Early Practices Of Itekhaf And Salah
Ghamidi Sahib’s perspective on these points, it is important to first clarify that these specific details are not explicitly mentioned in the Quran. The Quran primarily focuses on the core message, law, and the moral consequences of human actions. For the historical context and the day-to-day life of the Arabs before the Prophet’s (PBUH) mission, scholars like Ghamidi rely on the Sirah (biographies like those of Ibn Hisham and Ibn Ishaq) and Hadith literature. These historical records provide the landscape in which the Quranic revelation descended. Regarding Abdul Muttalib, the practice he engaged in is historically known as Tahannuth (devotional seclusion). While the Quran does not mention him by name, early biographers record that several “Hanifs”—individuals who rejected idol worship in favor of Ibrahimi monotheism—would spend the month of Ramadan in caves like Hira. Abdul Muttalib, as the patriarch of the Quraysh, was known for this spiritual retreat, where he would meditate and feed the needy. It suggests that rituals like I’tikaf and the sanctity of specific months were not brand-new inventions, but rather remnants of the Religion of Abraham that had survived in Arabia, albeit in a faded or fragmented form. As for the Companions offering Salah before their formal conversion, the most prominent example found in the Hadith (specifically Sahih Muslim) is Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (R.A.). He explicitly narrated that he used to perform a form of prayer for years before he even met the Prophet (PBUH). You are correct that the Quran describes the prayer of the pagans at the Kaaba as “whistling and clapping” (Surah Al-Anfal 8:35), but Ghamidi Sahib explains that this was a corruption of the original ritual. While the masses had turned worship into a noisy performance, the “God-conscious” individuals still practiced the original Ibrahimi Salah—consisting of standing, bowing, and prostrating—which had been passed down through generations. Prophet (PBUH) not just bring new laws, but Reformed who purified existing Ibrahimi traditions. When the Prophet (PBUH) began his mission, he didn’t have to explain what “Ruku” or “Sujud” were because the physical structure of the prayer was already a known “Sunnat” among the Arabs. He simply removed the polytheistic elements and restored the prayer to its original solemnity. The Quran criticizes the corruption of worship by the masses, while history records the persistence of the original Ibrahimi rites among a sincere few