Allah Almighty has converyed to us in His Final Message that the dictates given in the Glorious Quran as revealed our Prophet Muhammad (SAAW) are the continuation of previous Divine Messages from the time of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) onward which the people did not bother to follow nor to preserve. Commandments of belief in Monotheism (tawheed), salaat (prayer), zakkah (charity) fasting and pilgrimage (Hajj) were Divine commandments given to people through former messengers since ancient times. Prophet Muhammad's mission and deliverence of the Quran was the final & complete repetition/confirmation of the Divine Message. Hence, while Prophets Moses, Jesus and Muhamamd (peace on them all) delivered the Taurah, Bible and Quran respectively, all important dictates came from the time of Prophet Abraham (peace on him), generation after generation.
Method of prayer already existed from the time of Abraham
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The concept of salaat was already taught to the people since the time of Prophet Abraham in the Arabian peninsula. But with the passage of time these people and their descendents deviated from the path of Allah. They drifted away from the ideology of Monotheism towards polytheism.
The two most important (and therefore obligatory) physical gestures of worship and obedience to Allah elucidated in the Quran as commandments and also while narrating the events of former Prophets are ruku and sajoud (bowing and prostrating), being very significant signs of complete surrender to the will of Allah Almighty alone. These gestures were passed on from the time of the former Prophets.
"Those were some of the prophets on whom Allah bestowed His Grace of the posterity of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah, and of the posterity of Ibrahim and Israel - of those whom We guided and chose; whenever the Signs of Allah Most Gracious were rehearsed to them, they would fall down in prostrate adoration and in tears." (19:58)
"O you who believe! Bow down, prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord; and do good so that you may prosper." (22:77)
In the 7th century prior to the advent of Islam, the pagans prayed with physical gestures similar to our salaat but the big difference was that their prayer was not directed toward Allah, the One and Only. Instead, as polytheists, they offered their ruku and sajoud to their idols which were placed in the Kaaba at Makkah, and their concept of reaching out to Allah was through these idols. This was the big mistake and corruption brought about by the people over the generations by which they ruined the Monotheistic Faith as practiced by Prophet Abraham.
The purpose of the Glorious Quran regarding salaat was not to teach its method. The basic method was already known to the people. But the purpose of the Quran concerning salaat was to correct its ideology, that is, salaat must be offered and directed ONLY to Allah alone.
The Glorious Quran does not demand an identical physical method of salaat from all communities
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A careful reading of the Quran makes it clear that prayer offered to Almighty Allah by different people around the world does not necessarily require an identical procedure or language in order to be accepted by Him. What's absolutley necessary is the concept of strict Monotheism with sincerity and depth of one's devotion toward Allah ONLY and NO other deity.
For instance, the Quran mentions of some segments of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) as righteous believers who will not be denied their reward.
They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). 3:113
They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous. 3:114
And whatever good they do, they will not be denied the meed thereof. Allah is Aware of those who ward off (evil). 3:115
These people whom Allah is referring to in the above Verses were definitely Monotheistic believers who worshipped Allah alone. It's likely that their exact method of worship (except falling prostrate) and their language of prayer was not identical to that of the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAAW). And surely, their method could not have been identical to our present method of salaat. Yet, Allah does not take these insiginificant details into account as clearly expressed in the above Verses.
Not to mention, with so many sects that exist within the interpolated Islam of today, the precise method of salaat is anything but identical within the Muslim community itself. The small details surely differ from sect to sect, except ruku and sajoud and the recitation of Quranic Surahs.
Coming to the query, how did the followers of the Prophet (SAAW) learn their exact method of salaat, apart from the ongoing gestures of ruku and sajoud? Obviously, after the revelations of the Final Message began, the task of refreshing and demonstrating the method of salaat with the right Monotheistic intent was the responsibility of the Prophet (SAAW) as he deemed proper, in conformity with the commandments and principles highlighted by Allah in His Final Message. This too was an ongoing and unwritten practice over generations, including the basics that already prevailed during the time of Prophet Abraham.
The Hadith picked up this ongoing practice (in bits and pieces) in its numerous narrations some 200 years later, and wrote it down in the form of stories. That's all it did! The Hadith can in no way grab the credit for "teaching salaat" as widely and incorrectly claimed by the imams.
Method of prayer already existed from the time of Abraham
---------------------------------------------------------
The concept of salaat was already taught to the people since the time of Prophet Abraham in the Arabian peninsula. But with the passage of time these people and their descendents deviated from the path of Allah. They drifted away from the ideology of Monotheism towards polytheism.
The two most important (and therefore obligatory) physical gestures of worship and obedience to Allah elucidated in the Quran as commandments and also while narrating the events of former Prophets are ruku and sajoud (bowing and prostrating), being very significant signs of complete surrender to the will of Allah Almighty alone. These gestures were passed on from the time of the former Prophets.
"Those were some of the prophets on whom Allah bestowed His Grace of the posterity of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah, and of the posterity of Ibrahim and Israel - of those whom We guided and chose; whenever the Signs of Allah Most Gracious were rehearsed to them, they would fall down in prostrate adoration and in tears." (19:58)
"O you who believe! Bow down, prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord; and do good so that you may prosper." (22:77)
In the 7th century prior to the advent of Islam, the pagans prayed with physical gestures similar to our salaat but the big difference was that their prayer was not directed toward Allah, the One and Only. Instead, as polytheists, they offered their ruku and sajoud to their idols which were placed in the Kaaba at Makkah, and their concept of reaching out to Allah was through these idols. This was the big mistake and corruption brought about by the people over the generations by which they ruined the Monotheistic Faith as practiced by Prophet Abraham.
The purpose of the Glorious Quran regarding salaat was not to teach its method. The basic method was already known to the people. But the purpose of the Quran concerning salaat was to correct its ideology, that is, salaat must be offered and directed ONLY to Allah alone.
The Glorious Quran does not demand an identical physical method of salaat from all communities
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A careful reading of the Quran makes it clear that prayer offered to Almighty Allah by different people around the world does not necessarily require an identical procedure or language in order to be accepted by Him. What's absolutley necessary is the concept of strict Monotheism with sincerity and depth of one's devotion toward Allah ONLY and NO other deity.
For instance, the Quran mentions of some segments of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) as righteous believers who will not be denied their reward.
They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). 3:113
They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous. 3:114
And whatever good they do, they will not be denied the meed thereof. Allah is Aware of those who ward off (evil). 3:115
These people whom Allah is referring to in the above Verses were definitely Monotheistic believers who worshipped Allah alone. It's likely that their exact method of worship (except falling prostrate) and their language of prayer was not identical to that of the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAAW). And surely, their method could not have been identical to our present method of salaat. Yet, Allah does not take these insiginificant details into account as clearly expressed in the above Verses.
Not to mention, with so many sects that exist within the interpolated Islam of today, the precise method of salaat is anything but identical within the Muslim community itself. The small details surely differ from sect to sect, except ruku and sajoud and the recitation of Quranic Surahs.
Coming to the query, how did the followers of the Prophet (SAAW) learn their exact method of salaat, apart from the ongoing gestures of ruku and sajoud? Obviously, after the revelations of the Final Message began, the task of refreshing and demonstrating the method of salaat with the right Monotheistic intent was the responsibility of the Prophet (SAAW) as he deemed proper, in conformity with the commandments and principles highlighted by Allah in His Final Message. This too was an ongoing and unwritten practice over generations, including the basics that already prevailed during the time of Prophet Abraham.
The Hadith picked up this ongoing practice (in bits and pieces) in its numerous narrations some 200 years later, and wrote it down in the form of stories. That's all it did! The Hadith can in no way grab the credit for "teaching salaat" as widely and incorrectly claimed by the imams.
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