Islamic Center of Southern California

Man is created with an innate sense of presence of a Supreme Being. To Him, he prays at times of hardship and fear seeking help and guidance, and at times of plenty and peace, offering praise and gratitude. Prayer is present in some form or another in all religions, connecting man and Deity. The Glorious Quran mentions prayer realtive to a number of prophets before the message of Muhammad, (PBUH):

Prophet Ibrahim:

Oh my Lord, cause me and (some) of my offspring to remain constant in prayer. The Quran (14:40)

He used to enjoin upon his people prayer and charity and he was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord. The Quran (19:55)

Verily, I am God, there is no Deity but I. Hence, worship Me alone and keep up prayer so as to remember Me. The Quran (20:14)

Prophet Jesus (Isa):

And had enjoined upon prayer and charity so long as I live. The Quran (19:31)

In Islam, salat (prayer) is the paramount act of worship. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) described salat as "the pillar of the religion,"1 "the key to paradise," "the separating line between belief and disbelief" and "the first act for which a Muslim will be held accountable on the day of judgement."2

It is the first act of worship ordained to Muslims and the only one directly revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) in his journey of Ascension to heaven (Al Mi`raj).

Prayer is to be established at specified times of the day and night. It is obligatory upon Muslims when staying in their home towns or travelling, at times of safety or fear, in peace or in war and in health or sickness. By observing the daily prayers, Muslims have several opportunities to stand before their "Creator" in humility repenting their mistakes and seeking forgiveness of their sins.

And keep up prayer at both ends of the day and during the early watches of the night, for good deeds drive away evil deeds. The Quran (11:114)

There is more to prayer, however, than forgiveness and soul purification. As believers stand in prayer in God's presence, they try to be oblivious of the worldly distractions, immersing their minds and souls in supplications and GodÕs praise. They become aware of God and His omnipotence. They recognize their weakness, vulnerability and their helplessness without His Mercy. As God's awareness is heightened, believers become guided, by His grace, towards the good and away from the evil.

Keep up prayer: for prayer restrains man from loathsome deeds and from all that runs counter to reason. The Quran (29:45)

These repeated daily experiences nurture a special bond between believers and almighty God. It is Him only they worship and from Him only they seek guidance, help and sustenance. Properly performed, salat is spiritually stimulating and helps believers to cope with the trials and tribulations of life.

Seek aid with steadfast patience and prayer; this is indeed a hard thing for all but the humble in spirit. The Quran (2:45)

Muslims open their salat by Takbir (Allah is greater "than anything else"). They recite from Al Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Quran. They thank and praise God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, and Lord of the day of judgement. They ask Him to guide them to the straight way, the way of those on whom He had bestowed His grace and not of those who have gone astray. They then bow and prostrate praising God. This is repeated a number of times (rak`as) in each prayer. They conclude their prayer by reciting Al Tashahud (bearing witness). This relates to the meeting in Heaven between God Almighty and His Prophet (pbuh) during the Mi`raj. They recite the salutation of the Prophet to Allah, the mercy and blessings God bestows on His Prophet and the supplications and prayers of the angels in attendance.

Tashahud expresses the submission and respect to God, the love to His Prophet and the belonging to the community of the righteous servants of God. It includes a proclamation of the belief in the oneness of Allah, that there are no Deity but Him and that Muhammad is his Messenger. It commemorates Abraham (Ibrahim), the father of monotheism.

Prayer is then concluded by words of peace.