Question

I have one doubt, for which I cannot find an appropriate answer. Why do we pray in this manner, with the takbeer, prostration and standing? Is it not sufficient for us to sit and recite Qur’an, and call upon Allah in supplication (du‘aa’) instead of that? Why is it done in this manner and in this way?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

You should understand – may Allah guide you – that the foundation of our religion is the obligation to hear and obey, and not to think that we can suggest alternatives to what Allah has prescribed, just as we trust the word of the doctor and do not object to it; rather we hear and obey, and if he says take this medicine after dinner, we do not say, Why not before dinner?

Or if the doctor says, Take seven drops, we do not say: Why not five drops? Rather we listen to what the doctor says, even if it involves putting up with the bitter taste of the medicine, or the high cost of treatment, and so on, despite the fact that he is a human being and does not possess the power to heal, and he may be right or wrong, and he may get it wrong more often than he gets it right.

What is required of us is that our submission to Islamic teachings should be greater than that, for they are revealed from One Who is most wise, most praiseworthy, all-knowing and all-aware, and “He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned” [al-Anbiya’ 21:23].

Faith cannot be sound without complete submission to Allah and His Messenger. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning).

“But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission”

[an-Nisa’ 4:65]

“The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, ‘We hear and we obey.’ And those are the successful”

[an-Noor 24:51]

“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." [al-Baqarah 2:285].

As-Sa‘di said:

{This response on the part of the believers includes everything that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought, namely the Qur’an and Sunnah, and they listened to him with acceptance and submission.} End quote.

Secondly

Whoever reflects upon these verses will realize that the religion is based on acceptance, humility and submission to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. How can he not submit to Him, may He be glorified, in all things and in all his affairs, both religious and worldly, when he believes in Him as his Lord, Creator, Guide, Provider and Controller?

How can he not submit to His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he believes in him as his Prophet who was sent by his Lord?

If a person follows this path of questioning, it is not far-fetched to assume that it will ultimately lead him to heresy, because you are saying: Why can’t the prayer be simply reciting Qur’an and offering supplication? Then someone else will come and say: What is the reason for offering supplication; isn’t the Qur’an enough?  Then a third person will come along and say: Why pray at all? Isn’t it sufficient to say Laa ilaaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah)? And you could say something similar with regard to zakaah, fasting, Hajj and all the other rulings of Islam, and the ultimate outcome would be rejection of the rulings of Islam, and heresy.

Thirdly:

Prayer has been enjoined in this manner, which is the best and most perfect possible manner, so as to attain true servitude to Allah and humility before Him, and to know the pleasure of conversing with Him. So the individual faces towards the qiblah, and stands with humility before Allah, with his head lowered, then he bows to Allah in humility, then he shows even more humility to Allah by prostrating.

Look at a detailed description of how the prayer is done, from the takbeer to the tasleem [that is, from beginning to end], and reflect upon the actions and words, given by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book as-Salaah.

We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to guide us and to make prayer a source of comfort for us.

And Allah knows best.

A source close to the legislative circles in Ankara confirmed yesterday, Saturday, that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a stronger position to win the presidential elections.

"His position is stronger because it offers tangible achievements and prospects for development," the source told "TASS" agency, noting that it has become clear that "undecided voters tend to vote for Erdogan, because the opposition's arguments do not appeal to them."

The source also indicated that the possibility of large-scale demonstrations or clashes in Turkey after the elections and the loss of one of the political parties will be negligible.

"It is not expected that the loss of the opposition or the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will lead to any mass demonstrations or negative consequences," he said.

The source considered that the possibility of local protests exists, especially if the opposition loses, as this will cause a high level of tension in society, and people may try to express their dissatisfaction in this way. The source continued that if there is a risk of an increase in tension and protest actions, they will be effectively thwarted.

Likewise, the source ruled out that Erdogan's loss would lead his supporters to take to the streets, pointing out that the reaction of the voters to the loss of the ruling Justice and Development Party's candidates in the Istanbul and Ankara municipal elections is evidence of this, as winning the leadership of these cities for Erdogan is very important, but the heads of Opposition municipalities won it, and there was no "destabilizing reaction".

Only 3 candidates are running in the presidential race in Turkey, Erdogan, Kilicdaroglu, and Sinan Ogan, after Muharram Ince withdrew his candidacy request on Thursday.

The US rhetoric on its so-called war on terror is responsible for the global proliferation of anti-Muslim sentiments, a respected scholar and author has said, terming the growing religious hatred against the community as a “neo-colonial project”.

Prof Khaled Ali Beydoun’s recently published book The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims has been hailed as a pathbreaking study on the subject for its minute examination of the issue.

“Islamophobia is a tool and a weapon used by the US to advance its global power and to seize coveted natural resources such as oil in Iraq,” says Prof Beydoun, a faculty at Wayne State University Law School in the US. He was speaking to Anadolu Agency exclusively.

“I chose the title because the term ‘crusade’ is used to describe the historical conflict between Islam and Christianity,” he says. “...When the war on terror was launched 21 years ago, then US President George Bush called it a ‘crusade’. So I drew on these two events to give the title to the book.”

Beydoun says that besides extensive research for the book, he interviewed people exposed to anti-Muslim hatred in many countries such as India, China, France and Canada.

While writing the book, he aimed to understand the feelings and thoughts of the Muslim community struggling for existence in different countries.

He says that anti-Muslim sentiment is not the same in every country. “Islamophobia is not experienced by Muslims in a similar way. It really depends on where they are, which country they live in, what their identity is. The Islamophobia that Uyghur Muslims experience is strikingly different from the one that we experience.”

‘Hotbed of Islamophobia’

Drawing on his observations based on interviews he conducted in European countries, Beydoun says that “Europe has become a hotbed of Muslim hostility for many reasons”.

“As Muslims practice their religion, as women wear headscarves, as men wear white robes and grow beards, as they go to mosques, it’s easy for Europeans to discriminate against them on religious grounds.”

He also points out that Muslims feel like they are being watched by “big brother”, as in dystopian novels. “Muslims struggle with this as victims of destructive policies such as surveillance, and the privacy of individuals is often violated due to suspicion of terrorism.”

He adds that discrimination against Muslims is at an all-time high.

“When I apply for a job, and they see on my CV that my name is Khaled Ali Beydoun, employers might think twice about hiring me as opposed to someone called Edward Smith,” he says.

“If it’s a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf to a job interview, she is discriminated against because of her appearance.”

Islam is a complete way of life and nothing has been left out of it. Through the Quran, the Hadith, the sunnah of the prophet, and the way of the Taabieen Muslims have a complete roadmap to life. Personal development is not left out and we see it in various ayahs of the Quran. This means it has been a part of Islam since the time of the Rasuul, the time of the revelation of the Quran.

Personal development has become in recent times a topic of great interest all around the world. By definition, it’s any activity that you consciously undergo to improve and grow yourself. Personal development as it relates to Muslims is an integral part of us and our Islamic heritage. The need to improve and grow ourselves is found in different ayahs of the Quran

The 1st revelation to the prophet Muhammad Is ‘Read’ this shows the importance of seeking knowledge in Islam and the general consequence of knowledge is the development of the mind which can then lead to the development of other areas of a person’s life.

Muslims are an ummah and not an entity therefore the development of one will lead to the development of others. Personal development happens in all spheres of our lives from the way we speak, eat, work to the way we interact with others.

Some ayahs that speak to this include:

“Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and ostentatious.” (Quran-22:30)
“Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception.” (Quran-33:70)
“Choose the best words to speak and say them in the best possible way.” (Quran-17:53, 2:83)
Allah has told us that

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves

Al-Ra’d 13:11
This clearly tells us that we need to improve ourselves so that Allah will bring about a change in our condition. Therefore developing and growing ourselves, seeking for improvement, and applying the new knowledge is necessary to get the desired result.

Prophet Muhammad was a living example of personal growth and has left lessons for us in the Hadith and his sunnah.

In a Hadith that says:

Prophet (PBUH) said: “None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”

This clearly shows us the importance of caring for not just ourselves but for others around us. This makes us improve ourselves by not being selfish, caring for others, and loving others.

In another Hadith that goes

On the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “My beloved companion (Prophet Muhammad) has commanded me with seven: he commanded me to love the poor and become near to them; he commanded me to look at the one below me (in material wealth) and to not look at the one above me; he commanded me to maintain blood relations even if (those relatives) turn away; he commanded me to not ask anything from anyone (as a favor); he commanded me to tell the truth even if it is bitter; he commanded me to not fear in the path of Allah those who blame and vilify; he commanded me to increase in saying ‘there is no power and might except from Allah’ for they are the words from a treasure kept beneath the throne of The Beneficent.”

Subhanallah this Hadith covers loving, taking care of those who are poor, and relating with them. To be grateful and content by looking at those who have less than we do. To keep ties of kinship with our relatives. To be content, not to look for favors from others. To be truthful always, We should be fearless when on the path of Allah, To increase dua to Allah glorifying Him and affirming that all power is from Allah and Allah alone.

This covers different aspects of self-improvement. Alhamdulillah

There are so many other hadiths that teach us about self-development, it is important that we read them and apply them.

The Muslim ummah is the best of people as Allah has told us so we have to live up to that by doing our bit to see that we become the best and lead the society as leaders.

Allah says

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. “

(Surah Al Imran Ayah 110)

We as an Ummah should live by this, seek improvement and self-development so we can improve ourselves individually and then collectively as an ummah. This will consequently lead to the development of society as a whole bi idhniAllah.

The Quran and Sunnah are life manuals for us Muslims, we should therefore read, understand and apply. May Allah make it easy for us all. Ameen.