Establishing the Salat / the Creator’s Side
As mentioned previously, the act of Connecting is two sided, and All’h through His Missionaries/angels, Connects to people
33:43 “He it is who Connects onto you and His angels, to Bring you out of the Darkness into Light, and He Is Merciful to the Believers.”
For the Connection/Salat, the Almighty Lord also Uses the code of appreciation and thanks (Al-Hamd). He Appreciates and Thanks the Believers who demonstrate their trust and belief, in connecting to Him.
35:30 “For He Performs His Promise to Recompense them, and even more, Augments their share of His Bounties, in fact He Is Forgiving, Thankful/Appreciative.”
35:34 “And they said, ‘Praise be to All’h who has Removed our sorrow, in fact our Lord Is Forgiving, Appreciative.’”
No doubt the Perfection of God’s Qualities, for those acquainted with the Qur’an, and the Believers, is not new information. But the above information about God in Salat, and Using the words of “Praise”, Thanking the Believers for joining Him, opens the horizon of God’s Qualities to two more facts, which we might not have thought of before:
– In the Ultimate Power, Grandness and Generosity, He Is Thankful and Appreciative toward His creatures, showing His Quality of Modesty and Humbleness.
– He Governs in Complete justice and does not Exempt Himself from His Rules.
Time of Establishing the Connection/Salat
Establishing Salat is Recommended on time. (The reason is detailed in Salat II in the section of the “Time of Salat.”) The Commandment for Salat is specified for five times a day:
- Before day break (Fajr) 2 rok’at/sections
- Noon (Zohr) 4 rok’at/sections
- Afternoon (Asr) 4 rok’at/sections
- Before sunset (Maghrib) 3 rok’at/sections
- Night (Isha) 4 rok’at/sections
(The recordings of the Salat are at the end of this chapter.)
17:78 “Establish the Salat of sunset until the darkness of the night, and qur’an (any kind of study, any reading, subject to keep in mind) at the dawn (Fajr). In fact studying at dawn, is attested (printed on mind).”
“Qur’an” without the definite article in Arabic, means any kind of study to memorize.
11:114 “Establish the Salat at the two ends of the day, and at the approaches of the night. In fact, good deeds remove the evil things. This should be a reminder for heedful ones.” (The two ends of the day: end of morning is noon, Zohr; and end of noon is afternoon, Asr. The approaches of the night is the period of time that the sun approaches its setting, this Salat is Maghrib, and it should be performed before sunset. If approaches of the night is plural, it is to indicate the minutes in the marge of limit Given for the time of Salat before sunset)
20:130 “Therefore be patient with what they say and glorify by Praising your Lord: before the sun rise (Fajr) and before its setting (Maghrib), and glorify during the night (Isha), and the sides of the day (Zohr and Asr), that you may have the contentment (of joy and peace of mind).”
The Salat for sunset should be performed before the setting of the sun.
Before discerning the verses below, concerning the time and the way to perform Salat when we are on the go, I must bring to your attention, once more, some of the essential points that are to be considered and kept in mind for better discernment of the verses of the Qur’an, at this second Opening.
Particularly for those readers who are not aware of them
- The Qur’an is planned to Open twice, in two different eras, for two different generations (35:31-32). The second Opening, that concerns our time and till the end of the world, has already started:
- First by the discovery of the Miraculous Evidence of the Book in 1974 that is a mathematical coding system, connecting every letter of the Book. Evidence beyond human reach and capacity to produce, proving the Preservation and divinity of the Book
- Then Opening through the FurQan of the Book, a discernment of the verses of the Qur’an equaling and agreeing with science and Knowledge of our time
- It is very important for believers to distinguish the difference between “Prophet” and “Messenger.” A “Prophet” is a Messenger that brings a new Book from God; and a simple “Messenger” is a person who re-Opens, preaching the Book of the “Prophet” before him. Muhammad was the last of the Prophets, thus the Qur’an is the last Book from God. Having been planned for two different Inaugurations and generations, the second Inauguration is Today, making us the inheritors, 14 centuries after the first Opening and the Descent.
- The second Opening of the Qur’an, starts at the dawn of the 15th century. Each Book of God, as a General Rule, Opens at the level of insight and knowledge of the people at the time. Our Time, being time of the electronics, our insight has penetrated into our inner world, to atom and human cell. The Instructions of the Creator for us at this second time of the Qur’an, equaling the knowledge of our Time, concerns mostly our cells. Battles and wars, efforts and struggles (which are the real significance of Jihad) for Religion today, are to take place in our consciousness, our inner world, in order for our submitting cells to win over the straying cells, to submit to the command of the brain, and not turn away from it, in other words, strengthening submitting (Muslim) cells against the straying (Kaffir) disbeliever’s cells, that is our immunity system. Our weapons also have changed form into the Pen, the media, accordingly for a time of intellect and knowledgeable generations.
- As the Commandment of martial war for Religion is delivered only through a Prophet (not even a simple Messenger is apt to give this Commandment), and as Muhammad was the last of the Prophets, this only means that the war with weapons for Religion, for our time is not allowed. Today, at this second Opening of the Qur’an, No one has the authority, under the name of the Religion, to order martial war.
- The verses of the Qur’an are compatible with our time today, they concern us, the new generation of the Qur’an, and our everyday life. We should not, in any way, relate them to the time of Prophet Muhammad when we try to understand a verse. This is a very important thing to keep in mind while studying the Qur’an.
(All the above points are marked by Qur’anic confirmations. As to the number of surah and verse, they are explained in detail in the FurQan of the Qur’an.)
Now I draw the reader’s attention to the discernment of verses below, in which incorrect translations have falsified their proper meaning. They concern the way we should perform Salat if we are on the move, traveling or out of the house, at work or sick in bed. As Salat should be performed on time, we can perform our Connecting while walking, driving, sitting or lying in bed.
4:101 “And when you are moving on the Earth, there is no blame on you if you shorten from your Salat for fear of (provoking) those who do not believe, to scandalize you. For the unbelievers are evidently your enemies.”
As today, at the times of Salat, we are mostly out of the house for work or driving the car going from one place to another, shopping in the street (see verse 103 below), we can however perform our Salat when the time of Salat comes to pass on us. But in such cases, we must shorten the Salat as to the performance of rokoo and sajdeh, doing them mentally (instead of cutting out of the sections of Salat), in order to prevent provoking or scandalizing those who do not believe.
4:102 “And when you were among them, then upright the Salat for them, (in such case) let a group of them with you take up their arms, so that when you prostrate they stand behind you, then let the other party that have not Connected (Salat), come with you to Connect, and others standing guard and holding their arms. Those who do not believe, wish you would neglect your arms and goods, for disposing over you in a single disposition. But there is no blame on you if you are bothered by rain or being ill to put away your arms, as long as you remain alert. In fact All’h has Prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating retribution.”
This series of verses actually is for the time of Prophet Muhammad with his army, fighting, defending against the attack of the enemy to destabilize the Religion. This Commandment is a precautionary strategy at war, for the Prophet, as to the manner of up righting the Salat amongst his army, against the assault of the enemy. And, as the name of Muhammad precisely is not mentioned, then it also concerns our time. That is, if we happen to be outdoors, in some isolated place and a Messenger is amongst us, raising a congregational Connection, to take precautions for our goods (bag, camera, iPhone etc.), if we fear theft or attacks while performing the Salat.
4:103 “So, when the Salat is enjoined/ordained, (when the time of Salat comes to pass on you/when you must carry out or execute the Salat), then memorialize All’h standing, sitting and lying on your sides, but when you are secure (being home, having peace of mind or getting rid of illness), stand upright the Salat (in the usual and proper way, with rokoo/bowing and sajdeh/prostration). In fact the Salat is enjoined upon the believers at stated times.”
The correct meaning of this verse, due to incorrect translations, has been altered. They have written, “When you finish your Salat.” Or it is, “When you must execute, carry out, perform the Salat.” In case you are on the go, then wherever you are, perform the Connecting, as it should be done on time. And as Commanded in (101), we do not have to do it in full performance of bowing down and prostrating, how could we if we are on the go? In such cases then, we shorten our Salat by cutting off the postures of bowing and prostration, doing them only in our mind, but once we are home, and our worries and hindrances are over, then we can stand upright for the Connection, performing it properly, in the normal way.
Today, thanks to Almighty God, we can practice the Religion completely and thoroughly in peace, although living in countries of different beliefs. They do not fight or prevent us from practicing the Religion, as long as we do not fight or provoke them. So, in no way is it Commanded to perform congregational or individual Salat with Rokoo and Sajdeh in public places and on the streets. On the contrary, we must practice the Religion in the most discrete way. Religion is a personal matter, especially if we enjoy the residency and hospitality of countries of different beliefs. In the verses below, we are Commanded to respect the law and customs of the countries/towns we reside in (7:161). Not only we must not impose the Religion (16:125), but even when discussing Religion with them, we should speak in the nicest way. Please refer to the verses below.
7:161 “And remember it was Said to them, ‘Dwell in this town and eat therein as you wish, speak humbly and enter the gate prostrating (respecting their priority), We will Forgive your errors, Augmenting the (reward) of the righteous.’”
16:125 “Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and nice preaching, and debate/argue with them in a more gracious way, for your Lord Knows well who has strayed from His Way, and He Is Aware of the guided ones.”
The Way and the Words for Establishing the Salat
Being conscious of which of the five Salat we are about to perform or we can declare it for our own hearing, by the gesture of bringing up the two hands to the ears and down (in the sign of abandoning material life, entering spiritual life), we start in saying:
Allaho Akbar.
“All’h Is Above/Greater”
And we recite “Al-Fatiha/The Opener”:
- B(i)Sm All’h Al-R(a)hm(a)n Al-R(a)hïm, (the letters in parentheses are only sounds) “B(y) name All’h, the Bi-Merciful, the Merciful”
- Alhamdo Lillah Rabbel Alamïn, “The Praise belongs to All’h, Lord of the universal people”
- Al-Rahman Al-Rahïm, “The Bi-Merciful, the Merciful”
- Malik Yaoum Al-Dïn. “Master of Day of the Religion”
- Ïyaka Na’obodo, Wa Ïyaka Nastaïn, “You Alone we worship, and Your Aid Alone we implore”
- Ihdinas Siratal mostaghïm, “Guide us (to the way of) the Straight Path”
- Siratal Lazina An’amta Alaïhem, Ghaïrel Maghzouba Alaïhem, Walazaalïn. “The Path of those on whom You Bestowed Your Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray”
We say:
Allaho Akbar.
Bending/bowing for Rokoo’:
Sobhana Rabbial Azïm (azeem).
“Glorifying my Lord, the Great.”
Getting straight up while saying:
Samé’ Allaho Léman Hamédah.
“All’h Hears whenever Praised”
Allaho Akbar.
Getting on the ground for Sajdeh/prostration:
Sobhana Rabbial A’la (in Sajdeh).
“Glorifying my Lord, the Most High”
Allaho Akbar.
Getting straight up while still sitting for the second Sajdeh:
Allaho Akbar.
Going to second Sajdeh:
Sobhana Rabbial A’la.
“Glorifying my Lord, the Most High”
Allaho Akbar.
Standing up for the second Rok’at/section, which is to repeat exactly as the first Rok’at. After each 2 Rok’at, Tashahod/Testimony:
Ash hado Alla Ilaha Illal Laho Wahdahu La Sharika Lah.
“I testify there is no god but All’h, He Is Alone, without any associate for Him.”
Walhamdo Lilahe Lazi Lam Yatakhez Waladan Wa Lam Yakol Laho Sharikon Filmolk Wa Lam Yakol Lahou Walyon Menal Zol.
“And Praise be to All’h, who Begets no son, and who Has no partner in Kingdom, and who Has no helper out of weakness.”
The third and the fourth Rok’at/sections are the same.
For ending the Salat, after the Testimony, we turn our head to our right and left while saying:
Alsalamo Alaykom Wa Rahmatollah Wa Barakato.
“Peace and Mercy of All’h be upon you.”