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| Prayer movements? |
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| Anonymous |
| 07/22/03 at 02:22:17 |
| Do Muslims know why their prayer is done the way it is? I read about some of the benefits of prostrating, but I can't help but feel there is more? What about the rest of the movements, any ideas on the wisdom behind them? Why do you pray like that? And why do you have to be clean to pray? Doesn't God accept a person's prayers if they have faith but were dirty? Shouldn't the person be able to pray even if they are not physically clean at that moment? |
| Re: Prayer movements? |
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| sofia |
| 07/22/03 at 13:21:36 |
| Peace, Anonymous - Hope I understood your questions correctly. If not, maybe you can clarify or someone else can jump in to answer. [quote]Do Muslims know why their prayer is done the way it is? [/quote] Yes. In fact, standing, bowing and prostrating is not exclusive to Muslims. The Bible and the Qur'aan describe previous prophets as praying in the same fashion. It's a universal form of prayer to the One, True God. We're just carrying on the tradition, bearing witness that God is One, and praying in the form that He has prescribed for us. A Muslim scholar once made a comment on how the most noble part of a human being's body is his head/face. That's the part of the body that is lowest to the ground while in prostration, a symbol & recognition of our position in relation to the Creator of the Universe. [color=green]"Say: He is God, the One and Only. God, the One whom all turn to and depend on. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him."[/color] (Translation of the Qur'aan 112:1-4) [color=green]"Remember when We made the House a place of assembly for mankind and a place of safety--and take ye the station of Abraham as a place of prayer--and We covenanted with Abraham and Isma'il, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves (in prayer)."[/color] (Translation of the Qur'aan 2:125) [color=green]"O Mary! Worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."[/color] (Translation of the Qur'aan 3:43) [color=green]"(David) said: 'He has undoubtedly wronged you in demanding your ewe to be added to his (flock of) ewes: truly, many are the partners (in business) who wrong each other. Not so do those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and how few are they?' And David gathered that We had tried him, so he asked forgiveness of his Lord, fell down, bowing (in prostration), and turned (to God)."[/color] (Translation of the Qur'aan 38:24) [quote]What about the rest of the movements, any ideas on the wisdom behind them? Why do you pray like that? [/quote] I'm not sure how this question is different than the first. We pray the way we do (by standing, bowing and prostrating, all the while praising God in the way He has taught us) because we have a guidebook, called the Qur'aan, which describes not only how to pray, but who we worship (with no ambiguity as to who God is. He is One, and has always been One), how often to pray, in which direction, at which times, etc. We also have something called the Sunnah or the tradition of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh. His life was a living description of how to live according to the Qur'aan, even down to how to clean one's body after using the restroom. Muslim jurists (mainly) use these two sources (the Qur'aan and the Sunnah) in order to come up with Islaamic rulings, be it how we pray and view God, how/what we eat, how we treat others, how we treat animals and plants, etc. Regarding the Sunnah: the Qur'aan is incorruptible (ie, hasn't changed in the past 1,400+ years since it was first revealed). The Sunnah includes sayings of the Prophet (S) and descriptions of his actions. Throughout time, some of these narrations have been corrupted, and some have been passed down in their original form. Scholars have categorized hadith as authentic, good, unknown, falsified, etc. This science of categorizing the hadith is based on linkage of narrators, character of narrators, etc. I'm not aware of any system of classifying authenticity that is as rigid or comparable to this science; ie, there have been many more hadith that have been "thrown out" than graded as authentic. God knows best. In any case, the first and most authentic source for Islaamic law is the Qur'aan and [i]then[/i] the authentic Sunnah. And the miracle about these two sources is that, the Qur'aan does not contain any contradiction in it. And the authentic sunnah does not contradict the Qur'aan. As a side comment, if one can spend hours upon hours of time wasted away in front of a television set or something equally as useless, how we can argue that putting in 5 minutes for each prayer is a hardship? It's not a hardship, and the benefits far outweigh those of toiling away for 60 hours a week at work (God does not ask us to do this hardship). It's hard to describe, but the benefits can be in both physical and spiritual forms. [quote]And why do you have to be clean to pray? Doesn't God accept a person's prayers if they have faith but were dirty? Shouldn't the person be able to pray even if they are not physically clean at that moment? [/quote] There's a rather insightful hadith/narration of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that goes: [i]"Verily, God does not look to your bodies nor to your faces, but He looks to your hearts,"[/i] and he pointed towards the heart with his fingers. (Saheeh Muslim/Authentic from the collection of Imam Muslim). And: [i]"Actions are judged according to their intentions."[/i] (Saheeh Muslim, Bukhaari, etc). Islaam is a balance; it does not neglect either our physical or spiritual needs. Islaam does not require a Muslim to do anything that is too difficult for the majority to do. The Prophet (S) used to say: [i]"Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them)."[/i] (Saheeh Bukhaari) The ablutions, or wudu' is required, given there is clean water available. Every Muslim who has access to relatively clean water (that will not make them sick or catch pneumonia in cold weather, for ex) does the ablutions in the same way. With water, over certain body parts (ex/ the face, hands/arms, head, feet). For those who do not have water available to them (or the water would make them sick), they can do something called "tayammum," which is something the Prophet (S) taught as an alternative. It's basically using clean sand/dirt to lightly wipe over the hands, forearms and face. So you see, it's not just how clean we can get. It's a symbol of spiritual purity before we go into the prayer (not to mention, human nature even tells us not to have excrement on our clothing when we go to a job interview. How much greater is God?). A prayer is not necessarily accepted by God if we are not spiritually aware of what we are doing, or unjust in our relationship to others, etc. It's not just about physical cleanliness. God knows best. So in general, there are rules and regulations in Islaam, just as there are exceptions to almost everything, based on needs and accepted concessions in Islaamic law. God knows what is in our hearts, and knows what we are capable of. Having that knowledge, is pretty much sufficient for any Muslim, in conducting their daily affairs. It's also called "Ihsaan", a higher level of faith that is defined by Prophet Muhammad (S) as: [i]"Worship(ping) God as though you see Him. And if you do not see Him, know that He sees you."[/i] Here's a previous thread on Islaamic law that may fill in more details, in general, for you. Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have. http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/madina/YaBB.pl?board=archives;action=display;num=1048086585 [color=green]"O mankind! We created you from a single male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous/God-conscious of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)."[/color] (Translation of the Qur'aan 49:13) |
| NS |
| 07/22/03 at 13:26:28 |
| sofia |
| Re: Prayer movements? |
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| se7en |
| 07/22/03 at 13:57:51 |
| You might also want to check out an excellent book entitled "[url=http://store.yahoo.com/islamicbookstore-com/b3330.html]The Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship[/url]" by Imam Ghazali that details some of the wisdom behind the movements of the prayer. just came across this also, thought it was nice: [i] Even in its external forms alone, the Islamic mode of worship has held a profound fascination for outside observers down through the ages. Many an imagination has been captured by the haunting sound of the Call to Prayer Allahau Akbar! Allahu Akbar! … or by the stunning spectacle of row upon row prostrating themselves in perfect unison during Friday Congregation in the concourse of some splendid yet at the same time starkly simple Mosque. The cafes and restaurants of a great Muslim city, almost completely deserted in the daylight hours of Ramadan, make an eerie impression on travelers who arrive in the Month of Fasting. But it is probably the Pilgrimage with the aura of mystery and even danger surrounding the ‘forbidden cities’ of Makka and Madina, that has cast the grates spell on the minds of those who look at Islam from without. To Muslims, it is essentially unsurprising that outsiders should find the Islamic forms of worship so intriguing. For we believe Islam to be the ‘natural religion’ of mankind, as old as our first father Adam – peace be upon him – and as young as the latest infant born into this world. In our own day, the secret of this is revealing itself to growing numbers of men and women beyond the confines of what is regarded, historically and politically, as the World of Islam. The call to worships none but Allah, the One Almighty God, and to follow the guidance of His noble and blessed Messenger, Muhammad, is being sounded unceasingly on many levels, on countless wavelengths. People hear and respond in very different ways. Sometimes there is a sudden flash of inspiration, sometimes a long and gradual maturing of knowledge and understanding, leading one day to certain conviction. An opening of the feelings may precede rational comprehension. Dreams and visions may play their part. These remarks are based on the experience of many close friends and acquaintances who have come to embrace Islam, as well as on my own. In most cases I know of, an attraction to the Islamic forms of worship has been important element, if not the principal factor, in the crucial decision to make a full commitment to the religion. A French lady never forgot the sound of the Call to Prayer, which she had heard as a child in North Africa, and the day came when she knew she must answer it. My friend Robert was a medical student when we traveled together in Turkey many years ago; he could not resist joining the Muslim Congregation at Prayer in the Mosques. I know him now as Dr. Abdarrahman. I could fill the page with the names of Muslim brothers and sisters who observed the Fast during Ramadhan even before they embraced Islam, not to mention the many non-Muslim friends who have recently begun to Fast (and who like to give Alms at the end of the fasting month). To speak of myself, I knew in my heart at least fifteen years before I embraced Islam that I must one day visit the Ka’bah in Macca as a Pilgrim. Throughout that time I performed the Islamic ablutions every morning and often at other times as well. Like others with whom I joined in exercise of a spiritual nature, ‘receiving’ from beyond the influence of heart and mind, I would sometimes feel the movements of the Islamic Prayer arising spontaneously in my body. These and a host of other experiences, culminating in a remarkable vision of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, together with his noble Companions, eventually convinced me that I was a Muslim – however imperfect – and that I ought to acknowledge the fact. Genuine seekers of Truth can never be satisfied with outer forms alone, even if they believe those forms to have been established by Divine decree. In what is probably his most famous saying, the blessed Prophet himself declared: ‘Actions are valued according to intentions.’ Indeed, the Beautiful Names of Allah include both ‘The Outer (al-Zhahir)’ and ‘The Inner (al-Batin).’ The need for a greater understanding of the inner dimensions of Islamic worship is acutely felt, not only by a host of potential Muslims but also by many who have lived their whole lives as members of the Islamic community. [/i] -- Muhtar Holland |
| 07/22/03 at 14:07:51 |
| se7en |
| Re: Prayer movements? |
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| Anonymous |
| 08/07/03 at 03:40:17 |
| Hi there, I've posted a couple of days ago but it didn't go through I guess. Could you please ask Sufia and se7en to re-post their answers to my question. When the threads got lost, I lost it before I could really get into it. Thanks |
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