I had a conversation with a friend and I told him that it is necessary that every Muslim submits and humbles himself to Allaah The Almighty in the prayer and he disagreed with me and told me that Allaah The Almighty Loves the strong believer. I told him again that it is necessary to submit to Allaah The Almighty, The Supreme Fashioner, The Owner of Sovereignty. However, he also disagreed with me. Please advise.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

There is no doubt that Allaah The Almighty Loves the strong believer but He also Loves submission and humility from His worshipers. Both matters are true and there is no contradiction between them at all. Actually, being a strong believer entails that one has to be more humble to Allaah The Almighty. Imaam An-Nawawi said in his explanation of Saheeh Muslim: “Strength here means self-determination and great resolution concerning matters of the Hereafter.”

It is sufficient to mention the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as an ideal and example.  Allaah The Almighty described the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the Noble Quran as His servant in some of the most honoring occasions. In the context of Al-Israa’ (the Night Journey), Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Exalted Is He who Took His Servant by night.} [Quran 17:1]; in that of receiving revelation Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And He Revealed to His Servant what he revealed.} [Quran 53:10]; in that of invocation, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And that when the Servant of Allaah stood up supplicating Him, they almost became about him a compacted mass.} [Quran 72:19]; and in that of the challenge, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof.} [Quran 2:23]

Servitude means complete submission and devotion together with complete love and exaltation to Allaah The Almighty. It is based on both principles. It was an established fact that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had the strongest and most perfect faith of all people. No one can have doubts in this regard except two: the person who is ignorant and the person who is arrogant. Allaah The Almighty has praised His believing servants and He The Almighty Mentioned some of their attributes Saying (what means): {Certainly will the believers have succeeded: They who are during their prayer humbly submissive.} [Quran 23:1-2]      

It was narrated on the authority of Mutarrif that his father said: "I came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, while he was praying and his chest would heave like the boiling of a cauldron because of weeping."  [Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa’i]

Allaah Knows best.