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Third Subtle Point:
Just as the human being is a small sample of this vast world and the Noble Fatiha is a luminous symbol of this Qur’an of great significance; prayer is an encompassing luminous index of all types of worship and a holy map pointing to the colors of worship of all kinds of creatures.
Fourth Subtle Point:
Just as, in a weekly clock, the hands counting the seconds, minutes, hours, and days look to each other, are samples of one another, and take the form of one another; similarly, the rotation of night and day which are in the form of seconds, and years counting the minutes, and layers of the human life counting the hours, and eras of the world’s life counting the days of this earthly world which is a giant clock of The Almighty Truth, look to each other, are samples of one another, and are in the form of one another, and remind [one] of one another. For example:
The time for Fajr – until sunrise – resembles and reminds [one] of the beginning of spring, and the time a human enters the womb, and the first day of the six days of creation of the heavens and the earth, and points to the Divine acts (shu’un ilahiyyah) in them.
As for the time of Dhuhr, it resembles and points to the middle of the summer season, and the perfection of youth, and to the period of the human being’s creation in the world’s life and reminds [one of] the manifestations of divine mercy and the abundance of favors in them.
As for the time off asr, it resembles the season of fall, and the time of old age, and the era of happiness of the prophet (as) of end times and points to the Divine acts and favors of divine mercy in them.
As for the time of Maghrib, by pointing to the departure of many creatures at the end of the fall season, and the death of the human being, and the destruction of the earth at the beginning of the resurrection; it leads to the understanding of manifestations of divine loftiness and awakens people from the sleep of heedlessness, [and] warns them.
As for the time of isha’, it proclaims the glorious acts of The Glorious One Who Subdues by pointing to the world of darkness covering all traces of the world of day with its black shroud, and the white shroud of winter covering the dead surface of the earth, and for the rest of the dead person’s traces perishing and entering behind the curtain of oblivion, and the ultimate termination of the zone of examination which is earthly life.
As for the time of night, it reminds the human being to what degree the human soul is in need of The Merciful One’s mercy by allowing one to perceive the winter, and the grave, and the world of barzakh [i.e. life in the grave]. And as for the night prayer (tahajjud) at night, it informs and reminds [one of] how essential of a light it is in the night of grave and the darkness of barzakh [i.e. life in the grave] and proclaims to what degree The Almighty True Bestower is deserving of praise and honor by reminding [His] endless favors within all these transformations.
As for the second morning, it notifies [one] of the morning of resurrection. Indeed, the spring of barzakh [i.e. life in the grave] is as definite as how reasonable and essential and definite this night’s morning and this winter’s spring are.
Thus, just as each of these five [prayer] times is at the start of a significant transformation and reminds [one] of great transformations; It reminds [one] of the miracles of divine power and gifts of divine mercy during every year, every century, and every era by the mark of daily substantial actions by the power of Divine Self-Sufficiency and Besoughtness (al-Samad). Thus, the obligatory prayers which are a principal duty of nature and the base of worship and a definite debt are fitting and appropriate to these times.
