How do you pray?
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In the above quoted outline it says we should begin by saying.
1- Opening words of the Salat Whenever we read the Quran we are to seek refuge in God from the devil
"When you read the Quran, you shall seek refuge in God from Satan the rejected." 1698
Wouldnt it seem more acurate to ask God " I seek refuge in you God, from Satan the rejected", since we are told to seek refuge?
What would the Arabic Phonetic rendering of " I seek refuge in you God, from Satan the rejected" be?
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Peace Drfazl,
This site propounds the theory there are 5 pillars in Islam which is not in Quran, but brought out from Hadiths.
This is a misinterpretation. That website was made for the masses to get an understanding of Islam, and the major belief concerning the system is that it's based on 5 specific 'pillars'. Therefore, it's providing a basic understanding for nonbelievers an sectarian Muslims. This is why the first sentence concerning this issue on the website specifically says "there is no direct verse in the Quran that clearly specifies the five 'pillars' of Islam as such". Their usage of the 5 pillars is simply a guide to help those who are interested in learning about the "Quran Alone" concept. They are very much aware that there are no specific 5 pillars mentioned in the Reading; submission is a complete way of life...
Salat performed 5 times or 3 times with gaps given in between is like breaking the contacts. Let us try a continuous prayer instead of the contact prayer in vogue that breaks the contact with Allah 3 to 5 times daily.
This sounds good in theory, but it is unfounded. The Jews also believe in remembering God at all times, and they refer to the concepts of worshipping Him 'day and night' as meaning 'at all times'. However, they still have THREE designated times for prayer - morning, noon, and evening. Similarly, the Reading advises us to remember and honor God at all times, but it also enforces specific times for salaat observance.
Then, when you have finihed the 'salaat', then remember God while standing and sitting and on your sides. Then, when you have become secured/safe, then maintain the 'salaat'; so the 'salaat' is decreed for the believers at specific/appointed times. (4103)
So, yes, we should remember God at all times, which is clearly stated in the passage. However, this doesn't mean we don't have to observe the salaat at the designated times (prescribed by God) as well. Part of our obligation is observing the timed salaat, which is decreed for us in the Reading...
Peace and best wishes,
Ahmad
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Ahmad Bilal,
Salat is pondering and practicing every ayat of Quran. If you find enemies against such practice around you who shall cause trouble on account of your following the Quran, then there is no wrong on your part to minimize or withdraw from action briefly; but involve in dikr, reflecting the ayats while on riding, or walking. And once you become free of the troubles from your enemies and the enemies of Allah, it is mandatory on you that you practice the Quran in full form by remembering Him, strengthening your belief in Him and submitting to His Commands all the way without committing shirk in your life as ordained in all the 6666 verses. Every single verse has reverence for Him and reference to salat.
If your practice is physical mainly, then you have the allowance to practice the salat in the way you see it. After all prayer is so very highly personal between one's self and his God. And you will be judged individually on the JD and never will you be judged in bunches or as a jamath, even if you had prayed in jamaths throughout your life. 'Mind-wise prayer' is what I follow. And such way of prayer definitely is not a show for others, while when we involve in physical prayer and more especially when we pray as a jamath, there is every possibility that we make a show of our prayer to others. Allah does not like such shows.
Salaam,
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What would the Arabic Phonetic rendering of " I seek refuge in you God, from Satan the rejected" be? Thanks anyone!
In Arabic, this would be
A'udhu billaahi min al-shaytaan al-rajeem (or "I seek refuge in God from the satan the rejected".
I don't think there's any particular significance, though, in reciting this in Arabic. God understands all languages, and the Arabic language is not particularly better than any other language. But if you just want to say it in Arabic, there's nothing wrong with it; it's your choice...
Peace and best wishes,
Ahmad
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Thank you again Ahmad for the help. You seem to come in very handy around here.
Thanks for the translation. I agree I dont believe we must say anything in Arabic and yes God understands all things. I like to learn some Arabic as it was the language of the original Quran, plus I would like to say salat in Arabic when I learn it correctly, but that is just a personal preference. At the time I will say it in English.Salaam and God Bless!
KadeenIn Arabic, this would be
A'udhu billaahi min al-shaytaan al-rajeem (or "I seek refuge in God from the satan the rejected".
I don't think there's any particular significance, though, in reciting this in Arabic. God understands all languages, and the Arabic language is not particularly better than any other language. But if you just want to say it in Arabic, there's nothing wrong with it; it's your choice...
Peace and best wishes,
Ahmad
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Hey,
I have followed that outline for a short while (especially the ending the prayer with "alhamdulillah rab al alameen" at the end of the prayer). Then I read the verse (1010) in context with the verses of the same chapter that are before that one (101-9) and the context/theme is that God is talking about believers and the afterlife. it is NOT ABOUT SALAAT... furthermore, I now believe that there are 5 salaat (before i thought it was 3) although I am still looking at the opinions of different people. Check out this website http//www.usn2161.net/prayerproofs.html
It shows all the words which should be recited in salaat, the movements and the sequence, and mathematically confirms them.peace
Peace,
I have move back to perform salat as the traditionalists but not adding the Mohmd parts. and I don't recite verses beginning with Qul as that would be strange to say when it's God I contact.
THREE SALAT AUTHORISED IN THE QURAN
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The prayers mentioned BY NAME in the Quran are three
1- Salat Al-Fajr (Dawn Prayer)2458
2- Salat Al-Esha (Night Prayer)2458
3- Al-Salat Al-Wusta (The Middle Prayer) 2238.
The following points all confirm that there are only three Salat authorised by God in the Quran
FIRST
God tells us that the Quran contains all the details (6114) and that nothing has been left out of the book (63.
If this is the case, and more important, IF WE BELIEVE GOD 100%, then we have to ask why are the names of the other two salat not mentioned in the Quran?
The reply to this can be one of the following
1- God forgot to mention the other two! (this option is obviously false, because God does NOT forget).
2- The Quran does not contain all the details (this is also false because God tells us in 6114 that it does).
3- God did not mention the names of the other 2 salat because they are not important . This is also a false option, if they were not important then they would not be compulsory, as a result to claim that there are 5 compulsory prayers becomes a false claim.
4- God did not mention the names of the other 2 prayers because God wants us to guess them !!! Once again this is false, the Quran is not a book of puzzles.
5- God does not mention the names of the other 2 salat because God wants us to uphold our inherited rituals as a second source of law besides the Quran! Once again this assumption is incorrect since it is in violation of 6114, 73 and 548. For all the details please go to Millat Ibraheem
6- God does not mention the names of the other 2 prayers, because THERE IS NO OTHER 2 PRAYERS according to the law of the Quran.
THE GENUINE BELIEVERS WILL NOT ACCEPT
ANY OPTION OTHER THAN NUMBER 6
SECOND
Let us read 11114 where the misunderstanding occurred
"You shall observe the Salat (Contact Prayers) at the ends of the day, and zulufann min al-layl."11114
There has been a number of interpretations of the words 'zulufann min al-layl' the ones that are most used are (part of the night) or (during the night) or (some part of the night).
However, none of these interpretations is accurate or in line with the Quranic use of the word 'zulufan' as will be shown shortly.
Traditionally, this verse has been interpreted to mean (you shall observe the prayers at both ends of the day AND part of the night) ?.. as a result, the verse was interpreted to be speaking about two Salat at the end of the day PLUS an additional salat during the night, a total of 3 salat. Those with this interpretation give these 3 Salat the names of Salat Al-Fajr (Dawn Prayer, which is mentioned by name in the Quran), Salat Al-Maghrib (not mentioned by name in the Quran), plus Salat Al-Esha (Night prayer, which is mentioned in the Quran by name but with a different time range).
Others have interpreted this verse to be speaking about Salat Al-Fajr (mentioned in the Quarn) and Salat al-Asr (not mentioned in the Quran) plus salat Al-Maghrib (not mentioned in the Quran by name).
All these interpretations rely on names and times of Salat that not authorised in the Quran. The whole mis-understanding is due to the fact that they have failed to accept that this verse (11114) in actual fact speaks of TWO Salat and NOT three. This will be apparent once we establish the true meaning of key words in 11114.
The root of the word 'zulufann' is 'Zulfa'. This word is used in the Quran to mean near or adjacent
" ..... Those who set up idols beside Him say, "We idolize them only to bring us 'zulfa' (near/close) to God ...." 393
As a result, the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl' means the near/adjacent part of the night. The obvious question is near to what? Nothing can be described as 'near' in absolute terms, the word near can only have a meaning when we have a reference point to which this thing is near to. So now we have to read 11114 again and see what does God mean by near, near to what? The only other reference points given in 11114 are the two ends of the day (sunrise and sunset). Also note that the word which is used in 11114 is 'zulufann', this is a plural form of 'zulfa', thus the words 'zulufann min al-layl' speak of the parts of the night (plural) that are adjacent to the two ends of the day (sunrise and sunset).
The adjacent parts of the night (to sunrise and sunset) are the two 'parts' of the night, the part before sunrise, and the part after sunset (note that anytime before sunrise and after sunset is defined as night in Quranic terminology).
As a result it becomes apparent that God is giving us in 11114 the range of two salat. The range for the two salat are the parts of the night that are just before sunrise and immediately after sunset.
Perhaps the word "wa" (which means AND) and which is placed before the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl' in 11114 contributed largely to the mis-interpretation of this verse. Many have understood the word 'and' to mean (and an additional Salat), however, the word 'and' simply links the two ends of the day with their adjacent parts of the night to give the time range of the two salat. This is not any different than the following example
If your doctor tells you You can only have your medicine at miday AND for the following few hours.
What does this mean? Does this mean that you must take the medicine at miday and then take it AGAIN for a few hours after that? or does it simply mean that the time you can take the medicine is anytime between miday and the few hours after that?
Similarly, if God tells us to observe the Salat at the ends of the day 'and' for the adjacent hours of the night, it is the same thing. The word 'and' in 11114 does not indicate an additional third prayer.
With reason, it can be proved that this is the ONLY logical explanation of this verse
1- A command to observe the salat at the two ends of the day (without the inclusion of the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl', does not provide us with any indication as to when exactly these two Salat are to be observed. This is because the ends of the day are mere points in time that are no longer than a minute each. Surely God does not expect all believers to observe the salat only during the few seconds that it takes the sun to rise or set? It is only with the addition of the words "zulufan min al-layl" in the same verse that the command indicates a time range when these two salat should be observed.
2- To get round this tricky situation some have claimed that we can observe the Salat around the two points and not only during the actual sunrise/sunset, but this is equally unacceptable. This interpretation gives rise to a new valid question Does this mean that we may observe the Salat anytime before or after sunrise/sunset? Is it only before sunrise/sunset? Is it only after sunrise/sunset? It is obvious that we would be left without any clues as to when exactly to observe these two Salat unless we accept the further clarification given by the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl'. This phrase confirms that it is the night side of the sunrise and sunset that the salat may be observed.
The two Salat at the ends of the day that are spoken of in 11114 are given specific names in the Quran. They are Salat Al-Fajr (Dawn Prayer) and Salat Al-Esha (Night Prayer).
THIRD
Now we come to the third Salat mentioned in the Quran, which is Al-Salat Al-Wusta (223.
The word Wusta is the adjective of the word Wasat which means middle, therefore the words Al-Salat Al-Wusta mean 'The Middle Prayer'. Moreover, the notion of a 'Middle' prayer indicates that the number of prayers is an odd number. Consequently, the Salat Al-Wusta is a prayer that lies half way between the two prayers at the two ends of the day. In astronomical terms this Salat is due exactly at the middle of the day, i.e. when the sun has travelled half its distance in the sky.
In 2238 we read the words 'hafezu ala al-salawaat', which mean (you shall persevere with your prayers). The word 'Salawaat' is plural and speaks of more than two prayers. If they were only two prayers the word used would have been 'Al-Salatayn' (the two prayers). Moreover, if God was speaking about the concept of prayer in general, and without referring to the number of individual salat, the words used would have been "hafezu ala al-salat" as we read in many other verse.
The Salat Al-Wusta can be observed from the moment the sun begins its descend from its highest point (duluk al shams) until the darkness of the night (ghasaq al-layl) starts, which is at sunset
"You shall observe the Salat (Contact Prayer) from when the sun declines from its highest point up till the 'ghasaq al-layl' (the darkness of the night)." 1778
P.S. The darkness of the night starts to set in at sunset. And that is when the Salat Al-Wusta ends.
FOURTH
God tells us that the time of each prayer is precisely appointed "kitaban mawqootan" 4103. The word "kitaban" which means BOOK refers to the Quran, or to 'that which is written'. The deliberate use of this word by God confirms to us that the precise appointed time for each of the prayers is given in the Quran. Once again this conforms to the fact that the Quran contains all the details.
Now let us assume that the total number of prayers every day is five, then where in the Quran do we find the appointed time for the claimed 'Salat Al-Asr' (afternoon prayer)? When does it start? Similarly, when does the fagr prayer start? When does the claimed 'Maghrib' (sunset) prayer end? (remember if we accept that there are 5 prayers in the Quran, then we cannot interpret the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl' to indicate a time span, but to indicate an additional salat).
It is a known fact that non of the advocates of the five prayers is able to give any Quranic reference for the time spans of all five prayers.
The five prayer interpretation cannot be substantiated by using Quranic evidence.
But if we accept the Quranic truth about the three salat, and accept that the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl' gives the time span for the two prayers at sunrise and sunset, then the times of all three prayers are precisely given in the Quran.
The time for three prayers would thus be as follows
THE FAGR (DAWN) PRAYER
This prayer starts when the first thin ray of light is observed in the sky. God gives us the explanation to this when "the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn." 2187
The time for the dawn prayer is also given in the Quran with the words
" ??.. and at dawn as the stars fade away." 5249
This poetic description of the time for the dawn prayer in 5249 is very accurate scientifically. The stars start to fade out when the first rays of light appear in the sky, and they are completely gone with sunrise.
The Dawn prayer ends at the first 'taraf' (terminal) of the day which is sunrise (11114).
Consequently, the phrase 'zulufann min al-layl' which translates to (the adjacent or near hours of the night) give us a very accurate description of the time for the Fajr (Dawn) payer. The Fagr prayer can be observed during the last hour or so of the night when there is light in the sky. This hour/s are still part of the night, this is because day does not begin until the sun rises.
THE ESHA (NIGHT) PRAYER
The night prayer is identical to the dawn prayer but at the other end of the day (Sunset). This prayer starts at the second 'taraf' (terminal) of the day which is sunset, and lasts for the adjacent night hour/s when the light has not disappeared completely from the sky. The prayer ends when the light has totally disappeared from the night sky.
THE WUSTA (MIDDLE) PRAYER
The middle or 'Wusta' prayer starts when the sun starts to decline from its highest point in the sky (dulook al-shams) and ends when the darkness of the night starts to set in (sunset).
FIFTH
Now let us look at one more verse that also sheds light on the number of prayers in the day
"O you who believe, when the Salat is announced on Friday, you shall hasten to the commemoration of God, and drop all business. This is better for you, if you only knew.
Once the prayer is completed, you may spread through the land to seek God's bounties, and continue to remember God frequently, that you may succeed." 629-10
The words 'drop all business' and also the words 'Once the prayer is completed, you may spread through the land to seek God's bounties' indicate that this prayer is in the day hours. The reasoning behind this is that since no one is likely to be engaged in their business and have to drop it in the early hours before sunrise, means that this prayer is not the Fajr prayer. Similarly it cannot be the Esha prayer since God says that after the Friday prayer the believers may continue with their business, no one is likely to be continuing working in the late hours of the night.
Consequently, if this Salat is not the Fajr prayer nor the Esha prayer, this leaves the Salat Al-Wusta. Once again this is strong indication that there are only 3 and not 5.
The reason is simple
Suppose there are 5 Salat, we know that the Friday prayer is during the day (not night), this means that (in a 5 prayer format) it could be the noon (Zuhr) prayer, or it can be the afternoon (Asr) prayer ??
Which one would it be? If we accept that the Quran contains all the details (6114), and that the Quran provides explanations for everything (1689), we would ultimately accept that God would not leave us to guess which prayer in the day is the Friday prayer.
However, if we accept that there are only 3 prayers in a day, then the Jumah Salat (Friday Prayer) cannot be other than the Middle Prayer.
SIXTH
As we have seen, apart from the Salat Al-Wusta, the only other prayers mentioned in the Quran by name are the Fajr and Esha prayers. These are the two Salat at the ends of the day (sunrise and sunset). The Middle Prayer (Salat Al-Wusta) must be one that is at the middle between the two ends of the day.
Those who insist that there are 5 prayers in the day, believe that the Salat Al-Wusta is the Asr Prayer. However, the time of Asr is NOT the middle of the day, the middle of the day is exactly at duluk al-shams (when the sun starts to decline from its highest point) that is because the sun would have travelled exactly half the distance in the sky and beginning its descent, it is thus exactly half the day (nahar).
As a result, the Salat Al-Wusta gets its name as a result of it being exactly half way between the two Tarafai Al-Nahar (sunrise and sunset). The Salat Al-Wusta starts at 'duluk al-shams' and ends at sunset.
SEVENTH
If we look at verse 2458 one more time, we note that God speaks of 2 Salats (Fajr and Esha ), but only speaks of the TIME of Zahira (zohr). Is it a coincidence that God did not say when you change your clothes after Salat Al-Zahira/Zohr, but only said the TIME of zahira? If there is a Salat called Salat Al-Zohr (as the advocates of the 5 prayers claim), wouldn't we expect to see the words 'after Salat Al-Zahira/Zohr' just like God mentions Salat Al-Fajr and Salat Al-Esha in the same verse?
EIGTH
In the old days, people did not have printed lists of times of prayers and astronomical calculations, etc. They could not do like we do now, turn on the radio or TV or buy a Prayer Timetable. However, God must have given a means to determine the times of prayers even for those early communities (before the Quran) who did not have the facilities we have today. God must have given them a NATURAL means of determining the times of the prayers.
Today for example, there is no way for the followers of the 5 Salat to know when does 'Salat Al-Asr' starts except through looking at those astronomical tables and lists.
However, with the correct 3 prayer format, we do not need any of these tables. We do not need Prayer Timetable (Imsakeyah).
As long as there is any light in the sky (before sunrise and after sunset) we know it is the time for Fagr and Esha respectively.
With the Salat Al-Wusta it is also very easy. When we see no shadow below us when we stand, we know that this is when the sun is highest in the sky. When we start to see the smallest shadow, this is the beginning of the salat al-wusta, it ends when the sun sets.
It cannot be easier! alhamd l'Allah, God has made it so easy for us.
NINTH
Finally we come to the issue of how many Raka to be observed in each Salat.
The cycle of standing, bowing and prostrating while praising and glorifying God is traditionally called a Raka. According to the Quranic law, God did not specify any specific number of Raka to be observed in the Salat, thus it is left to the individual.
The advocates of the 5 prayers claim that the number of Raka to be observed during each of the 5 prayers is 24434 respectively.
To start, and since there are only three Salat decreed by God for the believers, then this 5-prayer format is false. Where it came from? Probably like all the corruption we inherited in our rituals, they all have routes in the books of hadith (Bukhari, Muslim and others).
The advocates of the 5 prayer format have worked out some calculations based on the Quranic code 19 to claim that this 24434 format has been preserved since Abraham.
These calculations have been proved non significant and cannot be considered in any way as divine signs. For more details on this matter, please go to the following file
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The code 19 and the 24434 format
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Some other scholars have claimed that the minimum number of Raka during any prayer must be two. They base their claim on the concession to shorten the Salat at times of war (4101). They state that if we are given indication to shorten the Salat, then it must be at least two Raka, that is because it is not feasible to shorten the Salat if it were made of just one Raka!
The error in this interpretation is that it is based on the number of Raka and not on the time consumed in our Salat. Since the Quran speaks of standing, bowing and prostration without any time or frequency restrictions, then we may spend the time we wish in any of these positions. In other words, one can spend one minute in the standing position or ten minutes. One could read the Al-Fatiha (The Key) once or ten times. Equally one may praise God during prostration three times or 20 times. One could prostrate once or five times .... etc.
If we add the fact that different people excercise different speeds in uttering their prayers, then we are once again compelled to accept that shortening the salat is related to the overall time we give to the Salat and not to the number of Raka. For example, one Raka could be completed in 2 minutes or 20 minutes.
The concession to shorten the Salat given in 4101 is thus a time related one. God is telling us if you normally spend (as an example) 10 minutes in your Salat, you may spend 2 or 3 minutes when you are at war.
It is more logical to think that at times of war when we are in danger of the enemy, that we minimize the TIME we are at risk rather than minimize the number of Raka. After all, the concept of Raka is a relative one as shown, and one Raka can be conducted by two different people in totally different times, thus person A may do 3 raka's in the same time that person B has done 5 or 6. But if we accept that the concession in 4101 to be TIME related then the shortening of the Salat would affect all believers symmetrically.
Moreover, this interpretation, which is TIME related, is more logical since it is not based on assumptions that do not exist in the Quran ..... The assumption of a minimum number of Raka is not in the Quran, plus ofcourse, the whole concept of a Raka (made of one standing, one bowing and the traditional two prostrations) is not in the Quran. The Quran speaks of the 3 positions in a specific order but there are no restrictions on the frequency of each. The majority of Muslims prostrate twice in every Raka. The Quran does not specify once or twice or more, hence who is to say that one who prostrates five or six times is in violation of any Quranic command
All the words of the Salat should be from the Quran.
1- "You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord's Scripture (the Quran). Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it." 1827
Since this verse does not specify any one activity, it is understood to cover the Salat as well as normal recitation.
2- "You shall recite what is revealed to you of the Scripture (the Quran), and observe the Salat (Contact Prayers)." 2945
This verse specifically links reading from the Quran with the Salat. Consequently, nothing should be read in the Salat that is derived from other than the Quran.
3- "They are not all the same; among the followers of the scripture there are those who are righteous. They recite God's revelations through the night while prostrating." 3113
This verse speaks of the righteous, they recite the scripture while prostrating. Since prostrating is one of the acts of Salat, the point is made again about reciting the scripture (in our case the Quran) in our Salat.
SECOND Specific words to be recited during the Salat.
1- Opening words of the Salat Whenever we read the Quran we are to seek refuge in God from the devil
"When you read the Quran, you shall seek refuge in God from Satan the rejected." 1698
The Arabic words are "A'uzu b'Allah min Al-Shaytan Al-Rajeem". And since all the Salat is comprised of Quranic words, thus we must utter these words to start our Salat.
2- Although there is no specific command to read the Key (Fatihah) in particular in the salat, yet since it is the opening of the book and it comprises a call to Allah in all its words, then it is appropriate to read it in the opening of our Salat.
Bearing in mind that God informs us that He does not wish us any hardship in practicing our religion, thus it is sensible to read the relatively longer passages (such as the Key) in the standing position rather than the bowing or prostrating so that the ill and old would not over-burden their frail bodies. Consequently, the recitation of the Key (Al-Fatiha) in the standing position is what all Muslims do.
3- The phrase 'Allahu Akbar' is uttered frequently during Salat in compliance with God's command to magnify Him as in 2185 and 17111.
4- 'Sobhan Rabi Al-Azeem' (Praise my Lord the Great). This is in compliance with "You shall glorify the name of your Lord, the Great" 5674. These words of praise are usually spoken in the bowing position as many times as desired.
5- 'Sobhan Rabi Al-Aala' (Praise my Lord the Most High). This is in compliance with "Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High" 871. These words of praise are usually spoken in the prostrating position as many times as desired.
Praising God is encouraged at all times and specifically after prostration
"During the night you shall glorify Him, and after prostrating" 5040
6- The Shahada (Testimony of Faith) is the first pillar of Islam and is a declaration of our monotheistic faith. The Shahada may be uttered at any stage in the Salat and any number of times
The words of the Shahada are Ash'hadu ana la illaha ila Allah' (I bear witness that there is no God other than God).
"God bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge" 318
7- In 17111 we read the following words
"Al-Hamdu l'Allah alazee lam yatakhez waladan, wa lam yakun lahu shareek fee al mulk, wa lam yakun lahu waleyon min al zol."
These words translate to
"Praise be to God who has never begotten a son, nor does He have a partner in His kingship, nor does He need an ally out of weakness" 17111
In 17110 God commands us to use a moderate voice in our Salat, immediately after which God commands us
"AND SAY, 'Praise be to God, who has never begotten a son??."
The words "AND SAY"at the beginning of verse 111 indicate that the subject is STILL Salat (the subject of 110). This means that God is commanding us to utter these specific words during our salat.
It is interesting to note that these 3 phrases have significant meanings
1- "Praise be to God who has never begotten a son,"
These words purify us from the claim of the Christians who gave God a son.
2- "nor does He have a partner in His kingship,"
These words purify us from the corrupt Muslims who made Muhammad a partner with God in everything they say or do ........
3- "nor does He need an ally out of weakness"
These words purify us from the Jewish scholars who claim that God is not able to do certain things ... etc
In effect, by uttering these words, and constantly being aware of the danger and corruption of these groups, we purify our souls and maintain the purity of our religion.
These words must be uttered during our salat.
To follow these words we should then magnify God frequently (Allah Akbar) ....
8- The 'ending' of the Salat
Since the ending of the Salat conducted by almost all Muslims today does not conform to Quranic teachings, thus this issue will be given special analysis here.
The traditional ending spoken by most Muslims today is
'Al-Salamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatu'. (Peace be upon you as well as God's mercy and His blessings). This phrase is uttered twice at the conclusion of the Salat, once with the head turned to the right and once with the head turned to the left.
However, if we were to pause and consider the validity of this phrase we would immediately be faced with the following questions
A- Who are we addressing when we utter these words? Surely we cannot be addressing God because we cannot be saying to God, 'may God's mercy and blessings be upon you'!
Some will say that these words are addressed to other fellow believers who are praying alongside us. But this excuse is false, simply because these words are spoken by believers even when they are praying all on their own!
Some others will say that these words are addressed to the two angels who are recording all our deeds, one of whom is on our right shoulder and one is on our left.
Here we must inquire why should we address the angels? After all, our Salat is not directed to them! The Quran makes the point very clear that every word in our Salat should be to God and nobody else
"Say, 'My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to God alone" 6162 (also see 3911 and 2014)
To direct any words in our Salat to any other than God is indeed against the teachings of the Quran and must be totally rejected.
B- If these words are not directed to God and must thus be rejected, then what are the correct words to be uttered to end our Salat? As usual, God has once again shown us that the Quran offers explanations to all things (1689). Indeed, God has given us in the Quran the exact words that should be uttered to end the Salat. These are found in the following verse
"As for those who believe and lead a righteous life, their Lord guides them by virtue of their belief. Rivers will flow beneath them in the garden of bliss. Their prayer therein is, 'Be you glorified our God' their greeting therein is, 'Peace' and the ending to their prayer is, 'Al-Hamdu l'Allah Rab Al-Alameen (Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe)" 109-10
This verse speaks of the model believers who will be rewarded in the gardens of heaven. We are told about the last words in their prayers 'Al-Hamdu l'Allah Rab Al-Alameen' (Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe). It makes perfect sense that we should follow their example (if we would like to end up in heaven too) and end our prayers in praise of Almighty God and not bidding farewell to the angels!
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Peace Progressive1993,
I have followed that outline for a short while (especially the ending the prayer with "alhamdulillah rab al alameen" at the end of the prayer). Then I read the verse (1010) in context with the verses of the same chapter that are before that one (101-9) and the context/theme is that God is talking about believers and the afterlife. it is NOT ABOUT SALAAT... furthermore, I now believe that there are 5 salaat (before i thought it was 3) although I am still looking at the opinions of different people. Check out this website http//www.usn2161.net/prayerproofs.html
It shows all the words which should be recited in salaat, the movements and the sequence, and mathematically confirms them.The "dawaah" used by the worshipers in the afterlife should be the same one used today, since we are worshiping the same god in the same way in both instances... Also, the doctrines of Ahmad Nishitoba have already been proven FALSE, especially based on his repeated false prophecies. His concepts on the salaat (contact) are not his own; they were copied and pasted nearly VERBATIM from Rashad Khalifa's writings and articles on the Submitters' websites. And, in this respect, many of the views on salaat practiced by Dr. Khalifa are NOT Qur'aanic (i.e. intention, raising hands to the face, saying "allahu akbar", reciting "assalaamu alaykum" to the left and right, etc.), and they can't necessarily be included in the mathematical preservation of the salaat. So, this entire numerical pattern is in question... The best method for determining the number, names, and actions of salaat is relying upon the Qur'aan alone, and by examining the details through the scriptures...
Peace,
Ahmad
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Peace, Ahmad,
Seriously, who cares if he is a messenger or not, as long as he proves all the words that we should recite in the salaat. And furthermore, what do you mean with "he copied the info from submission.org"??! Don't you "copy" them and follow their outline or "copy" quran-islam.org and follow their outline. If we weren't allowed to "copy" other peoples' outlines, then I'm afraid there would only be a few people praying today because of "plagiarism". (I hope you understand my point). He is building on Rashads outline and he is completely right for saying (an example) that "sami'a allahu liman hamidah" is not actually part of salaat. Nowhere in the Quran can we find a command to say this in prayer and furthermore, in prayer, we talk to God, and we shouldnt tell HIM that He Himself listens to people who praise him. This is like Sunnis and Shias reciting Suras after Fatiha that include the command "Say he is one..." Are you commanding God to say that God is one???! Which God are you talking to?! Again... I hope you understand my point.
About the false prophecies he made a new one..lets see if it is true this time.. anyways.. why not follow his outline if it makes sense? i bet you follow quran-islam.org because you think it makes sense and not because you don't think that there is a messenger behind the site, right?
I will qoute from the Quran 17111 (translated by RK)
And proclaim "Praise be to GOD,
who has never begotten a son,
nor does He have a partner in His
kingship, nor does He need any ally
out of weakness," and magnify
Him constantly.this is the command for the takbir (allahu akbar). quran-islam.org uses the same explanation.
thanks for sharing your views, peace.
Peace Progressive1993,
The "dawaah" used by the worshipers in the afterlife should be the same one used today, since we are worshiping the same god in the same way in both instances... Also, the doctrines of Ahmad Nishitoba have already been proven FALSE, especially based on his repeated false prophecies. His concepts on the salaat (contact) are not his own; they were copied and pasted nearly VERBATIM from Rashad Khalifa's writings and articles on the Submitters' websites. And, in this respect, many of the views on salaat practiced by Dr. Khalifa are NOT Qur'aanic (i.e. intention, raising hands to the face, saying "allahu akbar", reciting "assalaamu alaykum" to the left and right, etc.), and they can't necessarily be included in the mathematical preservation of the salaat. So, this entire numerical pattern is in question... The best method for determining the number, names, and actions of salaat is relying upon the Qur'aan alone, and by examining the details through the scriptures...
Peace,
Ahmad
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Peace Progressive1993,
Seriously, who cares if he is a messenger or not, as long as he proves all the words that we should recite in the salaat. And furthermore, what do you mean with "he copied the info from submission.org"??! Don't you "copy" them and follow their outline or "copy" quran-islam.org and follow their outline. If we weren't allowed to "copy" other peoples' outlines, then I'm afraid there would only be a few people praying today because of "plagiarism". (I hope you understand my point).
I hear you, and I agree with you, but you're missing my point... Ahmad Nishitoba copied the salaat outline that Rashad illustrated, even though this method had ALREADY been disproven. This system of salaat is based on the unproven assumption that the salaat had been "preserved" through generations of Arabs performing this practice in Mekka, which was preserved from the time of Abraham. In other words, Ahmad Nishitoba didn't show reliance upon the "Qur'aan Alone", which Rashad Khalifa advocated. Rather, the system is based on the concept of "Qur'aan PLUS tradition". Nothing in the Qur'aan specifically justifies 5 daily salaat observances... It's not about copying or plagiarizing; it's about following the right guidance. Copying the original wrong thing only makes the copy wrong too...
He is building on Rashads outline and he is completely right for saying (an example) that "sami'a allahu liman hamidah" is not actually part of salaat. Nowhere in the Quran can we find a command to say this in prayer and furthermore, in prayer, we talk to God, and we shouldnt tell HIM that He Himself listens to people who praise him. This is like Sunnis and Shias reciting Suras after Fatiha that include the command "Say he is one..." Are you commanding God to say that God is one???! Which God are you talking to?! Again... I hope you understand my point.
Again, there's nothing wrong with expounding on Rashad's teachings regarding salaat. However, many of these teachings have already been proven FALSE and incompatible with the Qur'aan. Therefore, his method is also wrong... One of the best methods I've seen regarding so far (based on the Qur'aan alone) is the one mentioned on the "quran-islam" website. There are some other good ones as well, but this is just one example...
About the false prophecies he made a new one..lets see if it is true this time.. anyways.. why not follow his outline if it makes sense? i bet you follow quran-islam.org because you think it makes sense and not because you don't think that there is a messenger behind the site, right?
This is not the point, and the "messenger" doesn't matter, at least not specifically. What matters is following the scriptural guidance ONLY, not traditions based on other cultures and religious groups. Whether Ahmad Nishitoba is a true messenger or not (I believe he's not) is irrelevant, and it has no bearing on whether his salaat outline is correct or not. Based on the Qur'aan, his method is wrong...
Peace,
Ahmad
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Hey, Ahmad
Peace Progressive1993,
Ahmad Nishitoba copied the salaat outline that Rashad illustrated, even though this method had ALREADY been disproven. This system of salaat is based on the unproven assumption that the salaat had been "preserved" through generations of Arabs performing this practice in Mekka, which was preserved from the time of Abraham. In other words, Ahmad Nishitoba didn't show reliance upon the "Qur'aan Alone", which Rashad Khalifa advocated. Rather, the system is based on the concept of "Qur'aan PLUS tradition". Nothing in the Qur'aan specifically justifies 5 daily salaat observances... It's not about copying or plagiarizing; it's about following the right guidance. Copying the original wrong thing only makes the copy wrong too...
I kind of agree with you that the guys from submission.org exaggerate with the "it was passed down from generation to generation since abraham", but we can't deny the mutawator sunna 100%.
Again, there's nothing wrong with expounding on Rashad's teachings regarding salaat. However, many of these teachings have already been proven FALSE and incompatible with the Qur'aan. Therefore, his method is also wrong...
What is false about RK's outline (except for sami'a allahu limen hamida)?
Based on the Qur'aan, his method is wrong...
Which part is wrong? I already gave you the proof for the takbir. The Shahada is in 318, the command to say "Subhana rabiyal azeem" is in 5647 and two other verses, the command for saying "Subhana rabiyal aala" is stated in 871 - the chapter is even titled "Al-Alaa".
Fatiha is part of the Quran so his outline accords with the Quran. So I ask you what part of his outline does not accord with the Quran?
peace
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Peace Vivek,
Salat does not involve bowing and prostration. Salat is the act of incense burning. Please read my article titled "Salat is none other than Incense Burning".
It's against forum rules for you to post this same message in every thread... Just letting you know...
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Peace Vivek,
It's against forum rules for you to post this same message in every thread... Just letting you know...
Yep, and it was really annoying!! I couldnt even find this topic again!
Anyways.. @ Ahmad
Please answer the questions which I have directed towards you in my previous post.
Peace
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Peace Progressive1993,
You can use whatever method of salaat you feel to be best. But this is NOT the ordination of the scriptures. In fact, even though it's in the reading, the Qur'aan doesn't even tell us we have to recite "Al Faateha" in our salaat at all. What's wrong with reciting ANY chapter or passage of the Qur'aan, as long as it's directed solely to G-d? Sure, 871 tells us to glorify G-d; but it doesn't specify this for salaat alone. It's saying we should glorify G-d ALL THE TIME. The same goes for the testimony cited in 318 - we should acknowledge G-d's oneness ALL THE TIME, not just during our salaat...
I see nothing specifically wrong about the Submitters' salaat observance, as long as it's dedicated solely to G-d and nobody else. However, all Rashad did was take the Sunni salaat and replace bits and pieces of it to dedicate it to G-d alone. There's no evidence in the scripture that the salaat must be performed this way, and it is still an innovation... Can you show me a passage in the reading where it gives a certain outline to observing salaat, in a specific arrangement with specific words?
Peace,
Ahmad
