Does Salah in the Qur'an Mean the Five Times Prayer?
Question:
Dear Sir:
According to your answer "understand Quran from Quran itself"..then it never can be assume 'Salah = daily prayers"... because even quran does not say pray five times a day, then we have to accept Salah means follow Allah's rules and not 5 times daily prayers.
Please kindly comment.
Answer:
1. The source of learning the meaning of Salah is not the Qur'an, it is the established Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). In fact even before the preaching of the Prophet (pbuh) as a messenger many knew what Salah was, as it was not an alien concept in the Abrahamic religion. Therefore when the Qur'an referred to the word Salah all the direct addressees of the Qur'an already knew what the concept was and of course then the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) made it clear for them that how exactly it had to be performed.
2. We can easily understand from the Qur'an that Salah is a very specific ritual act of worship rather than a general prayer (or anything else that may be derived from the literal meaning of the word). Some examples from the Qur'an are as follows:
وَ إِذا كُنْتَ فيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَ لْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِنْ وَرائِكُمْ وَ لْتَأْتِ طائِفَةٌ أُخْرى لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَك...
"And (O Prophet ) when you are among them, and stand to lead them in the prayer (in the war situation) , then let one group stand with you such that they are armed with their weapons. Then after making their prostration, let them withdraw to the rear and then let the other group who has yet to pray come forward and pray with you; they also be armed with their weapons. ..." (4:102)
وَ أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهارِ وَ زُلَفاً مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَناتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئاتِ ذلِكَ ذِكْرى لِلذَّاكِرين
"And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and at the approach of the night Surely good deeds take away evil deeds This is a Reminder to the mindful" (11:114)
حافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَواتِ وَ الصَّلاةِ الْوُسْطى وَ قُومُوا لِلَّهِ قانِتين
وَ إِذا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُناحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلاةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا إِنَّ الْكافِرينَ كانُوا لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُبينا
"Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up truly obedient to God
And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you if you shorten the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress Surely the unbelievers are your open enemy" (2:238,239)
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا إِذا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَ أَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرافِقِ وَ امْسَحُوا بِرُؤُسِكُمْ وَ أَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْن ...
"O you who believe! when you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbow, and wipe your heads and (wash) your feet to the ankles ..." (5:6)
وَ لا تُصَلِّ عَلى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ ماتَ أَبَداً وَ لا تَقُمْ عَلى قَبْرِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ وَ ماتُوا وَ هُمْ فاسِقُون
"And never offer prayer for any one of them who dies and do not stand by his grave Surely they disbelieve in God and His Messenger and they shall die in transgression" (9:84)
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا لِيَسْتَأْذِنْكُمُ الَّذينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمانُكُمْ وَ الَّذينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ مِنْكُمْ ثَلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ صَلاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَ حينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيابَكُمْ مِنَ الظَّهيرَةِ وَ مِنْ بَعْدِ صَلاةِ الْعِشاء
...
"O you who believe! those whom your right hands possess and those of you who have not attained to puberty should ask you permission three times: Before the morning prayer, and when you put off your clothes at midday in summer, and after the prayer of the nightfall ..." (24:58)
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا إِذا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَ ذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُون
"O you who believe! when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of God and leave off trading That is better for you, if you know" (62:9)
You can see that it is not really possible to translate Salah in the above verses (as in many other verses of the Qur'an) as anything other than a ritual act of worship.
If any of this is not clear please let me know,
---------------------
March 2013
Dear Sir:
According to your answer "understand Quran from Quran itself"..then it never can be assume 'Salah = daily prayers"... because even quran does not say pray five times a day, then we have to accept Salah means follow Allah's rules and not 5 times daily prayers.
Please kindly comment.
Answer:
1. The source of learning the meaning of Salah is not the Qur'an, it is the established Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). In fact even before the preaching of the Prophet (pbuh) as a messenger many knew what Salah was, as it was not an alien concept in the Abrahamic religion. Therefore when the Qur'an referred to the word Salah all the direct addressees of the Qur'an already knew what the concept was and of course then the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) made it clear for them that how exactly it had to be performed.
2. We can easily understand from the Qur'an that Salah is a very specific ritual act of worship rather than a general prayer (or anything else that may be derived from the literal meaning of the word). Some examples from the Qur'an are as follows:
وَ إِذا كُنْتَ فيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَ لْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِنْ وَرائِكُمْ وَ لْتَأْتِ طائِفَةٌ أُخْرى لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَك...
"And (O Prophet ) when you are among them, and stand to lead them in the prayer (in the war situation) , then let one group stand with you such that they are armed with their weapons. Then after making their prostration, let them withdraw to the rear and then let the other group who has yet to pray come forward and pray with you; they also be armed with their weapons. ..." (4:102)
وَ أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهارِ وَ زُلَفاً مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَناتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئاتِ ذلِكَ ذِكْرى لِلذَّاكِرين
"And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and at the approach of the night Surely good deeds take away evil deeds This is a Reminder to the mindful" (11:114)
حافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَواتِ وَ الصَّلاةِ الْوُسْطى وَ قُومُوا لِلَّهِ قانِتين
وَ إِذا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُناحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلاةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا إِنَّ الْكافِرينَ كانُوا لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُبينا
"Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up truly obedient to God
And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you if you shorten the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress Surely the unbelievers are your open enemy" (2:238,239)
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا إِذا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَ أَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرافِقِ وَ امْسَحُوا بِرُؤُسِكُمْ وَ أَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْن ...
"O you who believe! when you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbow, and wipe your heads and (wash) your feet to the ankles ..." (5:6)
وَ لا تُصَلِّ عَلى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ ماتَ أَبَداً وَ لا تَقُمْ عَلى قَبْرِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ وَ ماتُوا وَ هُمْ فاسِقُون
"And never offer prayer for any one of them who dies and do not stand by his grave Surely they disbelieve in God and His Messenger and they shall die in transgression" (9:84)
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا لِيَسْتَأْذِنْكُمُ الَّذينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمانُكُمْ وَ الَّذينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ مِنْكُمْ ثَلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ صَلاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَ حينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيابَكُمْ مِنَ الظَّهيرَةِ وَ مِنْ بَعْدِ صَلاةِ الْعِشاء
...
"O you who believe! those whom your right hands possess and those of you who have not attained to puberty should ask you permission three times: Before the morning prayer, and when you put off your clothes at midday in summer, and after the prayer of the nightfall ..." (24:58)
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا إِذا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَ ذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُون
"O you who believe! when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of God and leave off trading That is better for you, if you know" (62:9)
You can see that it is not really possible to translate Salah in the above verses (as in many other verses of the Qur'an) as anything other than a ritual act of worship.
If any of this is not clear please let me know,
---------------------
March 2013