Is Salat really an intermittent assembly?
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I have read Layth's article regarding Salat and find it to be interesting in its research but a little hasty in its conclusions.
Right from the start I will state my understanding that Salat is a duty for Believers (muminun) that must be firstly established and secondly upheld at timed intervals.
I think the example Layth gives of the Salat of birds being an assembly at dawn and evening is a great Sign of the God in this regard. While it may be an assembly for the birds, one must not forget the important fact that this is a twice daily occurence that occurs without fail. The birds do not assemble when they choose. The God has decreed that birds will perform this regular timed Salat for their entire lives.
Another important issue is the fact that Salat requires a preparation with the use of water on one self (wudu). The small amount of water that is used obviously is not intended as a physical cleansing act but acts in another way. This is the God's decree and I don't pretend to understand the underlying wisdom behind it but it is obviously indicating that Salat requires an intent on the part of a Believer and preparation. Surely an assembly to discuss issues faced by the community would not require this preparation? I mean we are discussing the Quran and issues in this forum and how many have perfomed wudu for this? The reason for Salat is contact with the God; To me, this is a personal striving more than any other thing. The development of spiritual understanding while it can occur in groups most often occurs when I am meditating alone.
As there are two named Salats; of dawn (fajr) and evening (isha) and verses that describe when they are prayed (both ends of the day); I believe that the Salat must involve an establishment of regular personal striving to contact God at these times. This is because God more usually guides individuals not groups (although that can occur also). It is said in the Quran that no soul can bear the burden of another. A person who receives the guidance of God through His message must act on it in order to be a Submitter and Believer. The absence of others in guidance is not an impediment to individuals becoming of those who establish regular Salat (contact, link prayers).
I agree that Salat is not necessarily a 'prayer' (dua) as that can be done at any time. Just like the purpose of wudu is difficult to appreciate by us the purpose of Salat before God may not be immediately clear either.
It is a fact that the Salat is not patently described in the Quran. Others have suggested that the reason for this is that the Messenger was instructed to follow the religion of Abraham and that the practices of this religious path were well known and did not require description. Now if the practices had been preserved for the thousands of years up to the Messengers time surely they could survive the 1400 years to the present. Maybe the passage of so much time between Abraham and the Messenger and then between his time and ours is an argument against any preservation of practices. Everyone has to judge for themselves.
Another issue is the concept of congregational Salat. I believe that the traditional (Friday) congregational Salat and its derivation from the relevant surah in the Quran is an argument against there being
- any other type of noon prayer as in traditional Islam.
- dawn and dusk congregational Salat as Layth describes.
The congregational Salat as it is described in the Quran is described to occur at a time when business or trading is taking place and Believers are encouraged to leave business to attend the congregational Salat. Obviously if this is a special event then it is probably not a daily event (it might well be, but it has not been interpreted or practiced in this way as far as I know). I realise there has been discussion on what "day of congregation" means and whether it is necessarily Friday. The broad context does indicate a special day in my opinion, separate from the other Salat (fajr and isha).
Congregational Salat is described to occur when business was taking place, which to me means daytime, hence the need to leave one's trading. I find it hard to believe that trading is a regular dawn or dusk activity. It obviously is not a prescribed daily thing otherwise the God would have specified a name or a decree for it. It may not be a weekly thing either for that matter. However, as others have described, the congregational Salat is likely to have been the best preserved as it was performed and experienced by the most number of people. It is also revealing that the congregational Salat is brief in comparison to the long ritualistic prayers of traditional Islam.
Finally, the fact that congregational Salat has a separate mention is an indication to me that not all Salat is congregational. If this is the case then there is a strong case for personal Salat as I have mentioned above.
These are my findings. I therefore continue to perform personal Salat at least twice a day (both ends of the day as in the Quran) and some time during the night (again as the Quran describes). I hope this may prompt others to think about this very important issue and comment constructively on what I have written here.
This represents my understanding today. Like many others here I pray to the God for His guidance and the provision of ability and sense to follow it. God willing we can all be led to Faith and certainty. I for one submit to and obey the God, Lord of the Universe.
Peace be upon you.