About solaa
-
Peace,
I have been studying this issue extensively for 6 months or so and I understand that it is a matter of interpretation. The words 'sujud' and 'rukoo' seem more like feelings (submission and humbleness) than physical acts. As such, I am having trouble reconciling the traditional solaa being performed by my ancestors to the Quran. I keep remembering Abraham's story in the Quran where people said they follow only what they found their fathers following. I am afraid that by doing traditional solaa I will be following what my fathers followed and would be guilty. I have stopped doing the solaa but am not sure what I will say when my relatives ask me to join the solaa with them. I am confused and was wondering if you guys/gals went through a similar situation and if you have any helpful advice for me.
Thanks,
Said -
Peace,
I have been studying this issue extensively for 6 months or so and I understand that it is a matter of interpretation. The words 'sujud' and 'rukoo' seem more like feelings (submission and humbleness) than physical acts. As such, I am having trouble reconciling the traditional solaa being performed by my ancestors to the Quran. I keep remembering Abraham's story in the Quran where people said they follow only what they found their fathers following. I am afraid that by doing traditional solaa I will be following what my fathers followed and would be guilty. I have stopped doing the solaa but am not sure what I will say when my relatives ask me to join the solaa with them. I am confused and was wondering if you guys/gals went through a similar situation and if you have any helpful advice for me.
Thanks,
SaidPeace,
Respect.welcome welcome to the forum.
You should research what prayer (salah) is.
From what nI have seen in The Quran, there is a time when it does not have to by psysical.2238 Maintain the contact prayers; and especially the best balanced prayer; and stand for God dutifully.
2239 But if you are in a state of fear, then you may do so while walking or riding. If you become secure, then remember God as He has taught you what you did not know.From these two verses, I can see that we do pray psysically but in some unusual circumstances we can do so while wlaking or riding (in 21st century driving).
God guides.
Seek God.
Peace. -
-
peace...
i'm sure in the 'salat' section you can find more then enough information,
sure there are many different views, that doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong...
it could be physical, it could not... the goal is the ultimate effect salat has...Peace,
Respect.Okay, so, why is it that God tells us to pray in security like standing, bowing and prostrating but in fear we can pray wlaking or riding?
Why is it that this psysical movement is prevented and justified?
I'd appreciate speedy response, brother.Peace.
-
Peace,
Respect.Okay, so, why is it that God tells us to pray in security like standing, bowing and prostrating but in fear we can pray wlaking or riding?
Why is it that this psysical movement is prevented and justified?
I'd appreciate speedy response, brother.Peace.
hmm, you say he tells us to pray standing, bowing and prostrating.... and you choose to interpret this as physical actions...
while others will say that he is not saying that but rather some metaphorical or symbolical approach...
so who should be right? you or others or both?and if it's while riding and walking, it can't be a specific ritual... if it were then you may as well stop walking-..
but the main point is IT HAS TO HAVE POSITIVE RESULTS... IT HAS TO CHANGE OR PROGRAM A PERSON TO BE GOOD, TO DO GOOD...
if a person does some ritual and stays same lazy, selfish, greedy person... then what's the point, that person can never say they prayed or performed salat... they may as well have not done anything...
but, if a person changes, becomes good, selfless, helpful, humble, charitable... then he must have dome something, must have connected to God in some way that made him/her think that way to lead them to be like this (better)... so whatever they did is salat... maintaining the connection...it may be a ritual prayer,...
it may be meditation, ...
it may be random thinking,...
it may be talking to God...
it may be reading things...
it may be listening to music...there are many ways to reach God,
many ways to change a person,
there can't be only one way God told us to do something to be better... God knows better, He knows how we work... He created us...
and many can see that in the quran... so it somehow you can't interpret it as a physical prayer... but ok... do what you want... -
hmm, you say he tells us to pray standing, bowing and prostrating.... and you choose to interpret this as physical actions...
while others will say that he is not saying that but rather some metaphorical or symbolical approach...
so who should be right? you or others or both?and if it's while riding and walking, it can't be a specific ritual... if it were then you may as well stop walking-..
but the main point is IT HAS TO HAVE POSITIVE RESULTS... IT HAS TO CHANGE OR PROGRAM A PERSON TO BE GOOD, TO DO GOOD...
if a person does some ritual and stays same lazy, selfish, greedy person... then what's the point, that person can never say they prayed or performed salat... they may as well have not done anything...
but, if a person changes, becomes good, selfless, helpful, humble, charitable... then he must have dome something, must have connected to God in some way that made him/her think that way to lead them to be like this (better)... so whatever they did is salat... maintaining the connection...it may be a ritual prayer,...
it may be meditation, ...
it may be random thinking,...
it may be talking to God...
it may be reading things...
it may be listening to music...there are many ways to reach God,
many ways to change a person,
there can't be only one way God told us to do something to be better... God knows better, He knows how we work... He created us...
and many can see that in the quran... so it somehow you can't interpret it as a physical prayer... but ok... do what you want...Peace,
Respect.Brother, all I'm saying is that I'm gonna obey God.
That's all.
We were told not to eat pork also but
nobody has ever died of eating pork, correct?It's about obediance.
God knows best.
Peace. -
I am confused and was wondering if you guys/gals went through a similar situation and if you have any helpful advice for
Yes, I did. I once went to a Sunni mosque, and had to hear all the Muhammad-worshipping. You could confront them with God-alone ideas, tell them that you follow the Quran alone and/or show them the faults in the traditional prayer by using the Quran. Because why would you do something you are not convinced of? It's then just going to be an empty ritual, something forced and not honestly meant. And like Nerspi already said read through the "salat" (not "solaa", btw) section.
-
I am currently doing research on sujood and rukoo3 and hopefully will post it on free-minds soon.
However in my honest opinion the argment that rukoo3 and sujood are not physical acts does not hold water. I believe there is no doubt they hold a mental/emotional as well as a physical connotation. I worry that people here are in a rush to throw off traditional salaah simply because they are now programmed to dismiss everything that traditionalists believe in.
The way I see it, there are 2 options to this conundrum
Either
- Salaah is the only true sunnah of the Prophet. Which is a view I am inclined to believe in, considering that it has been passed down from father to son from those who prayed with Muhammad and his most immediate apostles. It is difficult to imagine that thousands of people prayed with the Prophet during his lifetime, taught their children how to pray, prayed in congregation whenever they could - only for them to then change this emotional connection type of prayer into a physical prayer right out of the blue! And on top of that - no one seemed to mind or care about this sudden process of bowing and prostrating! And on top of that, no one even wrote about it!
OR
- The lack of information in the Quran on the specifics of how to perform the salaah indicate that it really doesn't matter how one performs it as long as the emotional connections are there and that one does not do anything that goes against the Quran - which means that you can still pray the way you've always prayed.
The moral of the story is don't give up prayer. Keep praying. If you are confused and have doubts, then just pray the way you've always prayed because either it is the right way or the physical act of the prayer doesn't matter. Simply always remember to focus and make that emotional bond.
-
From Mental Bondage (Aidid Safar)
Sol-laa (commitments) is not ritual prayer
When looking at other words which have had their
meanings twisted in the Qur?anic context, we can usually
get back to the true meaning by looking at extant words in
modern Arabic surrounding the root. Zakaa is a good
example. All the root meanings of zakaa refer to purity and
sincerity. This can be verified by looking at any good
dictionary. As we shall see ? the Arab religion has created
the un-Qur?anic tax and ascribed this to the word zakaa.
The deception is relatively easy to spot since the key
meanings of the word zakaa have remained intact.
Sol-laa is no different. Before we continue let me clarify
why I use the word Sol-laa instead of the common term
Salaat. Firstly, when we read the Reading in Arabic it is
always pronounced as ?Aqimus-Sol-laa- taa-wa-aatuz-
Zakaa? ? nobody says ?Aqimus-Salaat-taa-wa-aatuz-
Zakat?. This is evident even during the call of prayer. All
over the world - the person who announces the prayer will
shout on top of his voice with ?Hai-ya-?alas-Sol-laa? ?
never as ?Hai-ya-?alas-Salaat?. Muslims know this word is
pronounced the way it is spelt in the Reading - Arabs or not.
This is only to demonstrate that - there is a difference
between God?s Arabic in the Reading and the Arabic
language spoken by the Arabs, and for this study I have
chosen to use the former i.e. God?s Arabic
When we look up the word in a dictionary we find a
word that is mispronounced by the Muslim world ? Salaat ?
under the root S-l-w. It is worth noting that this root has no
other meaning directly ascribed to it other than the ?ritual
prayer?. There is nothing else.Whereas almost any key Qur?anic term has related terms
which balance and integrate it into the waft and web of the
language (and by means of which we can sense deceptions
as and when they occur) this important ? some would say
central ? Qur?anic concept has no ?context? in the language
by which to verify the claims made for it by the Arab
religionists other than the one created for it by those selfsame
religionists.
There are no related meanings that one can point to and
say Sol-laa must mean what such-and-such because it
integrates into the language on the basis of the sense we
derive from the word. This is not possible because the word
simply has no semantic context in the religion of the Arabs
as we know.
Now, it could be argued that the reason for this is that
this word has only one meaning ? unconnected to anything
else in the vast and interconnected web of Arabic semantics
? and that the meaning the Arab religionists ascribe to it is,
in fact, the correct one. In this case, we would respond by
pointing out that since the ritual prayer or Salaat (by the
religionists? own measure and admission) is not in the
Reading, their own definition of it is of no special value.
The situation we find ourselves in is there is a word ?
?Sol-laa? ? that exists in a semantic vacuum, and the leaders
of the religious system say it means X based on their non-
Qur?anic writings (the Hadith). Since their non-Qur?anic
writings say some patently ludicrous things, and given that
the religious elite promotes these non-Qur?anic sources to
achieve ends which are usually advantageous only to the
religious elite, a thinking person is left wondering what
possible use their definition of this word can be to anyone
except them.Just to clear up the point of roots. The root of Sol-laa is
S-L. It is a two-root word. They are many such words in the
Reading. Examples of other two-root words found in the
Reading are haq (truth, root h-q), abu (father, root a-b) or
yad (hand, root y-d) or Qama (the keep vigil or attentive,
root q-m).
However, knowing that the word Sol-laa does not come
from S-l-w or S-l-y but from S-L it does not help us a great
deal. S-L is not in the dictionary and S-l-w has only the
?ritual prayer? meaning ascribed to it. In the Reading S-l-w
means ?to roast? and (S-l-y) refers to ?fry or burn?.
The root word for S-l-w is found in 6931 meaning ?to
roast? not ritual prayer. It generates yaslau (410, 1429,
1718 and eight other verses). islau in 3664 & 5216, siliya
in 1970 spelt with S-l-alif-y. Here we must pronounce the
word with the third letter ?waw? or ?ya?. Therefore it is
wrong to assign a third letter to the root of S-L to read as Sl-
w.
To recap Sol-laa comes from the root S-L which does
not exist in modern Arabic and which defies definition by
modern methods. Yet the Reading treats its meaning as selfevident.
The religious elite have ascribed its own meaning
to this word, a meaning which fails appallingly in certain
Qur?anic contexts.
Since the Reading is the only place we know of which
knows what this word means we have to look to it for the
ways it uses this word and derive its meaning from the
multitude of contexts. God says the Arabic in His Book is
perfect. Thus, nobody should try to change its word
constructions, spelling and grammatical forms.A reading in Arabic without any crookedness
therein so that they might observe. 3928
The word Sol-laa48 or any of the derivatives from the
same root word is never used in the Reading to refer to the
act of worship or the performance of a set of body
movements.
Its use always refers to the act of honouring, upholding,
dedicating or observing of commitments, obligations,
accountabilities, responsibilities etc. by consenting person
or persons when the phrase 'aqi-mu' is used. Literally the
word Sol-laa means to 'commit'.
This root word (like all roots in Arabic) forms its various
functions by use of vowels, prefixes and suffixes. The short
vowels "i" or ?u? (9103,1082 and 3356) can be added
resulting in ?Sol-lee? or ?Sol-luu? without changing the
underlying, fundamental meaning of the word.
The word pronounced with a short vowel ?a? appears in
the Reading twice, in 7531 and 9610 respectively.
In 9610 it appears as ? ?Abdan Ezaa Sol-laa? which
means ?A servant who is committed?. The context of this
verse begins from 968-12 with the message ?Indeed to
your Lord is the final return. What do you think of those
who prevent a servant who commits? What if he is actually
on the right path, advocating people to be observant?? The
message is clear. But translators give different meanings to
this word for reasons only known to them.In 7531 it is written as Falla-sod-daqor-wa-Sol-laa and
translators insist the word Sol-laa in both verses refers to
ritual prayers. Obviously when we read the context, they do
not make any sense at all.
This word pronounced with different vowels or prefixes
appear in other passages of the Reading, and no religionists
or Arabic scholars dare translate them as ?ritual prayers?.
So the best one can say is, consistencies exist because the
leaders of the Arab religion interpret this root concept in
various ways. The paragraphs following will attempt to
explain this particular quirk.
As mentioned, the Arabic language derives its
vocabulary from the root words. Conjugations of the root
word can produce new derivatives and generally, these
derivatives are constructed in accordance with established
vocalic moulds or patterns to which certain prefixes or
suffixes are added. The Arabic verbs have two ?voices? ?
active and passive.
Derivational and inflexional forms make the Arabic
language extensive. This complexity is matched by the
regularity and symmentry of the form and is very logical
and regular. There are almost no regular forms in the
language. In addition to two tenses, perfect and imperfect,
there are imperative forms, active and passive, and also
energetic forms. Sol-laa or commit for example has many
derivatives to form other words with the same shades of
meaning like, binding, obligations, compulsion, pledge or
promise etc.
Sol-laa Commit
Sol-luu Be committed
Sol-lee Binding
Mu-Sol-lan A person who is committed
Mu-Sol-leen Many people who are committed
Yu-Sol-laa They commit
Yu-Sol-lee Their commitments
Yu-Sol-luu They have committed
Ya-sil-luu Bind
Solaa-ta Commitment (singular)
Solaa-tee Commitments (dual)
Solaa-tu Commitments (Aorist)
Solaa-waa-tee Obligatorily
Solaa-waa-tun obligatoryArabic in the Reading then, it is fair to say, is a highly
developed language with a complex grammar via which it is
possible to express concepts with a high level of accuracy.
Unlike Latin, Old Greek, Aramic, or Sanskrit, Arabic of the
Quran is a living language, spoken, written and understood
by millions people around the globe. There are scholars and
religionists who insist that Arabic in the Reading lacks the
ability to define sense exactly because they realize ? once
the message of the Quran is made clear to the people all
their belief and preaching will be in vain, for example they
translated the word Sol-laa-ta as the mandatory Arab ritual
prayers to be observed by Muslims only. But in the Quran
the same word is also attributed for people of the past like
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, the disbelievers, strangers and
others including the animal kingdom. I will explain in the
next chapter how they shuffle this word by creating absurd
meanings.
There are many lessons to be learned from the Quran
especially about the previous people who received God?s
revelations. One such community is the Children of Israel, who agreed to uphold their commitments upon receiving
God?s covenant, and we are told they violated it by
distorting ?His words? in the scripture (259) to create a new
religion of Judaism. We see the Arab religionists are doing
exactly the same when they translate the Arabic words in
the Quran to other languages. Although they have
successfully introduced the manipulated meanings of many
words into the translated Quran, but certainly they cannot
change the original Arabic in the Quran, no matter how
hard they try. God in His wisdom gave us His assurance in
159 that ?He will preserve what He revealed?. The
outcome of any attempt to change His words, the spellings,
or even modifying its grammar will result the translations
riddled with contradictions defying all logics.
However, the subsequent twisting of the meanings of the
original Arabic in the Quran by those who would force it
into a pre-prescribed shape has marred many people?s
reading of the book. For instance, we read in 7531 falaa
soddaqor walaa Sol-laa. The patrons of the Arab religion
say it means ?He was not truthful and not praying?. The true
meaning is ?He was not truthful and not committed?. Let us
examine this word ?Sol-laa? when it is used in other
passages.
For example, in 243 God tells us that He instructed the
Children of Israel Wa-aqimus Sol-laa-ta wa-atuz zakaa.
The religionists say it means ?Observe the ritual prayers
and pay the religious tithes?. This instruction is spoken in
the present tense, and if we read the context from 240 to
243 we will realize that God reminds the Children of Israel
to commit to what they have committed before - i.e to
uphold the covenant and maintain the purity of its tenets.
He calls them to believe in what is revealed in the Quran confirming what they have, and do not trade away God?s revelations for a cheap gain. The message is simple and straightforward. God never asked the Children of Israel to
perform the ritual prayers as suggested by the religionists.
As a matter of fact if we ask the Jews if they had at any
time in history performed the five daily ritual prayers, they
will answer in the negative. Even the Jews who received
the earlier Scripture knew that five the ritual prayers were
not part of the deen revealed by God. It is not in the Torah
and it is also not the Reading. Our common sense can easily
tells us the true meaning of this particular passage is
?Uphold the commitments and keep them pure?. The
Children of Israel understand this instruction very well
because they have committed themselves to God's deen
through the Torah long before the Quran was revealed.
In 6162, the Prophet and those who consented
themselves to God are encouraged to remind themselves of
their obligation as servants of God In-naa Sol-laa-ti wanusuki
wamaa yahya wamamamati lilahi robil a'lameen.
This means My commitments and my sacrifices and my life
and my death are for God the Lord of the Universe. The
religionists twist their tongue and say this verse means, ?My
ritual prayers and my sacrifices and my life and my death
are for God the Lord of the Universe?.
Among the previous people who use the word Sol-laa in
the Reading are the people of Shuaib. At 1187 they say,
?Ya-shu-?aib aa-Sol-laa-tu-ka?..? which means, ?O Shuaib,
does your commitment???. But in the Arab religion they
say the people of Shuaib said, ?O Shuaib, does your ritual
prayer..?..??, even though the context of this passage says
that Shuaib was calling his people not to cheat but to trade
equitably among themselves.The history of Jesus in the Reading is another clear
example. Jesus mentions the word Sol-laa as an infant. In
1923 we are told that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary
and he spoke to his mother soon after the pangs surprised
her. The religionists ridiculously claim that Jesus performed
the ritual prayer and paid the alms tax from the day he was
born. At 1931 whilst in his mother?s arms Jesus says, ?I
was enjoined with the commitments maintain it pure for as
long as I live? (?Wa-asoy-na bi-Sol-laa-ti wa zakaa-ti ma
dumtum hai-yan?) which clearly implies that he will uphold
his obligation diligently in reforming the Children of Israel.
Different words were used in various languages during
over the centuries of prophets calling people to uphold their
commitments or obligations. In the language of the Last
Prophet it is called Sol-laa (or its derivatives). Abraham, the
people of Midyan, the Children of Israel and Jesus were
non-Arabs, but the Reading quotes interaction with them on
the basis of an equivalent word in their own language to
Sol-laa. In 2123, for example, God instructs Isaac and
Jacob with the same word, ?wa-iqama-Sol-laa-ti-wa-ie-tazakaa-
ti49? which means uphold your commitments and
keep them pure after their father Abraham.
None of the prophets before Muhammad were talking
about ritual prayers when they uttered the equivalent of Sollaa
in their own language. Therefore, the word Sol-laa or its
derivatives cannot be translated to mean ritual prayers. To
think otherwise is to err on a very large scale contextually.
The word Sol-laa and its derivatives appear in many verses in the Reading. Modern Arab ?translations? will have us
believe that there are many different meanings for the same
word in different verses.
This ambiguity has generated much confusion. As a
result, the word Sol-laa revolves around the ritualistic
prayer performed according to a timetable accompanied by
ritualistic physical movements. It is presumptuous to think
that God would enjoin on us something quite so mundane.
The priests of the Arab religion will ask So how can we
pray if we depend on the Qur?an alone? This is absolutely
beside the point. Was there ever any question that we
should need more than the Reading?
Many religions around the world have in common the
fact that their priests have the right to question their
followers but the followers do not have the right to question
the priests on religious matters.
If we ask the Christian priest why they say Jesus is God
whereas the Bible says he was serving God who created
him, the Christian priest will jump. Similarly, if we ask the
priests of the Arab religion why they pray ritually five times
a day when it is not specified in the Reading, they will
likewise find themselves on the back foot.
This amounts to the beginning of an acknowledgement
by the priests of the Arab religion (soon to be remedied by
the use of other ?authentic? sources) that there is no ritual
prayer in the Reading. The truth is their ritual prayer was
not revealed to the Last Prophet in God?s prescribed way of
life. We know because we read the Reading. Sol-laa as it
appears in the Reading simply implies a person?s commitment to observe his or her obligations as prescribed in the Reading. Nowhere does the Reading state that
humans must perform any ritual prayer to God. This is a
fact that Muslims need to bear in mind.Peace
-
Continued....
Sol-laa between people
We can support the fact that the Reading does not mean
ritual prayer by the word Sol-laa and its derivatives by
examining the different usage of this word in the Reading in
its various contexts. What transpires is that Sol-laa has to be
observed by everyone ? even by the non-believers and the
idol-worshippers.
One very clear example regards the witnessing of a will
by strangers
O you who believe, you shall have witnesses when
death is near to any one of you to dictate your will
in the presence of two equitable persons among you,
or strangers in case there is a sudden danger to your
life when travelling on the earth. If you are not
certain of them, retain them after they have
committed themselves (Sol-laa-ti) to make them
both swear by God, ?We will not take advantage to
favour anyone even the closest relatives. We will
not conceal any evidence before God. If we do, the
sin will be upon us.? (5106)
The verse says ?After the two strangers commit themselves (Sol-laa-ti), make
them both swear by God?. This does not call for the
performance of a ritual prayer in the presence of a dying
person. Instead they are taking on the responsibility of
being witnesses to a will by making a solemn pledge to the
person before God. This is an example of Sol-laa-ti (the
commitment) between people.
The commitment between people is to fulfil such
obligations before the one God. It is that simple.
Besides upholding the Sol-laa with strangers, believers
may also do so with non-believers, and idol-worshippers.
Surely, the following passages in the Reading are not meant
to suggest that polytheists perform the ritual prayers
Except those among the idol-worshippers with
whom you have a treaty and then do not breach
anything with you and do not aid anyone against
you, therefore complete your agreement with them
until its term. Surely, God loves those who fear
(Him). (94)
Once the restricted months are over, you may
confront the idol worshipers wherever you
encounter them, agitate them, provoke them and
keep after them. However if they repent and observe
their commitment and keep them pure (aqimus-Sollaa-
ta-waa-tuz-zakaa), then you shall pardon them.
God is forgiver and merciful. (95)
And if one of the idol-worshippers seeks help from
you, protect him then let him hear God?s words then
convey him to a place of safety. This is because they
are a people who do not know. (96)
At 94?6 we are directed to treat the idol-worshippers
well and even convey them to a place of safety. Those that
we shelter may remain idol-worshippers. We are charged
not with discriminating upon the basis of this prejudice.
Rather, we are commanded to be a beacon of light and
understanding. Understanding and carrying out the
commandment in this verse alone would change the entire
Islamic landscape as we know it.
We see that if and when the polytheists repent and agree
to peace, it is the people who are at peace or Muslims? duty
to uphold that peace and grant them their freedom. Again,
the Reading enjoins civility and kindness in the face of
hostilities. Islam does not condone the mistreatment of
those who are under our power or control (95). Ultimately,
Sol-laa-ta in this instance refers to the idol-worshippers
agreeing to keep to their end of the bargain.
The prophet Shuaib provides another example of Sol-laa
clearly signifying commitments. He committed himself to
reform his people. Those who rejected his commitments
challenged him.
He begins
?O my people! Gives full measure and full weight
equitably. Do not cheat people out of their things,
and do not corrupt the earth. A smaller provision
from God would be better for you, if you are really
believers. I am not a guardian over you.? They said,
?O Shuaib, does your Sol-laa (commitment) prevent
us from idolising what our parents have idolised,
and from doing whatever we want with our money?
Surely you are too clement and too wise.? (1185?
87)
The commitment that Shuaib was trying to bind upon his
people was that they should not cheat or corrupt the earth. It
was a simple precept that was not accepted by his peers.
Hence, they said to Shuaib
?O Shuaib, does your commitment (Sol-laa-tu-ka)
prevent us from idolising what our parents have
idolised, and from doing whatever we want with our
money??51
Sol-laa here clearly refers to committing to good deeds
and upholding a good moral order. The commitment called
for his people not to cheat, not to corrupt the earth, and to
be fair. There is no other reading without abusing the sense
in the text beyond belief.
What we can better understand, however, is why the
Arab priests themselves emphatically declare that the
Reading has no information at all about the five daily
prayers (thus contradicting themselves on what they
proclaim to be the first absolute pillar of the religion of
Islam) ? because they are right! Their own lips condemn
them. There is no such thing as the five daily prayers. How
woefully correct and wrong they are at the same time.
Sol-laa to yourself
The other clear example from the Reading is about the
Sol-laa observed by you for yourself ? it is for your own
good. In this case you are told to commit to the good values
by refraining from the practice of excessive profiteering.
God diminishes profiteering (riba) but encourages
charity and God dislikes the disbelievers who are
guilty. Surely, those who practice righteousness and
uphold their commitments (Sol-laa-ta) and keep
them pure (wa-a-tuz-zakaa), for them are rewards
from their Lord. And there will be no fear upon
them nor will they grieve. O you who believe,
beware of God, refrain from taking what remains
from profiteering if you truly believe in God.
(2276-279)
The subject of riba (or profiteering) begins at 2275 and
ends at 2281. Profiteering is a condemned practice and we
are commanded not to get involved with it. God degrades
profiteering, encourages charity and He dislikes the guilty
disbelievers (2276). Instead He commands virtuous
commitments that should be observed (Sol-laa-ta) and kept
pure (2277). Any involvement in profiteering should be
stopped immediately, even if there are any balances owed
(227. Otherwise God and His messenger will wage war
(2279). If a debtor is in difficulty, we are to give him time,
otherwise, treat the debt as charity (2280) whatever we do,
God knows everything and we are to beware of the Last
Day. (2281)
The Sol-laa-ta53 mentioned at 2277 is our commitment
to stop earning income from profiteering (riba) and to
maintain our commitments by abstaining from such
practices. We do not perform ritual prayer to abstain from
profiteering; instead we commit ourselves (Sol-laa-ta) by
sacrificing our greed by doing the practical, good deeds
prescribed by God and fulfil our commitment to ourselves.
The phrase ?Wa-Aqimus-Sol-laa-tawaa-Atuz-Zakaata? or
observe your commitments and keep it pure appears in the
middle of the subject of profiteering.
Sol-laa is about doing deeds
Everything that a person does should be for God. We
are not asked to perform any rituals or to pray to Him or to
worship Him. All that is enjoined upon us is to believe in
God, be sincere in serving Him by upholding our
commitments and do good works. Ritual prayers and
worship are the pagans? shortcut to give idol-worshippers a
sense of satisfaction that they have discharged their
obligations to God when what is really required of them is
that they discharge their Sol-laa amongst fellow humans
and themselves.
According to the Reading, the main essence of the
message revealed to Abraham and Moses is
No burdened soul will bear the burden of another54,
and every person is responsible for what he or she
does. For whatever things that they do, it will be
witnessed, and they will be fully repaid. (5336-41)
In other words, each minute thought and deed is taken
into account and recorded. God is recording all the deeds
(and not the regimented mutterings) of His servants.
Since We created the human being, We are fully
aware of his innermost thoughts. We are closer to
him than his jugular vain. The two energies at right
and left are recording all his deeds. Not a single
utterance does he utter without a vigilant watcher.
(5016-1
The majority of people do not believe God is
omnipresent and that He can be with every human all the
time, twenty-four hours a day. However, He knows every
single thing a person does, even his innermost thoughts. No
one person can hide anything from the Supreme Being.
Everything is recorded. In the Hereafter, they are told to
read their own record of what they have done to themselves.
You will see every congregation humbled. Every
congregation will be invited to view its own record.
Today you will be paid for your deeds. This is the
record pronouncing the truth about you. Indeed, We
have recorded all your deeds. (4528-29)
Ritual prayer, unfortunately for those who put their faith
in it, is not in the category of good deeds. What it is, is a
form of religious worship, which goes against the essence
of God?s revelations.
It is absurd to imagine a world where regimented prayers
have moral precedence over good deeds. Besides, one can
look around the world and see many places where people
regularly perform ritual prayers and where serious crimes
abound rape, sexual abuse, cheating, stealing and
corruption. These people ignore the priorities
You shall uphold what was prescribed, and also
those who repented with you, and not transgress.
Indeed, He knows whatever your deeds are,
watching. Do not be inclined to those who are
wicked ? they will make you suffer the Fire, and
there is none for you except God as a protector.
Then you will not be helped. And uphold your
commitments (aqimi-Sol-laa-ta) through the ends of
the day and the parts from the night. Indeed the
good deeds nullify the bad. That is the remembrance
for those who want to remember. You shall be
steadfast. God never fails to reward the righteous.
(11112-114)
The verse clearly says we are to uphold what has been
prescribed, and not transgress. God is recording all deeds.
People must fulfil their commitment to do righteous deeds
through the ends of the day and parts of the night. The
concept is simple. Good deeds will nullify the bad and this
is one way to remember God. Deeds can never be fulfilled
through a fixed number of ritual prayers. If the concept of
deen is correctly understood, it is clear to the devout
Muslim that it is incumbent upon him to commit to these
instructions, uphold and observe them. A simple definition
of righteous deeds is clearly prescribed in the Reading and
it does not include the act of worship or the performance of
religious rituals.
Righteousness is not the turning of your faces
towards the east or the west. But righteousness is to
believe in God, the Hereafter, the energies, the
Scripture and the prophets. And to donate of one?s
wealth despite one?s love thereof to relatives, the
orphans, the needy, those who are in hardship, to
beggars, and to free mental enslavement by
upholding the commitments and keeping them pure.
And to keep the promises that are made, and to
and war. These are truthful, these are righteous.
(2177)
The problem arises when a person?s mind is preconditioned
to believe that Sol-laa means ritual prayer.
Thus, righteous deeds are totally ignored. One so
conditioned often insists that Sol-laa does mean ritual
prayer, although a contextual study of the subject
demonstrates that such a position does not make any sense.
Surah 107 is a very short chapter with only seven verses
the name of which is Charity. A person who commits
himself to the prescribed deen should not neglect his
commitment to do charity and good deeds as a way of life.
Do you not notice those who are lying with the
deen? They neglect the orphans. They do not
advocate the feeding of the poor. Therefore curses
be on those who are obliged, while heedless of their
commitments. They only show off, and they are
averse to charity. (1071-7)
The religionists and the u?lema believe that God is
cursing55 the people who pray ritually. They then teach their
values to others who will listen without question ? just as
they did. Compare this rendition with that sanctioned by
the religionists? twisting culture
Do you know who the rejecters of faith are? They
neglect the orphans. They do not advocate the
feeding of the poor. Therefore a curse be on those
who pray ritually, while heedless of their ritual
prayers. They only show off. And they are averse to
charity. (1071-7)
All seven verses are interrelated taking care of the
orphans, feeding the poor and carrying out charity work can
only be fulfilled by the deeds of a committed person. The
religionists say God is cursing those who pray whilst
heedless of their prayer. They encourage their followers to
pray ritually in order to solve the problem of the orphans,
the poor and in lieu of charitable work. Instead of
committing themselves individually and collectively to
taking care of orphans, the poor and to doing charity from
their own earnings, the Arabs trained their priests in the
Arab religion to become income generators. They take
illegal collections from the people by corrupting the word
zakaa in the Reading to mean religious tithes.56 The
Reading spells out other examples of good deeds to be
observed by those who are committed to the prescribed way
of life from God
Successful indeed are the believers, who are upright
in their commitments (Sol-laa-ti-hem) those who
avoid vain talk, those who keep it pure, they guard
their chastity except with their wives, and with those
who rightfully belong to them do they have sex
without being blamed. (231-6)
They are trustworthy when it comes to deposits
entrusted to them, or the promises they make, and
they constantly uphold their obligations (Solawa-tihem)
(238-9)
In this verse it clearly says that those who avoid vain
talk, guard their chastity and commit themselves to these
values as a way of life are the successful believers.
Additionally, they uphold their obligations diligently in
fulfilling what they have promised and they are trustworthy
when it comes to deposits entrusted to them. In other words,
the Reading emphasises sincerity and honesty through
deeds ? not through ritual prayer. Unfortunately, we seldom
see these good values in the Arab religion. Be that as it
may, each time the word Sol-laa or the derivatives from this
root word appears in the Reading, it appears in the context
of good deeds that people are encouraged to uphold.
A further example
They fulfil their promises to God and they do not
violate their covenant. They linked (ya-Siluu) with it
what had been commanded so that it binds (ai-yu-
Sol-laa) as they are concerned about their Lord and
they fear the dreadful reckoning and they steadfastly
persevere in seeking their Lord?s grace. They uphold
the commitments (Sol-laa-ta) and they give to
charity from Our provisions to them secretly and
publicly. They counter evil with good. They have
deserved the ultimate abode. (1321-22)
Here the two letter root Sod Lam signifies the
fundamental meaning of ?link? for the word ya-Siluu
whereas ai-yu-Sol-laa denotes the ?binding? and Sol-laa-ta
is the proactive ?commitment?. A person upholds his
covenant with God by committing himself in doing the
deeds that binds him. The meaning of ?aqor-mus-Sol-laata?
in this context is to ?uphold the commitment? for the
covenant. It is ridiculous to assume that we uphold our
covenant with God just through ritual prayers everyday.
In 231-9 quoted earlier the religionists has deliberately
corrupted the meaning of the words ?Sol-laa-ti? and
?Solawa-ti? in these verses to mean ?ritual prayer?. They
trained their blind followers to ignore the context of the
subject completely. Instead, they encourage their followers
to concentrate on ritual prayers.
Abraham?s commitment
There is nothing new about people upholding the
commitment to do good deeds as in the way of life
prescribed by God in the Reading. It is not an innovation of
the Last Prophet. Mankind has been enjoined to observe its
commitments from the time of Abraham. God called
Abraham the ?committed man?. He served the one God by
upholding his obligations through God?s prescribed Way of
life or deen-nil-lah.
Wat-taqizu min-maqam-mi Ibrohim-ma mu-Sol-lan.
(2125)
Take from the status of Abraham the Committed
(2125)
Please note the word 'Mu-Sol-lan' in this verse. It refers
to the state of being of an active participle. For instance,
Salam is peace, Muslim is the state peace of an active
participle, Muslimin for many men and Muslimat for many
women. Similarly, Sol-laa is to commit, Mu-Sol-lan is the
singular proper noun. Mu-Sol-leen is the plural, Mu-Solleemat
refers to many women.
Abraham settled his offspring on a barren valley and he
wished for them to live according to God?s prescribed
sanctions in the system so that they too could uphold their
commitments ? or Sol-laa-ta.
Rob-bana inni askantu min-zuriati bawadi ghoi-ri
zar-ghain I?nda-baiti-kal mu-Harami. Rob-bana liyu-
qimus-Sol-laa-ta. (1437)
My Lord, indeed I am settling my progeny in this
valley without vegetation by Your sanctioned
system. My Lord, let them uphold their
commitments. (1437)
Those who wish to be right with God are told to commit
in similar fashion
Say, the truth has come from God, and you shall
follow the principle of Abraham, a sincere
monotheist, he never associated any idols with God.
(395)
The religionists and the u?lema would do well to
meditate on the following verse which Muhammad was told
to say, revealed in plain Arabic
?Indeed, My Lord has guided me in a straight path,
the principle of Abraham, the sincere. He never was
an idol-worshipper.? (6160)
There is no doubt that after such a declaration, any form
of idol-worship is completely out of the question.
Moses? commitments
Moses was chosen from among the Children of Israel to
free them from the oppression of Pharaoh. Before they left
Egypt, they were told to keep a low profile and use their
homes as their base to uphold their commitments. Again the
word Sol-laa-ta is used for commitments.
We inspired Moses and his brother, ?Let your
people confine themselves to their homes in Egypt,
and let them consider their homes their base, and let
them uphold their commitments (Sol-laa-ta)57, and
give the good news to the believers.? (1087)
Moses and those who believe with him were committed
to spread the good news to the people - which was their
Sol-laa. After they were saved from Egypt, Moses and his
people were told to continue to fulfil the covenants by
upholding their commitments and to keep them pure. We
see the same words used in this context Sol-laa-ta and
zakaa
Wa-iz aqodz-na misha qor bani-Israela la-ta?buduna
ilal-lah wa-bil-walidai-ni ih-sanan wa-zil-qurba,
wal yatama, wal-masakini, wa-qulu-lin-nas husnan,
wa-aqimus-Sol-laa-ta wa-atu-zakaa?-ta. (283)
And We made a covenant with the Children of
Israel you shall not serve any other than God. And
be charitable to your parents and your relatives and
the orphans and the poor. And speak to people
amicably, and uphold the commitments and keep
them pure (Sol-laa-ta-wa-atu-zakaa). (283)
The Children of Israel were to serve God by honouring
their parents and relatives and the orphans and the poor and
speaking amicably to people. These were their
commitments. God was not telling them to pray ritually and
to pay tithes.
Jesus? commitments
The Children of Israel created the Jewish religion after
they had distorted the Scripture revealed to Moses. The
following verse says God will be with them for as long as
they commit themselves (Sol-laa-ta) in believing God?s
messenger and to lend God a loan of righteousness by
upholding the covenant they made with Him.
God has taken a covenant from the Children of
Israel and We appointed for them twelve disciples;
and declared, ?I will be with you for as long as you
?observe your commitments and keep them
pure? (aqom-tumuz-Sol-laa-ta-wa-atai-tumuz-
Zakaa) and believe My messengers and support
them. And lend God a righteous loan of
righteousness. I will forgive your wrongdoings, and
admit you into gardens with flowing streams.
Anyone who disbelieves after this has indeed
strayed off the right path. Because they violated
their covenant, we put a curse on them, and We
hardened their hearts. Consequently they distorted
the scripture given to them, and disregard parts
thereof. You will always see betrayal from them,
except a few. You shall forgive and forget (the few),
for God loves the compassionate. (512-13)
Jesus the son of Mary was sent to them with the purpose of
demolishing this artificial Jewish religion. He was
strengthened with the Holy Spirit and demonstrated
miracles as signs that he was from God. He told the people
he was enjoined to commit himself to undertaking the reestablishment
of the laws of the Torah. It is self-evident that
he spoke in his own language (which is rendered in Arabic
in the Reading). What he said is found in the Reading as
Sol-laa-ti-wa-zakaa-ti. The following statement was made
while he was in the cradle
Waja?al-lani mubarokah ainama kontu wa-ausorni
bis-Sol-laa-ti wa-zakaa-ti ma-dumtu hiya (1931)
And He makes me blessed wherever I go and He
enjoined the obligations and purity upon me for as
long as I live. (1931)
When Jesus, son of Mary said wa-ausomi bis-Sol-laa-ti
he did not mean I was enjoined with the ritual prayer but I
was enjoined with the commitments to reform the Children of
Israel, calling them to return to the original law given to Moses.
He asked them to abolish the Jewish religion. That was his
commitments. From the day he was born God gave him the
knowledge of the scripture and the wisdom.
Muhammad?s commitment
We saw in verse 6160 above that Muhammad was following the
order of Abraham. The Reading is not a new revelation or a new
guidance from God. It is the same set of decrees prescribed to
Abraham and Moses. The essence of all the Scriptures is the
same.
In-naa haza lafi suhufil ulaa, suhufi ibrohim wa-musaa.
(8718-19)
Indeed, this is what is in the Scriptures of old, the
Scriptures of Abraham and Moses. (8718-19)
We have seen that Abraham used the word Sol-laa in his own
language, Moses in his and Jesus in his. The word Sol-laa
appears for the first time in the Reading at 22-3
That book is infallible, a guide for those who are
observant, they believe in the unseen and uphold their
commitments (Sol-laa-ta) and from Our provisions to
them they give. (22-3)
The word Sol-laa at the beginning of surah 2 refers to those
who are observant and believe in the unseen God. They are
committed to the tenets in the Quran and they are charitable to
others. This is part of their commitment. Reading further, one
sees verses detailing additional commitments. 24 says, ?They
believe in what was revealed to you from your Lord, and what
was revealed before you, and they are positively certain about
the Hereafter?. We should also note it also says ?those who
believe in the previous Scripture? which means, there is a link
between the Reading and the previous revealed Books.
Those who believe that the Reading is from God are
committed to accepting the whole of it. The word Sol-laa in verse
23 cannot mean ritual prayer because we cannot do charity
through ritual prayers and we do not believe in God?s books
through ritual prayers.
If we believe the Scripture, we will see all the prescribed
decrees in the Book. With God?s blessing, He will open up
our hearts to peacefulness when our hearts say, ?We hear
and we obey?. That is the moment when we enter into
agreement with God
You shall be appreciative of God?s blessing upon
you and uphold the covenant He has made with you
when you said, ?We hear and we obey.? You shall
observe God, and God is fully aware of your
innermost thoughts. (57)
We do not see our Creator, but the Reading says His
power is able to know our innermost thoughts. The moment
our heart says we hear and we obey to His prescribed way
we have agreed to uphold our Sol-laa.
Recite what is revealed upon you from the Scripture
and uphold the commitments (or to what you have
committed to i.e the revealed tenets you read from
the scripture). Surely your commitments will keep
you from evil and it is also for the remembrance of
God, which is even greater. (2945)
The explanation in the bracket is my own. God assures
us in 2945 that if we recite His Scripture and commit
ourselves to the values prescribed by Him - it will keep us
from doing bad things or getting involved in evil works. It
is a method of remembering Him, which is a great
achievement. In other words, one way of remembering God
is through upholding our commitments of the Quranic
teachings and keep the teachings pure at all time - maintain
such attitude as an ongoing process as a way of life ?from
sunrise to sunset and during parts of the night?. For as long
as we remember Him we are committed to doing good
deeds in our lives.
You shall uphold what was prescribed to you, and
also those who repented with you, and not
transgress. Indeed, He knows whatever your deeds
are, watching. Do not incline to those who are
wicked. That will make you suffer the Fire. And
there is none for you except God as a protector and
you will not be helped. And uphold your
commitments (aqimi-Sol-laa-ta) through the ends of
the day and the parts from the night. Indeed the
good deeds nullify the bad. That is the remembrance
for those who want to remember. You shall be
steadfast. God never fails to reward the righteous.
(11112-115)
The meaning of Sol-laa in the above verses is crystal
clear. It has nothing to do with ritual prayers. The Sol-laa is
to be observed as a means of remembering our Lord the
Creator and to commit ourselves to doing good deeds which
will obviously nullify all the negative elements in our life.
There is nothing magical about the process. -
Continued...
Ask for God?s help without rituals
God is always near. We are told to seek His help directly
and we are required to practice patience while continuing to
be committed to focusing on the sanctions prescribed by
God and to doing good deeds.
When My servants ask you about Me, tell them, ?I
am very near. I respond to the call of any caller who
calls Me.? Therefore, they shall respond to Me, and
believe in Me that they may attain guidance. (2186)
Seek help through steadfastness and be committed,
this is difficult indeed, but not for those who are
humble and realise that they will meet their Lord. To
Him they are returning. (245-46)
We must put our trust in the Omnipresent God although
we do not see Him. God Himself says it is a difficult thing
to do, but not for those who are humble and consider that
they will ultimately meet Him. People, however, are weak
by nature58, filled with frailties and insecurities. Rituals,
customs, and traditions have a soothing and reassuring
attraction for us. They function like pacifiers. They lead to
worship. The faithful then externalise their fears, hopes,
dreams, and desires onto something tangible. It is a lot
simpler to go through a ritualised prayer session rather than
to have a one-on-one, heart-to-heart, talk to God.
Idolaters put their trust in things a piece of wood, a
cross, a new moon with a star, a rock, a wall, a stone house,
a mosque etc. These things help one to focus on a collective
idea. There are those who put their trust in people. They
magnify their demi-gods and idols through physical acts of
worship. It is strange to think that such a simple truth eludes
so many that those who so choose can magnify and be
testament to the unseen God simply by upholding their
commitment to do good deeds. What could be simpler than
being a testament to God by doing good deeds! Be a
testament while leading by example. No need to talk about
it. Just do it.
When human beings have a need to call upon God they
can call upon Him at any time, day or night from absolutely
anywhere. Ritual ablution and its attendant processes are
unnecessary. In fact, the Reading reminds us that those too
proud to call upon God will burn in Hell. If we remember
God, He will remember us. It is, after all, a reciprocal
relationship.
Your Lord says, ?Call upon Me, and I will answer
your call. As for those who are too arrogant to serve
me, they will be committed to Hell.?(4060)
Therefore, you shall remember Me59 that I may
remember you. And be thankful to Me and do not
disbelieve. (2152)
The calling upon God for help, wisdom, perseverance,
assistance, money, guidance or anything at all is part of the
conditions in effect for a person serving God. The offer of
assistance and guidance has been given, yet many will call
upon their messengers, saints ? their dead idols in the
graves ? and some even call upon the jinn.
The other side of the coin is our way of remembering
God. Intelligent, sentient beings are not in need of a set of
body movements in order to reflect on the wonders of God
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
alteration of night and day, there are signs for those
who possess intelligence, who remember God while
standing up, sitting down and lying on their sides.
They reflect upon the creation of the heavens and
the earth, and they say, ?Our Lord, You did not
create all these in vain. Glory be to You, so spare us
the agony of the hell-fire.? (3190-191)
To Him belongs everything in the heavens and the
earth, and those with Him are never too arrogant to
serve Him, nor do they tire. They glorify Him day
and night. (21 20)
Everything was created in perfect balance. Those who
are close to Him glorify Him day and night. This is not
accomplished by the performance of random pantomimed
movements. They do this by adhering to a higher code of
behaviour and being a testament to their God.
Zachariah made a special request from God to grant him
a son. After granting the request, the energy that delivered
the news told him to remember and to glorify God day and
night. God did not ask him to pray ritually. In 341
Zachariah initiates a communication with God directly by
saying, ?My Lord, grant me a sign.? An unknown energy
assigned by God to deliver the good news then said, ?Your
sign is that you will not be able to speak to the people for
three days except by signal. You shall remember your Lord
frequently and glorify Him night and day.?
We are required to magnify God as a means of serving
Him in our daily routine. We are advised to be patient in the
face of false accusations, slander or gossip by our enemies,
for example. In 2030 we are told, ?Therefore, be patient in
the face of their utterances, and praise the glory of your
Lord before sunrise and before sunset, also during parts of
the night and through both ends of the day, that you may
attain happiness.?
We do not have to ritualise the methods of calling,
praising, remembering, or glorifying God. We do it by
magnifying Him in our heart constantly or by speaking to
Him softly. We can remember Him while driving, walking,
standing, sitting or lying on our sides any time of the day.
Glorify God through commitments
Glorifying God is everything in the heavens and the
earth. He is the Supreme Power, the Sacred, the Almighty,
and the Judge. (621)
earth is observing its Sol-laa. It knows how to uphold its
Sol-laa without the aid of prophets or messengers.
Do you not see that God is glorified by everything in
the heavens and the earth as well as the birds in their
flight? Surely every one of them knows its own
commitments (Sol-laa-ta-hu60) and glorification.
God knows what they do. (2441)
Glorifying Him are the seven heavens and the earth
and everything in them. There is nothing that does
not praise His Glory, but you do not understand their
glorification. He is Clement, Forgiver. (1744)
The verse clearly says that there is nothing that does not
praise His glory. This means all the celestial planets in the
sky; the wind, the electro-magnetic forces, and everything
in existence beyond human?s comprehension are praising
the glory of God all the time. For various reasons people
were led to believe that they are required to bow and
prostrate physically to God.
Here, the religionists have overstretched themselves.
They would have us believe that the word sujud in the
Reading means prostrate. However, a logical investigation
into uses of this word and the cross reference of similar
words with the same root in associated verses show that the
word sujud does not ? and can not ? refer to physical
prostration. Sujud simply means being in a state of
subservience.
The concept of performing ritual prayer is the result of a
false teaching introduced by the pagan Arabs to reduce the
status of the Supreme God to that of a local deity. Instead
of serving Him by deeds they call everyone to worship
Him.
Ritual prayer is not in the Qur?an
God did not prescribe a ritual prayer to the Last Prophet
or to any of the prophets before him.
The Reading has 114 chapters with 6348 numbered
verses. No verse tells the people you must perform a ritual
prayer to God.
?A ritual prayer is an act of worship. God never tells
any of His servants to worship Him.
?The revelation to the Last Prophet is not a new
revelation from God.
?It is not about religion or worship of God.
?No priest of the Arab religion has ever said that the
details of their ritual prayer can be found in the
Reading. Their position is that seeking to obey the
Reading alone is a non-starter since one cannot pray
five times a day based on the Reading alone since it
neither makes such a demand nor gives details of
how this should be done. This is the testimony of the
Arab priests themselves. They are very proud of
their bowing and prostrating to the stone idol every
day. They are very proud of the invented religion
they promote.
Ritual prayer is a conspiracy
The religionists conspired against the natural
peacefulness or Islam by destroying the revelation as the
source of the prescribed covenants between God and
mankind. They replaced it with ?short-cut? pagan rituals that
make people feel a false sense of having upheld their
responsibilities (without, of course, having to do any
practical, good deeds). Those who observe the ritual prayer
five, four, three, twice or once a day are doing it for the
religionists and not for God.
This book asserts that Islam is a simple way of life, that
the Reading was written for all mankind, and that it is for
all the peoples of the world, irrespective of their colour or
race. The reader should be slow to draw the inference that
to consent to the One God is easy. Simple does not mean
easy. In 672 it says, ?God is the one who created life and
death in order to test you to distinguish the righteous among
you?. In order to qualify we must be willing to change out
mindset to free ourselves from the shackles that binds us by
taking the challenge to find the way to God?s system. Once
we are in His system we will discover the simplicity in
conducting our way of life that pleases Him.
Without any scriptural basis, the Arab traditions say that
the Last Prophet was called up to the seventh heaven to
speak to God about ?the prayer?. Well, to negotiate with
Him to be more exact. God wanted Muslims to pray fifty
times a day but Muhammad managed to beat Him down to
five. It would seem odd that God?s messenger should
question the content of God?s message. It is equally strange
that a messenger should choose to intercede on behalf of the
addressee of the message. It seems impertinent that a
messenger should challenge the will of God.
If negotiations had closed where they began, assuming a
16-hour day we would need to pray once about every 19
minutes. Assuming one set of five prayers requires one to
bow and prostrate to the stone idol seventeen times, we
would have had the faithful doing a total of 850 separate
bowing and prostration movements per day. It would seem
that the religionists were the inventors of aerobics. Given
this sad state of credulity, it is no wonder that many Muslim
nations ? whilst bountiful in natural resources ? are yet to
take their place among the advanced nations. They are too
busy trying to find new ways to pray.
This madness has been ascribed Qur?anic legitimacy by
the manipulation of 171. Taken in isolation, nothing seems
amiss. Taken in context, a very different picture emerges.
The simple, verifiable truth is that 171-7 is a history of the
Children of Israel and of the story of Moses who had a
meeting with God one night to witness God?s signs.61
(Please see chapter nine).
However, the religionists cannot deny that the word Sollaa
is not even mentioned in the verse. Let us see how the
Arab priest contorted a ludicrous story about the heavenly
journey only good for a bedtime story.
One night while Muhammad was in a state of between
sleep and consciousness an angel appeared to him with a
white horse called Buraq and this horse had the face of a
woman, peacock-tailed whose every stride carried as far as
they naked eye could see. The creature first took him to
Jerusalem so that Muhammad could lead a prayer for all the
dead prophets from the time of Adam to Jesus. How and
when these prophets who died thousands of years appeared
in Jerusalem nobody seems to know - but it seems that they
don?t communicate with each other. However, when he
ascended to the seven heavens he found Adam, Idris,
Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and Jesus waiting for him
at every gate from the first heaven. How they reach their
respective gates before Muhammad, again, nobody seems to
know.
So, how do we continue discussing about an absurd story
like this? Although no scholars can say for sure how the old
prophets were brought back to live to pray with Muhammad
? yet many intelligent people are very sure the trip was
about the ritual prayer. Because of that they must perform
the ritual prayer ? although the details were not decreed in
the Reading. -
Look, first of all, please refrain from posting Aidid Safar's garbage
He sounded like an infant conspiracy theorist in Mental Bondage with all his talk about an Arab conspiracy to do this and an Arab conspiracy to do that
Secondly, it isn't "sol-laa" it's one word salah, or salaah, or even solaah
Thirdly, if i see this parroted around without any thought whatsoever one more time in this forum, I may just explode
Sol-laa (commitments) is not ritual prayer
Yes. It IS ritual prayer.
Anything done at a specific time is a ritual.
When you brush your teeth before going to bed, it is a ritual. When you dress yourself in the morning, it is a ritual.
And as God commanded us to pray at specific times mentioned in the Quran, then YES, God wants us to take part in a daily ritual.
Whether or not that ritual is intended to be physical is another matter, but I will post my research onto free-minds when I'm ready inshallah.
-
Salaam hope,
I take the following verses to indicate that salawaat are to be performed at specific times of the day 4103, 11114, 1778, 2458
4103 - "surely the prayer is a timed prescription for the believers."
11114 - the salat should be done at the ends of the day, and the nigh of the night
1778 - perform the salat from sunset to darkness, and at dawn
2458 - this verse identifies prayer at dawn and in the evening
So from those verses we can say that prayer in Islam is a timed bond with God, to be performed whenever you like as long as those times are also adhered to.
And since it's a timed prescription, this makes it a daily ritual. Whether or not you believe the acts of sujood and rukoo3 are physical acts as well as mental/emotional ones, then that is a whole other discussion...but I really don't see how anyone could argue that the prayer is not meant to be done at specific times of the day -
Selam ths
I understand what you are trying to say but Aidid has given an explenation to this as follows. I appologies in advance for quoting him again ;D But as you can see there is no overwhelming evidence for ritual prayers. Its all down to intepretation. All we can do is search our hearts and ask Allah to lead us to the truth and study. I would like to add my intepretation may change or not only Allah knows and guides. We could only try to understand but I feel we won't get it all and if we feel we know it all then we are only speculating as Allah guides whom He wants. I am not trying to say you are correct or wrong but rather trying to show a flip side to the coin and if it was as easy as 1,2,3 then there would not be so many religions or sects in religions. May Allah guide us to the truth. Peace.
Frequently asked questions.
What about 4103 where God says the Sol-laa-ta are
done at specified times?It is our duty to do certain deeds at specific times
through the day from morning to dusk and also parts
of the night, from the sinking of the sun at noon till
the darkness of the night. That means 24/7. The
verse says we are committed to do certain things at
the specified times. We must do what we have to do
when it is time and do it diligently.
If we are traders we must maintain our commitments
not cheat or earn by excessive profiteering. If a
beggar or a poor man comes to us at nine in the
morning, we should not tell him to come back at 1
o?clock. If our workers have worked for us we
should not delay or postpone their wages. If we
promise to see somebody at 3.00 p.m. then we
should uphold that commitment to the man by
meeting him at 3.00 p.m. sharp because God says,
?They fulfil their promises when they make their
promise?. Fulfilling our promises is part of the
commitment.What about 11114 where we are told to uphold the
Sol-laa at the ends of the day and parts of the night?It is a mistake to quote verses out of context. Here,
11114 should be read from surah 11 verse 112
through to 115. The verse does not say the Sol-laa
should be done at two ends of the day and parts of
the night. The verse actually says through both ends
of the day and parts of the night. The verse is
rendered here in its full context
You shall uphold what was prescribed, and also
those who repented with you, and not transgress.
Indeed, He knows whatever your deeds are,
watching. Do not be inclined to those who are
wicked. That will make you suffer the Fire, and
there is none for you except God as a protector, then
you will not be helped. And uphold your
commitments (aqimi-Sol-laa-ta) through the ends of
the day and the parts of the night. Indeed the good
deeds nullify the bad. That is the remembrance for
those who want to remember. You shall be steadfast.
God never fails to reward the righteous.
(11112-115)
The verse clearly says the commitments are ongoing
throughout the day and parts of the night. Verses
11112-115 emphasise the importance of doing good
deeds throughout the day and parts of the night by
focusing oneself in routines according to what is
taught from God?s prescribed decrees. It is a simple
instruction.What about 2458 where the Solatil fajri and Solatil
?isha are mentioned?This verse refers to the periods of undress when
children must seek permission before entering their
parents? room ? from the time the parents retreat to
their rooms (Solatil ?isha) until the next morning
(Solatil-fajri). We continue to observe our
commitments during our private time. The same
verse requires the seeking of permission to enter the
room when parents are resting at noon.
The Solatil ?isha and the Solatil-fajri are not the
names attributed to any ritual prayers but they are
the parents? private time. Similarly, it is not right for
parents to simply walk into their children?s room
once they retreat to their rooms. The verse teaches
family etiquette, and as part of the obligations we
are to teach children to respect their parent?s
privacy. There is no ritual prayer mentioned in the
verse. -
peace hope4, all,
The explanations Aidid provides in your above post are incorrect, factually and logically. I particularly like how he says "The verse clearly says the commitments are ongoing throughout the day and parts of the night. " after inserting "through" in the verse.
Unfortunately, Aidid seems to mix good points with clear errors, as has been discussed before. His views do sometimes come across as emotionally charged, so maybe that's why. It's a pity, because some of the things he says is interesting, and I would agree that there is no "ritual prayer" in AQ.
-
peace hope4,
I recommend using the search function, e.g.
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=7402.0
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=7801.msg13549#msg13549
amongst other posts/threads.The main reason I feel there is no ritual prayer in AQ is I could not find evidence for it. I studied every occurrence in detail and only found one implication of it and that was 339, albeit in the verb form. If we contrast this to occurrences in which it is impossible for it to mean prayer, then it becomes even more problematic. You can read my view here
http//mypercept.co.uk/articles/slw.htm
http//mypercept.co.uk/articles/disproved_traditional_salat.htm
