The religious practices instituted by God are given us to feed our souls for their growth to prevent them from starvation and eventual loss (7:8-9). It is unfortunate that these practices are corrupted with man-made rules and laws making them unable to nourish our souls. Salat (the Contact Prayer) is the primary source of nourishment (29:45), which also removes our sins if it is practiced being humble to God (11:114, 23:1-2) has been corrupted its different aspects with innovations: (a) adding extra words to its recitation, (b) adding number of prayers to it and (c) adding number of units to each prayer. But if we can reflect that the Salat prayer has been decreed on the believers based on time may help us understand and avoid the corruptions around 5 times Salat prayer and its 17 units:
[7:8] And the weighing on that day is the truth. So whoever weighed his scales heavy, then those – they are the successful ones.
[7:9] And whoever weighed his scales light, then those are the ones who lost their souls of what they had done with our revelations is doing injustice.
[29:45] You (prophet) shall recite what has been revealed to you of the scripture and shall observe the Contact Prayer. Indeed, the Contact Prayer prevents from the evil and the vice, but the remembrance of God is surely the greatest while God knows what you (all) do.
[11:114] And you (prophet) shall observe the Contact Prayer at both ends of the day, and during the night. Indeed, the good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for those who would take heed.
[23:1-2] Certainly, have succeeded the believers are those who – they are the humbles in their Salat prayer.
Corruptions around 5 times 17 units Salat prayer
The practice of Salat is the prime source of nourishing our souls, but it is unfortunate that the Salat is the most corrupted and distorted rite of all the rites given to us by God as practiced today by the majority people all over the world claiming them Muslims. The infiltration of corruptions and distortions are found in different aspects of the Salat prayer while the following are the major corruptions and distortions found around the 5 times 17 units Salat prayer a day:
1. Extra Salat prayers: (1)Tarawih during Ramadan, (2) Eidul Fitr, (3) Eidul Adha, (4) Salatul tawaf (after circling the Ka’ba), (5) Salatul Qadr, (6) Tahajjad, (7) Ishrak, (8) Chasht, (9) Istekhar, while there may have many but the practices of Tarawih, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Adha, salatul Qadr, salatul tawaf, Tahajjad are very common among the traditional Muslims. These Salat prayers are associated with certain events and are practiced to have extra reward from specially emphasized and encouraged by the Muslim leaders and scholars.
2. Extra rak’ahs (units): (1) Sunnat, (2) Wajib, (3) Nafl are added to 5 times salat prayer what are observed after completing units of each prayer has been decreed for us, claiming that the prophet used to practice these units of Salat and his companions practiced them after his death. Thus, these practices came down to our generation through practicing generation after generation.
3. Shortening of the Salat prayer (qasr): The religious scholars have introduced Qasr Salat prayer when someone is on a journey or is away from home. There is consensus among them that travelling over a certain distance is a condition, and who has met that requirement will observe the Qasr Salat prayer, while it has been made a rule for the believers who would be away from home disregarding the condition, the fear from attack of the disbelievers.
4. Making up the missed Salat prayer (salat al qada): There is consensus among the scholars to perform the missed prayer(s) (qada’ ) of every obligatory Salat omitted either intentionally, or on account of forgetfulness, ignorance or sleep being wajib, while there is no qada’ for a woman for the prayers left during menstruation (hayd) and afterbirth excretion (nifas), because Salat is not wajib for them for those missed Salat prayers. However, the one who intends to perform the qada’ of a qasr prayer during journey will perform it qasr in accordance with the Salat prayers missed by him.
5. Proxy for act of Salat prayers: There is a general consensus among sub-sects of shias about appointing a proxy for carrying out prayers. It is valid to appoint a proxy for carrying out prayers on behalf of a dead person while it is not valid in sunnis for a dead person nor for a living one. In addition, in other group there is a specific mention that which has been missed by the father and the mother during death-illness is to be performed as qada’ by the child.
6. Praying at masjid not established with righteousness: There are crowds around masjids without knowing whether these have been established with righteousness. However, most masjids around the world are founded on the basis of sects and sub-sects wherein God cannot be worshiped without associating partners with Him as Muhammad and his family as well as Ibrahim and his family are remembered in the Salat prayers when the prayer must be dedicated to God alone.
7. Corrupted call for the Salat prayer (adhan): Not only praying in masjids has been made corrupted associating partners with God but also the call for the Salat prayer has been corrupted with adding Muhammad’s name as messenger of God in the call.
8. Prohibiting women from performing Salat during menstruation and excretion after childbirth: Islamic scholars have innovated religious laws of prohibiting women from observing Salat during menstruation (hayd) and excretion after childbirth (nifas) including from fasting, Hajj and even from touching the Quran. They have claimed that women are unclean during menstruation and excretion after childbirth, and therefore cannot be allowed to pray or to do any other religious duties.
Validations of corruptions around 5 times 17 units Salat prayer
God has given us as many words in the Quran as we need to do the righteous deeds to be grateful to Him establishing appropriate belief in our hearts to be rewarded by Him when we will meet Him. Thus, He has taught us “no less and no more” that we may find straight path not going to crooked using His words validating any corruptions in His religion including the corruptions found around 5 times 17 units Salat prayer, what Muhammad had done being the guided one:
[18:109] Say, “If the ocean had been ink for my Lord’s words, certainly, the ocean had run out before that my Lord’s words ran out, even if we brought of like it as ink supplement.”
[31:27] And if that whatever in the earth of trees were pens, and the ocean were (ink), adding to it of its after were seven oceans, God’s words had not run out. Indeed, God is Almighty, Wise.
[8:2] Only the believers are those – when has been mentioned God, has feared their hearts, and when has been recited His revelations to them, has increased them in faith, and upon their Lord they put trust.
[6:50] Say, “I (Muhammad) do not say to you that I possess the treasures of God, nor do I know the future, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I do not follow except what is revealed to me.” Say, “Is the blind the same as the seer? Then do you not reflect?”
1. God has decreed Salat prayer based on time (waqt) not by name, and if we can reflect to this fact, then any Salat prayers other than 5 times Salat prayer introduced by name or based on event by tradition or so-called Islamic scholars is a corrupted practice being a satanic trick to make us losers:
[4:103] So when you have completed the Contact Prayer, then you shall remember God while standing, and sitting, and on your sides. But when you have been secure, then you shall observe the Contact Prayer. Indeed, the Contact Prayer has been on the believers a decree at specified times.
However, daily 5 times Salat prayers have been confirmed based on prayer times found in 10 verses across 10 suras in the Quran as shown in the table below:
2. In addition to corrupting 5 times Salat prayers adding extra prayers, universally accepted and preserved daily 17 rak’ahs (units) at 5 times has been corrupted with adding certain units of prayer namely: Sunnat, Wajib or Nafl to each prayer advocating to get more reward from God or claiming that the prophet used to do those units of prayer. While God has given us a clue in His words to understand these additions are corruptions for those who have been the believers as there is no order for the prophet nor for the believers with him to observe additional units of Salat individually guarding their arms and baggage upon completion of the congregational prayer: But if the prophet had done anything without permission of God or ordered anything for the believers to do, he would disobey Him, and what we see in the Quran that he was not able to ignore the commandment of God, and his marriage with the divorced wife of his adopted son is an example for us.
[4:102] And when you (prophet) have been with them, then you have led the Contact Prayer for them; so a group of them should stand with you (prophet), and of them should take their weapons, then when they have prostrated, then they should be of your behind; and the other group should come who did not pray, then they should pray with you (prophet), and they (already prayed) should take their precautions and their weapons. Those who disbelieved wished if you neglect your weapons and baggage that they may ambush upon you for a sudden attack. And there is no sin upon you if it has been a disruption with you from rain, or if you have been ill that you may lay down your weapons and shall take your precautions. Indeed, God has prepared a humiliating punishment for the disbelievers.
3. There is an order from God to shorten the Salat prayer for someone who is traveling in the land, which is conditional if there is a fear of any attack from the disbelievers. However, the condition that the scholars have associated with the Qasr Salat prayer is a corrupted practice while God has not authorized anyone including His prophets and messengers in the earth to make any religious rule or law. Thus, what they have done is a horrendous crime making them equal to God.
[4:101] And when you traveled in the land, then there is no sin upon you that you may shorten of the Contact Prayer if you have feared that those who disbelieved may harm you. Indeed, the disbelievers have been open enemy for you.
4. The scholars have made the missed prayers to be wajib and have made a rule to observe the missed prayer(s) while we do not see in the Quran that God has categorized the Salat prayer into sunnat, wajib or nafl except an order for us that Salat has been a decree for us specifying times at Fajr, Zahur, Asr, Maghrib and Isha-a, and its units came down to us from the past being Salat is an old practice. Thus, whoever has missed any prayer, has missed it forever, and the only way is open for us to repent to God and ask His forgiveness for the missed prayer as there is no way to go back to do it.
5. Everyone is responsible for his own good and bad; thus, there is no proxy act on behalf of anyone whether alive or dead including parents for the Salat prayer including other religious rites:
[41:46] Whoever has done as righteous, so does for his soul, and whoever has done evil, so does against it, while your Lord would not be with unjust for the servants.
[45:15] Whoever has done as righteous, so does for his soul, and whoever has done evil, so does against it. Then to your Lord you will be returned.
[53:38] That no one will bear a burden of another’s burden.
[2:48] You shall fear a day a soul cannot help a soul about anything, nor can intercession be accepted from it, nor can a compensation be taken from it, nor can they be helped.
[3:91] Indeed, those who have disbelieved and have died while they are disbelievers, then an earth full of gold will not be accepted from any of them, and even he has offered as ransom with it. Those – for them there is a painful punishment and for them there are no helpers.
6. God wants us to be masjids frequently, specially for the Friday congregational prayer as the Friday congregation prayer is an opportunity for us to learn His teachings and laws from His scripture through sermons delivered before the congregation prayer. The sermon as delivered in most masjids has not been prepared according to the Quran while the prayer is corrupted with remembering Muhammad and his family as well as Ibrahim and his family. Thus, most masjids are not worthy of praying therein, and God has been merciful on us has commanded us to avoid such masjids giving an opportunity to do it right way at our homes until God’s masjids are found. Under these circumstances those who have been attending such masjids staying with the majority have failed to purify them are deprived of God’s love.
[7:31] O Children of Adam, you shall dress appropriately every time to masjid. And you shall eat and drink while you should not be immoderate. Indeed, He does not love the immoderate ones.
[9:107] And those who have taken a masjid as harm, and disbelief, and division among the believers, and as a station for whoever warred against God and His messenger before, and they certainly swear: “We have not wished except the good!” While God bears witness: indeed, they are surely liars.
[9:108] You should not ever stand in it. A masjid has been founded on the righteousness from a first day is worthy that you will stand in it. In it, people love that they may purify them, while God loves the purified ones.
[10:87] And we inspired to Moses and his brother that “You shall settle houses in Egypt for your people, and shall make your houses as a place of worship, and shall observe the Contact Prayer, and shall give good news to the believers.”
7. The call for Salat is made to observe the congregation prayer for God but the corrupt call invites to the corrupt Salat prayer that does not have any impact on our souls and the souls will have no weight on a day of the Judgment followed by the Resurrection:
[62:9] O you who believed, when a call has been made for the Contact Prayer on a day of the Friday, you shall hasten to remembrance of God, and shall leave the business. That is better for you, if you have been of those who know.
[7:9] And whoever weighed his scales light, then those are the ones who lost their souls of what they had done with our revelations is doing injustice.
8. Men and women are spiritually equal, which means that God has given both souls equal opportunity to make them Heaven growing their souls through remembering Him at their life time. If certain periods are taken away from women, they may fail to grow them as required.
[4:124] And whoever does of the righteous deeds from a male or a female, while he is a believer, then those will admit to the Garden (Paradise), and they will not be wronged of the speck on a date seed.
[16:97] Whoever has done as righteous from male or female, and he is a believer, then surely, we will give him a good life, and surely, we will pay them their reward with best of what they used to do.
Summary
- God has decreed the Salat prayer by time (waqt) that eliminates any extra prayers as innovated by name by the misguided scholars if we can reflect to this commandment of Salat.
- Prophet when he had been with the believers had not led any prayers other than the prayer as decreed by God eliminates any extra units as innovated by name by the misguided scholars.
- There is no makeup of the missed prayers (qada) while someone may shorten (qasr) his prayers if there is a fear of attack from the disbelievers.
- Everyone is responsible for his own good and bad; thus, there is no proxy act on behalf of anyone whether alive or dead.
- Praying in masjids which are not worthy of praying therein does not help grow our souls while the true believers can make their houses as places of worship to obey God’s command praying therein to help grow their souls.
- Since men and women are spiritually equal and God has not prohibited women to observe Salat prayer or any other religious rites during their menstruation or excretion after childbirth.
In conclusion, if we understand our priority to obey God and to do the righteous deeds according to His guidance establishing perfect belief in our hearts, we would not fail to interpret his command while Quran has everything but we need to re-educate ourselves to reflect to see the truth in it.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (2/21/2020).