Islamic prayer is significant to a Muslim’s traditional lifestyle as a method to submit to God with the mind and soul. Islamic prayer is necessary to attend with the full presence of body and soul of a Muslim. The importance and role of prayer has drastically changed over time in Islamic history. The origins of Islamic prayer in very significant to how Islam was spread over time to becoming the fastest growing religion in the world. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam and it is important for a Muslim to say their prayers five times throughout the duration of their day. Muslims are asked by Allah to pray before sunrise, mid afternoon, late afternoon, sunset and at night. The action of prayer is considered one of the more visual elements that display the Islamic faith. Daily prayer or the known by the term Salah are ways for Muslims to identify with themselves. The act of Salah is a way of totally submitting to the instructions of Allah and showing gratitude to him because Muslims do not bow before anyone but Allah. Prayer has had a complex origin behind it, from the first adhan to the pilgrimage of Hajj it has a huge historical significance to the religion itself.
The necessity of prayer was revealed to Muslims within the five pillars of Islam. Salat the second pillar is Islam is not the only form of prayer in the religion. It is important to note that the bowings, recitations and sajda (prostration to Allah in the direction of the Kaaba) directly offer the follower a means of communicating with God on a daily routine. In Surah Al-Baqarah of the Holy Quran in 2:238 it translates to “Guard strictly [on] the prayers, and the prayer – [the] middle, and stand up for Allah devoutly obedient.” This means for Muslims to be mindful of prayer and to pray in the presence of God. Salah was claimed to be practiced by other important prophets such as Prophet Abraham, Isa Ibn Maryam and Ishmael. Since in the Qu’ran it is referenced that prayer was performed by these known prophets, it is believed the the word of prayer was not unfamiliar to Prophet Muhammad.
It is argued by Muslim scholars that the number of daily prayers was decided during Prophet Muhammad’s journey of mi’raj. The mi’raj or “night journey” of Islam was when the Prophet ascended to the 7th heaven and met with Allah alongside previous prophets. It was reported this night that the prophet was when the prophet received instructions of how to conduct prayer in Islam. Anas ibn Maalik, who was a one of the followers of the prophet, narrated the Hadith that the messenger said “Then Allah revealed what He revealed to me, and enjoined fifty prayers on me every day and night. I came back down to Moosa and he said: What did your Lord enjoin upon your ummah? I said: Fifty prayers. He said: Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce it… I kept going back and forth between my Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, and Moosa, until He said: ‘O Muhammad, they are five prayers each day and night, for every prayer there will be a tenfold, and that is fifty prayers.” This hadith claims that Allah at first desired that prayers should be said fifty times a day instead of five. The prophet requested Allah to reduce this number to five and thus his request was granted. It is never fully stated in the Qu’ran the specific number of a prayers a Muslim should do in a day. This is because the number was revealed after the revelation of the Qu’ran to the prophet. It wasn’t till this day that prayer became fard (obligatory) in Islam. In this hadith is also claims that Allah promises a tenfold (reward) for every prayer a Muslim does which serves as a strong incentive to do so. This is also considered to be when the first prayer of Islam was conducted by the prophet himself.
An important aspect to Islamic prayer is the adhan or call to prayer. Adhan originated when the population of Muslims slowly started to increase over time. This growth was noticed during around the second year of Hijrah which was prophet’s journey/migration from Mecca to Medina. Adhan was for mentioned to the Prophet by his Sahabi (companion) Abdullah ibn Zaid. He told the prophet he had a dream of a man wearing a green article of clothing informing him of the words of adhan. Loyal sahabah Bilal ibn Rabah was requested by the prophet to recite adhan and utilize his voice to call Muslims to prayer in Medina. This origin story of adhan was actually referenced in multiple hadith from the “Book of Call To Prayer” (Bukhari). Hadith 580 narrated by Anas bin Malik states “When the number of Muslims increased they discussed the question as to how to know the time for the prayer by some familiar means. Some suggested that a fire be lit (at the time of the prayer) and others put forward the proposal to ring the bell. Bilal was ordered to pronounce the wording of Adhan twice and of the Iqama once only.” As a result of the introduction of adhan it will continue to resonate the call of prayer in Mosques and Masjids around the Islamic world.
The Prophet’s first prayer in Mecca consisted of two rak'ahs which are two prostration cycles. Dr. Jawad Ali, an Islamic scholar claimed in his book about Islamic prayer that the prophet would leave his home shortly after the sunrise to pray Zuhr (midday prayer). The prophet did this so could perform in the Kaaba, as the Quraysh tribe did not oppose it. When it was time for Asr prayer (afternoon prayer), the prophet and his sahabah would essentially separate in different direction to pray either alone or in pairs. The Quraysh tribe controlled Mecca and the Ka’aba at the time, so it was quite difficult for the prophet to pray inside on a daily basis. Typically, the prophet was bothered by a lot of unbelievers at the time and it wasn’t safe for the prophet at moments.In fact the house of the Prophet in Medina was the first communal gathering place for prayer, and it served as a prototype for the earliest mosques. Since prayer is a visual act to worship Allah, numerous non believers would attempt to harm the prophet whenever they saw it. The Prophet and his sahabah would try to do this privately or hidden to avoid any negative confrontation from the outsiders. In Divine Law or Shari’ah law there are a list of requirements to perform a valid ritual prayer in Islam. The five essential requirements are purification, time, direction, covering and fundamentals of prayer. Alongside these requirements the Prophet also stated these recommendations to prayer in sunnah which are congregation/imamate, humility before the Divine (Khushu), the place and the attire.
Before a Muslim performs Salat, it is crucial to perform the act of wudu, ritualized washing for the sake of purity. In fact, this is clearly evident in the Qu’ran surah 5:6 which says “O you who believe! When you stand up for the prayer, then wash your faces and your hands till the elbows and wipe your heads and your feet till the ankles. But if you are in a state of ceremonial impurity then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or has come anyone of you from the toilet or has had contact with the women and not you find water, then do with earth clean, then wipe your faces and your hands with it. Allah does not intend to make for you any difficulty but He intends to purify you and to complete his favor upon you so that you may be grateful.” This shows that Allah commands Muslims to utilize water as a method to cleanse one’s body. The surah also claims that if water is not available to the individual, they can use the Earth to cleanse themselves ritually. Islamic prayer is said in Arabic and in fact the prayer reinforces the first pillar of Islam which is shahada. Shahada is the essential belief that “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. One line that exhibits shahada is prayer is “ash hadu al-La ilaha il-Lal lahu wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu." The english translation of this line is “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and bear witness that Muhammad is his servant”. This line is said while sticking out only your right index finger to show that you believe in only one God and that is Allah.
Islamic prayer is broken up in the five sections which each prayer consisting of different cycles. Fajr is two cycles at pre-dawn, Zuhr is a four cycles midday prayer, Asr is four cycles in the afternoon, Maghrib is three cycles during sunset and finally Isha prayer is four cycles at night. Friday prayer is also important to the origin of Islamic prayer. Jum’a is known as the Friday prayer in Islam and takes place of the Zuhr prayer. Islamic scholars argue that this prayer is only obligatory for free males above the age of puberty. One is exempted from the jum’a prayer if they are traveling, ill or suffering. The Islamic Shaf’i school of law traditionally believe that jum’a must be held in in towns and villages. They also needed at least forty male worshippers to conduct the prayer and make it valid. The schools of Maliki and Hanbali did not set a numerical standard for jum’a but claimed that jum’a was only for stationary people which were those who did not migrate.Friday prayers were also accompanied by a khutba alongside the salat. A khutba is a sermon preached by an imam in a mosque at the time of the Friday jum’a prayer. These khutba are meant to explain and teach the listeners about the morals, ethics and teachings of the Holy Qu’ran.
As the act of prayer was spreading across the around the Arab Peninsula, it led to the introduction of the the Ka'bah also referred as al-ka`bah al-musharrafa. The fifth pillar of Islam is Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Before Islam, Mecca was a small town compared to the popularity is has attracted today. The city’s wealth derives from the pilgrimage to this holy city. Around the sixth century, the city of Mecca became an important religious and commercial center thus resulting in a dramatically growing population. Pilgrims from various places on the peninsula made their way to the Ka’bah to pay homage to their respective deities. This is how the Quraysh flourished economically because of pilgrims visiting this holy city. In 630 Prophet Muhammad conquered Mecca and converted the Ka’bah into a mosque. The Hajj always takes five days, from the eighth through the twelfth of Dhu al-Hijja which is the month of pilgrimage. The eighth of the month of Hajj, pilgrims at this time recite the talbiya for the glory of Allah. Then they move the the town of Mina which is five miles from Mecca. They then must reach before post zenith prayer and they will spend the night here. The ninth of the month, all pilgrims depart from the Plain of Arafat after sunrise. On the tenth and final day, pilgrims proceed to throw stones at the the last of the three columns. This is an act of throwing stones at the shaitan or devil in Islam. Some will go to Medina to pay respects at the tomb of the Prophet on this day as well.
The Ka’bah has a significant role during prayer at a Muslim’s own leisure as well. It is important that prayers are said in the direction of Ka’bah. Direction is based on the Qiblah which is the direction where the Ka’bah is in your desired location. Hajj is sacred to Muslim prayer and needs to be completed with full presence of body and soul. The Ka’bah is referred to in Islam as “The house of Allah” and was built by Prophet Ibrahim alongside his son Ismail. Prophet Ibrahim would then go to Mecca every year to perform Hajj. This tradition was then recreated with his son Ismail after the prophet had passed away. Once Prophet Muhammad became the messenger of Islam, was when the Ka’bah became the universal center for the worshippers of Allah.
The prophet once said “The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is incomplete, then the rest of his deeds will be incomplete.” Prayer is important to a Muslim’s lifestyle because it is what is going to be brought up on the Day of Judgement. In Islamic prayer there is also the act of Dua which is the act of calling out to God/Allah. Dua is a Muslim’s call to God that can take any place during day and night. One would raise their hands in supplication and ask for Allah’s guidance, mercy, help and forgiveness. Dua is never an obligation to the faith itself, it serves more of an add on to the basis of prayer. In the Qu’ran it is stated the God encourages the believer to call out for his guidance. It states surah 40:60 “And your Lord says, Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer). But those who are too arrogant to worship Me will surely find themselves in Hell, in humiliation”. Essentially, the holy book is saying that the followers can ask Allah for protection and help. This quote does say that any dua made by the nonbelievers will end up humiliating themselves in Hell. All of the Sunni schools of law besides Maliki hold it desirable to recite dua before the first Qur'anic recitation in salat. Dua is serves as an integral element of salat.
Many Muslims carry misbaha or subha beads as a quick method the pray. These beads are usually attached to a string with 99 beads. The 99 beads symbolizes the 99 names of Allah and servers as a way to glorify God. The establishment of Islamic mosques and numerous masjids also helped the spread of prayer thrive in the religion. Every mosque is built with a mihrab, which is a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca. The word masjid means a place of prostration to Allah. Like stated previously, the first mosque in the world was the Ka’bah while the the oldest mosque built by Muslims is the Quba Mosque which is located in Medina. The first thing Muhammad accomplished when arriving with his sahabah was build the Quba Mosque. Muslims believe he stayed at the Quba Masjid for three days before moving on to Medina. Within day the Prophet created another mosque located in Medina which is now known Masjid al-Nabawi. For the early adopters of Islam, the masjid served a building of worship and political/religious gathering amongst the community.
In salat, there was the introduction of the Taraweeh salah during the holy month of Ramadan. The holy month of Ramadan dedicated to prayer and submission to God through a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. A method for a Muslim to maximize the blessings of Ramadan is to observe and pray Taraweeh. Taraweeh was one deed out of the many that Prophet Muhammad used to practice during the month of Ramadan. These prayers were a lot longer than normal cycles of prayer because it included readings of each chapter in the Qu’ran. There is a hadith about the prophet performing Taraweeh, it was said “The Prophet (PBUH) would pray 20 Rakats and then Witr in the month of Ramadan.” The 20 rakats allude to the fact the Prophet did conduct Taraweeh during this month. The Prophet avoided offering Taraweeh in congregation because he feared that some Muslims would believe it is obligatory. He then concluded that if this was the case then the people of the Ummah (the whole community of Muslims) would find it hard to offer it in congregation throughout the whole month.
There is actually a huge misconception amongst Muslims because they believe Prophet Muhammad introduced Salat, however this is completely false It is important to note that Prophet Abraham, introduced the Salat and all the religious duties. In the Qu’ran is also states how Allah left instructions in the scripture for the prophets to learn how to do salat. Movement of the body is necessary to conduct a valid Islamic prayer. The act of bowing within a salat is necessary to allow the individual to dedicate their full devotion to Allah. There are a few differences in prayer between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Overall, Shia Muslims pray three times a day and combine Maghrib and Isha salat compared to Sunni Muslims who pray five times a day. Second, Sunni Muslims fold their arms whereas Shia Muslims do not fold their arms during Salat. Third, Sunni Muslims touch their heads to the ground compared to Shia Muslims use a wooden block/tablet of clay to rest their heads during prostration. Finally, Shia Muslim scholars prohibit the use of word Amen during the salat compared Sunni Muslims consider it mandatory. These differences are a result of Sunni and Shia Muslims following different schools of Islamic law. Sunni Muslims follow the Hanbali, Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafi'i schools of law, whereas Shia Muslims follow the Jafari school of law.
In conclusion, the significance of prayer is important in a Muslim’s lifestyle. The revelation and concept of prayer plays a large role in Islamic history. The prayer is what brings the soul of a human closer to Allah. Prayer serves as a method to receive rewards prior to when a Muslim faces the Day of Judgement. The follower is allowed to connect with Allah directly through prayer and protect themselves from Satan. Those who preserve the action of praying preserve the religion while those who abandon it lose faith. Imam ‘As-Sadiq claimed that the Messenger once said “One obligatory prayer is better than performing Hajj twenty times, and the performance of one Hajj is better than giving away a house full of gold.” As of now, millions of Muslims head over to Mecca to perform Hajj. The religion of Islam is currently the fastest growing and second largest religion in the world. Prayer has always been a fundamental in shaping the religion and its followers as a whole. Prayer allows one to connect with Allah with pure soul and mind. The origin of prayer is responsible for the religious growth and it is constantly playing an important role in a Muslim’s lifestyle on a daily basis. Overall, prayer is mandatory for a Muslim and its importance is to submit only to one God which is Allah.