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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 Quran 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 Kaaba (the
ancient place of worship built by Abraham and his son Ishmael). At
the end of the prayer, the shahada (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 Kaaba in Mecca, the worshipers align themselves in
parallel rows behind the imam, or prayer leader, who directs them as
they execute the physical postures coupled with Quran recitations.
In many Muslim countries, the “call to prayer,” or ‘Adhan,’ echo out
across the rooftops. Aided by a megaphone the muezzin calls out:
Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest),
Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest),
Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest),
Allahu Akbar (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-Rasool-ullah (I witness that Muhammad is
the messenger of God).
Ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-Rasool-ullah (I witness that Muhammad is
the messenger of God).
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 (God is the greatest),
Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest),
La ilaaha ill-Allah (None deserves worship except God).
Friday is the weekly day of communal worship in Islam. The weekly
convened 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 can not 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
khutba 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, may
the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.
· After the sermon, the prayer is offered under the leadership of
the Imam who recites the Fatiha and the other Quranic 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. |
