is clclivered our of his physical faculties and natural
vestiges, and climbs the intellectual steps until he beholds the
mysteries ofEternity. It is to this that God refm in the w9rds,
Pr"'itr prombiJs abominaiion and all blnmeworthy atts; the remtm-
bra= ofGod is grtaltr tlum all other dteds; and God knoweth what
things yt do (Koran Xlrix. 44).
Whal Part of Prayer is Incumbetti upon Wlwm
Now that we have Set forth the nature of prayer, and shown
that it is divided into two parts each ofwhich we have explained,
it remains for us to remark ro which class of people each part
belongs and is appropriate.
Ir is clear that man has in him something of the lower world
and something of the upper world also : these two portions of
human nature we have briefly expounded above. It has
emerged from the discussion that prayer is divided into the
• disciplinary-physical and the real~pititual ; I have accorded each
part suJ!ic:ient treatment as befits the scope of the present treatise.
·,
l will now add that men vory one from the other accordjng .t o
 ON PRAYBR 61
the inllucnee of the poV\Cers of the spirits compoundd in each.
If the physical and :minW clement prevails, he will be passion-
arely attached to the body, loving to keep it in good order,
nurtured and healthy, fond of feeding it, giving it to drink and
clothing it, attentive to securing its advant1ge and to ward off
mischief from it. A man so intending is to be numbered among
the animals, nay, he is to be counted as belonging to me order
of the brute beasts ; his days are wholly absorbed in caring for
his bodily welfare ; his every moment is dedicated to his pei:sonal
interests ; he is heedless of the Creator and igoo=t of the Troe
God. It is therefore not permissible for him to neglect the
commandment of the religious law, which is absolutely binding
and incumbent upon him. If he is not accustomed to perform
this duty, he must be disciplined and compelled to such a point
that lie will not omit to discharge his obligation, to be reverent
and yearningly to betake himself to the Active Intellect and
the Revolving Sphere, that it may emanate in its bounty over
him and deliver him from the chastisement inh=nt in his
existence, freeing him from bodily desires and bringing him
safely co the true goal of his hopes. And truly, if but a little
ponion of the emanation of that grace were denied to him,
swiftly would he hasten into great evil, and become the lowest
of the animals and ravening beasts.
As for the man in whom the spiritual faculties prevail, so that
his rational faculty dominates his passion, and his soul is ahscractcd
from terrestrial preoccupations and the attachments of this lower
world : such a man has attained true security and spiritual
worship ; and that pure prayer which we have described is
incumbent upon him most urgelldy and is his most strong
obligation. Being ready in the cleanliness of his soul to receive
the emmation of God's grace, if he but rums towards God in
love and is earnest to woi:ship Him, supernal blessings and
 6.2 AVICBNNA ON TBEOLOGY

heavenly felicity will swiftly flow over him ; when the time
comes for him to be separated from the body and to depart out
of th.is life, he will immediately contemplate his God, dwelling
in Hjs Presence and enjoying tlle company of those his true kin,
the dwcllets in the Divine Kingdom, the bodies of the celestial
wodds.
This is the type of prayer which was incumbent upon our
Lord and Founder of our &th, Muhammad the Elect of God,
' on the night when he was separated from his body and divested
of all woddly desire, so that there remained with him no trace
\
of animal pas5ion or the pull of natural wants. He enjoyed
converse with God in his soul and intellect, saying, " 0 Lord,
I have discovered a strange joy this night : grant me the means
to perpetuate it, and provide for me a way that will.always bring
me unto it." It was then that God commanded the Prophet
to pray, saying, " 0 Muhammad. the man at prayer is in secret
converse with his Lord."
Those who pru:tisc only the outer part of prayer experience
hut a defective panion of that joy ; but those who pray in the
spirit know that joy in full and abundant measure ; and the
fuller ~t measure is, the ampler is their reward.
This is as much as I desired to say briefly in the present treatise,
and only then afta hesitating long to embark at all upon the
intcrptttation of prayer, the dissecting of its real nature and the
setting forth of its two parts. But when I saw intelligent men
disregarding its external forms, without considering its inward
meaning.<, I fdt that it was my duty to explain the subject, and
my obligation to state these &as. The intelligent man will thus
he able to rc&a upao what I have said, and the lcamcd av,d
fully q_ualificd man proceed to examine the matter further; he
will then come to =1ize who is called upon to disdwge the
disciplinary part of prayer only, and to whom the spiritual side
l

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 ON P'RAYBR

is appropriate and attainable. He will find it easy to proceed

along the path ofworship, and to persist in his prayers ; enjoying
converse with God, not indeed as in person, by word of mouth,
by ocular vision and the senses, but in the spirit and reason, with
the inward vision and speculative insight; for it is a delusion
to suppose that one can ever approacli God in person, and a
vain fancy to desire to sec Him, and to worship and converse
with Hirn through the senses.
All the other ordinances of religion are explicable along the
lines which have been sketched in the pr=nt treatise. We
would have desired to expound each panicular act of wo"hip
separately ; but it was impossible for us to enter upon matters
which may not fitly be communicated to every man. We have
accordingly cstabliwd this clear and stnightforward division,
knowing that a mere hint is sufficient for the libcru mind. And
I forbid that this crcatise be presented to any man whom passion
has led ascray. or whose heart has been stamped \\lith its brand.
The impotent man can have no conception of the pleasures of
intercourse, any more than the blind man can believe the joys
of sight.
I wrote this creatise, thanks be to God's assistance and abundant
grace, in a period of less than half an hour, and that despite
numerous hindrances and little leisure. I therefore ask the
indulgence of those who read it ; and I request that all who are
blessed with the emanation of reason, and the light of justice.
will not disclose my secret, even though they may be secarc
from any mischief that I may be the cause of. The matter =ts
with my C-rcator ; and my Creator knows all my affair, and
none other beside Him.

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