Wakas: my view on salat (dated 24/5/04)
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peace all,
I will try to be brief but accurate
From 7531-32 it can be seen that the basic meaning of salla is to turn/go towards, because it is contrasted/compared (i.e. put opposite to) "went/turn away".
Chapter 75
- For he did not confirm nor go/turn towards (salla).
- But he denied and went/turned away (tawalla).
One could substitute this term with similar words such as 'link/bond/connect & follow closely'.
This is the core meaning of a general concept.
Allow me an analogy to demonstrate its general meaning, if I say to you "go/turn towards justice". You could acheive this in many ways. For example you could start with yourself, make sure you act just, you could become a lawyer, you could help raise funds to set up law courts, you could educate others on justice, you could become a policeman etc. Note that there are many activities you can do to "go/turn towards justice". In otherwords, to "go/turn towards" something is a general term and can be applied very widely.
(I simply chose "justice" as an example of a concept/object you could go/turn towards, I could have said democracy, wealth, health etc.)
One may ask, well, what are we supposed to "turn/go towards"? It depends on context, however, the core meaning of "turn/go towards" is always implied. Unless otherwise stated in al quran, it refers to The God or The System (approved of by The God).
Please apply this basic connotation/meaning/implication to any verse with the root of salat (i.e. slw = sawd-lam-waw) to see if it fits. These verses can be found on the following thread
http//www.openburhan.com/data/b.x.211.htm
AND/OR
http//www.free-minds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1695
Once you have done that. You may wish to study the following thread in which additional information about salat is presented, from al quran
http//www.free-minds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=958
As you will hopefully see, the concept of slw (i.e. to turn/go towards) is very broad and can be applied to many things. That is why in al quran, we see it being applied in a general, specific and varied manner, e.g
those who set-up partners can repent and uphold the salat if they trangressed in the system
The salat can be neglected, in favour of following desires
One's salat is to/for God
salat is possible between people
That is why when Zachariah calls/prays (dua) to his Lord, he is considered to be in the act of slw (turning/going towards, linking/bonding/connecting) when communication comes to him.
etc.
To gain a better understanding of The System, it is clear a better understanding of al quran would be required. That is why a regular/timed slw is given. In this regular/timed slw, reading / reflection / oration of al quran is prescribed. This can be done alone or in a group/community setting.
Verses linking slw to al quran 243-45, 512-13, 7169-170, 82-3, 1958-59, 2945, 312-7, 3333-34, 1778.
the salat should be done during/close to the morning & evening twilight times (i.e. 2x per day)
When one undertakes this regular/timed slw, one should follow the specific guidelines given, e.g be clean , clear mind , moderate tone etc.
This regular/timed slw is only incumbent upon the mumin (believers/faithful/trustful). See articles below
http//www.free-minds.org/articles/gods_system/mumin.htm
http//www.free-minds.org/articles/gods_system/thetrust.htmAdditional reading material.
If you read everything above (including the links) several times, the concept of salat should be much clearer.
Lastly, I'd like to mention the concept of zakat. A word often used along with salat. Its commonly taken to mean "charity" but charity is only one aspect of zakat. Its primary usage in al quran is to mean purification/betterment. If this meaning is taken along with what I've discussed here, it make much more sense. When one upholds the link/bond (to The God/System), one is then in a position to bring forth the purification/betterment. Simple. The two terms reinforce and complement each other.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try and answer them if I can.
Wakas
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peace Roshan,
So we only 'link' with God on occasions? I personally don't think so.
How did you get that understanding from what I said?
Wakas
Peace
Perhaps I did not read your post properly! I amalgamated two posts. One of them talked about the times of salat
<<the salat should be done during/close to the morning & evening twilight times (i.e. 2x per day)
The other one then seemed to imply that you felt that salat meant 'link'
<<Quote
So what is a salah?I'm not entirely sure if you meant this as a question to me, as you gave an answer after it. If you are asking me the question, its important to understand slw is a general term (thats why I put that bit in bold) thus one cant make it specific (or at least not in the context of your question). Its like asking "what is a link?"
I then felt that from these postings it could be derived that you thought salat was a 'link' which was observed at certain times.
But I seem to be wong.
Roshan
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peace Roshan,
Sorry for the confusion. Perhaps I can clarify
slw essentially means to go/turn towards. This general meaning can be applied to most occurrences. However, when the specific regular/timed slw is advocated, it is addressed to the mumineen (believers/trustful/faithful).
If one understands who the mumineen are, the regular/timed slw should become clear. The mumineen uphold the scripture. The regular/timed slw is clearly linked to the scripture. Hence the regular reading.
Wakas
