Islam currently has approximately 1.57 billion of its adherents, which is almost a quarter (23%) of all people on our planet. High mobility and migration of the population has led to the fact that Muslims are now in almost every country. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself a little with the features of this religion. In particular, let's look at what prayer is, how it differs from Christian prayer.
The main prayer of Muslims
All those who profess Islam must certainly perform five daily prayers (as-salat) - this is one of the basic rules of religion. Muslim prayer is obligatory (fard), necessary (wajib) and additional (namil). Despite the fact that the Qur'an does not contain a clear description of how exactly an appeal to Allah should be made, the order of prayer is quite strict. Violation of the sequence of postures and verbal formulas can lead to the fact that prayerMuslim will be considered invalid. In addition to the five daily fard prayers, there is also the funeral prayer al-Janaza and the Friday salat al-Juma. These prayers are also obligatory. It is believed that performing this ritual five times saves the believer in Allah from neglect and forgetfulness, helps to maintain stamina, will and purity of mind.
Muslim prayer times
The hour of prayer is of great religious importance in Islam. The morning prayer of a Muslim (Al-Fajr) is a symbol of the birth, early childhood and youth of the believer. Daily prayer (Az-Zuhr) symbolizes mature youth, the maturity of a Muslim. It serves as a reminder that a person's life is very short, the time allotted for earthly affairs is constantly decreasing. The evening prayer of a Muslim (Al-Asr) again reminds of the tireless and ruthless passage of time and the need to prepare for a meeting with the Almighty. Immediately after sunset, prayer (Maghrib) is performed again. As you might guess, it is a symbol of death. Finally, the fifth Muslim prayer (Isha) serves as a reminder that everything in our lives is temporary and will eventually turn to dust.
Conditions for the correct reading of prayer
- Najasa (cleansing from impurities). Before performing the obligatory prayer, you should bring yourself into proper form. The prayer rug (a sheet, towel, etc. may be used instead) and clothing must be clean. Women are advised to do instinja, and men - istibra (cleansing the relevant organs after urination and defecation).
- Small and complete ablution. The first is done after a person has satisfied his natural needs, and is necessary for the complete cleansing of the genitals. A full ablution is performed for women during the menstrual cycle or after childbirth, and for men - during wet dreams and semen.
- Covering specific body parts. In the Muslim faith, there is such a thing as "awrat". This word denotes a part of the body that is forbidden to be shown. In men, this is everything between the knees and the navel, and in women, almost everything except the face and hands below the wrist.
- Returning to face Mecca, which is located in Saudi Arabia. To be precise, you should look in the direction of the Kaaba. If necessary, use a compass or other available landmarks.
- Five prayers. Prayer performed earlier than the set time is considered invalid. The call to prayer is made by a mullah, but if there is no mosque nearby, you should be guided by the time schedule drawn up for each specific area. All this is so important that entire computer programs have been invented to help Muslims perform this ritual.
