Looking at "salat" in the context of time

[Ex-"Quranist"]

Living in today's times, it's easy to take a lot of things for granted. We can communicate on here around the clock, look up an infinite amount of information online, we have the Quran in many translations available online around the clock with comparisons, dictionaries, etc.

Now... Imagine the time of the revelation. In the 7th century. There is no internet, there are no computers, cell phones, no Quranix.org, no free-minds.org, no Google, no Wikipedia... Not even a printing press! How then, can you know what is prohibited among the food as per The Reading? How will you know of what to do if you are going through a divorce, how to deal with a case of theft? The list goes on.

The simple answer is The messenger had to relate the message to those around him. Then, people could copy it from him in writing and/or write it down as well and keep a record/book and relate what is in The Reading to others. Let us say you just found out about the man you know as "Muhammad" - you heard it from a colleague at the time of revelation. He invites you in the evening to attend "salat al isha" with him and you learn about peacefulness and the message of The Reading through Muhammad at that meeting. You might attend some more of these meetings - they say "we are meeting again tomorrow at dawn for 'salat/quran al fajr.'" Great, you attend and on it goes. You like the message and thus become a peacemaker/muslim and eventually a truster/mumeen and learn more and more about the message/zikr and the law/decree (kitab) and so on. Perhaps the colleague you met had done that long before you and now has his own copy of The Reading or knows quite a bit - you could attend the meeting at his house, which is especially true after the messenger has died and there are not many copies of The Reading around. You need to go somewhere to learn and get reminded of the message.

And maybe there are special circumstances in your community that need attending - thus you would join with the whole community to discuss these issues in light of the scripture as per 629.

I thought about this concept because I asked myself "what if salat really did refer to prayer?" and "if salat was mainly a recitaion of The Reading, how would that go if there are only a few chapters out - what if it is just one? Then I reflected further and the points I mentioned in this post popped into my mind. People like to get caught up in the exact translation, they come up with commitment, connection, pledge, bond, oration, learning connection, education process - guess what - they are all linked and all fit this concept. How do you follow the law/decree (kitab)? You need to read/hear it.

A lot of relevant verses in The Reading support this view - for instance in chapter 11 where Shuayb meets with his people and conveys the teachings of his message - be mindful of God, observe fair dealings in trade, etc. He went out and talked to his people. Same as in 96 where the believers are told to shelter mushrikeen so that they can hear the words of God and then they can choose to leave and go to safety. They can also participate in the actual salat - whether they have converted or not. 56 and cleanliness when being with others as well as mental preparedness, 443 and knowing what we are reciting/hearing as well as being respectful to others which is less likely when tipsy/drunk.

Thus salat = commitment, contact, bond, pledge, act of following closely, oration, learning connection, education process, link, relationship, duty - all the above and more.

To claim it has nothing to do with sitting down and doing something at a fixed time and that it is just "good deeds" does not make sense - especially when you look at the context of the time of revelation.

To claim it is just prayer is honestly more plausible than the former, but still begs the question - how then did people know the message of The Reading? They were working and busy during the day and did salat at the beginning and towards the end of their day. Also, "salat" and reading are emphasized a lot on the messenger - see 1778-79, 11114, 4102 (he "QWM al salat for his group&quot, etc. The mumineen are of course to follow the example as set forth in The Reading and continue and spread this practice. Thus everyone can hear and study the message. Note, that I am not saying that "salat" has to be done in groups exclusively, but it seems beneficial, especially when we look at the time and place of revelation.

I also want to give another example. There are verses in which the messenger asks to take/or accept money from the believers/trusters such as "sadaqat" or has to convey the instructions regarding spoils of war and the sahre that believers/trusters need to hand over. This can be done in such a meeting and the mumineen can then make sujjud/SJD (submit, make obeisance, acknowledge) and thus obey God and obey the messenger and hand over the share of the spoils war, get reminded of giving charity, hand over the portion of charity that they may deem fit, etc. Thus, the salat would promote good deeds and inhibit evil and vice, as the Reading states.

[Man_of_Faith]

There is also the option of using the mind and apply sound logic.

[Wakas]

I pretty much agree.

Note the often overlooked example in 2945 wherein it explicitly states "recite what has been revealed to you of the book/decree and uphold the salat, surely the salat forbids from/concerning immorality and bad deeds".

X can only forbid if information is relayed (about what is and isn't forbidden etc)

Further
http//mypercept.co.uk/articles/slw.htm

In other words knowing what the bond entails goes hand in hand with its application.

[Rilum]

Salam Brothers, I am new here,
I agree with you and I read this article before, which explains exactly this kind of salat https//quranalonebesthadith.wordpress.com/2015/09/05/salat-of-the-quran/

The 2 times for Salat were specific for the believers at the time of Mohammed, and the "wudhu" was for hygiene because the believers met at a specific location, and not like you have said in every house individually, in the day of congregation "Yawm al jumuati"

Now that we have the Quran and all the information, we can do Salat the whole day, no matter which time or if we do abolution, by informing us and reading the Quran.