No one can deny the importance of as-Salah as it is one of the things emphatically or unequivocally known to be part of the faith of Islam. However, though most of us realize this fact, do all of us establish or properly perform the as-Salah as it is prescribed by Allah the Almighty?
Or, do we just make some lifeless movements and utter some repeated utterances without being heedful of what is said or what is done?!
Here, we will show the real difference between establishing the as-Salah as ordained by Allah and just doing its movements; a matter which is crucial and necessary for a faithful Muslim’s as-Salah to be accepted by Allah the Almighty. Surely, no one wants his Salah to be unaccepted or rejected.
Iqamat as-Salah in the Quran
Establishing or properly performing the prayer is the alternative translations of the Arabic term iqamat as-Salah. Amazingly, the Ever-Glorious Quran always uses the collocation or word combination ‘iqamat as-Salah’ in various forms and derivations. However, it never uses terms such as ada’ as-Salah or any of its derivatives because Allah does not like as-Salah to be performed without spirit or in a mechanical way. This shows that iqamat as-Salah is something more than just carrying it out. Therefore, the praying person should perform his as-Salah in accordance with the prescribed manner along with feeling a strong sense of unity with all other praying persons all over the world. Describing good and righteous believers, Allah the Almighty says in His Ever-Glorious Quran what may mean,
{Who believe in the Unseen, and perform (yuqeemuna) the prayer…} (Al-Baqarah 2:3)
Difference between ada’ and iqamat as-Salah
As for ada’ as-Salah, it means to perform the shariah-based ritual and the prescribed parts of as-Salah by the discerning Muslim adult, man or woman, at a specific time. Hence, it is to carry out all its pillars in a complete manner.
However, Iqamat as-Salah, on the one hand, goes beyond the mere performance of its prescribed movements as to experience the feeling of perfect submission and humility before Allah the Almighty. On the other hand, it denotes the idea of one’s commitment to be regular and constant on accomplishing as-Salah regardless of all odds.
In addition, Allah threatens those who carry out as-Salah without observing the above meanings as they perform it with negligence and inattentiveness. In so doing, they disregard the real objective of as-Salah, its essence and spirit. He says what may mean,
{Ah, woe unto worshippers. Who are heedless of their prayer.} (Al-Ma`un 108:4-5)
Given this, not everyone who performs as-Salah is a muqim, i.e. heedful regular observant of as-Salah.
Among the many things denoted by the word combination ‘iqamat as-Salah’ is to do it faithfully and with tranquility. This means that the praying person should complete his Salah’s bowings, prostrations, standings, recitations, and glorification of Allah with perfect heedfulness and consciousness.
Therefore, anyone who violates any of these, such as not perfecting the bowings or prostrations, is sinful because this is considered as stealing from one’s own Salah as described by the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith that reads,
‘The worst thief amongst people is the one who steals from his as-Salah.’
The Companions asked, ‘Oh, Allah’s Messenger! How does he steal from his as-Salah?’
He replied, ‘He does not perform its bowing or prostration in a perfect manner.‘”[1]
Were Salah a form without reality that incurs benefit, it would have benefited the hypocrites who were performing it with the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, they were doomed to Hellfire because they did not perform as-Salah out of faith, devotion, love and fear of Allah. Their hearts were neither open for as-Salah, nor did they feel tranquility therein, nor did they duly glorify Allah. Rather, they came to as-Salah lazily and just to be seen by others. This is evident in Allah’s saying which may mean,
{Lo! The hypocrites seek to beguile Allah, but it is Allah who beguileth them. When they stand up to worship [as-Salah] they perform it languidly and to be seen of men...} (An-Nisa’ 4:142)
In addition, as-Salah – when performed perfectly – should prevent the praying person from committing any abomination or enormity as can be seen in some ayahsof the Quran as previously mentioned.
In the same vein, iqamat as-Salah is not just another daily routine. Rather, it is an action that requires physical preparation “the outer adornment” along with spiritual preparation “the inner adornment”. Both are perfectly summarized in Allah’s saying which may mean,
{O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship.} (Al-A`raf 7:31)
It is a divine ordinance as can be seen in the above ayah. Moreover, Allah warns the believing men and women against coming to as-Salah while they are in a state of inability to accomplish it in the most appropriate manner. He says what may mean,
{O ye who believe! Approach not Prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say…} (An-Nisa’ 4:43)
As mentioned earlier, the Quran uses the term al-iqamah to denote performing as-Salah in a perfect way and the only time it uses the term al-musalli, i.e. the praying person, is when it describes the hypocrites. This indicates that those who just carry out as-Salah are numerous, whereas those who really accomplish it and perform it properly are significantly few in number.[2]
Continue to the next page.
Iqamat as-Salah in the eyes of earlier Muslim scholars
Earlier Muslim scholars had various insights of what is meant by iqamat as-Salah as will be shown here.
- It is reported that Ibn `Abbas said that it means, “To complete the bowings, prostrations, recitation, humbleness and attendance for the prayer.”
- To Qatadah, iqamat as-Salah means,
“To preserve punctuality, and the ablution, bowings, and prostrations of the prayer.”
- As for Muqatil ibn Haiyyan, it means,
“To preserve punctuality for it, as well as completing one’s purity for it, and completing the bowings, prostrations, recitation of the Quran, Tashahhud and blessings for the Prophet. This is iqamat as-Salah.”[3]
- In the same vein, Imam Malik said,
“It is said that there is defraud and fulfillment in everything. So, if Allah threatens those who defraud in weighing goods, what about those who defraud in as-Salah?”
It is understood that everything in this life can be measured on a fulfillment or defraud spectrum. When one commits himself to doing as-Salah at its prescribed times and as properly as ordained by Allah, he will be fulfilling what he is asked to do. However, if he shows negligence through delaying or even ignoring his as-Salah,this will surely be defrauding not in the right of Allah Alone, but in the right of the worshipper himself as Allah is Self-Sufficient and thus He is in need of nothing from His creation.
A final word
It is now clear that iqamat as-Salah stands for performing it in the most appropriate and perfect manner in terms of observing humility, tranquility and maintaining its boundaries as iqamat as-Salah necessitates abstaining from lewdness, iniquity and falsehood. It also protects the praying person from committing sins and evils.
Doing or copying the Salah in form only is nothing but doing mere physical exercise or movements that have no further effect on one’s life, manners and behavior towards others. This is not a genuine or perfect performance of as-Salah as enjoined by the Quran and explained in the Prophet’s Sunnah.
Let us quote Ash-Sharif who addresses iqamat as-Salah in a unique way as he states,
iqamat as-Salah cannot be achieved unless two things are taken care of. First, to adhere to the exact form of as-Salah and thus, fulfill the prescribed shariah-based ritual. Second, to attend to its reality and essence that paves the way towards Allah’s acceptance. If the praying person fulfills these two things together, he will surely achieve great success![4]
Accordingly, the term al-ada’ refers only to the first thing which is the form or shape of as-Salah, but it overlooks the essence or reality of as-Salah with which Allah’s acceptance is gained. The term that can denote this second meaning is nothing but al-iqamah as elucidated earlier.
Last but not least, I ask Allah the Almighty to educate us all about his ordinances and the prescribed acts of worship and to position us among those who establish and perfectly perform the as-Salah. Amen!
[1] Ibn Rahawaih, Ishaq (161-238 AH). Musnad. Vol. 1, P. 356. E-book:www.saaid.net.
[2] Al-Qasimi, Muhammad Jamal Ad-Din (1994). Mahasin at-Ta’wil (Attractions of Interpretation). Ed. Muhammad F. `Abdel Baqi. First Edition. At-Tarikh al-`Arabi Foundation. Beirut.
[3] Al-Mubarakpuri, Safiur-Rahman (2000). Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Abridged. Dar-u-ssalam Publications, Riyadh. Vol. 1, P. 114.
[4] Ash-Sharif, `Abdul Khaliq Hassan (1993). Al-Hidayah ar-Rabbaniyyah: Sharh al-Arba`in an-Nawawiyyah (Divine Guidance: Explanation of An-Nawawi Forty Hadiths). Book 3, Third Hadith, The Pillars of Islam, P. 92. Islamic INC. for Publishing and Distribution, Cairo, Egypt.