Prayer fashions Man

"My servant cannot get near to Me through anything else more lovable to Me than doing the obligatory religious duties. However, by doing supererogatory duties he gets nearer to Me, and when he becomes near to Me, I shall be his eyes to see with, his ears to hear with, his hands to grasp with, and his legs to walk on."

Saying of the Prophet peace be upon him

James Cutsinger in his book about Frithjof Schuon (a.k.a Shaykh Isa, spiritual guide of Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj a.k.a. Martin Lings) writes: 

"As a sculptor fashions clay or a poet words - as the wind or a stream gives shape to a dune or a valley- so do a man's prayers, faithfully and persistently repeated over the course of his life, come in time to transform the substance of his soul, eliminating faults in his character, providing him with an increasing strength and stability, and bringing him step by step with God's help toward the fulfillment of his vocation to perfection. Anyone who doubts his truth, refusing out of pride or despair to call upon Heaven, has only to consult that most dazzling of proofs which is the existence of saints."