Hasan Almashhoud
Aubrey M. Crosby
ENG 102- 02
18 March 2019
Introduction
Prayer is an important part of the Islam religion and is often performed to accomplish a variety of agendas. The five prayers in Islam are Salat al-fajr, Salat al-zuhr, Salat al-'asr, Salat al-maghrib, Salat al-'isha. Muslims perform a cleansing ritual called wudhu before starting the prayers which are compulsory for every Muslim who has attained and past puberty. Prayer, in Islam, forms the second pillar of the Islamic faith. It is, therefore, a necessary practice for the faith to hold. According to the Islamic holy book, the Quran, it requires Muslims to pray five times a day as the prayers are important in achieving specific objectives.
Summary
It is fascinating that Muslims are keen on ensuring that they pray five times a day. I researched the topic to have an understanding as to why the Islamic religion insists on the five prayers and the role that each plays. I researched the reasons why Muslims prayed five times a day on the internet and came across three articles that seemed to explain this well. The first article by Burke Daniel and Marrapodi Eric titled “Why do Muslims pray five times daily?” published in CNN was written after interviews with a Muslim graduate and an Imam who were asked on the reasons they had to pray five times a day. The second article “Salat: daily prayers,” published on a blog by the BBC outlines the procedure followed before and after prayers as well as the time for each of the five prayers. The prayers are usually done at dawn, midday, during the late afternoon, just after sunset and between sunset and midnight. The last article “Why do Muslims pray 5 times a day?” by the website SalamIslam.com gives more details on these prayers and their philosophical relation to life. All three articles have a common point; they have quotes from the Quran that emphasize on the need for prayer. They also show that prayers are for the good of man and not Allah. The articles, therefore, show how prayer is valued as a pillar in the Islamic faith. It shows how it directs their lives as faithful while also impacting on those who are even non-Muslims. They do give clear explanations on about the process of performing the prayers and the movements during the prayers.
Reasons for Prayers
In Islam, prayer is important because it achieves certain key objectives such as reflecting on one’s deeds as well as bringing people together. According to Mohammed who was interviewed by the CNN, prayers give a Muslim time to reflect his actions especially the period before the transitions to prayer. It helps them question whether their deeds were pleasant before Allah and fellow men. In doing this, it allows them to identify what they have done wrong and how they can change their actions to become good people. Self-reflection is especially important towards making improvements. Salam Islam adds to this point by mentioning that the five-time prayer promotes solidarity and unity between Muslims as well as ending social ranking. When Muslims pray together, they all face the same direction while doing recitations and movements simultaneously, which is a humbling experience every time they do. Imam Shakir adds to this by pointing out that prayer involves these movements which show his dedication and worship to his creator. This is an indication that all people are the same before Allah regardless of their social class and position in life. Solidarity is, further strengthened by the fact that the process is repeated five times a day.
Prayers also play a role in helping one keep off from doing evil as well as creating a rhythm for the day. Salam Islam quotes Quran 29:45, "Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing ... And Allah knows that which you do." Muslims believe that Satan is afraid of tempting a person who follows the prayers. Therefore, prayer is important in helping the faithful stay away from sin. If a faithful does something wrong, it is difficult to face people and Allah and, therefore, praying five times a day makes it more difficult to sin. Other reasons that all three articles agree on the prayers is that they help set the rhythm for the day. Mohammed, for example, plans his day around the prayers knowing that he has to attend them. Also, the articles mention that prayer time is often announced to the public using external speakers which can set the day for both Muslims and non-Muslims. This helps create an order for the faithful as they can keep track of time
Conclusion
Prayer forms an important part of the Islam faith. It shows how committed they are to their faith. Also, prayers in Islam helps bring humanity together while giving them a purpose. It is also important for evaluating relationships between a person and their society as well as their spiritual relationship. It can also be used to evaluate a person’s actions to others. It helps promote solidarity by showing that all people are the same before Allah. Therefore, the five prayers a day play an important role in life.
Works Cited
BBC. "BBC - Religions - Islam: Salat: Daily Prayers". Bbc.Co.Uk, 2009, https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/salat.shtml. Accessed 20 Mar 2019.
Burke, Daniel, and Eric Marrapodi. "Why Do Muslims Pray Five Times Daily?" Religion.Blogs.Cnn.Com, 2011, http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/21/why-do-muslims-pray-five-times-daily/. Accessed 20 Mar 2019.
SalamIslam. "Why Do Muslims Pray 5 Times A Day?" Salamislam.Com, 2017, https://salamislam.com/practical-principles/why-do-muslims-pray-5-times-day.