Exploring the interplay of prayer, faith and joy in the human experience
Alireza Panahian writes in his book, “How to pray a good prayer” that a good prayer is attainable only through a joyful heart and mind, but the joy of the heart and mind is obtained only through a good prayer. The complicated interaction of the two is unravelled only by the experience of both. What precedes and succeeds cannot be deciphered. What generates despair and anxiety is the disruption of the two.
Soren Kierkegaard argued the same in his famous book “The Sickness Unto Death”. He considers despair as an antithesis of faith. Those who hold on to faith are exonerated from despair. It is a sin to have despair. It is an actual death. It is graver than the fear of death. Having despair means spiritual death. It is spiritual vitality that is the source of joy and happiness in life.
Shaheed Mutahhari says in his book “Spiritual Freedom” that when the soul of a human being elevates to higher stations of faith, it experiences an immense euphoria that beats bodily suffering. A human being is a synthesis of contradictions. He is composed of a finite and infinite structure, and he is in a tussle each and every time. These two always collide. What brings these contradictions to quietude is faith.
Alireza Panahian says that when one prays a good prayer, his cells experience composure. His thoughts gather in tranquillity. His feelings are cleansed of their heavy burden. The soul and body dichotomy can only be resolved by faith. Kierkegaard holds that it is the failure of the recognition of one’s purpose in life that leads to despair, and despair hollows out every human being of his spiritual essence.
Kierkegaard says, “The more consciousness means the more intense despair.” He categorizes despair into conscious despair and unconscious despair. The former is an authentic kind of despair, whereas the latter is inauthentic. Failure to realize the given potential of man pushes him to despair. He maintains that sin is the child of despair. It is the intensification of despair. Those who have complete faith can never commit any sin, and those who commit sin do not have complete faith. Both are antithetical to each other. Both cannot assemble at one table.
He acknowledges that despair is a universal human condition but he believes that it is caused by failing to maintain a relationship with God. It is the alienation from God that gives birth to despair that leads to sin. When a human struggles in his life to discover the meaning of his life and finds it nowhere, he becomes sad but finally, he realizes that the fulfillment of life is found in a relationship with God. The incomprehensibility of the world makes him melancholic. He fails to resolve the enigmas of life. The final satisfaction is found in faith that overcomes the mundane nature of this life.
Kierkegaard and Panahian believe that suffering pushes humans closer to God and eliminates their despair. Dostoevsky finds the meaning of life in suffering. It is very productive and an impulse for artistic works. Spiritual health is more important than physical health.
Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra says, “Faults in the external world are easy to amend but faults inside the human being are difficult to resolve.” She hints towards the spiritual health of a human being that dominates the physical health of a person. Joy, peace, and satisfaction issue forth from the spiritual well-being of a human. Despair too is a spiritual malaise. It is related to one’s psychological and spiritual welfare. We human beings should resort to God to eliminate despair from our lives. Being God-conscious every time when we do anything can fetch us peace of mind. It has been observed that good deeds and good thoughts have been the great sources of peace. Helping others in times of need and emergency has tranquillizing effects on us. We should be good humans and spread humanity wherever we go.
The writer can be reached at az*********@***il.com