Prayer (Salah) is the daily ritual prayer enjoined upon all
Muslims as one of the five Pillars of Islam. It is performed five times a
day by all Muslims. Salah is a precise worship, different from praying
on the inspiration of the moment. Muslims pray or, perhaps more
correctly, worship five times throughout the day:
• Between first light and sunrise.
• After the sun has passed the middle of the sky.
• Between mid-afternoon and sunset.
• Between sunset and the last light of the day.
• Between darkness and midnight.
Each prayer may take at least 5 minutes, but it may be lengthened as a
person wishes. Muslims can pray in any clean environment, alone or
together, in a mosque or at home, at work or on the road, indoors or
out. Under special circumstances, such as illness, journey, or war,
certain allowances in the prayers are given to make their offering easy.
Having specific times each day to be close to God helps Muslims
remain aware of the importance of their faith, and the role it plays in
every part of life. Muslims start their day by cleaning themselves and
then standing before their Lord in prayer. The prayers consist of
recitations from the Qur’an in Arabic and a sequence of movements:
standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting.
All recitations and movements express submission, humility, and
homage to God. The various postures Muslims assume during their prayers
capture the spirit of submission; the words remind them of their
commitments to God. The prayer also reminds one of belief in the Day of
Judgment and of the fact that one has to appear before his or her
Creator and give an account of their entire life. This is how a Muslim
starts their day. In the course of the day, Muslims dissociate
themselves form their worldly engagements for a few moments and stand
before God. This brings to mind once again the real purpose of life.
These prayers serve as a constant reminder throughout the day to help
keep believers mindful of God in the daily stress of work, family, and
distractions of life. Prayer strengthens faith, dependence on God, and
puts daily life within the perspective of life to come after death and
the last judgment. As they prepare to pray, Muslims face Mecca, the holy
city that houses the Ka`bah (the ancient place of worship built by
Abraham and his son Ishmael, peace be upon them). At the end of the
prayer, the Shahadah (testimony of faith) is recited, and the greeting
of peace, ‘Peace be upon all of you and the mercy and blessings of God’,
is repeated twice.
Though individual performance of salah is permissible, collective worship in the mosque has special merit and Muslims are encouraged to perform certain salah
with others. With their faces turned in the direction of the Ka`bah in
Makkah, the worshipers align themselves in parallel rows behind the
imam, or prayer leader, who directs them as they execute the physical
postures coupled with Qur’an recitations. In many Muslim countries, the
‘call to prayer’, or ‘Adhan’, echoes out across the rooftops. Aided by a megaphone the muezzin calls out:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest, God is the greatest),
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest, God is the greatest),
Ash-hadu an-laa ilaaha ill-Allah (I witness that none deserves worship except God).
Ash-hadu an-laa ilaaha ill-Allah (I witness that none deserves worship except God).
Ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-Rasul-ullah (I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God).
Ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-Rasul-ullah (I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God).
Though individual performance of salah is permissible, collective worship in the mosque has special merit .
Hayya `alas-Salah (Come to prayer)
Hayya `alas-Salah (Come to prayer)
Hayya `alal-Falah (Come to prosperity)
Hayya `alal-Falah (Come to prosperity)
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest, God is the greatest),
La ilaaha ill-Allah (None deserves worship except God).
Friday Prayer
Friday is the weekly day of communal worship in Islam. The weekly convened Jumu`ah (Friday Prayer) is the most important service. The Friday Prayer is marked by the following features:
• It falls in the same time as the noon prayer which it replaces.
• It must be performed in a congregation led by a prayer leader, an
‘Imam.’ It cannot be offered individually. Muslims in the West try to
arrange their schedules to allow them time to attend the prayer.
• Rather than a day of rest like the Sabbath, Friday is a day of
devotion and extra worship. A Muslim is allowed normal work on Friday
as on any other day of the week. They may proceed with their usual
activities, but they must break for the Friday prayer. After the worship
is over, they can resume their mundane activities.
• Typically, the Friday Prayer is performed in a mosque, if
available. Sometimes, due to unavailability of a mosque, it may be
offered at a rented facility, park, etc.
• When the time for prayer comes, the Adhan is pronounced. The Imam then stands facing the audience and delivers his sermon (known as khutbah
in Arabic), an essential part of the service of which its attendance is
required. While the Imam is talking, everyone present listens to the
sermon quietly till the end. Most Imams in the West will deliver the
sermon in English, but some deliver it in Arabic. Those who deliver it
in Arabic usually deliver a short speech in the local language before
the service.
• There are two sermons delivered, one distinguished from the other
by a brief sitting of the Imam. The sermon is commenced with words of
praise of God and prayers of blessing for Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him).
• After the sermon, the prayer is offered under the leadership of the Imam who recites the Fatihah (the 1st chapter of the Qur’an) and the other Qur’anic passage in an audible voice. When this is done, the prayer is completed.
Special, large congregational prayers, which include a sermon, are
also offered at late morning on the two days of festivity. One of them
is immediately following the month of fasting, Ramadan, and the other
after the pilgrimage, or hajj.
Although not religiously mandated, individual devotional prayers,
especially during the night, are emphasized and are a common practice
among pious Muslims.
Post a Comment