Method of prayer

Another week goes by as we approach the end of 2008. Yet again, another year of my life has flown by in a flash. I look at my baby and think that she didn't even exist at the beginning of the year and now here she is in front of me, increasing my level of responsibility dramatically, how time flies.

This week saw the world commemorate Armistice Day - the end of the first world war 90 years ago on November the 11th. For a definition of futility, look no further than World War I. It took place from 1914-1918 and saw the loss of millions upon millions of men all for little to no gain whatsoever. The military tactics of trench warfare saw millions of soldiers sent "over the top" to their deaths. The tactic seemed to be to send as many people as possible and hope that the sheer numbers would lead to victory. In 1995 I visited the battlefields of Somme, Ypres and Verdun on a school trip, and to this day I vividly remember the rows of trenches and rows upon rows of unnamed tombstones - a complete exercise of futility, and World War II wasn't much better either.

On to bigger and better things. One of the five pillars of Islam is the act of prayer - to pray to God at prescribed times during the day, to remember him and ask him for help. It is the mainstay of Islam and a provision for all Muslims to seek help directly from God. All religions prescribe some form of prayer and Islam is no different.

Unfortunately divisions in Islam, namely the Shia and Sunni sects has led to divisions in the conduct of most practices and the act of prayer is no exception. All Muslims believe in the five daily mandatory prayers and they also agree that these five prayers have set times in which they must be performed.

The first difference arises from whether the prayers can be combined or whether they need to be kept separate. Shia's believe that the afternoon prayers (Zuhr and Asr) and the evening prayer (Maghrib and Isha) can be combined at any time. The four different schools of Sunnism believe differently. Some schools believe prayer can only be combined during travel or periods of danger, other schools believe they cannot be combined at all. For the correct answer, let's start by looking at the Quran. It states: "Establish regular prayers at the Sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the recital of the Quran in the morning prayer; for the recital of the dawn is Witnessed." (Surah 17, Verse 78). In this verse, three prayer times are mentioned, so that is the first indication of three separate times for prayer, not five. From that, it is sensible to ask what did the Prophet do? Look no further than Sahih Muslim:

"Ibn 'Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed the noon and afternoon prayers together, and the sunset and Isha' prayers together without being in a state of fear or in a state of journey." (Book 4, Chapter 100, Hadith 1515)

And why did the Prophet do this?

"I said to Ibn Abbas: What prompted him to do that? He said: So that his prophet's Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship." (Book 4, Chapter 100, Hadith 1516)

The next debate is over the method of prayer. All Shias place their forehead on a natural substance when bowing in sajdah, often a piece of rock. Sunnis place their forehead directly on the carpet/rug/mat and then claim that Shias worship the rock. Again, what did the Prophet do? In another famous Sunni book, Sahih Bukhari it narrates hadith which state:

"The Messenger of Allah performed prayer and I (one of the wives of the Holy Prophet) lay opposite to him while I was in menses. Sometimes his clothes touched me when he prostrated, and he used to prostrate on khumra (a piece of rock or dirt)." (Volume 1, Book 6, Hadith 321)

Also, the Prophet is quoted as saying:

"...the earth has been made pure and a place of prostration for me, so whenever the time of prayer comes for any one of you, he should pray wherever he is..." (Volume 1, Book 7, Hadith 323)

Lastly, when Shias stand in prayer, they do so with their arms by their sides. Sunnis can't seem to make up their minds. Some do the same as Shias, others stand with their arms folded, with some folding above the abdomen and other over the waist. Some with the left arm over the right and vicer-versa.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find reliable sources to settle this particular discussion either way, perhaps you know of some. However, with the application of good sense, the answer in my mind is clear. All Shias pray with the arms by their sides. On the other hand, four different schools of Sunnism have four different methods of standing in prayer. If the schools can't agree on a relatively simple task, then I think I'll stick to my method.

Having briefly discussed the difference in the method of prayer, I hope I have been able to clarify some of the myths of Shia prayer and also explain why we do what we do, backed up with Sunni sources only. I will finish rather abruptly now as I am going home to my daughter - looks good just typing it!

Take care all,
Thoughts just flow, when do they have to make sense?