| Did the Jews …
Cont’d from page 1
If God has modified any of the practices given to Abraham, He pointed
it out to us in the Quran (2:187). God also included in the Quran the
correct version of the corrupt practices; for example the practice of
ablution (5:6).
We see in the following verses of the Quran that Moses, Aaron and Jesus
observed the Contact Prayers and the Obligatory Charity:
GOD had taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we raised
among them twelve patriarchs. And GOD said, “I am with you, so
long as you observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), give the Obligatory Charity
(Zakat), and believe in My messengers and respect them, and continue
to lend GOD a loan of righteousness...” (5:12)
We inspired Moses and his brother. “Maintain your homes in
Egypt for the time being, turn your homes into synagogues, and maintain
the Contact Prayers (Salat). Give good news to the believers.”
(10:87)
She [Mary] pointed to him [Jesus]. They said, “How can we
talk with an infant in the crib?” (The infant spoke and) said, “I
am a servant of GOD. He has given me the scripture, and has appointed
me a prophet. He made me blessed wherever I go, and enjoined me to observe
the Contact Prayers (Salat) and the Obligatory Charity (Zakat) for as
long as I live...” (19:29-32)
That was Jesus, the son of Mary, and this is the truth of this matter,
about which they continue to doubt. (19:34)
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Similar to Moses, Aaron and Jesus, the prophet
Muhammad was told to follow the Religion of Abraham (Millat Ibrahim).
Had he not known what the religion of Abraham was, then we would not expect
God to tell him to follow it.
Then we inspired you (O Muhammad) to follow the religion of Abraham,
monotheism; never was he an idol-worshiper. (16:123)
The Salat prayers as practiced by the Muslims today involve standing
in front of God, bowing and falling prostrate. Like all the rituals of
Islam, these practices were passed down to us from Abraham, and followed
by all the messengers of God.
These are some of the prophets whom GOD blessed. They were chosen
from among the descendants of Adam, and the descendants of those whom
we carried with Noah, and the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and from
among those whom we guided and selected. When the revela-tions of the
Most Gracious are recited to them, they fall prostrate, weeping. (19:58)
However, right after the above verse, the Quran mentions that the Contact
Prayer was lost after some generations of the people of the book.
After them, He substituted generations who lost the Contact Prayers
(Salat), and pursued their lusts. They will suffer the consequences. (19:59)
Losing it involved changing it in every aspect. The Prayer as practiced
today by most of the Jews and Christians is different than what was given
to their prophets. Very few Jews and Christians kept the inherited practice
of the Contact Prayers.
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In a book entitled “To Pray As A Jew”
by Hayim Donin (1980), one can find a lengthy explanation of the Prayers
as done by the ancient Jews and a few of the contemporary Jews. In this
book the author includes diagrams showing the movement and positions during
the prayer. A look at these diagrams is enough for the people to realize
the similarity of the prayers of the Jews then and Salat as practiced
by the Muslims.
In his comments about these positions the author wrote: “In
most contemporary congregations very few people keep to the tradition
of falling prostrate. Sometimes it is only the Prayer Leader and the rabbi
who does so. In more traditional congregations, however, some worshipers,
men and women, will join the Prayer Leader and rabbi in the act of prostrating
themselves. In Israeli synagogues, the practice is more widespread than
in synagogues elsewhere. Since this is a position that we are unaccustomed
to, one who has never done this before might very well demur. But once
accomplished, the experience provides such a spiritual uplift that one
looks forward to repeating it. Those willing to try this ancient rit-ual
form on the rare occasions that call for it might welcome the follow-ing
diagrams of the correct proce-dure.”
It is also interesting to learn from this book that the prayers of the
Jews involve washing before the prayers, (like the ablution for Muslims),
and the call for Prayers (like the Azan for the Muslims). Something to
ponder!
Reference:
Donin, Hayim, 1980, To Pray As A Jew: A Guide To The Prayer Book And The
Synagogue Service, Basic Books, New York, 384 pp.
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