Our soul is blessed with the impression of the glory of God whenever we praise God.
Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Related Material by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Compiled by Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist – wahiduddin.net
There is a necessity for praise in prayer, praise of the beauty of God, for humans must learn to recognize and praise the beauty of God as manifested in all of creation. In this way they impress beauty on their souls, and they are able to manifest it in themselves, and they become the friend of all and are without prejudice. For this reason the Sufis cultivate their hearts. The emblem of the Sufi is the heart between two wings, meaning that when the heart is cultivated we can soar up into the heights of heaven.
If one asks why God should create beings in order that they should sing God’s own praise, the answer is that God does not wish to receive praise. The praise of God is prescription for humans, in order that by this prescription they can come to that understanding which brings them nearer to God. In other words, by praising God we complete the action in which lies the fulfillment of the soul’s purpose in coming on earth.
( from the Sufi Message Series, Volume IX – The Unity of Religious Ideals: Part I, Prayer, Section i )
Truly we can never praise God enough; never can our praise be sufficient, but our souls are blessed with the impression of the Glory of God whenever we praise God. The soul could praise God every moment and yet, wanting to praise God yet more, it is constantly hungering and thirsting to find the Beauty and Perfection of God. By the praise of God the soul is filled with bliss; even to utter the name of God is a blessing that can fill the soul with light, joy and happiness as nothing else can do.
( from Unpublished Papers from the Nekbakht Foundation Archives, Prayer, 8 May 1921 and 15 May 1921 )
Commentary by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad)
Samuel L. Lewis
Praising God is the real purpose of the Sufi Message. There is no other Message than this: that humanity should lay no stress upon itself and see all values in God. The very nature of soul requires this praise, and its cessation brings all unhappiness. But this praise is not for the sake of happiness although it may bring it; the soul praises because it is its nature to praise.