A Comparative Study of Prayer from the viewpoint of Maulana and Catherine P0nder

" Introduction"Prayer" means asking and it is one of the important religious rituals and according to the theories of the spirituals of the world, as one of the best ways to communicate with God and one of the highest worships. Since "prayer" plays an important role in the mental health of individuals, comparative research and studies in this field is a cognitive necessity and a way to create unity and peace in human society. The purpose of this descriptive-analytical article is to examine the comparison of prayer from the perspective of Rumi in the book Masnavi Manavi as a representative of Islamic mysticism with the views of Catherine Ponder in the book The Power of Prayer as a representative of Christian mysticism, regarding the similarities and differences of thought. The two mystics achieve a lasting result. The results of the research indicate that Ponder and Rumi share many aspects such as the necessity of sincerity and the divine grace of prayer, but the most important difference is in the nature of prayer. Because Rumi pays attention to spiritual matters in prayer and Ponder pays attention to material matters. It seems that by studying the ideas of Eastern and Western mystics, new aspects of reality can be achieved. 2.MethodologyThis research has been done by descriptive-analytical method and in it library studies and note taking have been used. The scope of this research is the book Masnavi Manavi by Maulana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi, edited by Reynold Nicholson, Tehran, Toos Publications (1996) and 2 volumes of the book The Power of Prayer by Katherine Ponder, translated by Mina Azami, Tehran, Mitra Publishing (2008 and 2009) Is. But according to the word, other works of these two great mystics have also been used. In this research, first Rumi''s thoughts and opinions regarding prayer are expressed, then Ponder''s views on prayer are examined and while expressing the commonalities and differences between the two, the necessary conclusion is reached. 3.DiscussionIn the contemporary world, not only has religion and religious rites not been removed from people''s lives, but it has also found a new and decisive role in individual and social life and has caused many changes, including multidimensional attitudes towards religion in different societies. Although the prediction of the decline of religion and the gradual decline of religion in the age of scientific thought was first made by August Kent, the father of modern sociology, and later by many