The importance of Hadith is commonly emphasised by claiming that the Quran does not teach salaah even though it orders us to do so. But here's what's overlooked. Allah Almighty has stated in His Final Message that the dictates given in the Quran and sent through 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 salaah (prayer), zakkah (charity) and fasting 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, it would be correct to state that while Prophets Moses, Jesus and Muhamamd (peace on them all) delivered the Taurah, Bible and Quran respectively, all important and basic religious dictates i.e. salaah, charity and fasting came from the time of Prophet Abraham (peace on him), generation after generation.
Salaah 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 forefathers deviated from the path of Allah. They gradually turned away from the ideology of monotheism and embraced polytheism.
The two compulsory physical gestures of salaah elucidated by Allah in the Quran as commandments and also while narrating the events of former Prophets are ruku and sajoud (that is, bowing and prostrating). These gestures were passed on from the time of Prophet Abraham.
It should also be remembered that during the 7th century, before the advent of Islam, the pagan Arabs offered their prayers with much the same physical gestures as we do today, but the only big difference was that their prayer was not directed to Allah Almighty. 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 Quran regarding salaah (or prayer) was not to teach its method because the method was already known to the people. But the purpose of the Quran regarding salaah was to correct its ideology, that is, salaah must be offered and directed ONLY to Allah alone.
As Shaikh Saad al-Humayd mentions in his article Did the Arabs know about Allah before Al-Islam that if we read the Quran carefully, we will realize that the pagan Arabs also believed in Allah Almighty, but they committed shirk because they attributed partners to Allah.
Hence, the method of salaah has been an ongoing process following the lineage from Prophets Abraham to Muhammad (peace on them).
Kindly check the following verses of the Noble Quraan for clarification and direct reference / evidence of the above analysis.
And they say: Be Jews or Christians, then ye will be rightly guided. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Nay, but (we follow) the religion of Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters. (2:135)
Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters.
Lo! those of mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who believe (with him); and Allah is the Protecting Guardian of the believers. (3:67-68)
And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! (22:78)
And afterward We inspired thee (Muhammad, saying): Follow the religion of Abraham, as one by nature upright. He was not of the idolaters. (16:123)
About prostrating (sajoud)
"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)
"And among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Don't prostrate yourselves to the Sun and the Moon, but prostrate to Allah, who created them if it is Him you wish to worship. If however, they are arrogant, those who are in the presence of your Lord celebrate His praises by night and by day and they never flag." (41:37-38)
"Do you then wonder at this recital? And will you laugh and not weep, wasting your time in vanities? Rather fall down in prostration to Allah and worship Him (alone)!" (53:62)
"O you who believe! Bow down, prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord; and do good so that you may prosper." (22:77)
"When it is said to them: 'Prostrate yourselves to the Most Gracious', they say: 'What is the Most Gracious? Shall we prostrate ourselves to that which you command us?' And it increases their flight from the Truth." (25:60)
Another very important point why the Noble Quran does not mention the method of salaah ..
A careful reading of the Noble 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. The only physical gestures mentioned in the Quran are bowing and prostrating that were done by all pious ones in the past - prostration and bowing being significant signs of complete surrender to the will of Allah Almighty alone. Therefore, the current method of salaah as offered by us, Muslims, has not been highlighted in the Quran because obviously Allah left this task on His final messenger to teach the people. So yes, the method of salaah was decided by the Prophet as he deemed best and thus demonstrated to his followers. This was an ongoing and unwritten practice over generations (in accordance with the basics that prevailed during the time of Prophet Abraham) which the Hadith included (in bits and pieces) in its narrations some 200 years later. Hence, the existence of Hadith can take no credit for "teaching salaah" as incorrectly claimed by many. It should also be known that there's no single Hadith that gives a comprehensive description of the method of prayer.
By claiming the Hadith to be indispensible for teaching salaah, such people ought to realize the enormity of the violation of their claim. They are, inadvertently or purposely, declaring the fallibility of the Quran in defence of the man-written Hadith by presuming the Quran to be incomplete when Allah Almighty has repeatedly said that His Book is complete (refer verse 5:3).
This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you as religion AL- ISLAM. (5:3Surah Al-Maidah)
P.S.
The standard comment from those who do not want to accept the Noble Quran as a stand-alone Book has been that not just salaah, but all information on zakah, fasting and hajj also come from Hadith. And if you tell them that you don't accept Hadith, the common question they shoot back is, "then how did you learn to say your prayers and the rules of fasting, charity and hajj?" Well, that myth about Hadith teaching salaah (prayer) has already been clarified. Similarly, the complete information on fasting, zakah and hajj is very definitely available in the Noble Quran. Please check the following links:
- The Noble Quran on Fasting
- The Noble Quran on Zakah
- Quranic Information on Hajj
Salaah 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 forefathers deviated from the path of Allah. They gradually turned away from the ideology of monotheism and embraced polytheism.
The two compulsory physical gestures of salaah elucidated by Allah in the Quran as commandments and also while narrating the events of former Prophets are ruku and sajoud (that is, bowing and prostrating). These gestures were passed on from the time of Prophet Abraham.
It should also be remembered that during the 7th century, before the advent of Islam, the pagan Arabs offered their prayers with much the same physical gestures as we do today, but the only big difference was that their prayer was not directed to Allah Almighty. 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 Quran regarding salaah (or prayer) was not to teach its method because the method was already known to the people. But the purpose of the Quran regarding salaah was to correct its ideology, that is, salaah must be offered and directed ONLY to Allah alone.
As Shaikh Saad al-Humayd mentions in his article Did the Arabs know about Allah before Al-Islam that if we read the Quran carefully, we will realize that the pagan Arabs also believed in Allah Almighty, but they committed shirk because they attributed partners to Allah.
Hence, the method of salaah has been an ongoing process following the lineage from Prophets Abraham to Muhammad (peace on them).
Kindly check the following verses of the Noble Quraan for clarification and direct reference / evidence of the above analysis.
And they say: Be Jews or Christians, then ye will be rightly guided. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Nay, but (we follow) the religion of Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters. (2:135)
Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters.
Lo! those of mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who believe (with him); and Allah is the Protecting Guardian of the believers. (3:67-68)
And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! (22:78)
And afterward We inspired thee (Muhammad, saying): Follow the religion of Abraham, as one by nature upright. He was not of the idolaters. (16:123)
About prostrating (sajoud)
"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)
"And among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Don't prostrate yourselves to the Sun and the Moon, but prostrate to Allah, who created them if it is Him you wish to worship. If however, they are arrogant, those who are in the presence of your Lord celebrate His praises by night and by day and they never flag." (41:37-38)
"Do you then wonder at this recital? And will you laugh and not weep, wasting your time in vanities? Rather fall down in prostration to Allah and worship Him (alone)!" (53:62)
"O you who believe! Bow down, prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord; and do good so that you may prosper." (22:77)
"When it is said to them: 'Prostrate yourselves to the Most Gracious', they say: 'What is the Most Gracious? Shall we prostrate ourselves to that which you command us?' And it increases their flight from the Truth." (25:60)
Another very important point why the Noble Quran does not mention the method of salaah ..
A careful reading of the Noble 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. The only physical gestures mentioned in the Quran are bowing and prostrating that were done by all pious ones in the past - prostration and bowing being significant signs of complete surrender to the will of Allah Almighty alone. Therefore, the current method of salaah as offered by us, Muslims, has not been highlighted in the Quran because obviously Allah left this task on His final messenger to teach the people. So yes, the method of salaah was decided by the Prophet as he deemed best and thus demonstrated to his followers. This was an ongoing and unwritten practice over generations (in accordance with the basics that prevailed during the time of Prophet Abraham) which the Hadith included (in bits and pieces) in its narrations some 200 years later. Hence, the existence of Hadith can take no credit for "teaching salaah" as incorrectly claimed by many. It should also be known that there's no single Hadith that gives a comprehensive description of the method of prayer.
By claiming the Hadith to be indispensible for teaching salaah, such people ought to realize the enormity of the violation of their claim. They are, inadvertently or purposely, declaring the fallibility of the Quran in defence of the man-written Hadith by presuming the Quran to be incomplete when Allah Almighty has repeatedly said that His Book is complete (refer verse 5:3).
This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you as religion AL- ISLAM. (5:3Surah Al-Maidah)
P.S.
The standard comment from those who do not want to accept the Noble Quran as a stand-alone Book has been that not just salaah, but all information on zakah, fasting and hajj also come from Hadith. And if you tell them that you don't accept Hadith, the common question they shoot back is, "then how did you learn to say your prayers and the rules of fasting, charity and hajj?" Well, that myth about Hadith teaching salaah (prayer) has already been clarified. Similarly, the complete information on fasting, zakah and hajj is very definitely available in the Noble Quran. Please check the following links:
- The Noble Quran on Fasting
- The Noble Quran on Zakah
- Quranic Information on Hajj
One more gesture of Salaat instructed in the Noble Quran is the recitation of Surah Fatiha.
ReplyDelete"We have given thee seven of the oft-repeated (verses) and the great Qur'an." (15:87) Surah Al-Hijr
This Verse definitely refers to Surah Fathiha, which has 7 verses that are mandatory in every Muslim prayer of every rakah. It fully conforms with the expression "seven of the oft-repeated.."
Even Jews used to pray like us and still do in a relatively similar manner
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aHWASyMjwg&lc=PRc4GicN93uhjq_J9VMpfkXbwkr34lJDvJHFQVCHiew&context=G24349abFAAAAAAAAAAA&feature=g-all-c
hey zainab your post is realy interesting and i realy thank you for bringing this up cuz i have been a muslim for a long time now, and i am realy glad i found this path( quran alone path). You see I myself am confuse on how to pray using quran alone and everytime I search online on how to do it, I always get different answers. So basically all you are saying is that we can just follow how the sunnis pray? please respond I know i have responded late since I just found out about ypur blog today...lol
ReplyDeleteAs-Salaam Alaikum and hi, Dan. It's heartening to know that you seem keen to perceive and understand our beautiful Faith of Islam rationally and truthfully.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not saying to pray like the Sunnis do nor like the Shiias do. Apart from the fact that sectarianism which divides Faith is itself disallowed in the Noble Quran, The Book has clearly elucidated the mandatory rules of Monotheistic prayer which make up its method. Whatever else one might wish to include in the Islamic prayer is subjective as long as it's strictly in conformity with the rules of Monotheism (Tawheed) that establishes the basic principles and foundation of Islam. I mean, anyone who has read the Quran or the accurate translation they understand, would definitely know the rules of the Quran that repeatedly remind us of the vital importance of Monotheism. Therefore, every information on prayer is found within the Quran. There is absolutely no need to step outside; and the Hadith is certainly not a reliable source for any Islamic information just like any other extra-Quranic source.
So, it's a very simple matter. As long as one takes the Quran alone as their Sole Criterion, there can be no confusion. I quite under the befuddlement that ensues while looking for answers from mainstream sources. Their views vary vastly, often not practical and inconsistent / unwarranted with Quranic information. I personally see this as a serious blunder resulting from one's blind commitment to traditionalism in preference to the Final, Message of The Almighty. I felt that if I followed this path, how would I answer His questions on the Day of Decision with the presence of the Quran as a Witness of my apathy? The fact that the majority are getting drawn to traditionalism rather than the Quran-alone is no good reason to follow them. In matters of righteousness, majority is only a show of strength of their large numbers. It's not necessarily a guarantee for correctness. Furthermore, it's been inherent of humans for centuries to more readily attracted to misguidance than guidance. As stated in Verse 6:116 already quoted with the title of this blog ""If you obeyed most of those on earth they would mislead you far from Allah's way."
The same blog entry has been explained a bit more explicitly, specifying the rules of the Quran on prayer which we have serially numbered in green at the following link in MV.
http://muslimvilla.smfforfree.com/index.php?topic=2302.0
Btw, at MV we received your request for registration. In accordance with our rules, we would appreciate much if you first post a detailed introduction of yourself in our guest book highlighting your precise status regarding your current approach to Islam.
Thank you for your comment. Allah bless.