Prayer
Refreshingly simple!
There is no right or wrong way to pray. Whether you are praying to God or some graven idol in truth you are still praying.For those of us who are following the Quran, however it is impotant for us to be clear on what the Quran says on this.
So according to the Quran, we want to know if the following things are addressed in the Quran.
1. How do we pray?
2. What do we do when we pray?
3. What do we say when we pray?
4. When do we pray?
Traditionally in Islam there are 2 words used for this concept of praying. They are two Classical Arabic words;
Salat (Suh-lot) and Du'a (Do-aah).
Salat to the Muslim has prescribed sayings that are recited at particular moments in the prayer. It is an elaborate ritual that carries a lot of meaning and connections. It also has prescribed motions that are done in a certain order.
Du'a on the other hand only consists of raising your hands and offering up a particular prayer to God. The difference between Salat and Du'a to the Muslim is the difference between praying, or making prayer, and saying a prayer. Praying, or making Prayer, to the Muslim is merely a ritual that is more of an actual display of devotion, whereas du'a, or saying a prayer, to the Muslim is the equivalent of making a speech (whether prepared or improvised) to God with a goal in mind.
Despite what this means to the Muslim, from a purely language perspective, without religious doctrine, in Classical Arabic, the difference between the two is this:
Salat: Prayer in the sense of making one-on-one time with your god or gods whoever they may be.
Dua: 'To call on, to call out to or to beckon.' It does not have to be connected to any god just as whoever you call on does not have to be a god in your eyes. However, du'a in its connection to prayer has come to be used in the sense of oratories or speeches that are directed to a god, and specifically God, in Islamic Arabic and modern Arabics.
The Arab Jews & Christians of old and today have always called their Prayer Salat despite the fact that Muslims would like to monopolize this Classical Arabic term.
Salat and Du'a can overlap. Every time we say a prayer (du'a) we are making prayer, or praying (Salat). And most times whenever we are making prayer or praying (salat) we are also calling out (du'a) to God, calling on God or beckoning God. You are entitled to just have a conversation with God, think on His glory or greatness or just try to feel the blessings or holiness that God may bestow on you. You don't have to be calling out to God whenever you make time to meditate on Him.
The Koran only mentions praying twice a day; in the morning and in the evening. These times are the only ones specifically mentioned when it comes to prayer and every other time where Salat is mentioned can be deduced to these 2 times. Morning prayer is done in the late part of the night that is directly before sunrise, morning twilight or at sunrise. Evening prayer is done at the onset of sunset, evening twilight or the very early part of the night that is directly after evening twilight.
"Asalatul-Wustaa" that is mentioned in the Koran (2:238) can be rendered as "The Middle Prayer", 'The Best Prayer." or even "The Moderate Prayer." Following the principles of 41:3 and 3:7, to be clarified 2:238 has to be related to a more precise passage about this same subject. There is no noon prayer or afternoon prayer ever mentioned in the Quran.
Prayer times are specified in the Koran such as 'The prayer of dawn' in (24:58), and 'the evening prayer' in (24:58) and the book specifies these times as the edges of daylight, within the times of complete darkness and when the sun is touching (or rubbing) the horizon (11:114, 17:78). The Koran does advise praising God and giving him glory in the middle of the day and what can be considered the afternoon. 'Fa-sub-haana allahee heena tumsoona (masaa'). . .wa heena tudh-hiroona (Dhuhr)' The verses in English read: 'Give God the glory in the afternoon, at night (Masaa' according to Lisanul-'arab is any time opposite to morning) and in the morning (Sabah). Praise him at nightfall ('ashiyy) and at noon (dhuhr)' (30:17-18). The question is if we should take a simple Subhaanallahi and an al-hamdulillahi and understand it as taking time out to go make prayer. When God tells us to glorify him when he blesses us in someway should we stop right then, drop everything, get on our knees and pray? Glorifying God is mentioned many times in the Quran and all of these instances aren't connected to prayer? It's a little extreme to think that just because God says to remember to glorify Him at noon or in the afternoon that we are supposed to drop everything and go make some personal time with God right then. Look at 68:28-29 to get a more rational picture. If you want to go and make time to pray, I'm sure God will appreciate that and you will benefit from it. But it is not mandatory.
As for how to pray, this is summed up in a few passages. The Muslim reader should know that rak'at, which to the Muslim refers to a certain sequence of positions during Prayer, has different meaning in Classical Arabic. In Classical Arabic, it means any kneeling or bowing. Sujood to the Muslim refers to the prostrating that is done during the Muslim's prayer, but in Classical Arabic, the Arabic of Muhammad's day (God bless him) it refers to any prostration. However its primary meaning is any form of paying homage or respects (I'dham or ta'dheem) which can be seen by the following passages 55:6, 2:34, 22:18, 2:58. So here's how to pray from the Quran:
2:43: "Pray! Do what is best and bow or kneel along with others who do the same."
We have an example of prayer with Mary 3:43: " Mary! Obey the Lord. Worship Him and bow, or kneel down, before Him with those who do the same."
5:55: "Your real supporters are God, His messenger(s) and His loyalists. His loyalists keep to prayer, doing what best, as they bow, or kneel down."
22:77: "God's loyalists! Kneel (Arka' oo), bow down in worship (Usjudoo), devote yourselves (U' budoo) to your Lord, and do good so you can have success".
48:29: "Muhammad is God's messenger and God's message is commendable. Those who are on the side of the messenger and his message will have strength when it comes to those who show no loyalty to the messenger and his message. They show mercy to one another, and Muhammad, you will see them kneeling and bowing down in worship, asking for God's grace and approval. The signs of their worship show on their faces, and that is how they are referred to in Moses' teachings and in the teachings of Jesus . . ."
The Arabic word 'Qaa'im' in 3:39 does not dictate standing position during prayer. It implies the undertaking of any action, in addition to 'staying up late.' Even if understood to mean standing one can still stand and bow just as Muslims bow, stand up and then bow again or as others bow their heads while they stand in prayer. Zechariah (God bless him) may have been standing at that moment during his prayer but that does not mean that he was not bowing or kneeling the moment before, or that he wasn't bowing his head at that very moment. Since we weren't there the best conclusion that we can make is that he was in the action of praying. That is the most important aspect anyway.The Qiblah is commonly referred to as the direction of prayer but it actually means focal point, and that makes sense as you see that most Muslims point to it. In Old Classical Arabic it is the convening point of gazes, moving objects, mental attention or the journeys of people or animals. The watering hole is a qiblah for thirsty animals and Mecca is a qiblah for Muslim pilgrims in their journey to the city. The direction that we face in prayer isn't even a matter of religious importance considering 2:115. We also see in the Quran (10: 87) that God told Moses (God bless him) to tell his people, while in Egypt, to make their houses qiblahs.
Obviously, they weren't making their houses directions to pray towards but their communal focal-points, i.e. their community centers. Prayer is nowhere mentioned, nor is there a connection to what is usually translated as the Holy Masjid. Al-Masjidul-Haramu should be understood in the Quran as Al-masaajidul-haramatu which really includes any respected or inviolable sanctuary (See 89:22 for a classic example of the singular definite used as plural). You can pray in whatever direction you choose.
Last but not least, there is nothing wrong with praying together. There is nothing wrong with praying the traditional Muslim way either, but it is not the only way to pray and it is not a superior way to pray. Praying with someone can range from praying shoulder to shoulder, doing and saying exactly the same thing at the same time, to holding each others hands and bowing heads; dedicating that time to God. The only uniform things that the Koran gives when it comes to prayer are the following:
1. Pray to God, The Most High.
2. Kneel and bow with worship in your heart before God, Most High.
3. Pray in the morning, right before or during daybreak.
4. Pray in the evening, during sundown, dusk or right afterwards.
So that's it, plain and simple. So go connect with your lord, God!
He is greater!
6:38:
"Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they shall be gathered to their Lord in the end."
6:114-115:
"Say: "Shall I seek as judge other than Allah. He has sent unto you this Book, explained in detail." Those to whom we have given the Book, know that it has been sent down from thy Lord in truth. Never be of those who doubt. The word of your Lord has been fulfilled, in truth and justice. There is no substitute for God's words. He hears and knows (all.) "
