Can We Pray For Prophet Muhammad

[Louann Mauffray]

Heled a prayer with the prophets of Islam, where the Dome of the Rock mosque, inside Haram al Sharif (or the Noble Sanctuary) in the Old City, now stands. Jerusalem is repeatedly referred to in the Koran as the sacred and blessed land. It is also the direction in which early Muslims used to pray.

MONA SHADIA is a reporter for Times Community News. An Egyptian American, she was born and raised in Cairo and now lives in Orange County. Her column includes various questions and issues facing Muslims in America. Follow her on Twitter @MonaShadia.

Salah may refer to the form of worship in general, or specifically to the daily obligatory prayers performed by Muslims, observed three[1][2][3][4] or (most commonly) five times a day. The obligatory prayers play an integral part in the Islamic faith, being the second and the most important pillar (After Shahadah) from the Five Pillars of Islam for Sunnis, and one of the Ancillaries of the Faith for Shiites. In addition, supererogatory salah may be performed by Muslims at any time with a few exceptions, or at specific times in accordance with the Sunnah.

Wudu (Ritual Purity) is a must prerequisite for performing salah. Muslims may perform salah alone or in congregation. Some of these prayers are special and are exclusively performed in congregation, such as the Friday salah and Eid prayers, both are performed with a khutbah (sermon). Some concessions are made for Muslims who are physically unable to perform the salah in its original form, or are travelling.

The Arabic word salah (Arabic: صلاة, romanized: Ṣalāh, pronounced [sˤɑˈlːh]) means 'prayer'.[5] The word is used primarily by English speakers to refer to the five daily obligatory prayers. Similar terms are used to refer to the prayer in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Somalia, Tanzania, and by some Swahili speakers.

The origin of the word is debated. Some have suggested that salah derives from the triliteral root 'و - ص - ل' (W-Ṣ-L) which means 'linking things together',[6] relating it to the obligatory prayers in the sense that one connects to Allah through prayer. In some translations, namely that of Quranist Rashad Khalifa, salah is translated as the 'contact prayer',[7] either because of the physical contact the head makes with the ground during the prostration, or again because the prayer connects the one who performs it to Allah. Another theory suggests the word derives from the triliteral root 'ص - ل - و' (Ṣ-L-W), the meaning of which is not agreed upon.[8]

The word salah is mentioned 83 times in the Quran as a noun.[10][11] Salah is generally classified into obligatory prayers and supererogatory prayers, the latter being further divided into Sunnah prayers and nafl prayers. The primary purpose of salah is to act as a mode of communication with Allah.[12] The objectives of salah are various in Islamic belief, and include purification of the heart, growing closer to Allah, and strengthening one's faith. It is believed that the soul requires prayer and closeness to Allah to stay sustained and healthy, and that prayer spiritually sustains the human soul, just as food provides nourishment to the physical body.[13]

Tafsir (exegesis) of the Quran can give four reasons for the observation of salah. First, in order to commend God, Allah's servants, together with the angels, do salah ("blessing, salutations").[14][a] Second, salah is done involuntarily by all beings in creation, in the sense that they are always in contact with Allah by virtue of him creating and sustaining them.[15][b] Third, Muslims voluntarily offer salah to reveal that it is the particular form of worship that belongs to the prophets.[c] Fourth, salah is described as the second pillar of Islam.[5]

There is consensus on the vast majority of the major details of the salah, but there are different views on some of the more intricate details. A Muslim is required to perform Wudu (ablution) before performing salah,[16][17] and making the niyyah (intention) is a prerequisite for all deeds in Islam, including salah. Some schools of Islamic jurisprudence hold that intending to pray suffices in the heart, and some require that the intention be spoken, usually under the breath.[18]

A salah is made up of a repeating unit of specific movements and recitations known as a rak'a (Arabic: ركعة, romanized: rak'ah, pl. Arabic: ركعات, romanized: raka'āt). A single prayer can consist of between one and four rak'a. Between each position in a rak'a, there is a very slight pause. The takbir is recited when moving from one position to another, except when standing back up from the bowing position.

The person praying begins in a standing position known as Qiyam, although people who find it difficult to do so may begin while sitting or lying on the ground.[5] This is followed by raising the hands to the head and recitation of the takbir, an action known as the Takbirat al-Ihram (Arabic: تكبيرة الإحرام, romanized: Takbīrat al-Iḥrām). The hands are then lowered, and may be clasped on the abdomen (qabd), or hang by one's sides (sadl). A Muslim may not converse, eat, or do things that are otherwise halal after the Takbirat al-Ihram. A Muslim must keep their vision low during prayer, looking at the place where their face will contact the ground during prostration.[18][19][20]

Following the recitation of these words of praise, the takbir is recited once again before the worshipper kneels and prostrates with the forehead, nose, knees, palms and toes touching the floor, a position known as sujud. Similar to ruku, specific versions of tasbih are uttered once or more in sujud. The worshipper recites the takbir and rises up to sit briefly, then recites takbir and returns to sujud once again. Lifting the head from the second prostration completes a rak'ah. If this is the second or last rak'a, the worshipper rises up to sit once again and recites the Tashahhud, Salawat, and other prayers.[18] Many Sunni scholars, including Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab[21] and Al-Albani[22] hold that the right index finger should be raised when reciting the prayers in this sitting position,[18] Once the worshipper is done praying in the sitting position in their last rak'a, they perform the taslim, reciting lengthened versions of the Islamic greeting As-salamu alaykum, once while facing the right and another time while facing the left. Taslim represents the end of prayer.[23][24]

Mistakes and doubts in salah are compensated for by prostrating twice at the end of the prayer, either before or after the taslim. These prostrations are known as sujud sahwi (Arabic: سجود السهو, romanized: Sujud as-Sahw).[25]

In Islamic belief, performing salah in congregation is considered to have more social and spiritual benefits than praying alone.[26] The majority of Sunni scholars recommend performing the obligatory salah in congregation without viewing the congregational prayer as an obligation. A minority view exists viewing performing the obligatory salah in congregation as an obligation.[27]

When praying in congregation, the people stand in straight parallel rows behind one person who leads the prayer service, called the imam. The imam must be above the rest in knowledge of the Quran, action, piety, and justness, and should be known to possess faith and commitment the people trust.[28] The prayer is offered just as it is when one prays alone, with the congregation following the imam as they offer their salah.[29] Two people of the same gender praying in congregation would stand beside each other, with the imam on the left and the other person to his right.[citation needed]

When the worshippers consist of men and women combined, a man leads the prayer. In this situation, women are typically forbidden from assuming this role with unanimous agreement within the major schools of Islam. This is disputed by some, partly based on a hadith with controversial interpretations. When the congregation consists entirely of women and/or pre-pubescent children, a woman may lead the prayer.[30] Some configurations allow for rows of men and women to stand side by side separated by a curtain or other barrier,[31] with the primary intention being for there to be no direct line of sight between male and female worshippers.[32]

Muslims believe that Muhammad practiced, taught, and disseminated the salah in the whole community of Muslims and made it part of their life. The practice has, therefore, been concurrently and perpetually practiced by the community in each of the generations. The authority for the basic forms of the salah is neither the hadiths nor the Quran, but rather the consensus of Muslims.[33][34]

This is not inconsistent with another fact that Muslims have shown diversity in their practice since the earliest days of practice, so the salah practiced by one Muslim may differ from another's in minor details. In some cases the hadith suggest some of this diversity of practice was known of and approved by Muhammad himself.[35]

Most differences arise because of different interpretations of the Islamic legal sources by the different schools of law (madhhabs) in Sunni Islam, and by different legal traditions within Shia Islam. In the case of ritual worship these differences are generally minor, and should rarely cause dispute.[36]

Common differences, which may vary between schools and gender, include the position of legs, feet, hands and fingers, where the eyes should focus, the minimum amount of recitation, the volume of recitation, and which of the principal elements of the prayer are indispensable, versus recommended or optional.[citation needed]

Salah is not performed in graveyards and bathrooms. It is prohibited from being performed after Fajr prayer until sunrise, during a small period of time around noon, and after Asr prayer until sunset. The prohibition of salah at these times is to prevent the practice of sun worship.[37]

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