PRAYER

You who have faith, seek help with patience and prayer. God is with the patient ones. (Surah 2:153)

Prayer is often mentioned together with zakat, charity:

In verses like these, prayer also stands for the constant cultivation of one's spiritual life in general, while zakat or charity stands for social commitment as such. We often find these two terms side by side, just as faith and good actions are often mentioned side by side. We are therefore going to investigate into the Islamic idea of prayer as well as all terms that are translated as prayer.

Regular ritual prayer is called Salah. The root of the word is salla, yusalli which basically means to link, to connect, to join, like in the following verse:

Thus salah means link, connection, like the Latin word religio, and is translated in different ways:

1. when a created being tries to connect with God:	prayer
2. when God builds up a link with His creature:	blessing

So the idea is that of communication between the human being and God. The prayer ritual, therfore, is an expression of a dialogue between God and the human being. Regular prayer is a means of remembrance of God's presence and of our responsibility for ourselves and our fellow creatures. It is also a means to purify ourselves and find directions and thereby to come closer to God:

Prayer is not seen as a human privilege only, but all creatures have a possibility to communicate with their creator:

Another verse calls our attention to the fact that we might not undertand the prayer and praise of other creatures, and perhaps their relationship with their creator is very different from ours. The same might be true of the prayer rituals in different religions. However, this can be discussed in interreligious dialogue where we can enrich each other with our ideas.

The translation establish prayer is based on the original Arabic expression iqamat as-salah which means to establish prayer as a regular element of life. This is meant to point out that it is important to practise communication with God in prayer consciously and with concentration and discipline. We are warned not to neglect regular prayer:

For carelessness weakens a person's awareness of ethical and spiritual values while it leaves space for growing selfishness. Therefore prayer is considered a religious duty that embraces the individual's body and spirit as well as community life. Normally there are five ritual prayers structuring the day with rhythm of work, rest and worship

1. the morning prayer at dawn before sunrise
2. the midday prayer in the first half of the afternoon
3. the afternoon prayer in the second half of the afternoon until sunset
4. the evening prayer after sunset
5. the night prayer after complete darkness.

In Muslim countries the call to prayer is usually heard in the beginning of each of these time spans, and immediately afterwards the congregational prayer is held in the mosque. However, the participants, at least at the daytime prayers, are usually just a few elderly people. The others pray wherever they are, at some point within the appropriate time span whenever they find a break in their work. Besides, looking after human beings has a certain priority insofar as prayers can be made up for, but not certain duties as a nurse, an aircraft captain, a policeman etc. Those who cannot take part in the congregational prayer at the mosque can pray alone or in congregation with people who happen to be in the same place. There is no priesthood in Islam, and, at least technically, every Muslim with a sound mind can lead a prayer. In some countries it is unusual for women to participate in the prayers at the mosque. They then pray at home, sometimes together with the children, following the instruction of the Prophet (s), "not to turn the homes into graves." Praying the privacy of one's home is seen by some women as a special expression of female spirituality. On the other hand, keeping women from praying in the mosques was esplicitly forbidden by the Prophet (s).

The mosque is not exclusively reserved for prayer but has always been a palce for sermons and lectures, discussions of religious questions and current problems of the community, and many projects ranging from feeding the poor to political resistance movements originated from those discussions. In the long run, a person who does not take part in this religious social life is at a disadvantage. This applies equally to those women who, due to certain role expectations, are excluded from this part of community life. It is essential to remember that it is contrary to the sunna (the practice of the Prophet (s) and his male and female companions) to exclude part of the community from the activities in the mosque.

A mosque is not a "consecrated place" but masjid, the place of prostration which, accordingly, is kept clean both of physical dirt (e.g. by taking one's shoes off) and of harmful influences and distractions (that is why there are no pictures of human beings or animals but quiet colours and regular patterns that help to concentrate). It is also jami', the place of assembly. This term is mostly used for larger mosques in which Friday prayers and lessons are held. Many mosques in Western countries are in fact tiny improvised rooms just sufficient for the daily prayers and some lessons in Qur'an reading but much too small on Fridays - then mats are spread in the hallway and even in the streets for those who do not find space in the room itself. A mosque is not necessarily a building. According to a saying of the Prophet (s), "the whole earth is a place of prayer (masjid)."

Not only the place of ritual prayer is supposed to be purified but also the body and the clothes of the person who is going to pray. Ritual purification before prayer combines hygienic cleanliness with an inner effort for purification of one's thoughts and intentions as well as desires and ends.

Another formal condition for ritual prayer is the direction. We turn towards Mecca, the city where Islam has its roots not only because Prophet Muhammad (s) received his first revelations there but because - according to Arab tradition - the first house of worship dedicated to the One God was built there in ancient times by Abraham and Ismail. All gestures in ritual prayer have a symbolic meaning, and facing Mecca means to make, as it were, a circle around the world with the source in its centre with even a lonly person praying individually being part of it. Mankind's first house of worship, the Ka'ba, an empty cubic building, is a symbol of the human heart that must be emptied of all idols (attachment to any created phenomena or idolozed ideas) in order to become "God's House". Referring to the direction of prayer, the Qur'an says,

Inside the mosque, the direction of prayer is indicated by a niche (mihrab). When praying in a strange place, the direction is found by means of the sun or a compass - a modern invention is a prayer mat with a compass attached to it. Otherwise the direction can be guessed. Most important is the inner direction:

Ritual prayer consists of several elements that also have an independent function of their own outside the ritual. They are as follows:

1. Standing. We stand facing the direction of prayer. We raise our hands and say, Allahu akbar (God is the Greatest or God is Greater, that is, greater than anything that might take up our attention. We are conscious of standing in God's presence, and we concentrate on our encounter with Him.
   In order to promote concentration, religious music has its place in a framework other than ritual prayer, and men and women do not usually mix in the congregation but arrangements are made to have one or the other kind of segregation.
2. Recitation. Just as we listen to a human interlocutor, we listen to God's word from the Qur'an by either reciting it ourselves or listening to the imam's recitation. On principle, the Qur'an is recited in the original Arabic language. It starts with Surat al-Fatiha (the first Surah):

   In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise is due to God, the Sustainer of the worlds, the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Master of the Day of Judgement. It is You whom we serve, and it is You whom we implore for help. Guide us the straight path, the way of those to whom You grant Your favour, not of those who deserve wrath and not of those who go astray.

   This is followed by another passage according to one's own choice, e.g. one of those that have been quoted in the course of this lecture. The following one is very popular:

   He is God beside whom there is no god. He knows what is hidden and what is open. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is God beside whom there is no god, the Suvereign, the Holy One, the Peace, the Faithful One, the Protector, the Mighty Friend, the One Who Sets Things Straight, the Majestic. His glory is above all that they associate with Him. He is God, the Creator, the Evolver, the Fashioner. To Him belong the most beautiful names, and He is the Mighty Friend, the Wise. (Surah 59:22-24)

3. Bowing. We bow with our hands on our knees for support like a porter ready to take up his load - which is, in this case, our human resposibility for our own development, our society and our fellow creatures. This position is a physical equivalent of the phrase, "Thy will be done" in Christian prayer. While bowing, we say three times, "Praise be to my Sustainer, the Great One."
4. Standing straight with praises. While straightening his back, the imam says, "God listens to the one who praises Him," with the congregation replying, "Our Sustainer, praise be to You." In individual prayer both is said by the worshipper. Praise and glorification, expressed in words during prayer and with actions in everyday life, gives a meaning to our lives and keeps us upright.
5. Two prostrations. We place our knees, hands and forehead on the ground. This position resembles that of an unborn child in the womb, and we are just as dependent and sheltered in God's presence. Here we can express all kinds of praises and supplications. Between the two prostrations we straighten ourselves into a sitting position in which we ask for forgiveness. The two prostrations remind us of our state before our birth, the life in this world (sitting) and death with the prospect of resurrection. They are also an expression of gratitude, once for all the good we have received and experienced, and once for the good potential that is waiting to be unfolded.
   (With this, the first unit of ritual prayer is finished, and we stand up for the second one that is performed in the same manner.)
6. Sitting. After the second unit and again at the end of the prayer we remain sitting in a respectful position as polite guests of God like Prophet Muhammad (s) during his heavenly journey. We say words of greeting, the testimony of faith, blessings on the Prophet (s) and general supplications for ourselves and others.
7. The peace greeting. We finish our prayer by turning right and left saying, "Peace be with you and God's mercy." Thus we share the peace we have achieved during our own individual "heavenly journey" with our fellow creatures to whom we return to continue our everyday activities.

Sometimes I am confronted with the objection that ritual prayer can degenerate into a mere habit that is performed automatically without the inner meaning. In this context, there is a story taken from a lecture on spiritual presence by the famous mystic of the 14th century Nizamuddin Awliya:

A sufi called Hasan Afghani once happened to come by a mosque in Multan when he heard the call to prayer. So he went in and joined the congregation behind the imam. After the prayer when the people had dispersed, he went up to the imam and said, "In the beginning I joined the row behind you. Now during prayer, you travelled to Delhi where you bought slave girls. On your return journey you went to Khorasan to sell them. After that you came back to Multan to finish the prayer in this mosque. Following your prayer, I had to follow you all the way. This was indeed a very stressy prayer!"

In fact there are phases where concentration is difficult and prayer becomes an exercise of disciplin rather than a spiritual experience. This problem is mentioned by al-Ghazzali in his book Ihya 'Ulum ad-Din where he suggests various methods to deal with it, e.g. by closing one's eyes in order to exclude visual distractions, or by reciting more slowly and clearly than usually, or by slightly modifying one's position, or by preparing for prayer with the call to prayer, an introductory supplication etc. However, there are other phases - and increasingly so with some awareness training and a conscious attitude in life - in which prayer is a real heavenly journey and an encounter with our Creator. Those varying states com from our inner state, and therefore ritual prayer is a standard that we can apply to ourselves and gradually learn to find the way back to our inner balance even from the most extreme state provided that we face the situation sincerely. The Qur'an warns us from hypocrisy in prayer and everyday life:

Where the situation demands it during a journey, during working hours or in an emergency, the midday and afternoon prayers can be combined, e.g. during lunch break, and the same is possible with the evening and night prayers. On a journey or in a dangerous situation, some prayers can also be shortened. If, due to a disease or handicap, it is not possible to perform the gestures physically, only those of them are performed that are possible, while the others are followed inwardly. I have seen many a person joining rows of the worshippers at the mosque in a wheelchair.

Apart from the five daily prayers, additional prayers can be performed:

• The congregational prayer on Friday, the Muslim weekly holiday corresponding to the "6th day of creation" when the human being was created. It then takes the place of the midday prayer and is preceeded by a sermon.
• The congregational prayer in the forenoon of the two festival days (Festival of Breaking the Fast and Festival of Sacrifice) which is followed by a sermon. In Muslim countries it is very often performed in the open air, and - contrary to modern practice - the Prophet (s) told his companions to bring all the women and children to join the prayer.
• Individual prayers in the forenoon and after midnight. They are often performed by elderly people who have retired from active working life, thus extending the number of daily prayers to seven.
• Prayers at an eclipse, draught, earthquake or other disasters. They are usually performed in congregation with some additional gestures according to the occasion.
• Tarawih-prayers after the night prayers in Ramadan. Sometimes the whole Qur'an is recited gradually in the course of the month in these prayers.
• Individual prayers of gratitide and praise or for special occasions like asking forgiveness, supplications for others, finding a decision etc. when more than an informal prayer is desired.
• The funeral prayer. It is performed in a standing position, containing Surat al-Fatiha, the testimony of faith and blessings as well as general supplications and supplications for the deceased.

Apart from minor variations that are irrelevant for the congregational prayer, ritual prayer unites Muslims from all continents, cultures and ages. Even in a strange country with an unfamiliar language ist is easy to join the congregation at any mosque and later on to start some sort of communication with the people of that community. Ritual prayer is the common grounds where Muslims meet regardless of their otherwise very different views. It is often understood as "prayer as such", and while the English word "prayer" is used as a general term for all kinds of prayer, worship, supplication etc., an English speaking Muslim will very often assoiciate it with ritual prayer because ritual prayer combines all those other forms (which will be explained in the second part of this lecture) in a most perfect manner. It is also very closely linked with the idea of worship as such.

All this must be taken into consideration if we discuss the possibilities of members of different religions praying or worshipping together. They might be as follows:

1. Non-Muslims taking part in Muslim ritual prayer. To be able to join, they should know the procedure and be able to identify whith what is said and done. Problems might arise e.g. with the first sentence of the testimony of faith (I testify that there is no god but God) for polytheists and atheists, or with the second sentence (and I testify that Muhammad is God's messenger) for Jews and Christians.
2. Muslims taking part in non-Muslim prayers, meditations and services. It will not be possible to take an active part in symbolic actions that are unknown or that cannot be reconciled with one's own Islamic principles (provided that the religious community in question agrees with non-members participating in their rituals at all). A passive participation (as a mere spectator) depends on the individual ability to deal with the respective impressions which will in most cases be easiest in the services of our sister religions Judaism and Christianity. There have been positive experiences with Muslim contributions to Jewish and Christian services when the service was planned carefully and tactfully.
3. Multireligious prayers (like the peace prayer at Assisi) and reflections to which the members of the participating religious groups each make a contribution, e.g. a text, a supplication, a short sermon etc. This requires a good understanding, mutual respect and basic trust between those who organize it. There are certain risks of misunderstanding involved, but on the other hand, prayers and meditation can sometimes achieve more than lectures and debates, especially in times of tension and war. It must be noted, however, that they cannot be a substitute for the regular worship in any religious tradition.