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Concept Of Salaat - nawaz - 12-20-2004
Dear All
Various Aspects of Salaat for Social Transformation :-
Islam is the name of obeying the Divine Laws in every walk of life; it
is the complete submission to these laws. Salaat - Prayer, in this
way, is the practical admittance and concrete manifestation of
subservience to these Laws from the deepest recesses of the human
heart.
The Word Salaat
The word Namaaz, usually used for Salaat is not of Arabic language; it
is a Persian word; but more than that, it is Pahlvi in its
connotation. It was used for the old method of worship popular among
the Persians. Later on when the alien conspiracies were made to
prevail upon the teachings of Islam, this word was used for the
congregations of Salaat; now this same word is in vogue.
The word Salaat that has come in the Quran is very vast and
comprehensive. Its basic meanings are " to comply some one from within
or to submit and to be under the command of some one. " In this way,
according to the Quran, Salaat is a collective process through which a
true Quranic Society is established. That is why the meanings of
Salaat are " balanced and continuous tempo and incessant obedience to
the Divine Laws from the deepest recesses of heart ." It is plain
enough that this entity is collective, it is not individual in nature.
The Quran has also used this word for the congregations of Salaat –
Namaaz.
The root of the word Salaat is S-L-O. Its root-meanings and various
aspects have profusely been dealt with in an e-mail of Mr. Saim. So I
need not to make a mention of them.
The Quran has used the term aqaa mate salaat (i) as the establishment
of the System of Islam and (ii) as the establishment of the
congregations of Salaat. The establishment of Salaat – so far I could
grasp the Quran - is an extremely comprehensive and scholarly term of
the Quran. Its aim is to develop a society where the Divine Laws are
practically implemented. And thus full-blown development of the
potentialities of every individual of the society may go on blooming
and blossoming so that after achieving the pleasant accomplishments of
this world and that of the hereafter, he may go ahead onto the next
evolutionary stage of life. So the system of Salaat encompasses the
all life of a Momin (or the jama'et of the Momineen). Every breath of
their life stands witness to this exalted reality that these are the
Musallees (i. e. the members of the caravan following – the dictums of
– Allah). Each and every aspect of their life – and each and every
sphere of their Ibadaat confirms their sub-ordination to the Divine
Laws. The record of their business life – when manifested – looks to
be the living picture of the Divine will. Due to their adherence to
this collective system, their earthly life, right from its burgeoning
to the end, reflects the comprehensive exegesis of Islam: (fal a
tamootunna ill a waantum muslimoona) (2:132)
THE SYSTEM OF ISLAM
The following are the ingredients of this system they project in the
whole tenure of their life:
1. The Quran i.e. Islam's Constitutional Code
2. The Centre i.e. the implementing force of the Divine Code and
3. The Party – the individuals of the society with whom this system is
established.
And the following two are the principles and foundations of its
pragmatic execution:
1.Complete harmony among the individuals of the society i.e. one
heartedness, one vision, one footedness and
2. Subordination to the Centre
ALL TIME PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
This system remains pervaded in the all life of the rank and file of
the Momineen. And there happens to be not a single moment in any
single day and night in their life when they may even cross this fold.
It enjoys the same status in their "human life", as is the air for the
"physical life." The human life depends upon air and every body
acknowledges its need and significance. Even then the doctors have to
reiterate this sentence frequently: there is urgent need of open and
fresh air for health and life. This has to be repeated just because
its reminding makes its importance self-evident. The Divine Code has
also had the provision that the reminding of this system is made
regularly so that its principles and foundations become refulgent. And
its significance does not go out of sight.
TIME-RELATED CONGREGATION
The name of this reminding is the ‘time-related obligation' of Salaat
i.e. the congregation of Salaat at conspicuous timings. The Quran, in
its program for ‘ the construction of society ' has elaborated this
vantage point very profusely. For this purpose the necessary
accessories are the time-related congregation where, after God's
appreciation, and adjudication of His obeisance and subordination,
important and urgent matters are mutually consulted. That is why the
order of ‘mutual consultation' and ‘establishment of Salaat' have come
together in the Quran. In Surah Shoora , says the Quran:
These are the people who respond to the call and come forward to
establish the Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat. They obey His Laws and remain within
the bounds of Nizam-us-Salat, which teaches them to decide their
affairs through mutual consultations and according to Divine Laws.
Furthermore they keep open for the nourishment of other (needy) human
beings, most of whatever means of sustenance which they have been
provided with. (In effect, they retain for themselves only what is
necessary for their own survival.) (42:38)
This is the group of the people who voluntarily leaping to the law of
Nourishment of the Nourisher establish the system of Salaat and their
matters are decided with mutual consultation. And whatever We have
provided them, they keep it all open for the nourishment of the
masses.
The history stands witness to this fact that whenever there happened
to be any important episode demanding immediate gathering, there was
proclamation with these words : Assalaa-tul-jaam'ia . So, hearing
these words the people used to assemble and the matter under
discussion was considered. My companion, Mr. Bashir Abid has
elaborated this point in an email, so I leave it at present. This
makes the exposition of assalaat clear.
This corroborates that fundamental principle of the Order of Deen,
Islamic Society , - to enjoy the life of achievement and prosperity -
is not individual in its nature; it is collective. The congregation of
Salaat takes its initiative from this very principle i.e. the
gathering of the scattered people at one place on a single call.
The next step in the Order of Deen is obedience to the Centre . In the
Collective Salaat its manifestation harbors in a practical form when
this conglomeration selects the best of its individual within its own
rank and file as an "Imam" – the leader. And the criterion of being
the best is the one whose life surpasses the most in harmonizing the
Divine Laws. This same "Imam" is the representative of this gathering.
Every one has to rise up on the call of this same one. And every one
has to kneel down on the same call – And this kneeling and rising is a
simultaneous anchoring providing witness to the stark fact that there
is perfect harmony of thought and action among the individual members
of this group. This makes the social stigmas go vanishing.
IMAM, THE LEADER
The word "Imam", used above, is the name of the thread that the masons
use to judge whether the wall he is constructing is rising exactly
straight up - watch out that the building bricks are not swaying.
The next principle of the Order of Deen is that it is all-universal
and its concrete Centre is the House of Allah Almighty. So, for
reminding this reality, the direction of the group members in the
Collective Salaat is kept towards Kiblaa (Mecca). It means the aim and
destiny of all Muslims of the world will be the same one entity.
As stated above, the establishment of the Islamic Society is founded
on the Divine Laws. And the objective of the congregation of Salaat is
basically the reminding of this very foundation. That is why the
concept of Salaat can not be imagined without the Quran. Its very
purpose is to divert the attention of the members of the society to
the Quran. – These gatherings have been stemmed for the sake of
reminding this very purpose. So the Quran is repeatedly recited in
these congregations so that this conviction (the aim of life) is
revitalized – that we have to establish ourselves alert to rise
against every non Quranic Order; we have to surrender down from the
deepest recesses of our heart to its decree alone.
SALAAT AND SOCIETY
These congregations of Salaat are not merely for the sake of its
reminding; these also encompass the mutual consultation for the
solutions of the matters of the Ummah. In fact, as mentioned earlier,
these are the gatherings of the " consultative council " of the
Quranic Government. So, in the Surah "Shura" the characteristics of
Momineen are described as
These are the people who respond to the call and come forward to
establish the Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat. They obey His Laws and remain within
the bounds of Nizam-us-Salat, which teaches them to decide their
affairs through mutual consultations and according to Divine Laws.
Furthermore they keep open for the nourishment of other (needy) human
beings, most of whatever means of sustenance which they have been
provided with. (In effect, they retain for themselves only what is
necessary for their own survival.) (42/38)
" These people establish Salaat, and their matters are mutually
decided. "
The injunctions of establishment of Salaat and mutual consultation at
one place profusely determine the aim and purpose of congregations of
Salaat. So the history unveils to us that after the exalted period of
the Rasool Allah, whenever there was any matter during the period of
caliphate, the guided, a proclamation of assalaat-ul-jaam'ey was made
on behalf of the caliph. The people used to gather in the Nabvi Mosque
for discussion, deliberation and decision. First two rak'ah of Namaaz
were used to be offered, then the caliph used to explain the matter
under discussion and so its decision with the mutual consultation of
the gathering was used to be made.
MISNOMER: INDIVIDUAL SALAAT
So far my insight goes I do never find any glimpse of guidance for the
Individual Salaat anywhere in the Quran. Factually the only difference
between Collective Salaat and Individual Salaat (if the Individual
Salaat could ever be called Salaat) is not that when a number of
people offer Salaat together, it is called Collective Salaat, and when
a single individual offers it privately – all alone – it is Individual
Salaat. These are exponentially the two distinctly different concepts.
The Collective Salaat, according to the Quran, is founded on this
concept that the personality development of the individual can only be
made within a society, being an integral part of it. Also the
exposition of Ibadaat is "unbiased and pure obedience to the Divine
Laws" which too is possible within a society; it is not possible
individually. Contrary to it, the Individual Salaat (non Quranic in
nature) is based on the concept that an individual can "purify the
self" privately, being isolated from the society. And that the purpose
of Ibaadat , which can be done privately, is to worship God. It is
plain enough to say that both of these concepts, from their genuine
and foundation point of view, are diametrically opposite to each
other. The Quran is an echoing protest against the individual concept
of life and a clarion call for the collective concept of life. So it
is not possible that the Quran, a herald and a procurer of Collective
Salaat, be simultaneously a proponent of Individual Salaat and may
tell of its benefits. The entity called Individual Salaat is, in fact,
a benediction – da'a, not the Quranic Salaat, which is offered.
The episode of Hazrat Zachariah is quoted as the example of the
Individual Salaat. The story of Hazrat Zachariah starts with the words
humaa lika da'a Zakaria rabbo hoo (3:37). Zachariah solicited
benediction (da'a) from his Nourisher and said: my Nourisher, bestow
on me from Thy self a goodly offspring. ( innaka samee udd'a ) Thou
hearest benediction. After this, as the story goes, it is given that
he still stood soliciting benediction in the altar when God rejoiced
him good news of the son. Fan a dat-hu almal a - ikatu wahuwa q a -
imun yu s allee fee almi h r a bi (3:39)
The Quran has added the words wahuwa q a -imun yu s allee fee almi h r
a bi (3:39) – to tell that Zachariah had hardly vanquished his
benediction (da'a) when God blessed him with the confirmation. This
matter has been elucidated in Surah Maryam – Zachariah's soliciting of
benediction, confirming of his benediction and getting the happy
tidings of his son had all occurred at the same time. That is why when
all this had happened, ( fa khara ja al'a qaume hee min al meh rabe
19:11), Zachariah (peace be upon him) came out to his people from the
altar. Therefore, in the story of Zachariah, the meaning of usalli fil
mih rabe 3:39 is not ‘to offer the Salaat in the Quran's terminology'
but it is the ‘soliciting of benediction (da'a) for the son.' The word
‘Salaat' for the meaning of benediction (da'a) has been used at
numerous places in the Quran. For example, salaato ka sakunn la hum
9:103 your benediction (da'a) is a comfort for them. So this saying is
then correct that Benediction (da'a) can be solicited individually.
But to say that the Quranic Salaat can be offered collectively as well
as individually will not be correct. Be it known that even the
Namaazein that we offer with congregation today are Individual Salaat
(if the Individual Salaat could ever be called Salaat) in the real
sense. Its reason is that the basic concept involved in it is of
‘God's worship' and of ‘individual incarnation'. Hence, neither the
separately offered Namaaz of any individual, nor that of offered with
congregation falls under the canopy of the concept of Salaat from the
desired vantage ground of the Quranic.
But when this system of Salaat vanishes, the mosque and the State
become two separate entities. Then, as the human psychology
corroborates the fact that the "material-worshipers of the world,"
attain the life facilities by virtue of their intellectual chicaneries
and hence get satisfaction of their passions. And the "Religionists"
gain the sang-froid of their passions by the individual worship. When
the Quran said Fakhalafa min baAAdihim khalfun a da AAoo al ss al a ta
waittabaAAoo alshshahaw a ti fasawfa yalqawna ghayy a n
(19:59)
After the Anbiya, their followers wasted the Salaat, and followed
lasciviousness, licentiousness, wantonness, so its consequence was
destruction and devastation. Then by the word itte ba-e-shahawaat –
"the following of lasciviousness, licentiousness" - meant "these
people wanted the satisfaction of their passions by other means and
ways instead of Divine Laws".
This was the very blunder they committed. It may be clarified here
that the satisfaction of the passions in line with what the Quran says
is not bad. The bad in it is that the non-Divine means and ways
accomplish this satisfaction. But the genuine satisfaction of the
human passion is by means of integration and consolidation of human
personality. That is why the following find no mention in the Quran:
Performance of fraaiz-o-waaji baat, sunnan, mustah baat etc of Namaaz
accurately
Performance of its elements: Qeyaam , ra'koo, Sajda etc. correctly
Keeping of this much distance between both the feet on standing
Raising of hands for Takbeer up to the lobule of ears
Keeping of hands to such and such position while in Qeyaam
Observing of this form while bending in ra'koo
Keeping of this posture while in Sajda etc.
Then the following necessities/things to the satisfaction of one's
passions were propagated from the religious platform. And you know
that crowning satisfaction of passions on one's own by wasting the
Salaat is the second mechanism. This is an erroneous errand. The human
psychology provides ample proof to this fact that the human passions
are not restrained to the "animal passions" alone. They include those
"sacred passions", the satisfaction of which the religionists attain
by means of individual worship. The Quran has denoted it with the term
mysticism . You know it well that in mysticism "Individual Salaat"
(i.e. the mechanism for gaining serenity by worshiping God) could not
bring Allah's prescribed-pleasant-consequences; so the same mode could
bring no surety for the goodness of the consequences envisaged -
though how much elegantly that might have been made valid and
reliable! That is why the Quran made it clear when it proclaimed
through the people of Hazrat Shuaib (peace be upon him):
O Shuaib! When you had asked us not to interfere in your obedience to
Allah, we had thought that it meant only your worship of Allah. Now we
see that it goes beyond that. Your Salaat does not allow us to adhere
to the religion of our ancestors, nor to use our wealth as we like....
11: 87.
It is my little effort to share this thought with every one of you.
regards
Nawaz