Dear brother Adam,
As-salam alaykum
You asked:
'...is this hypocritical for someone trying to be a muslim?' As you know dear brother, neither a specific form for salaat nor a specific 'utterance' (what to say) is 'prescribed' by the Quran. It has not been
'ritualised'.Therefore in my humble view, one should not feel
committed to a select utterance or in any particular language. I also do not find anything 'unquranic' about praying for oneself or others in their salaat. Ultimately, when one prays for oneself, they are automatically positioning their Lord as the ultimate provider and the Master of the Universe. This can be argued as a form of worship.
With regards 'rakats' / units, once again there is no specific prescription, though many Quran-centred believers pray in the conventional manner for congregational logistical purposes and for
assimilation as
best practice.
I would personally not see it as
'unquranic' if one offered more or less rakats in their privacy as long as they commune with their Lord during the periods that the Quran prescribes with full devotion.
However, I do find support for
congregational prayers as being
preferable [1]Please see the following thread
[2] where I have elaborated how I personally pray and why.
I hope this helps, God willing.
Regards,
Joseph.
REFERENCES[1] THE IMPORTANCE OF CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERhttp://quransmessage.com/articles/congregational%20prayer%20FM3.htm[2] How Do I Pray Ritual Salat from the Quran?http://quransmessage.com/forum/index.php?topic=486.0