My PERSONAL conclusions about salaat (contact prayer)
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Here we go again
Q58. Why do Muslims have to pray five times every day. Isn?t praying once a day sufficient?
Answer.- Salaah is not merely Prayer
Salaah does not merely mean to pray. According to the Oxford dictionary, ?pray? means to beseech or to ask earnestly e.g. "He prayed to be released in the court of law." It also means supplication. In other religions to pray means to beseech or to supplicate e.g. ?Our Lord! Give us this day our daily bread.? The Dua? we Muslims make after Salaah is actually our supplication.
- Salaah is Programming
Salaah is much more than merely praying. In Salaah we not only ask from Allah but we also thank Him, praise Him, and at the same time receive guidance from Him. Salaah in the true sense is "programming" or conditioning.
- Unlike computers humans have free will
Computers require programming because they do not have a free will of their own. Humans have their own free will and with the various kinds of evil that are present in society such as eve-teasing, cheating, bribing, robbing, alcoholism, drug addiction, obscenity, etc., there is every possibility of the human being getting deprogrammed. Thus it is compulsory that we should regularly be programmed to remain on the Siraatal Mustaqim that is, the Straight Path.
- Healthy body requires 3 meals a day, spiritual soul requires 5 times Salaah a day
For a healthy body three meals a day are required. Similarly for a spiritual soul , a minimum five times Salaah is required in a day. You cannot remain healthy by having only one meal a day.
- According to the Qur?an Muslims should pray minimum five times a day
According to the Qur'?n a Muslim should pray minimum five times a day. It is mentioned in
(i) Surah Hud Chapter 11 Verse 114
"And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night for those things that are good remove those that are evil be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord)".
(ii) Surah Al-Isra Chapter 17 Verse 78
"Establish regular prayers ? at the sun?s decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony".
(iii) Surah Ta-Ha Chapter 20 Verse 130
"Therefore be patient with what they say, and celebrate (constantly) the praises of thy Lord before the rising of the sun, and before its setting; Yea, celebrate them for part of the hours of the night, and at the sides of the day that thou mayest have (spiritual) joy".
(iv) Surah Rum Chapter 30 Verses 17-18
"So (give) glory to Allah, when ye reach eventide and when ye rise In the morning; Yea, to Him be praise, in the heavens and on earth; and in the late afternoon and when the day begins to decline".
(v) Timings of 5 times Salaah
The 5 daily prescribed Salaah are
Fajr ? Between the break of dawn and sunrise.
Zuhar ? After the sun reaches its highest point that is when the sun starts declining early in the afternoon till the shadow becomes twice the size of the object or till the point between noon and sunset.
Asr ? Late in the afternoon after Zuhar until sun begins to set.
Magrib ? After sunset until disappearance of twilight.
Isha ? Late in the evening or in the night after disappearance of twilight until the break of Fajr but preferably offered before midnight.
source
http//www.allaahuakbar.net/misconceptions/58.htm
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Some Sufi thoughts on Salat
Salat (Namaz or Prayer)
Salat, the Islamic prayer. Hazrat All Hujwari describes various beneficial meanings of Salat in the light of Sufism. He says "Salat not only puts the devotee on the path leading to Allah but also opens up all the secrets of this path to a keenly devoted mind." For instance, wuzu (ablution) means outward cleanliness of the body, the first and foremost condition to prepare for Salat. Then comes tauba (repentance) which means inner cleanliness of the devotee. Then comes the standing posture facing towards Kaaba, which means the devotee's implicit faith in and devotion to Allah. Then comes Qayaam which means struggle against Nafs. Then starts the Qirat (recitation of certain Qur?anic verses) which means zikr or remembrance of Allah. Then follows ruku (the first forward bending-pose) which denotes humility overpowering the Nafs. Then comes Tashhed-e-Uns which indicates assertion of the devotee's complete faith in and love for Allah. And finally comes Salaam which means to turn away from all worldly attractions with the blessings of Allah. This is a brief analysis of the benefits or philosophy of Salat as interpreted by Sufis. See also "Postures of the Prophets" for further explanations of the benefits and features of Salat.
Concentration In Salat
Real Salat is that during which the devotee himself is present in Aalam-e-Nasoot (in this world) but his soul sours high in Aalam-e-Arwah (the spiritual world). This is the most difficult kind of Salat which only prophets, awlia (saints) and great Sufis can perform. Common people need a lot of concentration practice to do it, and yet they may fail.
Hazrat Hatira Asum used to say "When I offer my Salat, I see Paradise at my right and hell at my back."
source
http//www.chishti.org/11_veils.htm -
An excellent site with an excellent overall explanations of the Qur'an
http//www.quransmessage.com/
with an excellent section on prayer
http//www.quransmessage.com/articles/prayer%20FM3.htm
sun
PS
I congratulate and thank the author/creator of that site! I found many answers to my long pondered questions there. God bless! -
An excellent site with an excellent overall explanations of the Qur'an
http//www.quransmessage.com/
with an excellent section on prayer
http//www.quransmessage.com/articles/prayer%20FM3.htm
sun
PS
I congratulate and thank the author/creator of that site! I found many answers to my long pondered questions there. God bless!I too have visited the site before...it is a very good reference! Thanks for posting the links!
Peace,
Amina
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Peace GODsubmitter,
I like those links.
I view salat as an opportunity to
- Obey Allah
- Commune with Allah
- refocus my priorities
- Practice my deen
- relax
- increase circulation through out body and brain
I see salat as a wonderful gift, given to me for my benefit, for Allah is in no need I am!
Peace O0
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Peace All.
Successful indeed are the believers;
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who are reverent during their Contact Prayers (Salat).
232
Peace.
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Thank you @good logic, @hawkninetynine, @scaredmuslimah,
for your replies.
) group peace
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Salat Is Not Just A Prayer
The salat can best be described as the contact prayer
(the root word sila means to make contact). Strictly
speaking, it is not the same concept of prayer that
people in the West understand when they say, Oh, we
pray to God all the time, usually upon learning that
Muslims pray five times a day. This is supplication,
the act of asking God for whatever needs one has at the
moment. Indeed, people who believe in the Creator,
including Muslims, do this all the time. But salat is
a daily ritual of making regular contact with God,
facing a certain direction, using an ancient formula
which begins with washing to purify oneself, and
includes the specific acts of bowing, kneeling and
prostration to symbolize total submission to Him.http//web.archive.org/web/20010611092954/http//members.aol.com/worshpgod/sala-haj.txt
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Biblical Perspective Washing
Both the Old and the New Testaments mention many
specific aspects of the contact prayer. For example,
the act of washing to purify oneself before facing God
in prayer is mentioned in Exodus 3017-21, 4030-32,
Psalm 266 and James 48, among others. (Moses, Aaron
and his sons) washed their hands and feet whenever they
entered the Tent of Meeting or approaching the altar,
as the Lord commanded Moses... (Exodus 4032)Posture Of Humility In Prayers
References to kneeling and prostration to express one's
humbleness before the Almighty abound in the
Bible, practiced by such notables as Abraham, Moses and
Aaron, Joshua, Elijah, Solomon and Jesus
(Genesis 173, Numbers 206, Joshua 514, 1 Kings
1842, 1 Kings 854, Matthew 2636-39, Acts
2030).Moses and Aaron fell facedown at the Tent of Meeting...
(Numbers 206)(The people) fell prostrate and cried,
The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God! ....Elijah
bent down to the ground and put his face between his
knees... (1 Kings 1839,42)http//web.archive.org/web/20010611092954/http//members.aol.com/worshpgod/sala-haj.txt
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Thank you @hawkninetynine for your appreciation. )
God bless sun
group
peace
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Contact Prayers (Salat) Divinely Preserved
http//www.19miracle.org/contact-prayers-salat-divinely-preserved/
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Peace GODsubmitter,
Outstanding link,
I believe that there is divine preservation. Why would one come to the conclusion that during the
historical times of the prophet muhammad that he would have nothing to say during Jum"a (i.e.,
the khutbah) because it is not in Quran?
Despite some biblical corruptions the truth can be found therein if one is guided.
As I noted previously all muslims observe the five positions of salat! can this be a coincidence?
I think not.Peace O0
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Peace @hawkninetynine,
thank you for your reply and compliments.
I agree plainly with you and I also think it is no concidence.
I follow your posts elsewhere, too.Praise be to God alone!
peace
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Principle of Friday Prayer (Jumma)
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8_KIh7CEMc
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkjIsdpXgU0&feature=relmfu
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JIA8w2gsI8&feature=relmfu
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Dear GODsubmitter,
Thank you for sharing your views with the forum.
I was greatly relieved to read that you re-analysed your position on Safar's work.
A great deal of Safar's work is, sadly, sheer conjecture; either that, or he is misinformed.
If the prior, I pray he desists; if the latter, no blame is on him.
Knowledge is power, educate yourself and you will be guarded to a considerable extent against such vulgar propaganda.
"God increases with guidance the ones who seek guidance."
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Dear @uq,
thank you for your post!
Yes dear friend, I did re-analysed my position on Safar's work... and returned to being fully convinced that Dr. Rashad Khalifa PhD is the messenger of the covenant.
We all might have doubts now and then, and we are all searching the Straight Path, are we not?
GOD points out the paths, including the wrong ones. If He willed, He could have guided all of you.
At one point I almost even stopped believing in the Qur'an and joined some discussions on this Forum, only to discover that they proved to be somewhat unfruitful...
So, I suppose one can find a few contradictory posts made by me (and others) in this Forum, as we ponder and examine our research and progress.
I pray God guide us all! group
All the best to you.
Best regards
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An excellent computer desktop software for Salat times, very programmable with the possibilities to play personally pre-recorded Athans etc.
You can download it from here
http//www.salaattime.com/salaat-time/Enjoy!
sun
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It is very important not to add or omit anything during the Contact prayer (Salat) because it is strictly structured and mathematically proven what so say and how many times.
Important
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjOxG-cDrGw&feature=relmfuIt is also the combination of sounds and the mystical vibration that emanates from those words that is important!
Learn all about the Contact Prayers (Salat) here
http//www.masjidtucson.org/submission/practices/salat/Shabat shalom!