Assignment : Concept of Salat

CCFB 1041 FARDHU 'AIN CLASS (BROTHER)
Section5

ASSIGNMENT CONCEPT OF SALAT and CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

NAME: XXXXXXXXX
MATRIX NO. : 111XXXX
LECTURER : XXXXXXXXXX

1.ORIGIN OF SALAT

Salat is the 2nd pillar among the 5 pillars of islam. it is a daily practises that must be performed by each and every muslim. Some people believe that salat only begin after prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was brought to allah through isra’and mi’raj. But was it?
The rituals of Salat, and some other practises have actually existed since Abraham (a.s). The prophet was not the first to give directive about them. In fact, it was for the purpose of establishment of prayer that prophet Abraham built the Ka’bah. Thi is mentioned in the Qur’an :
O Lord I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a barren valley by Your sacred House in order O Lord! that they may establish regular prayer. (14:37)
So, was prophet Abraham the first one that give directive about salat? The answer to this can be obtained from Qur’an other verses;
They said: O Shu‘ayb does your prayer command you that we leave the worship which our fathers practised…" (11:87)
Prophet Moses (sws) had been told: Verily I am Allah: There is no god but I. So serve Me [only] and establish regular prayer to remember me. (20:14)
Jesus (sws) had said: And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me prayer and Zakat as long as I live. (19:31) All this verses are evidence that the prayer(Salat) was an introduced and known form of worship in times of prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). It is precisely for this that there is no detailed way mention in the Qur’an about how to perform Salat. Qur’an just seem to referring to it as practises which was already being performed in the society whilst the job of putting it into the right shape was performed by prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Today, Muslim all over the world perform their prayers following prophet Muhammad through his hadith.

2. SALAT (DAILY PRAYERS)

MEANING Salat is an Arabic word which means du’aa (invocation). In Islam, it means to worship Allah through prescribed saying and action starting with Takbeer (saying Allahu akbar), and ending with Tasleem (saying: as-salamu álaykum warahmatullah) with certain rules and prohibition.

CATEGORY OF SALAT Salat can be divided into 2 categories. Salat fard (obligatory) are the 5 daily prayers which are Fajr/Subuh (early morning), Zuhr (noonday, is replaced by Friday prayer on Friday for man only whilst women can perform it but must still perform Zuhr prayer ), ‘Asar (late afternoon), Maghrib (sunset)and lastly Ishaa’. Fard can further be classed as fard-ain (obligation of the self) and fard al-kifayah (obligation of sufficiency). Fard al-ayn are those actions that are obligatory on each individual; he or she will be held to account if the actions are not performed such as the obligatory prayers. Fard al-kifayah are actions obligatory on the Muslim community at large, so that if some people within the community carry it out no Muslim is considered blameworthy, but if no one carries it out all incur a collective punishment. Congregational prayer is considered as fard al-kifayah. Salat sunnah are optional and were additional voluntary prayers where some of it can be performed at anytime whilst some of it has its own specific time. Salat sunnah are performed to gain closeness to Allah or for specific reason. Example of salat sunnah are Tahajjud (performed in the middle of the night), Hajjah(to ask for something) and Istikharah (to ask for guidance).

ITS IMPORTANCE Salat is the 2nd pillar of islam. It can be divided into 2 categories which are sunnah (optional) and wajib (obligatory). 5 daily prayers are obligatory for every Muslim. Neglecting Salat is a huge sin for it is the 2nd pillar of Islam. Those who neglect Salat would be considered as fasik and not a true muslim. Why? This can be easily explained if we look at everything around us. Pillars on house are very important as they are what make the house stand strong on the ground. Neglecting Salat can be considered as pulling off one of those pillars. If the house if lack of pillar, it will crumble. Thus, neglecting Salat is the same as declaring that you are not a true believer as that house is just debris and can’t be considered as house. Salat is a symbol of unity. Despite their races and status in the society, all muslim in the world are facing the one and only Mecca as Qiblah when performing their prayers. One may ask; why are the muslim pray to a building? The reason for this can be understood from Qur’an as prescribed in verse: Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves; and We appointed the Qibla to which thou wast used, only to test those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (From the Faith). Indeed it was (A change) momentous, except to those guided by Allah. And never would Allah make your faith of no effect. For Allah is to all people most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful. (2:143)
From this verse, we can understand that the reason Qiblah was appointed is to test the faith of the followers. Allah want to test us whether we believe in the existence of him the Supreme Being or are we just the type that followed others for our own self-interest. When Allah ordered prophet Muhammad to change the way he was facing (Baitul-Maqdis in Palastine) during salat to Kaaba in Mecca, this had make it clear to us that Islam is not a religion that pray to inanimate object, those building are just a wasilah for the prayers to reach Allah. Salat is a good exercise. Some people seem to see Salat as bothering and useless but today’s research have proven that they are totally wrong. Aside from as a way of remembrance of Allah and praising him, salat can improve our own health. Recent scientific research shows that the movement in Salat prove to be good for health when performed in the right ways. Every movement in salat are a light exercises for each joint and muscle in our body. Among of its many benefits are to make the blood flow more smoothly, prevent muscle and joint disease, and also strengthen ones memory.

3.SALAT JAMAAH (CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER)

Salat can be performed individually or with 2 people or more which is known as congregational prayer. One person leads the group as Imam, uttering "The Key" in a loud enough voice to be heard by everyone in the group (ma’mum). Other utterances must be silent. Anyone may join the group late, in the middle of the prayer. He or she must make the same moves as the group, then, at the end of the prayer, he or she must stand up and make up whatever portion was missed. The method to perform congregational prayer is the same as doing it individually except that the imam must stand in the front and the ma’mum on the back with specific arrangement whereas women must be at the back of the man, ma’mum also must not exceed the imam when performing the salat. Congregational prayer is 27 times better than prayer that is done alone. Hadith regarding congregational prayer is as followed; The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Prayer in congregation is twenty seven times better than prayer prayed individually.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (645) and Sahîh Muslim (650)] The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The prayer of a man with another man is better than his praying alone, and the prayer of a man with two other men is better than his praying alone or with only one other man, and the more people there are, the more beloved it is to Allah.” [Sunan al-Nasâ’î (843) and Sunan Abî Dâwûd (554)] Salat is better done congregationally, but for those who could not make it for certain hindrance, it is okay to do it at home with family members. Anyways, it is up to each individual whether to grab this reward from Allah.

wassalam
REFERENCE
http://www.renaissance.com.pk/marq994.html http://understand-islam.net/salat/03.html http://epress.anu.edu.au/islamic/wali/mobile_devices/ch09s02.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah http://en.islamtoday.net/node/600