Salat from the Quran Alone
The complete details of Salat are found in the Quran alone. With careful study, we learn it is not necessary to refer to any external sources.
Shall I seek other than God as a lawmaker when it is He who has brought down to you the Book fully detailed? Those to whom We have given the Scripture know that it was brought down from your Lord with truth, so do not be among the doubters.
~ Quran 6:114
Following are the details of Salat that God authorized.
Ablution
Ablution in the Quran is easy with 4 simple steps:
1. Wash your faces
2. Wash your arms to the elbows
3. Wipe your heads
4. Wipe your feet to the ankles
O you who believe, when you get up to observe the Salat, wash your faces and your arms to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles.
~ Quran 5:6
The Quran is fully detailed, thus there are NO additional steps or repetitive actions.
Also note from verse 5:6 above that the ablution steps are to be completed "when you get up to observe the Salat" only. This rules out the common idea that we can be in a state of ablution for an extended period of time. We therefore do not need to worry about anything voiding our ablution, since it is to be performed right before each prayer.
Dry Ablution
If you are ill or travelling, or if any of you has come from the toilet or had sexual contact with women, and you could not find water, then observe dry ablution by means of wiping your faces and hands with clean dry soil.
~ Quran 4:43
Dry ablution has 2 simple steps:
1. Wipe your face
2. Wipe your hands
As noted in 4:43, dry ablution is only in certain circumstances and for cleanliness only.
Qiblah
We have seen your face turning about the sky, and so We will direct you towards a Qiblah that you are content with. So turn your face towards the Masjid Al-Haram. And wherever you may be, you shall all turn your faces towards it. Those who were given the Scripture know that it is the truth from their Lord. God is not unaware of what they do.
~ Quran 2:144
3x Salat Names
1. Salat Al-Fajr - The Dawn Prayer
2. Salat Al-Wusta - The Middle Prayer
3. Salat Al-Isha - The Evening Prayer
Salat Al-Fajr and Salat Al-Isha are mentioned in 24:58, and Salat Al-Wusta is mentioned in 2:238.
O you who believe, permission must be requested by your servants and the children who have not attained puberty (before entering your rooms). This is to be done in three instances - before Salat Al-Fajr, at noon when you change your clothes to rest, and after Salat Al-Isha. These are three private times for you. At other times, it is not wrong for you or them to mingle with one another. God thus clarifies the revelations for you. God is Omniscient, Most Wise.
~ Quran 24:58
You shall maintain the Salawaat and the Salat Al-Wusta, and stand devoutly obedient before God.
~ Quran 2:238
3x Appointed Times for Salat
The Salat has been decreed upon the believers at specifically appointed times.
~ Quran 4:103
Since God has mentioned there are specific times for Salat, we must find start AND end times for each prayer.
Salat Al-Fajr - First thread of light until sunrise (dawn period)
You shall observe the Contact Prayer (Salat) when the sun declines from its highest point at noon, as it moves towards sunset. You shall also observe (the recitation of) the Quran at dawn. (Reciting) the Quran at dawn is witnessed.
~ Quran 17:78
Definition of Dawn:
You may eat and drink until the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn. Then, you shall fast until sunset. Sexual intercourse is prohibited if you decide to retreat to the masjid (during the last ten days of Ramadan). These are God’s laws; you shall not transgress them. God thus clarifies His revelations for the people, that they may attain salvation.
~ Quran 2:187
Salat Al-Wusta - Solar noon until dusk
Observe the Salat at the duluk of the sun until the darkness of the night, as well as the Quran at dawn; the Quran at dawn is witnessed. ~ Quran 17:78
Note the 'duluk' of the sun is the decline of the sun from its highest point in the sky. This occurs around midday in most countries.
Salat Al-Isha - After sunset until dark (dusk period)
Observe the Salat at the two ends of the day; and during the near parts of the night. The good deeds wipe out the bad deeds. This is a reminder for those who remember.
~ Quran 11:114
The majority declare that verse 11:114 proves there are five prayers in the Quran, but in actual fact this verse gives us specific start and end timeframes for two prayers only. “Two ends of the day” is the end of dawn and start of dusk, which gives us an end time for Al-Fajr and start time for Al-Isha. God then adds “during the near parts of the night", which is the start of dawn (start timeframe for Salat Al-Fajr) and the end of dusk (end timeframe for Salat Al-Isha).
"Near parts of the night" is literally right before the sky is pitch black, causing the timeframe for Salat Al-Fajr and Salat Al-Isha to be mirrored as dawn and dusk time periods.
Zhohr and Maghrib are not mentioned by name nor are they given a specific start and end timeframes in the Quran. Thus there are only 3 prayers authorized by God.
Since the prayers are decreed by God at specific times, if we miss the timeframe for the prayer then we must consider it a missed prayer and ask God for forgiveness. We are unable to catch up on missed prayers.
3x Positions during Salat
Verse 22:26 confirms all 3 positions in order:
We appointed for Abraham the location of the House: "Do not associate anything with Me, and purify My House for those passing by and those standing, bowing, and prostrating."
~ Quran 22:26
And observe the Salat and give the Zakat, and bow down with those who bow down.
~ Quran 2:43
They both submitted, and he put his forehead down.
~ Quran 37:103
The only significance of prostration position is your forehead touching the ground, so it doesn’t matter where we put our fingers and toes.
Prayer Must be Devoted to God Alone
Say, "My Salat, my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted to God, the Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. This is what I was commanded with and I am the first of the submitters."
~ Quran 6:162-163
Prayer is to be devoted to God alone, thus we must not acknowledge Abraham, Muhammad or the angels.
Tone of Voice
Say, "Call upon God, or call upon the Almighty. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the Beautiful Names." Do not shout your Salat nor whisper it, but seek a path in between..
~ Quran 17:110
What to Recite - The Quran
Recite what is revealed to you of the Book and observe the Salat, for the Salat forbids immorality and evil, and the remembrance of God is of greater importance. God knows what you do.
~ Quran 29:45
You shall observe the Contact Prayer (Salat) when the sun declines from its highest point at noon, as it moves towards sunset. You shall also observe (the recitation of) the Quran at dawn. (Reciting) the Quran at dawn is witnessed.
~ Quran 17:78
Let’s remember, we must seek refuge in God before our Salat commences:
When you read the Quran, seek refuge in God from the rejected devil.
~ Quran 16:98
An example is found in the Quran on how to seek refuge in God:
“My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils, and I seek refuge in You my Lord, lest they should approach me.”
~ Quran 23:97-98
Note you do not need to seek refuge in God out loud before each prayer, since we do not say it out loud when we are reading the Quran.
Since we are reciting Quranic words and the Quran was sent down in Arabic, the Salat should be recited in Arabic (if capable). We could recite it in our own language but then we would no longer reciting the pure Arabic Quran, so Arabic is best.
Words to Recite During the Salat
Chapter one is Sura Al-Fatiha “The Opener” and a prayer so it makes sense to recite this chapter at the start of our Salat.
In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.
The Almighty, the Merciful.
Possessor of the Day of the Religion.
You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path;
the path of those whom You have blessed, not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of the misguided.
~ Quran 1:1-7
Note the word "Amen" is not from the Quran and is therefore not to be recited after Sura Al-Fatiha.
While there is no direct instruction in the Quran to recite the Fatihah during our Salat, there are numerous reasons why this Sura should be recited. To summarise, the Fatihah contains all major acts of the Islamic religion:
-Worshipping God alone
-Praising and glorifying God
-Acknowledging God's absolute authority
-Dependence on God alone
-Being on the straight path and among those whom God has blessed
-Not being among those who have incurred God's wrath nor the misguided
The Shahada - La illaha illa Allah
God bears witness that there is no god except Him, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god except Him, the Dignified, the Wise.
~ Quran 3:18
Since God advises in 3:18 that those who possess knowledge state the shahada, we should recite the shahada in the Salat. Bearing witness can involve testifying to the truth and making a formal statement out loud. Since we communicate to God verbally out loud during the Salat, it makes for the perfect opportunity to include this statement in our Salat. We would then be fulfilling the requirement in 3:18, that those who possess intelligence bear witness that there is no God except Him.
Do not shout your Salat nor whisper it, but seek a path in between. And say, "Praise be to God who has not taken a son, nor does He have a partner in the sovereignty, nor does He have an ally out of weakness," and magnify Him constantly.
~ Quran 17:110-111
As per verse 17:111 above, we must include these words: "Praise be to God who has not taken a son, nor does He have a partner in the sovereignty, nor does He have an ally out of weakness."
..and magnify Him constantly.
~ Quran 17:111
We must carry out the command in 17:111 to magnify God constantly in our salat. To magnify anything, we make it greater. The word Akbar means greater.
The exact words “Allah Akbar” are found in context in verse 29:45:
You shall recite what is revealed to you of the Book and observe the Salat, for the Salat forbids immorality and evil, and 'Lazkikr ALLAH AKBAR' the remembrance of God is of greater importance. God knows what you do.
~ Quran 29:45
Many claim the word Akbar in 29:45 speaks of the purpose of the Salat and not of God. This claim is based solely on the tashkeel on top of the letter L in the word "L'zhikr". The original Quran revealed to Muhammad did not have the tashkeel. When we read 29:45 without the input of the tashkeel, we would have 2 valid interpretations:
1) The Salat prohibits evil and vice, and the commemoration of God is the greater (akbar) benefit of the Salat.
2) The Salat prohibits evil and vice and is also for the proclamation of Allah Akbar.
Both meanings are valid. God informs us that many verses have multiple meanings (3:7).
God also specifically asks us to glorify Him using two of His Beautiful Names; the Great and the Most High:
So glorify the name of your Lord, the Great.
~ Quran 56:74
Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High.
~ Quran 87:1
In 10:10, God provides us with insight on how the angels pray, which serves as a great example for our own prayers:
Their prayer therein is: "Glory to You, O God," and their greeting therein is: "Peace," and the ending of their prayer is: "Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds."
~ Quran 10:10
We should most certainly use these words in our Salat and also end our prayers with “Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds,” since the angels lead the best example and are the best of creatures.
Extra Verses
You can include any other verses in your Salat that you are inspired to recite. There are numerous praise and glorification verses that are ideal to recite in the Salat. Following are a few examples:
“God: there is no god except Him, the Living, the Eternal. Never does a moment of unawareness or slumber overtake Him. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them never burdens Him. He is the Most High, the Great.” 2:255
“Praise be to God who created the heavens and the earth and devised the darkness and the light.” 6:1
“Glory to Him and exalted is He, far above what they say, in true sublime Highness.” 17:43
"Glory to my Lord" 17:93
“Glory to God, the Lord of the Throne.” 21:22
“There is no god except You. Glory to You!” 21:87
“Exalted is God, the King, the Truth. There is no other god except Him, the Lord of the Noble Throne.” 23:116
“God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.” 24:35
“He is God: there is no god except Him. To Him belongs the praise in the First and in the Hereafter.” 28:70
“Praise be to God, to whom belongs what is in the heavens and what is in the earth.” 34:1
“Glory to You, You are our Ally.” 34:41
“Praise be to God, the Initiator of the heavens and the earth.” 35:1
“Glory to the One in whose hand is the realm of all things.” 36:83
“Glory to Him! He is God, the One, the All-Conquering.” 39:4
“He is the Possessor of the Highest Ranks and Possessor of the Throne.” 40:15
“Glory to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne.” 43:82
“So praise be to God, the Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth; Lord of the Worlds.” 45:36
“All greatness belongs to Him in the heavens and the earth. He is the Dignified, the Wise.” 45:37
“He is God; the One besides whom there is no other god. The King, the Holy, the Peace, the Believer, the All-Encompassing, the Dignified, the Powerful, the Proud. Glory to God, far above what they associate with Him.” 59:23
Complete Words of the Salat
From all of the above information, the following is an example of the words of the Salat:
“I seek refuge in God from the rejected devil.”
(Standing)
“In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful.”
“Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.”
“The Almighty, the Merciful.”
“Possessor of the Day of the Religion.”
“You alone we worship, and you alone we call on for help.”
“Guide us to the right path, the path of those whom you have blessed, not of those who deserved your wrath, nor of the misguided.”
“Allahu Akbar”
“Glory to You, O God,"
“Allahu Akbar”
“Praise be to God who has not taken a son, nor does He have a partner in the sovereignty,
nor does He have an ally out of weakness.”
“Allahu Akbar”
"La illaha illa Allah"
“Allahu Akbar”
(Bowing)
“Glory to you my Lord, the Great.”
“Allahu Akbar”
(Prostration)
“Glory to you my Lord, the Most High.”
“Allahu Akbar”
"Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds."
It makes sense to say most of the words whilst in the standing position and minimal words when bowing and prostrating. You can do whatever feels most comfortable!
Ending of Prayer
Prayer ends with the position of prostration as per verse 4:102:
Then once they have prostrated, let them be positioned behind you and let another group, who has not yet observed the Salat, observe the Salat with you while remaining cautious and while holding on to their weapons.
~ Quran 4:102
Since the prayer decreed by God in the Quran ends with prostration, that means there are no rakat’s. There is no mention of any rakat's in the Quran.
Importance of Salat
It is important to observe the Salat if we wish to attain a high ranking at God in the Hereafter. It is in fact a commandment from God to observe the Salat:
They were not commanded except to worship God, devoting the religion purely to Him, to be monotheists, to observe the Salat and to give the Zakat. Such is the religion of correctness.
~ Quran 98:5
Those who maintain their Salat will be honoured in the Hereafter:
And those who maintain their Salat; they shall be in Gardens, honoured.
~ Quran 70:34-35
God constantly speaks of the believers as ones who observe the Salat and give to charity:
This is the Book in which there is no doubt; a guidance for the reverent who believe in the unseen, observe the Salat, and from what We have provided them, they give.
~ Quran 2:2-3
Your ally is none but God and His messenger and those who believe; those who observe the Salat and give the Zakat, and they bow down.
~ Quran 5:55
Observe the Salat and give the Zakat. Any good you put forward for yourselves, you will find it with God. Indeed, God is Seer of what you do.
~ Quran 2:110
Those who believe and do good deeds, and observe the Salat, and give the Zakat; they will have their reward with their Lord. No fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
~ Quran 2:277
God is with those who observe the Salat:
God has taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We raised from among them twelve chieftains, and God said, "I am with you, so long as you observe the Salat, give the Zakat, believe in My messengers and support them, and lend God a good loan; I will then wipe out your bad deeds and admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Anyone among you who disbelieves after that has strayed off the right path."
~ Quran 5:12
However if you do not wish to observe the Salat, then the minimum requirement is to believe in God and the Last day and work righteousness:
Indeed, those who believe and those who are Jewish, the Christians and the Sabians - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do good deeds; they will have their reward with their Lord. No fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
~ Quran 2:62
They believe in God and the Last Day, and they advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and they hasten to do good. These are among the righteous.
~ Quran 3:114
Although the Salat is not required for God’s approval in the Hereafter, we must observe the Salat if we wish to obtain the high ranks in Paradise.
However, the well-founded in knowledge among them, and the believers, believe in what was brought down to you and in what was brought down before you. Also the observers of the Salat, and the givers of the Zakat, and the believers in God and the Last Day; We shall grant those a great reward.
~ Quran 4:162
We may offer Salat in order to show our appreciation for God.
Indeed, We have given you true abundance. So offer the Salat to your Lord and sacrifice for charity.
~ Quran 108:1-2
So direct your face towards the correct religion before a Day comes from God that cannot be turned back. On that day, they will be separated.
~ Quran 30:43
Peace & God Bless
Related Articles