Islamic Prayer
Prayer in Islam: The Victory of Surrender
This paper looks at the basic significance and ritual of Muslim salaat. At first the importance and reason for salaat is given. This is followed by an outline of the preparation of salaat and the procedure in the salaat itself. We the test the hypothesis that Muslim salaat is an act of ceremonial magic. And finally make a short comparison with aspects of Christian worship is made. Finally we conclude that Islamic prayer, in being a powerful force in the world today needs to be better understood.
Islamic Prayer
The Muslim regards salaat[1] ritual prayer as foundational to his religion. He performs salaat to a g-d called Allah[2] (hereinafter called lh). This title was known before the rise of Machmad among the Christians of Arabia[3]. The Muslim has five fundamental religious obligations called popularly the five pillars of Islam. These are the shahada, a confession that “There is no ilah (g-d) but lh (Muslim g-d) and Machmad is his messenger”. Ritual prayer salaat, zakat or the giving of 2.5% of their income to the poor, tzoom or a 30 day fast during the ninth Islamic month called Ramadan. The fast goes from sunrise to sunset. Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca which is required of the Muslim male who is of age, able and has means, once in a life time. [4]
1 Salaat the Sign of Islam
Salaat (ritual prayer) unlike dua (private prayer), must be performed in Arabic[5]. Salaat is either fard (required or compulsory) or nafl (additional services not prescribed but seen practised in the life of Machmad). To intentionally avoid salaat is an unpardonable sin (Salim, 86). Of salaat it has been said “All ulama unanimously aver that if a kaafir whom none has heard proclaiming kalimah performs salaat, then it is incumbent to regard him as a Muslim.”, which shows how fundamental salaat is in Islam. To be an unbeliever and to be caught performing salaat is to be reckoned a Muslim. Once you are a Muslim the only way out is escape or death for the penalty for apostasy under sharia law is death[6]. The importance of salaat in this respect is seen as it is a criterion of belief and unbelief. Hadrat Jaabir asserts “The distinguishing factor between kufr and Imaan is the deliberate neglect of salaat”[7]. One who neglects salaat is seen as one who lacks din (faith). Salaat is imagined as the head and din as the body. We see that salaat then is a sign of Islam. It is a fundamental criterion for assessing whether a Muslim is “backslidden” or not as we might say in Christian parlance. It is clear that this arises from the fact that the kalimah (word of confession) is a part of the salaat of the Muslim.
2 Salaat Further Aspects
In Surah Taha the Koran commands families to perform salaat. In Al Buhari Hadrat Abu Huraiarah states “This is the effect of five salaat. By means of it Allah ta’ala purifies the performer of all sins”. This is no doubt a very powerful and important motivating force for the Muslim. If he understands that salaat can act in cleansing him of sin he will no doubt find the twenty minutes or so required each day to perform the prayer a worthwhile investment. In Islam prayer does not just operate to forgive sins but is seen as a key to paradise (Jannat). Although no where in the Koran is a Muslim commanded to pray five times a day, the tradition of doing so is likely to have gone back to the earliest days of Islam. The Koran does exhort a Muslim to be constant at salaat and the noun is used no less than 46 times in the Koran.[8]
3 Salaat and the Day of Judgement
For the Muslim salaat is seen as a provider of assurance for when they believe they will stand before their g-d on his Day of Judgment (Qiyaanah). Hadrat Bareedah states “He who neglects salaat, will have no light, no proof, and no salvation (from the direction of salaat). He will be in the company of Qaroon, Fir, Oun, Hamaan and Ubay ibn Kalf on the day of Qiyaamah. Tibraani has gone as far as to say that if on judgment day salaat is found to be true other acts will pass as proper but if salaat is found to be despoiled, then all the other acts will fail. This theme is connected with 1 above since the one who does not perform salaat is seen as a kaafir. Indeed the neglect of salaat does not have to wait until judgement day to receive its punishment. Hayatul Muslimeen teaches that to neglect prayer is actually criminal. “Persistence in the neglect of salaat is punishable by death in Islam”. In light of the seriousness of the consequences of its neglect Muslim parents are instructed “stress on your children the performance of salaat from the age of seven and beat them at the age of ten years (if they neglect salaat)” (Abu Dawood).
4 Muslim Responsibility in prayer
In Islam each Muslim should be capable of leading the salaat. It must be performed according to correct procedure. This is a serious matter, the Regents Park Mosque had a very good relationship with the local police because they kept on having to be called in to save the lives of the Imams who did not follow accepted procedure or even dress properly. They were often beaten. Salaat as noted must be performed correctly which means (a) regularly at the appointed times and (b) in accordance with all the rules of salaat. It is necessary to perform salaat in times of great danger, even when engaged in fighting an enemy. It is also permitted to perform in moving transportation and facing any direction.
The qualified Muslim performs at least salaat five times a day[9], each one has variations in relation to the others. Each one contains a number of rakas (prostrations). The prayers are called fajr (daybreak to sunrise); zuhr (when the sun begins to decline at midday until the shadow of and object is equal in size to the object it self), asr (midway between zuhr and mahgrib), mahgrib (between the disappearance of the red glow of the sky and the disappearance of the sun on the western horizon) and Isha (from sunset to midnight). Friday congregational salaat (Salatul jum’ah) at noon[10] is worth ten times more than the other 34 salaats performed weekly by a Muslim. The rakas are 2, 4, 4, 3, and 4 respectively, giving 17 in total[11]. There is a special emphasis on number among Muslims. A strictly observant Muslim male will perform salaat at least 5 times a day 35 times a week, between 140 and 150 times a month and between 1680 and 1800 times a year. The five daily salaat take around 20 minutes altogether[12]. Like the modern day Jews the day begins at sunset.[13]
5 Preparations for Salaat
Raka and Sajdah are part of salaat but are not the whole of salaat. Rakats may be performed in a different way under certain conditions for example in times of war. War time salaat is regulated according to rule in the manuals of fiqh (Islami Jurisprudence) .
A Muslim is required to perform wuzu (ritual washing) before salaat. This is performed to bring the Muslim into a state of tahaarat (purity).[14]He washes his face, arms up to the elbows, rubs his head with his wet hand, washed his feet up to his ankles. He needs to do all this with the intention (niyyat) of performing wuzu. The process is quite intricate and has at least 14 steps (Salim, p96). This ablution can be nullified by various activities for example anything coming out of the urethra or anus, repugnant matter coming through any bodily openings, touching the male organ, touching a women with desire, apostasy, touching liquor , pork, dead bodies or animals. (Salim, p96) The regulations regarding all aspects of the salaat vary according to which of the four madhab (hanafi, shafi, etc) a Muslim has bound himself to. If water is not available a Muslim may use sand or dust. This “washing” is called tayammum. The Muslim since the second year of the hijrah (AD 622) has a qibla(prayer direction) towards Mecca. The Qibla was changed while the kaaba[15] was still full of idols.[16]
The Salaat Service[17]
There are traditions that indicate that Machmad used to sit outside of the market store of some Nestorian Christians and listen to them worship. This has been seen as an influence on the liturgical form of the Islamic prayer service, of course emptied of its Christian content.
1 The Muslim stands facing the qibla, he inclines his head and focuses on the ground where his forehead will touch the ground.
2 He says four shurut (stipulations). These are preliminaries but are compulsory (fard).
Preparations for Salaat
Shart (Stipulation) 1
Basmalla In the name of lh, the Merciful and Compassionate
Shart 2
Tawwudh (Seeking refuge)
Say: I seek refuge in the L-rd of mankind,
The Possessor of mankind
The g-d of mankind,
From the evil of whispers,
The one who goes back
Who whispers in the breasts of mankind,
Of the Jinn and mankind.
Shart 3
Adhan (said by salaat leader or Muezzin)
Muezzin lh is greater![18] lh is greater [19](twice)
I witness, There is no ilah[20] but lh(twice)
I witness, Machmad is the messenger of lh (twice)
Come to worship! (twice)
Come to prosperity (twice)
( Tathwib- “worship is better than sleep” is said in the fajr salaat)
(May lh institute it and continue it as long as the heavens and earth
continue)
Congregation There is no might and strength but in lh
Lh is greater! lh is greater!
I witness there is no ilah but lh.[21]
Imam O lh! By the right of this complete call and worship instituted
Grant Machmad meditation and excellence, elevate him to the
Praise worthy station which you promised him.
You do not violate a promise
Shart 4 (Called Iqamat –Institution[22])
Leader lh is greater! lh is greater (twice)
I witness, There is no ilah but lh(twice)
I witness, Machmad is the messenger of lh (twice)
Come to worship! (twice)
Lh is greater! lh is greater!
I witness there is no ilah but lh
Salaat is now ready.
Salaat Proper
Prescribed (compulsory) Elements of salaat are twelve. These are as follows: 1 Intention; 2 Takbir; 3 The Standing Posture; 4 Saying the Fatiha; 5 Bending down and bowing until the the palms reach the knees; 6 Straightening from the bowing and standing up;7 Prostration excluding the placing of the hands; 8 Rising from this position and sitting; 9 The sitting for the last witnessing; 10 The last witnessing; 11 The blessing upon the prophet; 12 The first Salutation. We will go into further details below.
I Standing
1 Niyyat[23] (Intention)
I perform at its proper time the prescribed (zuhr etc)
salaat to lh
Al Ihram (The santification) hands raised to ears[24]
The saying of this Takbir is the breaking point “the devotee breaks off all connections with earthly matters” (Salim p101)
2 Takbir[25] Lh is greater (said forcefully) [26]
Subhan (introductory supplication)
Praise is yours O lh!
By your praise! Blessed of itself is your name
And exalted is your majesty, and sublime is your
Praise, and there is no ilah but you.
Tawwudh or Azubilla
I seek refuge in lh from cursed Satan[27]
Basmalla or Tasmiyah
In the name of lh, the Merciful and Compassionate
3 Fatiha Recitation (opening surah to be pronounced clearly and directly)
Praise belongs to lh, the l-rd of the worlds,
The Merciful, the Compassionate,
The r-ler of the day of Judgement
Thee we worship and thee we ask for aid
Direct us in the right way,
the way of those to whom you are gracious
not of those you are angry with
nor of those who err.
Tamin Amin
Surah Recitation or three or four verses of Koran[28] Here the Muslim is free to choose a few appropriate Surah’s of the Koran to recite. One example is Surah Al Falaq.
Surah Al Falaq In the name of lh the beneficent, the merciful
(CXIII) Say: I seek refuge in the l-rd of daybreak
From the evil of that which he created
From the evil, the darkness when it is intense
And from the evil of malignant witchcraft
And from the evil of the environment when he envies.
Another is Surah At-Tauhid or Ikhlas (CXII)
In the name of lh , the beneficent, the merciful
Say: He is lh, the One (Ehad)
Lh , the eternally besought of all!
He begetteth not nor was begotten
4 Raka (Bowing) He lifts his hands and says takbir
Lh is greater
5 Bends down and places hands on his knees
I extol the holiness of my L-rd , the great.[29]
Tasmi lh hears whoever says his praise, O l-rd
Thou art praised
Qunut O g-d we seek help from you, and forgiveness of sins
We believe in you and trust in you.
We praise you. We thank you. We are not unthankful
We expel[30], and we depart from him who does not obey you
We serve you, we prostrate ourselves and we serve you
We hope for your mercy. We fear your punishments
Surely your judgements are upon infidels.
6 Straightens up.
II Tasbih I Sijdah (Prostration)
7 Prostrates[31]saying the takbir.
Takbir lh is greater.
While prostrate recite tasbih 3 times
Tasbih I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
8 Straightens up and recites takbir
Takbir lh is greater[32]
O l-rd, forgive me! Have mercy on me!
Provide for me! Guide me!
Preserve me in health and pardon me
Second Prostration
Takbir lh is greater.
While prostrate recite tasbih 3 times
Tasbih I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
Straightens up and recites takbir
Takbir lh is greater[33]
Stands
This completes the first raka.
Second Raka
The Witnessing:
10 The Muslim raises his head and sits on his left leg. He places his right hand on his right thigh, folds all his fingers except the index finger which he points
11 Tahiyah (first witnessing)
The greetings belong to lh!
Peace be upon you, o prophet,
And the mercy and blessing of lh!
Peace be upon us, and the righteous creatures of lh.
Tashaud I witness: There is no ilah but lh[34]
And Machmad is the messenger of lh
Bl-ssing Machmad and family
O lh! Bl-ss the messenger of lh, and on his descendents
As you had mercy on Ibrahim and on his descendants.
You are to be praised, and you are great, o lh.
Bl-ss Machmad and his descendants as you blessed
Ibrahim and his descendants praised
And you are great!
Dua O g-d our L-rd give us the blessings of this life,
And also the blessings of life everlasting,
Save us from the torments of fire
12 Taslim Al Tahlil
The peace is upon you and the mercy of lh[35]
The peace be upon you and the mercy of lh[36]
This last and twelfth requirement salaat is a process of “desanctification”. It is performed at the end of the last raka. This means it is the second raka at fajr, the fourth at zuhr, third at asr and fourth at mahgrib and isha services. The Muslim is by no means restricted to the five daily performances of salaat.
How can looking at the salaat service of Islamic worship help us to understand Islam in the world? Let us look more closely at the Islamic salaat to see what is actually going on through the eyes of a magician or a religious person. The acts begin with intricate preparation behind which is a very strong act of will, determining that the intention of the wuzu is to be purified in order to perform an act of salaat. The beginning of both wuzu and salaat proper is an act of will called intention niyyat. According to Colin Wilson, for Aleister Crowley, in magic will is everything. Or in the words of Richardson “Metaphorically speaking , magic is a means of turning inside ourselves, grabbing our selves , and hauling ourselves up by the scruff of the neck to whatever standards we choose to aspire” (Richardson, 11). He goes on “ a Magician evolves toward g-d hood using rituals designed to reproduce Inner Worlds (Richardson p12). This turning inwards starts for the Muslim when he decides as an act of will that he is performing wuzu and is completed when he says takbir at stage two of salaat. From then on he is in the complete mode of salaat. He is complete set apart to the ritual acts and words he will speak in his performance. Richardson here gives an interesting illustration of the symbols used in an act of ritual magic “the gestures of a traffic policeman are based upon a definite system. Each arm movement has a symbolic meaning, which if misunderstood, can result in serious trouble…Symbols are a means of communication, a form of shorthand…In ritual magic every gesture must have a meaning. They are not used for their aesthetic qualities, but because they are physical representations of inner actualities.”(Richardon p12) We see in the act of salaat many gestures. These include raising the hands, the right hand holding the left hand near the navel, prostrating sitting, standing. The question is do they have aesthetic significance or meaning? We find from Salim that at the breaking point of takbir al ihram the raising of the hands and causing the palms to face the qibla and then letting them fall and the right hand taking over the left hand just above the navel, or below the chest are two symbols. The first means obedience to lh and the second symbolises binding. Thus they possess ritual meaning and this will no doubt be a fruitful field of investigation. Migene Gonzalez Wippler gives us some insights into magic. She first gives us a dictionary definition: "the pretended art of producing effects or controlling events by charms, spells, and rituals to govern certain natural and supernatural forces”. (Gonzalez-Wippler p8) a charm can be defined as something that influences or protects as if by magic” (Oxford ALD). The key words for us are influence or protect. The word spell is defined as “words used as a charm”, words then used to influence or protect. Finally the word ritual is “all the rites or forms connected with a ceremony” Oxford ALD. We can return for a moment to Gonzalez-Wippler. She argues that
“Both magic and religion are expressions of religious instinct. There is however one big difference between the two. Religion exhorts man to overcome his baser instincts and to reach instead for the spiritual world, disdaining the material temptations of the flesh.”
Thus we need to see what the act of Muslim salaat aims at? A final statement of Gozalez-Wippler can perhaps shed some light
The first aim of magic is, however not to dominate others but rather to strengthen the personality of the magician so he can control his entire environment and his life in general. And that is basically what magic is all about –life- for magic is deeply concerned with living, with creating, with manifesting power, and becoming one with G-d in nature. Even magic’s interest in an after life is an attempt to prolong life in the physical world, because in all its forms magic recognizes that the highest homage man can pay to G-d is to live life richly and fully (Gonzalez –Wippler p10).
Now if we were using this as a hypothesis to test whether Islamic prayer was magic or religion, we can lay out a number of tests from the definitions we have lain out.
1 Are the words designed to gain protection for the speaker?
2 Are the words used to have influence over the environment for the benefit of the speaker?
3 Do the words of salaat exhort a man to overcome his baser instincts?
4 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to reach for the spiritual world?
5 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to disdain material temptations?
6 Do the words seek to prolong physical life as it is?
Thus we need now to turn to the words of the Muslim salaat to observe their purpose and intention. As for ritual it is clear from the description of salaat above that the Muslim is involved in a very intricate fives times daily ritual.
When we look at the statements involved in Muslim salaat we can analyse them into the following kinds of statements: Decisions, Profession, Protection, Petitions (Spiritual or Material) and Praises. Let us now look at the statements
Personal Affirmations:
I seek refuge in L-rd of mankind, the possessor of mankind, the g-d of mankind…from evil whispers
I witness there is no ilah but lh
I perform at its proper time and place the prescribed zuhr[37] salaat to lh
I seek refuge in lh.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd most high
Profession Statements: Shart
In the name of lh the Merciful and Compassionate…lh is greater, lh is greater, there is no ilah but lh, Machmad is the messenger of lh, lh is greater, lh is greater, lh is greater, lh is greater, there is no might and strength by in lh, Machmad is the messenger of lh, lh is greater, lh is greater, there is no ilah but lh
Salaat Professions
About Lh and Machmad
The professions of faith are extremely limited in breadth. They involve much repetition and must be spoken in Arabic.
These are
1 In the name of lh (1)
2 lh is greater (12),
3 There is no ilah but lh (3).
4 Machmad is the messenger of lh occurs twice in shart.
6 lh hears whoever says his praise (1)
7 Greetings belong to lh (1)
Professions to Lh and Machmad
Shart
O Lh! Grant mchmad, You do not violate a promise.
Salaat
Praise is yours O lh
By your praise! Blessed of itself is your name
And exalted is your majesty
And sublime is your praise
And there is no ilah but you
You do we worship
You are praised
O g-d we seek help from you and forgiveness of sins
We believe in you and trust in you
We praise you. We thank you. We are not unthankful
We expel and we depart from him who does not obey you.
We serve you, we prostrate ourselves and we serve you.
We hope for your mercy.
We fear your punishment
Surely your judgments are upon infidels
O l-rd forgive me
Have mercy upon me!
Provide for me! Guide me!
Preserve me in health and pardon me.
Peace be upon you O prophet[38]
And the Mercy and blessing of lh
O lh bless the Messenger of lh
You are to be praised, and you are great O lh
O g-d our L-rd, give us the blessing of this life
And the blessing of life everlasting
Save us from the fire.
We can observe now that Muslims when addressing their g-d call him: lh, L-rd, you and our L-rd. When they speak about him they use many other titles as the following:
Praises and Titles: Merciful, Compassionate, l-rd, possessor and g-d of mankind. greater, ilah, blessed of itself is his name, exalted is his majesty, sublime is his praise, l-rd of the worlds, ruler of judgement day, my l-rd most high.
Petitions or Imperatives
Come to worship, come to worship, come to prosperity, come to prosperity, O lh! By the right of this complete call and worship instituted grant Machmad meditation and excellence, elevate him to the praise worthy station which you promised him. You do not violate a promise, come to worship come to worship, direct us in the right way, the way of those to whom you are gracious not of those you are angry with nor of those who err. You we ask for aid. O g-d we seek help from you, and forgiveness of sins, we hope for your mercy, O l-rd forgive me! Have mercy on me! Provide for me! Guide me! Preserve me in health and pardon me. O lh! Bl-ss the messenger of lh, and his descendants as Ibrahim and his seed, Bl-ss Machmad and his seed
O g-d our L-rd give us blessing of this life and also the blessings of life everlasting, save us from the torment of fire.
Protection
I seek refuge in the L-rd of mankind, the possessor of mankind, the g-d of mankind, from evil of whispers… of the one who goes back who whispers in the breast of Jinn and mankind. I seek refuge in lh from cursed Satan. Save us from the torments of fire.
We see then that the profession in the salaat of Muslims contains a small number of phrases and clauses. However in the light of our hypothesis we can say this. It is asserted that praise belong to lh. And also that lh hears those who praise him. This could mean that if a Muslims wants his petitions heard, irrespective of what they are, we would expect him to praise lh a lot. And perhaps this is evidence by the repetition of the takbir the basic praise given by Muslim to lh. We notice that it is repeated more than all the other professions together. Indicating perhaps that a Muslim is being taught by the tradition to praise and to know that from this he may obtain answers to his petitions.
Let us now turn to our questions and make some observations
1 Are the words designed to gain protection for the speaker?
We see that among the statements of a Muslim he is afraid of a number of things. These include evil whispers, those who go back, lh's judgments which are on the infidel, the cursed Satan and the fire. He seeks refuge from the evil whispers using three titles of lh, l-rd, possessor and g-d of mankind. For Satan he takes refuge in lh. Magical amulets are often used to avoid evil elements here we may see the words of the Muslim used a words to avoid evil. He uses different title for different evils. This is very conversant with magical practices where different titles of g-d or different angels are addressed for different problems. In addition salaat and magic are very specific about words used to achieve certain objects. Magicians will use a word formula even if they do not know its full meaning. In this respect salaat is similar to magic.
2 Are the words used to have influence over the environment for the benefit of the speaker?
When the Muslim says I seek refuge, and when he declares lh is greater he is clearly expecting his words to have influence over his environment. The takbir al ihram said forcefully is clearly intended to affect the transfer from earthly to lh's presence. These activities are also clearly for the benefit of the speaker. The Muslim praises knowing that lh hears those who praise him. And he petitions for health, expects success and aid from lh. He hopes through his praise to gain direction from lh so that he receives lh' s graciousness and avoids his wrath. All these are words of the Muslim with the intention of influencing his life environment for the better.
3 Do the words of salaat exhort a man to overcome his baser instincts?
Baser instincts are not mentioned in the salaat. There is an appeal for guidance and aid but it is related to a very general obedience to lh. The Muslim proclaims that he is not unthankful and indeed thankful, these could be seen as dealing with the baser instinct of ingratitude however he does not seek to be thankful he proclaims himself thankful. He proclaims himself obedient and as one who serves lh. He also proclaims that lh's judgement rests on the infidel, he does not intercede on behalf of the infidel but indeed expels him from his group. This does not lead humility but pride. Thus in regard to baser instincts we can only say they are not addressed. And of course the whole complicated matter of what is a baser instinct is not addressed.
4 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to reach for the spiritual world?
Certainly the Muslim mentions once that he wants the life everlasting and he praises his deity, he wants to please his deity and knows that he rules judgment day. He even extols the holiness of his L-rd most high. He affirms that he believes in his g-d and trusts in his g-d. But the focus seems to be attempting to convince the deity of his sincerity. He hopes for his mercy and fears the punishment but as one of my past wives has said "Where's the love?" He wants help, forgiveness, pardon, mercy and to avoid punishment and he trust, thanks, serve and prostrate, but where is the heart searching of the one who knows he has sinned and sincerely seeks reconciliation? In all however it must be said there is a seeking of the spiritual world of his g-d.
5 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to disdain material temptations?
Again we have an area where material temptations are not directly addressed. The Muslim is told to come to success, but he is not told what kind of success. He does ask for health which is a material concern. He asks for material blessing for Machmad and his family, which can cast a shadow on Machmad's motives more than the average Muslims. He asks for aid, but he does not say in what. When the individual cries provide for me, preserve me in health we can perhaps see a turning to material concerns. However it is neither avaricious not particularly disdaining to material concerns. We would need more evidence to decide on this issue.
6 Do the words seek to prolong physical life as it is?
The Muslim certainly seeks healing for him and guidance for him. The cry for aid and health can be seen as a desire to prolong physical life. He wants to avoid a fire he is expecting at some time in the future but does not. He look in the end of salaat for peace upon him and the righteous creatures of lh. We can not be sure from the prayers what he means by life everlasting. And so we are left once more in the realm of uncertainty.
Salaat as Ritual Magic
To demonstrate this hypothesis more evidence of the meaning and significance of the ritual actions and the words would be needed. Certainly there is evidence of magical attitudes but as for the whole act from wuzu to taslim being a magical ceremony I can not confirm at this time. We will now give a brief comparison with Christian service and conclude.
The Muslims salaat consists of fixed elements and flexible elements. We looked above only at the fixed elements to se if they point to ceremonial magic
The flexible element is basically which Koranic surahs the Muslim chooses to recite. Islamic prayer grew up in the midst of Pagan, Christian and Jewish worlds. It perhaps shows more flexibility than the Nestorian Christian, in its inclusion of its scriptures, for example Christian Scriptures, and Jewish for that matter are based on a specific lectionary of readings. Whether the Christian is performing morning and evening prayer or simply attending the service on a Sunday, the Nestorian has a list of scriptures to be read through in the year. Each day has its reading. The Muslim is free to fill the main scripture slot with a short surah or a few ayahs. A very clear point of difference is the g-d worshipped. The Nestorians have not historically considered the g-ds to be different. Indeed historically the famous debate between Caliph Mahdi and Timothy the Patriarch indicates that the Nestorians believe they worship the same g-d as the Muslims. The Catholicos Timothy praised Machmad in a way most present day Protestants would blush at. “All the prophets taught the doctrine of one G-d and since Muhammad taught the doctrine of the unity of G-d , he walked therefore, in the path of the prophets”(Mingana, 1928). Having praised Muhammad and saved his skin the discussion continues as follows:
Caliph You should, therefore, accept the words of the prophet.
Timothy Which words of his our victorious king believes that I must accept?
Caliph That G-d is one, and that there is none other besides Him.
Timothy This belief in one G-d, O my sovereign , I have learned from the Torah, from
the prophets and from the Gospel. I stand by it and shall die in it.
Caliph You believe in one G-d as you said but one in three.
Timothy I do not deny that I believe in one G-d in three, and three in one, but not three different g-dheads, however, but in the persons of G-d’s word
and His Spirit. I believe these three persons constitute one G-d, not in their
persons but in their nature.
Caliph How is it that these three persons whom you mention do not constitute three
G-ds?
Timothy Because the three of them constitute one G-d, O our victorious King, and the
fact that He is only one G-d precludes the hypothesis that these are three G-ds.
And so the conversion can go on forever. A comparison of the liturgy of the Christians with that of the Muslim shows that they are poles apart in their prayer lives. The Christian draws on the Torah, the Psalms, the wrings and the Gospel, the Muslim draws on the Koran. The key address by the Christian to their g-d is to the Father, through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. These three appear constantly in the Christian prayers. In contrast to this they do not appear a single solitary time in all the prayers of the Muslim. On the other hand such titles as L-rd of day break do not occur in the Christian liturgy.
The Muslim appeals for the forgiveness of sins but like the dead Egyptian at the court of Maat his salaat does not confess a single solitary sin. On the other hand the Christian trust the blood of Christ as the source of the forgiveness of sins. And in addition when he gets on his knees he confesses
I confess to Almighty G-d, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Before the whole company of heaven, and to you beloved of G-d
that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed,
by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault.
Wherefore I beg almighty G-d to have mercy on me
and you my brethren to pray for me to the L-rd our G-d.
The time is then given for personal confession. After which the priest arises from his knees and says G-d Almighty have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins
And bring us to life everlasting .
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
Although the Muslim salaat is usually performed in a group it appears that prayer is a very individual thing "Provide for me" cries the Muslim "Give us our daily bread" the Christian. The preparation of the service appears to include some elements of liturgical response. The Christian service especially in the Liturgy of the Eucharist as opposed to the earlier mentioned Liturgy of the Word, includes many congregational responses to the prompts of the service leader.
The Muslims prostrates up to four times in the compulsory ritual salaat services. In general western Christians do not prostrate but bow. We bow our knees at the time of confession. The act of prostration takes place in Orthodox and Catholic Church communion on a more regular basis than in Protestant or Charismatic congregations. In terms of daily prayer the Charismatic do this not in a building with other believers but at home with their families or alone. Each one follows a pattern suitable for him.
The Christians qibla is nowadays the altar in the Church although it is true that some Church are built with the entrance in the West and the Altar in the East. The actual qibla is really Jesus Christ who said "I am the way the Truth and the Life, no one come to the Father except through me.
Conclusion
The sight of Muslim's at prayer challenges the atheist to think about where the world is going. The ritual as intricate as it is must have taken years to develop. Clearly who ever established the ritual and even the whole system was an experiecned mind, for although their seems to be some strange fears regarding whispers and witchcraft the plan has done a marvellous job in keeping Muslims bound up in their religion. However for a Muslim to transfer allegiance to Jesus Christ in my opinion involves such a radical change in worship and attitude as to necessitate the acceptance that the Muslim L-rd of the daybreak and g-d of all mankind, notwithstanding his titles can not in any sense be Yahuwah the G-d and Father of the L-rd Yehoshua the Mashiyach. It is necessary for the sake of the future peace of mankind for further research to be conducted into what moves the Muslim to act including the effect on their behaviour of act of salaat.
Bibliography:
Book of Holy Service (Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America)
Gonzalez-Wippler, Migene, Spells Ceremonies and Magic, (St Paul Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications 1997)
Mingana. A The Apology of Timothy the Patriarch before the Caliph Mahdi, Woodbrooke Studies 2 (Cambridge: W Hefer and Sons, 1928)
Macgregor Mathers, S.L., The Kabbalah Unveiled, (England: Penguin Arkana, 1991)
Moshay G J O Who is this Allah? (England: Dorchester House Publications, 1995)
Richardson, A An Introduction to the Mystical Qabalah, (Northamptonshire: Aquarian press, 1981)
Richardson, A An Introduction to the Mystical Qabalah, (Northamptonshire: Aquarian press, 1981)
Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary
Sandoli De Sabino The Song of the Muezzin, (Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press)
Saint John of Damascus Writings: Trans: Chase, F (Washington:Catholic University of America)
Salim, Muhammad Kunju, Islam Ethics and Teachings (New Dehli: Kitab Bhavan, 1991)
Nielsen Niels C Religions of the World (New York: St Martins Press)
[1] This word is probably related to the Hebrew word of service sarat.
[2] GJO Moshay asks the question Who is this Allah? And argues he is not the g-d of the Christian or the Bible. Others connect him with the moon g-d Hubal (Morey, 1994) one of the chief g-ds in the pantheon of the kaaba. Others argue there is only one g-d so the Christian, Jew and Muslim must be worshipping the same g-d.
[3] Witness the name of Machmad’s father.
[5] A similar atitutde used to be held among the Roman Catholics in regard to Latin.
[6] These judgement is not always executed.
[7] Sahih Muslim
[8] For a list of these see Salim (p88)
[9] We are not sure how Islam developed the five prayers a day, the myth of Machmad magical ascension developed late and is extremely unlikely to be the reason but rather a later mythical explanation. Perhaps we may see it as a happy medium between the Jewish communities three prayers a shacharit, mincha and maariv and the Christian monks or traditional Churches 7 times day. Both these communities were around Machmad as he developed his religion and he had interaction with both.
[10] It is perhaps just coincidence that Jesus Christ was cried out to the Father on a friday at noon during his crucifixion making this a very important time for the Christians.
[12] I'm sure this must exclude preparation times. This figure was obtained from my Muslim student and confirmed by an Islamic professor.
[13] This was not the case in Palestine when the Temple was standing (See Doig, K on Calendar)
[14] No doubt this word is linked to the Hebrew adjective tahor.
[16] This may be a problem in the minds of Christians who would see this as worshipping towards an idols shrine, but this fact does not seem to give the Muslim any qualms. In turning from Jerusalem to Mecca Machmad, I see Machmad just confirming his disconnection from the line of true prophets, not only in the g-d he worships but in his varying attitude to idolatry. From AD 623 to AD 630 Machmad bow towards the idolatrous shrine. Add to this the evidence for the worship of Manat, Al Uuzza and Allat (feminine of lh). Clearly my position will be seen as polemical but represents a genuine concern regarding the possible practice of idolatry in that period.
[17] The source of our translations of the Muslims prayer are taken from Salim (1991, pp 94-107), but are modernised by me.
[18] This term greater is a little stranger for a community who are supposed to believe in the existence of one g-d and not other. “Most probably the comparative ‘greater’ (akbar) was in the beginning according to the term of excellence of the g-ds of Mecca , declaring them all to be inferior to “Allah”. It is the echo of the first preaching of Mohammed, the “kerigma” of the new prophet. A bit later, in the reflections of the theology of the mystic Moslems, it came to signify the absolute divine transcendency: G-d is “greater” than all that exists (Sandoli, p11)
[19] John of Damascus the first Christian ti address Islam from a position of experience and close knowledge testified of the Muslims “these used to be idolaters and worshiped the morning star and Aphrodite, whom in their own language they called Khabar which means great
[20] Here we see the Arabic common noun for g-d. This is the etymological connection with the el or perhaps elohim. The proper noun for the Muslim deity is Allah, hence Allah seeks to replace Yahuwah and ilah answer to elohim.
[21] Shias say this twice
[22] In the Christian liturgy the when a congregation is about to take the Eucharist the priest will speak the words of institution.
[23] Niyyat is one of the 12 prescribed elements of worship, if left out the worship is invalidated (Salim, 101)
[24] The madhab differ as to where the hands should be placed. Shafi and wahabi place them on their breasts and Shias on either side.
[25] Takbir is said to be the breaking point where the devotee binds himself to lh and stops thinking of earthly matters for communion with lh. It is for this reason called Takbir Al Ihram (of sanctification)
[26] It is interesting that Salim indicates at this point that the confession should be made forcefully. There is a parallel to this in the practice of magic. If a magician is carrying out a ritual using the Tree of Life of the 10 sefirot he speaks in accordance with the nature of the particular level of sefirah he is speaking from. So if he is speaking from Kether the highest sefirah he will speak with awestruck tones. If from geburah he will speak with “stern tones” (Richardson, p31), which can be considered as forceful. Interestingly the Muslim at this point is speaking of “akbar” which I am sure is seen as associated not with mouse in Hebrew but with gvurah strength. Thus the Muslim speak of gvurah in the very tone of a magician performing a spell would speak the same. Another interesting coincidence is that although the Muslim g-d is not mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures the closest form to it is the name Eloah. This is the very name associated with gvurah in the tree of life (Macgregor Mathers, p22-29 plate III).
[27]Compare this refuge taking with that above in the Shart. Compare the Christian saying “Submit to G-d resist the devil and he will flee from you (in stark terror) (Epistle of Yacov, NT)or “The G-d of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Apostle Paul).
[28] Here Salim (1991) recommends Surahs Kauthar, At tauhid or Ikhlas, an Nas or Al Falaq
[29] Shias add ”and with his praise”
[30] Clearly this connected to the expulsion of the hypocrites from the Masjid in the time when Machmad got irritated with them for standing at the back of the masjid and whispering and giggling.
[31] The knees are placed on the ground followed by hands, forehead and nose.
[32] At this point Shias say "I rise and sit by the power of lh,! Lh is great. (Salim 104)
[33] At this point Shias say "I rise and sit by the power of lh,! Lh is great. (Salim 104)
[34] The Muslim points the first finger of his right hand as he says this lh.
[35] Turns to the right so his right cheek can be seen from behind on his right side.
[36] He says this turning to the left
[37] Or which ever of the five salaat it is.
[38] This is the only address to Machmad in salaat.
This paper looks at the basic significance and ritual of Muslim salaat. At first the importance and reason for salaat is given. This is followed by an outline of the preparation of salaat and the procedure in the salaat itself. We the test the hypothesis that Muslim salaat is an act of ceremonial magic. And finally make a short comparison with aspects of Christian worship is made. Finally we conclude that Islamic prayer, in being a powerful force in the world today needs to be better understood.
Islamic Prayer
The Muslim regards salaat[1] ritual prayer as foundational to his religion. He performs salaat to a g-d called Allah[2] (hereinafter called lh). This title was known before the rise of Machmad among the Christians of Arabia[3]. The Muslim has five fundamental religious obligations called popularly the five pillars of Islam. These are the shahada, a confession that “There is no ilah (g-d) but lh (Muslim g-d) and Machmad is his messenger”. Ritual prayer salaat, zakat or the giving of 2.5% of their income to the poor, tzoom or a 30 day fast during the ninth Islamic month called Ramadan. The fast goes from sunrise to sunset. Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca which is required of the Muslim male who is of age, able and has means, once in a life time. [4]
1 Salaat the Sign of Islam
Salaat (ritual prayer) unlike dua (private prayer), must be performed in Arabic[5]. Salaat is either fard (required or compulsory) or nafl (additional services not prescribed but seen practised in the life of Machmad). To intentionally avoid salaat is an unpardonable sin (Salim, 86). Of salaat it has been said “All ulama unanimously aver that if a kaafir whom none has heard proclaiming kalimah performs salaat, then it is incumbent to regard him as a Muslim.”, which shows how fundamental salaat is in Islam. To be an unbeliever and to be caught performing salaat is to be reckoned a Muslim. Once you are a Muslim the only way out is escape or death for the penalty for apostasy under sharia law is death[6]. The importance of salaat in this respect is seen as it is a criterion of belief and unbelief. Hadrat Jaabir asserts “The distinguishing factor between kufr and Imaan is the deliberate neglect of salaat”[7]. One who neglects salaat is seen as one who lacks din (faith). Salaat is imagined as the head and din as the body. We see that salaat then is a sign of Islam. It is a fundamental criterion for assessing whether a Muslim is “backslidden” or not as we might say in Christian parlance. It is clear that this arises from the fact that the kalimah (word of confession) is a part of the salaat of the Muslim.
2 Salaat Further Aspects
In Surah Taha the Koran commands families to perform salaat. In Al Buhari Hadrat Abu Huraiarah states “This is the effect of five salaat. By means of it Allah ta’ala purifies the performer of all sins”. This is no doubt a very powerful and important motivating force for the Muslim. If he understands that salaat can act in cleansing him of sin he will no doubt find the twenty minutes or so required each day to perform the prayer a worthwhile investment. In Islam prayer does not just operate to forgive sins but is seen as a key to paradise (Jannat). Although no where in the Koran is a Muslim commanded to pray five times a day, the tradition of doing so is likely to have gone back to the earliest days of Islam. The Koran does exhort a Muslim to be constant at salaat and the noun is used no less than 46 times in the Koran.[8]
3 Salaat and the Day of Judgement
For the Muslim salaat is seen as a provider of assurance for when they believe they will stand before their g-d on his Day of Judgment (Qiyaanah). Hadrat Bareedah states “He who neglects salaat, will have no light, no proof, and no salvation (from the direction of salaat). He will be in the company of Qaroon, Fir, Oun, Hamaan and Ubay ibn Kalf on the day of Qiyaamah. Tibraani has gone as far as to say that if on judgment day salaat is found to be true other acts will pass as proper but if salaat is found to be despoiled, then all the other acts will fail. This theme is connected with 1 above since the one who does not perform salaat is seen as a kaafir. Indeed the neglect of salaat does not have to wait until judgement day to receive its punishment. Hayatul Muslimeen teaches that to neglect prayer is actually criminal. “Persistence in the neglect of salaat is punishable by death in Islam”. In light of the seriousness of the consequences of its neglect Muslim parents are instructed “stress on your children the performance of salaat from the age of seven and beat them at the age of ten years (if they neglect salaat)” (Abu Dawood).
4 Muslim Responsibility in prayer
In Islam each Muslim should be capable of leading the salaat. It must be performed according to correct procedure. This is a serious matter, the Regents Park Mosque had a very good relationship with the local police because they kept on having to be called in to save the lives of the Imams who did not follow accepted procedure or even dress properly. They were often beaten. Salaat as noted must be performed correctly which means (a) regularly at the appointed times and (b) in accordance with all the rules of salaat. It is necessary to perform salaat in times of great danger, even when engaged in fighting an enemy. It is also permitted to perform in moving transportation and facing any direction.
The qualified Muslim performs at least salaat five times a day[9], each one has variations in relation to the others. Each one contains a number of rakas (prostrations). The prayers are called fajr (daybreak to sunrise); zuhr (when the sun begins to decline at midday until the shadow of and object is equal in size to the object it self), asr (midway between zuhr and mahgrib), mahgrib (between the disappearance of the red glow of the sky and the disappearance of the sun on the western horizon) and Isha (from sunset to midnight). Friday congregational salaat (Salatul jum’ah) at noon[10] is worth ten times more than the other 34 salaats performed weekly by a Muslim. The rakas are 2, 4, 4, 3, and 4 respectively, giving 17 in total[11]. There is a special emphasis on number among Muslims. A strictly observant Muslim male will perform salaat at least 5 times a day 35 times a week, between 140 and 150 times a month and between 1680 and 1800 times a year. The five daily salaat take around 20 minutes altogether[12]. Like the modern day Jews the day begins at sunset.[13]
5 Preparations for Salaat
Raka and Sajdah are part of salaat but are not the whole of salaat. Rakats may be performed in a different way under certain conditions for example in times of war. War time salaat is regulated according to rule in the manuals of fiqh (Islami Jurisprudence) .
A Muslim is required to perform wuzu (ritual washing) before salaat. This is performed to bring the Muslim into a state of tahaarat (purity).[14]He washes his face, arms up to the elbows, rubs his head with his wet hand, washed his feet up to his ankles. He needs to do all this with the intention (niyyat) of performing wuzu. The process is quite intricate and has at least 14 steps (Salim, p96). This ablution can be nullified by various activities for example anything coming out of the urethra or anus, repugnant matter coming through any bodily openings, touching the male organ, touching a women with desire, apostasy, touching liquor , pork, dead bodies or animals. (Salim, p96) The regulations regarding all aspects of the salaat vary according to which of the four madhab (hanafi, shafi, etc) a Muslim has bound himself to. If water is not available a Muslim may use sand or dust. This “washing” is called tayammum. The Muslim since the second year of the hijrah (AD 622) has a qibla(prayer direction) towards Mecca. The Qibla was changed while the kaaba[15] was still full of idols.[16]
The Salaat Service[17]
There are traditions that indicate that Machmad used to sit outside of the market store of some Nestorian Christians and listen to them worship. This has been seen as an influence on the liturgical form of the Islamic prayer service, of course emptied of its Christian content.
1 The Muslim stands facing the qibla, he inclines his head and focuses on the ground where his forehead will touch the ground.
2 He says four shurut (stipulations). These are preliminaries but are compulsory (fard).
Preparations for Salaat
Shart (Stipulation) 1
Basmalla In the name of lh, the Merciful and Compassionate
Shart 2
Tawwudh (Seeking refuge)
Say: I seek refuge in the L-rd of mankind,
The Possessor of mankind
The g-d of mankind,
From the evil of whispers,
The one who goes back
Who whispers in the breasts of mankind,
Of the Jinn and mankind.
Shart 3
Adhan (said by salaat leader or Muezzin)
Muezzin lh is greater![18] lh is greater [19](twice)
I witness, There is no ilah[20] but lh(twice)
I witness, Machmad is the messenger of lh (twice)
Come to worship! (twice)
Come to prosperity (twice)
( Tathwib- “worship is better than sleep” is said in the fajr salaat)
(May lh institute it and continue it as long as the heavens and earth
continue)
Congregation There is no might and strength but in lh
Lh is greater! lh is greater!
I witness there is no ilah but lh.[21]
Imam O lh! By the right of this complete call and worship instituted
Grant Machmad meditation and excellence, elevate him to the
Praise worthy station which you promised him.
You do not violate a promise
Shart 4 (Called Iqamat –Institution[22])
Leader lh is greater! lh is greater (twice)
I witness, There is no ilah but lh(twice)
I witness, Machmad is the messenger of lh (twice)
Come to worship! (twice)
Lh is greater! lh is greater!
I witness there is no ilah but lh
Salaat is now ready.
Salaat Proper
Prescribed (compulsory) Elements of salaat are twelve. These are as follows: 1 Intention; 2 Takbir; 3 The Standing Posture; 4 Saying the Fatiha; 5 Bending down and bowing until the the palms reach the knees; 6 Straightening from the bowing and standing up;7 Prostration excluding the placing of the hands; 8 Rising from this position and sitting; 9 The sitting for the last witnessing; 10 The last witnessing; 11 The blessing upon the prophet; 12 The first Salutation. We will go into further details below.
I Standing
1 Niyyat[23] (Intention)
I perform at its proper time the prescribed (zuhr etc)
salaat to lh
Al Ihram (The santification) hands raised to ears[24]
The saying of this Takbir is the breaking point “the devotee breaks off all connections with earthly matters” (Salim p101)
2 Takbir[25] Lh is greater (said forcefully) [26]
Subhan (introductory supplication)
Praise is yours O lh!
By your praise! Blessed of itself is your name
And exalted is your majesty, and sublime is your
Praise, and there is no ilah but you.
Tawwudh or Azubilla
I seek refuge in lh from cursed Satan[27]
Basmalla or Tasmiyah
In the name of lh, the Merciful and Compassionate
3 Fatiha Recitation (opening surah to be pronounced clearly and directly)
Praise belongs to lh, the l-rd of the worlds,
The Merciful, the Compassionate,
The r-ler of the day of Judgement
Thee we worship and thee we ask for aid
Direct us in the right way,
the way of those to whom you are gracious
not of those you are angry with
nor of those who err.
Tamin Amin
Surah Recitation or three or four verses of Koran[28] Here the Muslim is free to choose a few appropriate Surah’s of the Koran to recite. One example is Surah Al Falaq.
Surah Al Falaq In the name of lh the beneficent, the merciful
(CXIII) Say: I seek refuge in the l-rd of daybreak
From the evil of that which he created
From the evil, the darkness when it is intense
And from the evil of malignant witchcraft
And from the evil of the environment when he envies.
Another is Surah At-Tauhid or Ikhlas (CXII)
In the name of lh , the beneficent, the merciful
Say: He is lh, the One (Ehad)
Lh , the eternally besought of all!
He begetteth not nor was begotten
4 Raka (Bowing) He lifts his hands and says takbir
Lh is greater
5 Bends down and places hands on his knees
I extol the holiness of my L-rd , the great.[29]
Tasmi lh hears whoever says his praise, O l-rd
Thou art praised
Qunut O g-d we seek help from you, and forgiveness of sins
We believe in you and trust in you.
We praise you. We thank you. We are not unthankful
We expel[30], and we depart from him who does not obey you
We serve you, we prostrate ourselves and we serve you
We hope for your mercy. We fear your punishments
Surely your judgements are upon infidels.
6 Straightens up.
II Tasbih I Sijdah (Prostration)
7 Prostrates[31]saying the takbir.
Takbir lh is greater.
While prostrate recite tasbih 3 times
Tasbih I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
8 Straightens up and recites takbir
Takbir lh is greater[32]
O l-rd, forgive me! Have mercy on me!
Provide for me! Guide me!
Preserve me in health and pardon me
Second Prostration
Takbir lh is greater.
While prostrate recite tasbih 3 times
Tasbih I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd the m-st high.
Straightens up and recites takbir
Takbir lh is greater[33]
Stands
This completes the first raka.
Second Raka
The Witnessing:
10 The Muslim raises his head and sits on his left leg. He places his right hand on his right thigh, folds all his fingers except the index finger which he points
11 Tahiyah (first witnessing)
The greetings belong to lh!
Peace be upon you, o prophet,
And the mercy and blessing of lh!
Peace be upon us, and the righteous creatures of lh.
Tashaud I witness: There is no ilah but lh[34]
And Machmad is the messenger of lh
Bl-ssing Machmad and family
O lh! Bl-ss the messenger of lh, and on his descendents
As you had mercy on Ibrahim and on his descendants.
You are to be praised, and you are great, o lh.
Bl-ss Machmad and his descendants as you blessed
Ibrahim and his descendants praised
And you are great!
Dua O g-d our L-rd give us the blessings of this life,
And also the blessings of life everlasting,
Save us from the torments of fire
12 Taslim Al Tahlil
The peace is upon you and the mercy of lh[35]
The peace be upon you and the mercy of lh[36]
This last and twelfth requirement salaat is a process of “desanctification”. It is performed at the end of the last raka. This means it is the second raka at fajr, the fourth at zuhr, third at asr and fourth at mahgrib and isha services. The Muslim is by no means restricted to the five daily performances of salaat.
How can looking at the salaat service of Islamic worship help us to understand Islam in the world? Let us look more closely at the Islamic salaat to see what is actually going on through the eyes of a magician or a religious person. The acts begin with intricate preparation behind which is a very strong act of will, determining that the intention of the wuzu is to be purified in order to perform an act of salaat. The beginning of both wuzu and salaat proper is an act of will called intention niyyat. According to Colin Wilson, for Aleister Crowley, in magic will is everything. Or in the words of Richardson “Metaphorically speaking , magic is a means of turning inside ourselves, grabbing our selves , and hauling ourselves up by the scruff of the neck to whatever standards we choose to aspire” (Richardson, 11). He goes on “ a Magician evolves toward g-d hood using rituals designed to reproduce Inner Worlds (Richardson p12). This turning inwards starts for the Muslim when he decides as an act of will that he is performing wuzu and is completed when he says takbir at stage two of salaat. From then on he is in the complete mode of salaat. He is complete set apart to the ritual acts and words he will speak in his performance. Richardson here gives an interesting illustration of the symbols used in an act of ritual magic “the gestures of a traffic policeman are based upon a definite system. Each arm movement has a symbolic meaning, which if misunderstood, can result in serious trouble…Symbols are a means of communication, a form of shorthand…In ritual magic every gesture must have a meaning. They are not used for their aesthetic qualities, but because they are physical representations of inner actualities.”(Richardon p12) We see in the act of salaat many gestures. These include raising the hands, the right hand holding the left hand near the navel, prostrating sitting, standing. The question is do they have aesthetic significance or meaning? We find from Salim that at the breaking point of takbir al ihram the raising of the hands and causing the palms to face the qibla and then letting them fall and the right hand taking over the left hand just above the navel, or below the chest are two symbols. The first means obedience to lh and the second symbolises binding. Thus they possess ritual meaning and this will no doubt be a fruitful field of investigation. Migene Gonzalez Wippler gives us some insights into magic. She first gives us a dictionary definition: "the pretended art of producing effects or controlling events by charms, spells, and rituals to govern certain natural and supernatural forces”. (Gonzalez-Wippler p8) a charm can be defined as something that influences or protects as if by magic” (Oxford ALD). The key words for us are influence or protect. The word spell is defined as “words used as a charm”, words then used to influence or protect. Finally the word ritual is “all the rites or forms connected with a ceremony” Oxford ALD. We can return for a moment to Gonzalez-Wippler. She argues that
“Both magic and religion are expressions of religious instinct. There is however one big difference between the two. Religion exhorts man to overcome his baser instincts and to reach instead for the spiritual world, disdaining the material temptations of the flesh.”
Thus we need to see what the act of Muslim salaat aims at? A final statement of Gozalez-Wippler can perhaps shed some light
The first aim of magic is, however not to dominate others but rather to strengthen the personality of the magician so he can control his entire environment and his life in general. And that is basically what magic is all about –life- for magic is deeply concerned with living, with creating, with manifesting power, and becoming one with G-d in nature. Even magic’s interest in an after life is an attempt to prolong life in the physical world, because in all its forms magic recognizes that the highest homage man can pay to G-d is to live life richly and fully (Gonzalez –Wippler p10).
Now if we were using this as a hypothesis to test whether Islamic prayer was magic or religion, we can lay out a number of tests from the definitions we have lain out.
1 Are the words designed to gain protection for the speaker?
2 Are the words used to have influence over the environment for the benefit of the speaker?
3 Do the words of salaat exhort a man to overcome his baser instincts?
4 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to reach for the spiritual world?
5 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to disdain material temptations?
6 Do the words seek to prolong physical life as it is?
Thus we need now to turn to the words of the Muslim salaat to observe their purpose and intention. As for ritual it is clear from the description of salaat above that the Muslim is involved in a very intricate fives times daily ritual.
When we look at the statements involved in Muslim salaat we can analyse them into the following kinds of statements: Decisions, Profession, Protection, Petitions (Spiritual or Material) and Praises. Let us now look at the statements
Personal Affirmations:
I seek refuge in L-rd of mankind, the possessor of mankind, the g-d of mankind…from evil whispers
I witness there is no ilah but lh
I perform at its proper time and place the prescribed zuhr[37] salaat to lh
I seek refuge in lh.
I extol the holiness of my L-rd most high
Profession Statements: Shart
In the name of lh the Merciful and Compassionate…lh is greater, lh is greater, there is no ilah but lh, Machmad is the messenger of lh, lh is greater, lh is greater, lh is greater, lh is greater, there is no might and strength by in lh, Machmad is the messenger of lh, lh is greater, lh is greater, there is no ilah but lh
Salaat Professions
About Lh and Machmad
The professions of faith are extremely limited in breadth. They involve much repetition and must be spoken in Arabic.
These are
1 In the name of lh (1)
2 lh is greater (12),
3 There is no ilah but lh (3).
4 Machmad is the messenger of lh occurs twice in shart.
6 lh hears whoever says his praise (1)
7 Greetings belong to lh (1)
Professions to Lh and Machmad
Shart
O Lh! Grant mchmad, You do not violate a promise.
Salaat
Praise is yours O lh
By your praise! Blessed of itself is your name
And exalted is your majesty
And sublime is your praise
And there is no ilah but you
You do we worship
You are praised
O g-d we seek help from you and forgiveness of sins
We believe in you and trust in you
We praise you. We thank you. We are not unthankful
We expel and we depart from him who does not obey you.
We serve you, we prostrate ourselves and we serve you.
We hope for your mercy.
We fear your punishment
Surely your judgments are upon infidels
O l-rd forgive me
Have mercy upon me!
Provide for me! Guide me!
Preserve me in health and pardon me.
Peace be upon you O prophet[38]
And the Mercy and blessing of lh
O lh bless the Messenger of lh
You are to be praised, and you are great O lh
O g-d our L-rd, give us the blessing of this life
And the blessing of life everlasting
Save us from the fire.
We can observe now that Muslims when addressing their g-d call him: lh, L-rd, you and our L-rd. When they speak about him they use many other titles as the following:
Praises and Titles: Merciful, Compassionate, l-rd, possessor and g-d of mankind. greater, ilah, blessed of itself is his name, exalted is his majesty, sublime is his praise, l-rd of the worlds, ruler of judgement day, my l-rd most high.
Petitions or Imperatives
Come to worship, come to worship, come to prosperity, come to prosperity, O lh! By the right of this complete call and worship instituted grant Machmad meditation and excellence, elevate him to the praise worthy station which you promised him. You do not violate a promise, come to worship come to worship, direct us in the right way, the way of those to whom you are gracious not of those you are angry with nor of those who err. You we ask for aid. O g-d we seek help from you, and forgiveness of sins, we hope for your mercy, O l-rd forgive me! Have mercy on me! Provide for me! Guide me! Preserve me in health and pardon me. O lh! Bl-ss the messenger of lh, and his descendants as Ibrahim and his seed, Bl-ss Machmad and his seed
O g-d our L-rd give us blessing of this life and also the blessings of life everlasting, save us from the torment of fire.
Protection
I seek refuge in the L-rd of mankind, the possessor of mankind, the g-d of mankind, from evil of whispers… of the one who goes back who whispers in the breast of Jinn and mankind. I seek refuge in lh from cursed Satan. Save us from the torments of fire.
We see then that the profession in the salaat of Muslims contains a small number of phrases and clauses. However in the light of our hypothesis we can say this. It is asserted that praise belong to lh. And also that lh hears those who praise him. This could mean that if a Muslims wants his petitions heard, irrespective of what they are, we would expect him to praise lh a lot. And perhaps this is evidence by the repetition of the takbir the basic praise given by Muslim to lh. We notice that it is repeated more than all the other professions together. Indicating perhaps that a Muslim is being taught by the tradition to praise and to know that from this he may obtain answers to his petitions.
Let us now turn to our questions and make some observations
1 Are the words designed to gain protection for the speaker?
We see that among the statements of a Muslim he is afraid of a number of things. These include evil whispers, those who go back, lh's judgments which are on the infidel, the cursed Satan and the fire. He seeks refuge from the evil whispers using three titles of lh, l-rd, possessor and g-d of mankind. For Satan he takes refuge in lh. Magical amulets are often used to avoid evil elements here we may see the words of the Muslim used a words to avoid evil. He uses different title for different evils. This is very conversant with magical practices where different titles of g-d or different angels are addressed for different problems. In addition salaat and magic are very specific about words used to achieve certain objects. Magicians will use a word formula even if they do not know its full meaning. In this respect salaat is similar to magic.
2 Are the words used to have influence over the environment for the benefit of the speaker?
When the Muslim says I seek refuge, and when he declares lh is greater he is clearly expecting his words to have influence over his environment. The takbir al ihram said forcefully is clearly intended to affect the transfer from earthly to lh's presence. These activities are also clearly for the benefit of the speaker. The Muslim praises knowing that lh hears those who praise him. And he petitions for health, expects success and aid from lh. He hopes through his praise to gain direction from lh so that he receives lh' s graciousness and avoids his wrath. All these are words of the Muslim with the intention of influencing his life environment for the better.
3 Do the words of salaat exhort a man to overcome his baser instincts?
Baser instincts are not mentioned in the salaat. There is an appeal for guidance and aid but it is related to a very general obedience to lh. The Muslim proclaims that he is not unthankful and indeed thankful, these could be seen as dealing with the baser instinct of ingratitude however he does not seek to be thankful he proclaims himself thankful. He proclaims himself obedient and as one who serves lh. He also proclaims that lh's judgement rests on the infidel, he does not intercede on behalf of the infidel but indeed expels him from his group. This does not lead humility but pride. Thus in regard to baser instincts we can only say they are not addressed. And of course the whole complicated matter of what is a baser instinct is not addressed.
4 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to reach for the spiritual world?
Certainly the Muslim mentions once that he wants the life everlasting and he praises his deity, he wants to please his deity and knows that he rules judgment day. He even extols the holiness of his L-rd most high. He affirms that he believes in his g-d and trusts in his g-d. But the focus seems to be attempting to convince the deity of his sincerity. He hopes for his mercy and fears the punishment but as one of my past wives has said "Where's the love?" He wants help, forgiveness, pardon, mercy and to avoid punishment and he trust, thanks, serve and prostrate, but where is the heart searching of the one who knows he has sinned and sincerely seeks reconciliation? In all however it must be said there is a seeking of the spiritual world of his g-d.
5 Do the words of salaat encourage the Muslim to disdain material temptations?
Again we have an area where material temptations are not directly addressed. The Muslim is told to come to success, but he is not told what kind of success. He does ask for health which is a material concern. He asks for material blessing for Machmad and his family, which can cast a shadow on Machmad's motives more than the average Muslims. He asks for aid, but he does not say in what. When the individual cries provide for me, preserve me in health we can perhaps see a turning to material concerns. However it is neither avaricious not particularly disdaining to material concerns. We would need more evidence to decide on this issue.
6 Do the words seek to prolong physical life as it is?
The Muslim certainly seeks healing for him and guidance for him. The cry for aid and health can be seen as a desire to prolong physical life. He wants to avoid a fire he is expecting at some time in the future but does not. He look in the end of salaat for peace upon him and the righteous creatures of lh. We can not be sure from the prayers what he means by life everlasting. And so we are left once more in the realm of uncertainty.
Salaat as Ritual Magic
To demonstrate this hypothesis more evidence of the meaning and significance of the ritual actions and the words would be needed. Certainly there is evidence of magical attitudes but as for the whole act from wuzu to taslim being a magical ceremony I can not confirm at this time. We will now give a brief comparison with Christian service and conclude.
The Muslims salaat consists of fixed elements and flexible elements. We looked above only at the fixed elements to se if they point to ceremonial magic
The flexible element is basically which Koranic surahs the Muslim chooses to recite. Islamic prayer grew up in the midst of Pagan, Christian and Jewish worlds. It perhaps shows more flexibility than the Nestorian Christian, in its inclusion of its scriptures, for example Christian Scriptures, and Jewish for that matter are based on a specific lectionary of readings. Whether the Christian is performing morning and evening prayer or simply attending the service on a Sunday, the Nestorian has a list of scriptures to be read through in the year. Each day has its reading. The Muslim is free to fill the main scripture slot with a short surah or a few ayahs. A very clear point of difference is the g-d worshipped. The Nestorians have not historically considered the g-ds to be different. Indeed historically the famous debate between Caliph Mahdi and Timothy the Patriarch indicates that the Nestorians believe they worship the same g-d as the Muslims. The Catholicos Timothy praised Machmad in a way most present day Protestants would blush at. “All the prophets taught the doctrine of one G-d and since Muhammad taught the doctrine of the unity of G-d , he walked therefore, in the path of the prophets”(Mingana, 1928). Having praised Muhammad and saved his skin the discussion continues as follows:
Caliph You should, therefore, accept the words of the prophet.
Timothy Which words of his our victorious king believes that I must accept?
Caliph That G-d is one, and that there is none other besides Him.
Timothy This belief in one G-d, O my sovereign , I have learned from the Torah, from
the prophets and from the Gospel. I stand by it and shall die in it.
Caliph You believe in one G-d as you said but one in three.
Timothy I do not deny that I believe in one G-d in three, and three in one, but not three different g-dheads, however, but in the persons of G-d’s word
and His Spirit. I believe these three persons constitute one G-d, not in their
persons but in their nature.
Caliph How is it that these three persons whom you mention do not constitute three
G-ds?
Timothy Because the three of them constitute one G-d, O our victorious King, and the
fact that He is only one G-d precludes the hypothesis that these are three G-ds.
And so the conversion can go on forever. A comparison of the liturgy of the Christians with that of the Muslim shows that they are poles apart in their prayer lives. The Christian draws on the Torah, the Psalms, the wrings and the Gospel, the Muslim draws on the Koran. The key address by the Christian to their g-d is to the Father, through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. These three appear constantly in the Christian prayers. In contrast to this they do not appear a single solitary time in all the prayers of the Muslim. On the other hand such titles as L-rd of day break do not occur in the Christian liturgy.
The Muslim appeals for the forgiveness of sins but like the dead Egyptian at the court of Maat his salaat does not confess a single solitary sin. On the other hand the Christian trust the blood of Christ as the source of the forgiveness of sins. And in addition when he gets on his knees he confesses
I confess to Almighty G-d, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Before the whole company of heaven, and to you beloved of G-d
that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed,
by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault.
Wherefore I beg almighty G-d to have mercy on me
and you my brethren to pray for me to the L-rd our G-d.
The time is then given for personal confession. After which the priest arises from his knees and says G-d Almighty have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins
And bring us to life everlasting .
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
Although the Muslim salaat is usually performed in a group it appears that prayer is a very individual thing "Provide for me" cries the Muslim "Give us our daily bread" the Christian. The preparation of the service appears to include some elements of liturgical response. The Christian service especially in the Liturgy of the Eucharist as opposed to the earlier mentioned Liturgy of the Word, includes many congregational responses to the prompts of the service leader.
The Muslims prostrates up to four times in the compulsory ritual salaat services. In general western Christians do not prostrate but bow. We bow our knees at the time of confession. The act of prostration takes place in Orthodox and Catholic Church communion on a more regular basis than in Protestant or Charismatic congregations. In terms of daily prayer the Charismatic do this not in a building with other believers but at home with their families or alone. Each one follows a pattern suitable for him.
The Christians qibla is nowadays the altar in the Church although it is true that some Church are built with the entrance in the West and the Altar in the East. The actual qibla is really Jesus Christ who said "I am the way the Truth and the Life, no one come to the Father except through me.
Conclusion
The sight of Muslim's at prayer challenges the atheist to think about where the world is going. The ritual as intricate as it is must have taken years to develop. Clearly who ever established the ritual and even the whole system was an experiecned mind, for although their seems to be some strange fears regarding whispers and witchcraft the plan has done a marvellous job in keeping Muslims bound up in their religion. However for a Muslim to transfer allegiance to Jesus Christ in my opinion involves such a radical change in worship and attitude as to necessitate the acceptance that the Muslim L-rd of the daybreak and g-d of all mankind, notwithstanding his titles can not in any sense be Yahuwah the G-d and Father of the L-rd Yehoshua the Mashiyach. It is necessary for the sake of the future peace of mankind for further research to be conducted into what moves the Muslim to act including the effect on their behaviour of act of salaat.
Bibliography:
Book of Holy Service (Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America)
Gonzalez-Wippler, Migene, Spells Ceremonies and Magic, (St Paul Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications 1997)
Mingana. A The Apology of Timothy the Patriarch before the Caliph Mahdi, Woodbrooke Studies 2 (Cambridge: W Hefer and Sons, 1928)
Macgregor Mathers, S.L., The Kabbalah Unveiled, (England: Penguin Arkana, 1991)
Moshay G J O Who is this Allah? (England: Dorchester House Publications, 1995)
Richardson, A An Introduction to the Mystical Qabalah, (Northamptonshire: Aquarian press, 1981)
Richardson, A An Introduction to the Mystical Qabalah, (Northamptonshire: Aquarian press, 1981)
Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary
Sandoli De Sabino The Song of the Muezzin, (Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press)
Saint John of Damascus Writings: Trans: Chase, F (Washington:Catholic University of America)
Salim, Muhammad Kunju, Islam Ethics and Teachings (New Dehli: Kitab Bhavan, 1991)
Nielsen Niels C Religions of the World (New York: St Martins Press)
[1] This word is probably related to the Hebrew word of service sarat.
[2] GJO Moshay asks the question Who is this Allah? And argues he is not the g-d of the Christian or the Bible. Others connect him with the moon g-d Hubal (Morey, 1994) one of the chief g-ds in the pantheon of the kaaba. Others argue there is only one g-d so the Christian, Jew and Muslim must be worshipping the same g-d.
[3] Witness the name of Machmad’s father.
[5] A similar atitutde used to be held among the Roman Catholics in regard to Latin.
[6] These judgement is not always executed.
[7] Sahih Muslim
[8] For a list of these see Salim (p88)
[9] We are not sure how Islam developed the five prayers a day, the myth of Machmad magical ascension developed late and is extremely unlikely to be the reason but rather a later mythical explanation. Perhaps we may see it as a happy medium between the Jewish communities three prayers a shacharit, mincha and maariv and the Christian monks or traditional Churches 7 times day. Both these communities were around Machmad as he developed his religion and he had interaction with both.
[10] It is perhaps just coincidence that Jesus Christ was cried out to the Father on a friday at noon during his crucifixion making this a very important time for the Christians.
[12] I'm sure this must exclude preparation times. This figure was obtained from my Muslim student and confirmed by an Islamic professor.
[13] This was not the case in Palestine when the Temple was standing (See Doig, K on Calendar)
[14] No doubt this word is linked to the Hebrew adjective tahor.
[16] This may be a problem in the minds of Christians who would see this as worshipping towards an idols shrine, but this fact does not seem to give the Muslim any qualms. In turning from Jerusalem to Mecca Machmad, I see Machmad just confirming his disconnection from the line of true prophets, not only in the g-d he worships but in his varying attitude to idolatry. From AD 623 to AD 630 Machmad bow towards the idolatrous shrine. Add to this the evidence for the worship of Manat, Al Uuzza and Allat (feminine of lh). Clearly my position will be seen as polemical but represents a genuine concern regarding the possible practice of idolatry in that period.
[17] The source of our translations of the Muslims prayer are taken from Salim (1991, pp 94-107), but are modernised by me.
[18] This term greater is a little stranger for a community who are supposed to believe in the existence of one g-d and not other. “Most probably the comparative ‘greater’ (akbar) was in the beginning according to the term of excellence of the g-ds of Mecca , declaring them all to be inferior to “Allah”. It is the echo of the first preaching of Mohammed, the “kerigma” of the new prophet. A bit later, in the reflections of the theology of the mystic Moslems, it came to signify the absolute divine transcendency: G-d is “greater” than all that exists (Sandoli, p11)
[19] John of Damascus the first Christian ti address Islam from a position of experience and close knowledge testified of the Muslims “these used to be idolaters and worshiped the morning star and Aphrodite, whom in their own language they called Khabar which means great
[20] Here we see the Arabic common noun for g-d. This is the etymological connection with the el or perhaps elohim. The proper noun for the Muslim deity is Allah, hence Allah seeks to replace Yahuwah and ilah answer to elohim.
[21] Shias say this twice
[22] In the Christian liturgy the when a congregation is about to take the Eucharist the priest will speak the words of institution.
[23] Niyyat is one of the 12 prescribed elements of worship, if left out the worship is invalidated (Salim, 101)
[24] The madhab differ as to where the hands should be placed. Shafi and wahabi place them on their breasts and Shias on either side.
[25] Takbir is said to be the breaking point where the devotee binds himself to lh and stops thinking of earthly matters for communion with lh. It is for this reason called Takbir Al Ihram (of sanctification)
[26] It is interesting that Salim indicates at this point that the confession should be made forcefully. There is a parallel to this in the practice of magic. If a magician is carrying out a ritual using the Tree of Life of the 10 sefirot he speaks in accordance with the nature of the particular level of sefirah he is speaking from. So if he is speaking from Kether the highest sefirah he will speak with awestruck tones. If from geburah he will speak with “stern tones” (Richardson, p31), which can be considered as forceful. Interestingly the Muslim at this point is speaking of “akbar” which I am sure is seen as associated not with mouse in Hebrew but with gvurah strength. Thus the Muslim speak of gvurah in the very tone of a magician performing a spell would speak the same. Another interesting coincidence is that although the Muslim g-d is not mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures the closest form to it is the name Eloah. This is the very name associated with gvurah in the tree of life (Macgregor Mathers, p22-29 plate III).
[27]Compare this refuge taking with that above in the Shart. Compare the Christian saying “Submit to G-d resist the devil and he will flee from you (in stark terror) (Epistle of Yacov, NT)or “The G-d of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Apostle Paul).
[28] Here Salim (1991) recommends Surahs Kauthar, At tauhid or Ikhlas, an Nas or Al Falaq
[29] Shias add ”and with his praise”
[30] Clearly this connected to the expulsion of the hypocrites from the Masjid in the time when Machmad got irritated with them for standing at the back of the masjid and whispering and giggling.
[31] The knees are placed on the ground followed by hands, forehead and nose.
[32] At this point Shias say "I rise and sit by the power of lh,! Lh is great. (Salim 104)
[33] At this point Shias say "I rise and sit by the power of lh,! Lh is great. (Salim 104)
[34] The Muslim points the first finger of his right hand as he says this lh.
[35] Turns to the right so his right cheek can be seen from behind on his right side.
[36] He says this turning to the left
[37] Or which ever of the five salaat it is.
[38] This is the only address to Machmad in salaat.
posted by Evangelist Edi Nachman Bsc. PGCE @ 4:50 AM
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