2:238 - evidence FOR/AGAINST a 'middle' prayer
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peace all,
A cut&paste of the notes I made
Preserve/protect/guard/maintain (hafithoo) the salawati, and (wa) the wusta salati, and stand/persist (qoomoo) devoutly to GOD.
But if you are in a state of fear, then you may do so while walking or riding. If you become secure/safe (amintum), then remember/mention God as He Has taught you what you did not know.Please see the possible meanings of the root waw-siin-ta (i.e. the root of wusta)
middle, midst, among, best, best part of a thing, mediate/intercede between, most remote from the extremes, equidistant, intermediate, most conforming/equitable/just/balanced, most excellent of them in particular
Its usage in Al-Quran
And as such, We have made you a wasatan nation...
balanced, most conforming/equitable/just/excellent
God will not hold you for your unintentional oaths, but He will hold you for what oaths you have made binding; its cancellation shall be the feeding of ten poor from the awsati of what you feed your family...
best, intermediate, most equitable/just/excellent, balanced
The awsatu among them said "If only you had glorified!"
best, most conforming/equitable/just/excellent, balanced
Penetrating to the wasat together.
middle, midst
As you can see from the above, its other meanings have been used.
Lets say it was, "Preserve the prayers, and the middle prayer, and stand devoutly for God." -
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This phrasing implies the middle prayer is more important than other prayers as this is already covered under "preserve the prayers", so why mention it again?
There is no other evidence in Al-Quran to suggest the middle prayer is more important than others, in fact, it seems to imply that the quran/reading at dawn is most important IF any had to be chosen. -
If "middle" is chosen then 2239 doesn't fit well, because it implies we are allowed to do salat on the move, if so, which one is it talking about, prayers in general or just the middle prayer?
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The middle prayer, if there is one, would be the only one without a stated time-range, the dawn & dusk salat have time-ranges. It is logical to have a time range. Please think about this concept.
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Also, there is no traditional salat named wusta, indicating it was never taken to mean a specific salat. The traditional names applied to noon-time salat are Zohr & Asr.
Therefore it is unlikely that it means middle.
These verses also imply conducting salat in one place is the preferred/norm. Allow me to explain... the best/balanced/most conforming/equitable/just salat makes sense, because the best/balanced/most conforming/equitable/just salat is done in ONE place (i.e. not on the move), but if you cant do this due to fear, then on the move is acceptable also. Its not as good (i.e. the best/balanced/most conforming/equitable/just) but its acceptable under the circumstances.
One of the reasons for this may be because if you/they are in one place it allows you/them to concentrate more, more so than if you/they were on the move (e.g. travelling somewhere).Please note the order in Arabic is "wa al salati al wusta", not what I have shown above. I did this to improve readability in English. As far as I can see it does not alter the meaning, if I am wrong about this please let me know.
Wakas
ps - it is very interesting to note RK's translation of this verse. It seems he also realised the points I have made and manipulated his translation to fit the Arabic.
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I thought I'd post my current understanding as this topic seems to be discussed often.
Background
http//mypercept.co.uk/articles/slw.htm
http//mypercept.co.uk/articles/disproved_traditional_salat.htm
(and associated links in the above two articles)Observe/guard on the bonds/affirmations, and the most excellent/balanced bond/affirmation and stand to God humbly dutiful/obedient/devout.
So/but if you are in danger/fear, so walking or riding, so if you became safe/secure, so mention/remember God, as He taught you what you were not knowing."salawat" is the plural of "salat", and simply means "bonds/affirmations". It is used in chapter 9 also for "oath/bond", and seems to have a formalised oral expression connotation (e.g. this can be seen from its Classical Arabic meanings petition, oration, eulogy, benediction, commendation, blessing, honour, magnifiy). So that is why it is mentioned in context to marriage vows/promises/bonds etc.
Of course, when one asks any believer, what is the most excellent/balanced bond? They will not hesitate, and say to God / God's system. 2238 is giving a message of whilst one guards/observes the bonds, also bear in mind to guard/observe the most excellent bond and stand to God dutiful/obedient in this. All the previous verses/signs are about one's duty to God's commands. Thus, what is inseparable from this, is to remember and understand such commands, as laid out in The Quran, as God teaches us what we were not knowing. So there is a two-fold reason for bringing this into the context.
The use of "stand" implies stationary, i.e. in one place. It can also be used metaphorically to mean "stand firm or persist".Hence, it then follows on with 2239, referring to guarding/observing of the most excellent bond/affirmation/salat by way of the regular/timed salat/bond (which is also a duty/command), and this can be done on the move if in a state of fear/threat/danger. If you become secure, then remember God as He has taught you what you did not know. Note use of word "taught". God teaches us by His guidance, and in this context it is revelation, The Quran, which links back perfectly to the prior context.
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Salam to all,
about Salat AL WUSTA what do you think about this verse "salat yaumu jumu'a"629
Yusuf Ali O ye who believe! when the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic) that is best for you if ye but knew!
This can only be during the day, not al fajr neither at sun down it has to be somewhere in the middle.
Allah best knows
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Salamun alaykum
My current understanding of Salat al Wusta is that " We are to guard our commitments to Moderation " in all our deeds rather than to guard the middle prayer . I could very well be wrong but this is my take of this ayat . As for " the night learning connection and the day-break learning connection " , I am leaning more towards Learning/ Studying The Qur'an will bring us out from the darkness of the night into The Light Of Dawn as per 1778 .
I know that the literal translations are far from what I am proposing here as the meaning , but I believe it is worth considering ( may be of help to a better understanding ) from the learned brothers and sisters in FM . I believe this view is consistent with Islam being a Peaceful Way of Life where people of all back-grounds can live together with mutual respect and appreciation of each others' culture and traditions . By the way , I no longer believe in any rituals at all .
If you have a better understanding of this matter please share it with us forum members and readers . Thanks
Peace
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herbman-This can only be during the day, not al fajr neither at sun down it has to be somewhere in the middle.
That's an interesting observation. Certainly seems to put a dent in my 2-salaat view; thanks.
ma'a salaam.
God bless all.
al'hamd li Allaah Rabb al'aalameen
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Peace herbman,
There are many problems with your understanding which create serious issues.
- "Guard/protect the salawaat" includes ALL the salaats so then mentioning a separate salaat in 2238 after that phrase would be redundant. This kind of redundancy would imply a poor grasp of language and communication. God knows how to communicate intelligently and has a perfect grasp of language.
Let me give you an example. If I am a teacher and I tell a student "read your books" it would mean and include all the books. I don't have to say "read your books and the English Literature book" because that will be redundant and will be poor language and if the student is smart, he/she will not want me as a teacher anymore -)
Salawaat means ALL the salaats in one's lifetime, and then saying al-salaat al-wusta cannot mean a separate salaat but that God wants us to protect/guard ALL the salaats in our lifetime and to perform each of those salaats in the best/balanced manner.
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The wording used in 2238 is AL-salaat AL-wusta, with two AL's, and NOT salaat al-wusta. That makes a big difference. The dawn and dusk salaats are mentioned in the form "salaat al-fajr" and "salaat al-isha" which grammatically indicate specificity. The wording AL-salaat AL-wusta grammatically indicates general salaat and not a specific salaat and is a descriptive term for salaat in general, applicable to all the salaats. This reinforces that it is not a specific middle salaat but describes the characteristic of salaat in general, i.e. best/balanced salaat.
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The derivatives of the root WST almost always mean "best/balanced" in the qur'aan and not "middle". Do your own research on all the occurrences.
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If al-wusta in 2238 means "middle" then is it middle of daytime or middle of night? Because of that now we have two sects in the God alone people. One sect claims it is middle of daytime, and the other sect claims it is middle of night. Did God forget to address this critical issue?
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In USA business is ROUTINELY done until 10 pm so "leave off business" does not necessarily mean daytime. "Yawm" does not mean only daytime but refers to the whole 24 hour day or a time period as used in the qur'aan. The word for daytime is "nahaar" as used in the qur'aan.
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It seems very odd that God would mention "yawm al-jum'a" and then not give us any clue as to when that day is. In my understanding He does tell us which day is the day of gathering/assembly and that is when all mankind gathers/assembles for hajj. Please see the link referenced by Wakas for further details.
Peace
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@ 2 salaat theorists
when would the Friday congregational prayer be? We know that 629 says "O you who belive! when the call is made for the prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leace off trading; that is better for you, if you only knew."
This shows us that it is during the middle of the day, and not at dawn or dusk. So how do you explain this? when would it be? the logical answer is at midday, since that is when business/trading is giong on. (dont tell me that it is at dawn or dusk). If you still say that, then think about the Arabs in teh time of Muhammad...i'm sure that they did not trade in the night since they didnt have enough light, etc.
Besides, some people mistranslate 2238. It clearly says "As-Salat al-Wusta". "As" or "Al" do not mean "is" they mean "the". They are pronouns, not verbs! Think about it.
Peace
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Thanks Wakas,
But this verse still refer to a prayer occuring during the day. Because business is something you do at daylight.
peace
bravo
I, to my own surprise am starting to thing that the 2 salat theory is correct. HOWEVER, there is definitely a noon congregational prayer on Fridays (day of congregation - yam al juma).
An indication for 2 contact prayers on normal days is that they are called "salah AL fajr" and "salah AL isha", which only have one "al", unlike "AL salah AL wusta".
Please note that the third salah which only has one "al" is "salah AL juma", which clearly indicates that it is an extra/another salat to be done during the day on the day of congregation (Friday).
Another indication that there might only be 2 salah per day is that they are carried out in the mandated middle tone by Hadithists, unlike the noon prayers, for example. Also note that the congregational salah is carried out in the middle tone.
Peace
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What do we do after the prayers? Go threw the land and seek Gods bounty...There is no quranic proof that the friday prayers or the daily prayers are held at noon time. The Quran tells us what time the prayers are observed. The friday prayers will also be held fridays during the dawn and eve prayer times. And the prayers cannot be observed prior to their appointed times. They are ordained at certain times.
Even using your own claim, you would leave buisness and make it to the evening prayer. Not to say that buisness doesnt take place at night....
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"The middle prayer" could be the right translation.
Lets look at 2238 and 2239..
"Preserve the contact prayers, and the sala al wusta, and stand devoutly for God.
"But if you are in a state of worry (and can therefore not stand), then you may do so (praying) while walking or riding. If you become secure, then remember God as He has taught you what you did not know." (2239)Any comments on this way of understanding the verses?
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salaat does not mean / cannot mean 'prayers', If it meant prayers, this is how 2/157 would be rendered
To these will be prayers from their Lord and a mercy, they are the guided ones.
Either-or fallacy.
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Good point, how about this then... Does prayers fit into 2/157, does the God pray to us?
Absolutely not. It could mean 'bonding' in that verse. Others argue that it could mean 'blessings'.
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peace,
In 2157 it is not a verb (e.g. bonding), it is a plural of the noun "salat". It literally means "To these will be multiple going/turning towards (in a close/positive manner) from their Lord and a mercy, they are the guided ones." For better readability, one can choose "bonds", or as some have rendered "blessings".
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salaat does not mean / cannot mean 'prayers', If it meant prayers, this is how 2/157 would be rendered
To these will be prayers from their Lord and a mercy, they are the guided ones.
The prayers are a difficult thing, except for those who paitient. Thus in that verse God is basically saying these people will keep up many prayers. To my understanding.
Abraham said" Lord, let me be one who keep the prayers." Thus you cannot will anything except if God also wills.
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what's your criteria for determining where it means 'prayers' and where it means 'blessings'?
Agreed with bonding.Context and the form of the word (ie. singular, plural, verb form, etc.)
