No other book so
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practice of Sufism.

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by Seyedeh Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Prayers

It is a sad day when the human family has to protect itself against itself.

It is a sad day when human life becomes insignificant.

It is a sad day when compassion, morality, ethics and human values are replaced by anger, revenge and all human failings.

It is a sad day when we keep our eyes and ears closed to the misery, famine, and poverty of our human family.

It is a sad day when nations are added to the list of nations mourning their lost.

It is a sad day when peace becomes more like a fancy word engraved in the pages of books.

It is a sad day when we refuse to learn from our past.

And it is a sad day when we tend to ignore the destruction, misery, and animosity that we leave behind for our next generation so that they inherit our failings.

There are times in the history of humanity when we may need more devotion, positive energy, active humanitarian participation, and prayers. These days are one of those times. When human technology fails, there is always time for spirituality and prayers. Why prayers, you may ask. How can meditation smooth the path of human struggle? I would like to quote from one of my books, The Nature of Miracle:

When we logically analyze and evaluate any critical situation, common sense tells us how to adjust and accept the outcome. However, when it comes to experiencing an unpleasant or difficult-to-handle incident, we deeply wish for help--for a power that changes the course of destiny, turns harship into ease, transforms war into peace, and helps us to overcome the burden of distraction and tension. Such an urge for powerful help increases when our normal means of solutions and scientific approaches fail. That is when we rely on a power to make a miracle happen and it is notheworthy that miracles do happen.1

ON THE POWER OF PRAYERS

In studying the history of civilization, many times we come across records of miraculous happenings, supernatural events, or a sudden change in the course of destiny. Such events are seen as a result of ceremonies, rituals, and spiritual gatherings. We have seen or read, for example, about dances for rain in time of drought, and in many cases, rain has actually fallen after such ceremonies. Many religious, spiritual groups and cultures may have flourished upon ritual grounds, sacred circles, and group ceremonies, while chanting, holding hands and transferring energies. Whether they be ancient tribal ceremonies, Shamanism, Yogism, Hinduism, or monotheistic religious ceremonies, these sacred rituals and praying vitalize the human spirit, helping one to feel connected to others, and reducing the pressure of loneliness and isolation. Many times, as a result of these gatherings, miracles do happen. Whether or not "science" or any narrow sighted intellects ignore miraculous happening makes no actual difference. Miracles do happen.

Let us examine the rituals, or group efforts, as well as meditation and the effort of individuals from the introduction of The Nature of Miracle . . .