Salam,
The Obligatory Salat
A
lot of people did not realize that the obligatory salat in the Quran must take
the definite article “Al” or “The” in English. God wish to show that whenever
He commanded to establish the obligatory Salat there is always the “Al” in
front of the word Salat otherwise it takes a different meaning. Some examples
of the command to establish the obligatory Salat in the Quran as stated below:
Who
believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer (Al Salat), and spend out of
what We have provided for them; (Surah 2:3)
And
be steadfast in prayer (Al Salat); practice regular charity; and bow down your
heads with those who bow down (in worship). (Surah 2:43)
And
be steadfast in prayer (Al Salat) and regular in charity: And whatever good ye
send forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with Allah: for Allah
sees Well all that ye do. (Surah 2:110)
O
ye who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer (Al Salat); for
Allah is with those who patiently persevere. (Surah 2:153)
The obligatory Al Salat is
special that whenever there is command to establish this Al Salat it must come
together with the ablution whereas the word salat without the “Al” does not
carry this obligation:
O
ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer (Al Salat), wash your faces, and
your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash)
your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe
your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from
offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water,
then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and
hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean,
and to complete his favor to you, that ye may be grateful. (Surah 5:6)
Enjoin
prayer (Bi Al Salat) on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not to
provide sustenance: We provide it for thee. But the (fruit of) the Hereafter is
for righteousness. (Surah 20:132)
And
establish regular prayers (Al Salat) 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):
(Surah 11:114)
O
ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer (Li Al Salat) 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! (Surah 62:9)
Some examples of the words
salat without the “Al” do not fall into the category of the obligatory Al
Salat. The word takes some other meanings or without the “Al” it means just
ordinary supplication:
They
are those on whom (Descend) blessings (salawatun) from Allah, and Mercy, and
they are the ones that receive guidance. (Surah 2:157)
And
this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing blessings, and confirming (the
revelations) which came before it: that thou mayest warn the mother of cities
and all around her. Those who believe in the hereafter believe in this (Book),
and they are constant in guarding their prayers (salat). (Surah 6:92)
Say:
"Truly, my prayer (salati) and my service of sacrifice, my life and my
death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: (Surah 6:162)
Their
prayer (salat) at the House (of Allah) is nothing but whistling and clapping of
hands: (Its only answer can be), "Taste ye the penalty because ye
blasphemed." (Surah 8:35)
But
some of the desert Arabs believe in Allah and the Last Day, and look on their
payments as pious gifts bringing them nearer to Allah and obtaining the prayers
(salawati) of the Messenger. Aye, indeed they bring them nearer (to Him): soon
will Allah admit them to His Mercy: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Surah 9:99)
They
said: "O Shu'aib! Does thy prayer (salaa) command thee that we leave off
the worship which our fathers practised, or that we leave off doing what we
like with our property? Truly, thou art the one that forbeareth with faults and
is right-minded!" (Surah 11:87)
(They
are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for
no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah
check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been
pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues (salawaatun), and mosques, in
which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will
certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength,
Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will). (Surah 22:40)
Those
who humble themselves in their prayers/supplication;(salawa) (Surah 23:2); And
who (strictly) guard their prayers/supplication; (salawa) (Surah 23;9)
Seest
thou not that it is Allah Whose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth
do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its
own (mode of) commitment (salaa) and praise. And Allah knows well all that they
do. (Surah 24:41)
As
can be seen from the above verses of the Quran any salat without the word “Al”
in front do not take the meaning of the daily obligatory salat which carries
various features like taking ablution (Surah 5:6), to be done at specific times
(Surah 4:103), understanding what one says (Surah 4:43) and other requirement
as commanded by Allah in the Quran.
Some examples of prayer done
without the necessary ablution if there no “Al” in front of the word salaa:
So
he gave nothing in charity, nor did he pray! (Salla) (Surah 75:31)
And
glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer.
(salla) (Surah 85:15)
A
votary when he (turns) to pray? (Salla) (Surah 96:10)
Also included without the “Al”
in front of the word Salat is The dawn supplication (Salati Fajri) and the
night supplication (Salati Ishaa) as stated in the Surah 24:58
As
has been indicated in the Quran there is no “Al” in front of the words salati fajri
and salati ishaa in the Surah 24:58, this means that the word “salaa” do not
refer to the daily obligatory Salat or does it refers to the name of the
obligatory dawn salat or early night salat:
O
ye who believe! let those whom your right hands possess, and the (children)
among you who have not come of age ask your permission (before they come to
your presence), on three occasions: before morning prayer/supplication (salat
fajri); the while ye doff your clothes for the noonday heat; and after the night
prayer/supplication (salatil ishaa): these are your three times of undress:
outside those times it is not wrong for you or for them to move about attending
to each other: Thus does Allah make clear the Signs to you: for Allah is full
of knowledge and wisdom. (Surah 24:58)
As
can be seen from the above there is no mentioned to establish the salat in the
above verse instead there is the command for the children to ask permission before
going into the room of the elders at the three times of privacy. The mentioning
of the salat in this verse is without the “Al” and thus it is not the
obligatory salat being mentioned but supplication or “dua” that is done without
the obligatory ablution. Nevertheless for reference on the command to establish
the obligatory salat at dawn and early night they are mentioned at Surah 11:114
as here there is the definite article “Al” or “The” mentioned in front of the
word Salat. Thus the word “Salatil Fajri and “Salatil Ishaa” in Surah 24:58 do
not specially refer to the obligatory prayer in that verse but is being mentioned
elsewhere. The two words is therefore not the name of salat as being propagated
by some quarters but it refer to other deeds also done in the morning and in
the early night.
The prayer being mentioned
by name is only the Middle Prayer or AsSalatil AlWusta” as stated in the
following verse of the Quran:
Guard
strictly your (habit of) prayers (Al Salawaat) and the Middle Prayer (AlSalati AlWusta);
and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind). (Surah 2:238)
The
word AlSalatil AlWusta” has the Arabic “Al” or “The” in front of the word salat
and this conform with all the word AlSalat when God refer it to be the
obligatory prayers all over in the Quran. Thus this is the only name of Salat
mentioned in the Quran and the rest does not refer to be obligatory but form of
other supplication as an example in the Surah 9:103 invoked by the Prophet to
motivate his followers by his “dua” is not the obligatory salat because the word
is without the definite article “the”.
With
the above reasoning the argument put forward that there are three names of
salat in the Quran is inaccurate and it cannot be used to proof that God commanded
only three obligatory Salat instead of five as the name of Salat being
mentioned is only one at Surah 2:238 and the meaning of AlSalatil AlWusta is
the Middle Prayer and this prayer as its name indicated is the middle prayer
among all the daily obligatory prayers and stand in the middle in term of time
between its two adjoining prayers which the Noon prayer (Surah 17:78) and end
of the day prayer or sunset as stated in Surah 11:114. It is without doubt that
the obligatory Salat is commanded base on times stated and not on names of Salat.
Asar
Mr Munir AlHaq put a claim
as follows:
For understanding the Quran
you must first learn Quranic Arabic grammar.
The word Al has very
established rules. You cannot have Al in a possession construct so you cannot
have Al in صَلَوْةِ اْلْفَجْرِ
Hence your argument is
invalid. According to these ayats, there are only THREE names of al-Salat in
the Quran: Fajar, Isha and Wusta.
Asar’s reply
But why Allah has possession
construct in AlWusta Salat with the Al in front of the word Salat at Surah 2:238
to be a name of the obligatory Salat? To say that the Wusta prayer has the “Al”
in front but not necessary for the fajr and Ishaa prayers is contradicting the
Quran. All must have the “Al” to be a name of Salat and with the “Al” it is
also to indicate that it is referring to the obligatory daily prayers.
Further example can be shown
by Surah 62:9 the AlSalat there is not a name “Friday Prayer” because there is
no “Al” in front of the word ‘Yaumin” or “day” for it to be a specific day
Friday:
AsSalati min yauwmil Aljumaati
(لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ ) means AlSalat from a day of gathering is
not a name of Salat as normally called “Friday Prayer” but if it is
As Salati Alyauwmil AlJumaah
then it means Friday prayer because there is the “Al” in front of all the word
Salat, Day and Gathering for it to be a name of Salat.
Furthermore In Surah 62:9
the Salat there is not a name of Salat as God do not restrict this Salat only to
Friday thus it is not a name of a specific day or a specific Salat name. It can
be perform on Saturday or Sunday as the Jews or the Christian is doing for
their gathering. Similarly the fajr and the Ishaa salat is not a name of the
obligatory salat because there is no “Al” or “the” to make the word specific to
refer as the obligatory dawn and night Salat compared to the AlSalati AlWusta
in Surah 2:238.
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