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Offline Orange

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Contact prayers - beginning to end
« on: August 15, 2012, 08:49:46 PM »
Salamun Alaikum,

Dear Brother,

I would like to know

1. In detail the method you currently adopt for contact prayers with respect to timings and from beginning to end.

2. Why do we term the contact prayers with respect to Zoroastrian prayers?

Dawn: Fajar/ Havaan

Noon: Zohar/ Rapithwan

Afternoon: Asr/ Uziren

Evening: Mazreem or Maghrib/ Aiwisuthrem

Night time: Isha or Ishan/ Ushaen.

3.Why don’t we term the name of prayers as mentioned in Quran?

Salaat il Fajr

Tuz'hirun

Wa qabla l-gharubi

Wa-zulafan mina al-layl

Salaat il Isha

4. Is there any Raka'ts mentioned in Quran with respect to the timings? Like Obligatory as we knew

Fajr: 2  and 2 Sunna (secondary source)

Zohar: 4 and 8 Sunna (secondary source including 4 before and 2 after and 2 'Nifl')

Asr:   4 and 4 Sunna (secondary source - before)

Maghrib: 3 and 6 Sunna (secondary source - 2 before 2 after and 2 'Nifl')

Isha: 4 and 11 Sunna (secondary source including 4 before and 2 after and 2 'Nifl' and 3 'Witr')

Witr or Qiram ul Lail: Secondary sources 8 + 3 or 5 or 7

5. Is it obligatory for with respect to Quan to perform Witr? or was it for only Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

6. Why do we use the term Allah hu Akbar many times in the contact prayer?

7. With respect to 18:27 "You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord's Scripture (the Quran). Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it" is it important to learn the words from Quran only and recite in the contact prayers?

Regards

Offline Joseph Islam

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Re: Contact prayers - beginning to end
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2012, 12:10:08 AM »
Salamun Alaikum,

Please see my responses below to your questions:

(1) How I pray is outlined in the following post:  http://quransmessage.com/forum/index.php?topic=486.msg1557#msg1557

(2) The Quran does not establish prayers by naming them. (i.e. The Quran does not say ‘establish the ‘Fajr’ salat). It only informs us of the ‘parts of the days’ at which prayer is to be established. Some prayers such as Fajr and Isha are singled out for mention, but they are not mentioned with a view to establish them. They are just as mentioned as reference points when dealing with a matter of privacy (24:58). The Quran simply made use of the names the Arabs were familiar with. What we name the prayer is irrelevant. It is the purpose of the prayer which is important.

(3)  There is nothing stopping us, however please see the above response. What we name the prayer is irrelevant. It is the purpose of the prayer which is important. I can call it morning prayer, evening prayer or noon prayer. The directive of the Quran is to establish prayer and not to establish prayer with a particular name.

(4) No. But personally, I find no reason to reinvent the whole current practice of the main prayers. For me it satisfies the basic directive to ‘establish prayer’. I can change it if I like but I would feel it better to remain courteous of the expectations of the congregation, rather than stick out like a sore thumb or cause unnecessary dissension especially if no Quranic directive for prayer is being compromised. The Quran gives us a choice. I find I am exercising my choice.

(5) There is no mention of ‘witr’ prayer in the Quran. The only extra prayer assigned to the prophet was ‘Tahajjud’ (17:79). However, we can pray optional prayers if we like. The more we worship, the better it arguably is for our souls.

(6) Because Allah is great. It is a statement of sincere acknowledgement. I see no reason not to abandon it.

(7) The following red highlight in your translation does not exist in the Arabic:

"You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord's Scripture (the Quran). Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it"

The Arabic rendition rather reads more closely: “And you will never find besides him a refuge’ .  It has a more wider meaning than your translation seems to imply.

There is no restriction in the Quran to only read Quranic words in one’s prayer. 

I hope that helps, God willing.
Joseph.

'During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act' 
George Orwell

Offline Orange

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Re: Contact prayers - beginning to end
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2012, 03:39:28 AM »
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
 :)

Regards