Peace Mubashir / Truth Seeker.
A very healthy discussion.
Mubashir you say:
""...SALAWAAT is not reading something for a certain number of times but practically doing something i.e. commending and supporting the mission of the Messenger [a.s.] by whatever means we can..."There seems to be an inherent dilemma either / or scenario in the argument that you may be presenting. (i.e. if something is not A then it is B).
Salawaat has different shades of meanings given the context as we have already discussed. Yes indeed, salawaat is not reading something an X number of times, but the Quran never prescribes that nor does it describe it as that. That is the non-Quranic formula of many modern day Muslims.
I also feel two words are being confused here. 'Yusalli' and 'salam' are two different words. Truth Seeker, with respect, I think you may also be confusing the two and seeing them both as synonymous.
The root of 'Yasalluna' can mean prayer, to magnify, to honour, to bless, to commend. I find its primary usage in the present or for those who are alive such as in 33:56 and 33:41-43. 'Salam' as used in the phrase 'Salamun ala...' (37:109; 37:79; 37:120; 37:130 and 37:181) means peace. These are two separate words.
Leaving aside what present Muslims do or say today, we need to better understand what the Quran teaches us.
We note that an acknowledgment of 'peace' (salam) has been captured by the Quran in later posterity:
037:108-111"And We left for him among generations (to come) in later times: "Peace be upon Abraham!" (Arabic: Salamun ala Ibraheem) Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. Indeed, he was one of Our believing Servants"Even God uses the present tense to confer such peace on messengers whose souls may have left their earthly abode.
037:181 "And Peace be upon the messengers!"
(Arabic: Salamun ala-l mursaleen)The central question is why the Quran acknowledges 'salam' on those that have passed away in the present tense.
WHY DOES THE CONFERMENT OF PEACE ON DECEASED MESSENGERS OCCUR IN THE PRESENT TENSE?Those whose souls have departed (tawaffu) may be considered 'dead' by humans, they are not 'dead' for God. Souls depart to God, much like when we are asleep (19:42; 6:60) and in death move to a state of 'Barzakh' (23:100) where the human concept of time is lost. Nothing is dead for God who has the ability to resurrect any of His creation that He wills. Even the animals will return back to God (6:38).
We are taught in the case of the righteous that we should not consider them as 'dead'.
002:154"And do not speak of those who are slain in God's way as dead; nay, (they are) alive, but you do not perceive (Arabic: 'walakin la tash'urun)"Note the term 'walakin la tash'urun' (but you do not perceive). We simply don't have that perception of their state which is proven by the above verse. Very little information has been given with regards the state of 'Barzakh'. Regardless of the years that are spent in this state, for the deceased this state would appear to pass very quickly. (See related article [1] below).
Albeit, this concept has been explained in terms of 'martyrs', there is no reason to conclude that this does not apply to all souls.
However, this is not to be confused with other narratives of the Quran which informs us that the 'dead cannot hear' (30:52) or those narratives that imply that the record of one's soul is complete upon death. These narratives merely serve to separate the living from those that have deceased.
Furthermore, God is
NOT dependant on time nor does He exist
'in time' that He Himself has created. We exist in time. God transcends space, time and His creation. He is not dependant on the laws He himself has created. A lot of difficulties in our understandings are resolved if we remove God from our linear perception of time and space which He is not subject to. Many verses in the Quran indicate that He is in the past, present and future simultaneously and governs affairs from outside His universal creation.
When we confer 'peace' on past personalities, we do it with an intention. We acknowledge that an ever-living God receives our salutations of their state of harmony and with conferred respect. For God, nothing is dead.
I also don't find this form of salutation necessarily prescribed. The Quran simply captures a form of salutation that was left to later generations. We can emulate them if we so choose. We can confer other forms of salutations that we wish, such as 'Blessed / In peace are the messengers of God'. This is a choice.
I personally would incline to follow the method of salutations that the Quran 'captures'. Please note that is different from it being 'prescribed' on believers.
I hope that helps.
Joseph.
Related Articles:[1] PUNISHMENT OF THE GRAVE (AZAB-E-QABR)http://quransmessage.com/articles/grave%20punishment%20FM3.htm[2] PBUH (PEACE BE UPON HIM)http://quransmessage.com/articles/pbuh%20FM3.htm