Sunnah Of Salah Before Islam
Not exact answer to your questions but if it helps History of the Prayer The history of the prayer is as old as religion itself. The concept of prayer is present in every religion and its rituals and timings are also identifiable in these religions. The hymns sung by the Hindus, the chants of the Zoroastrians, the invocations of the Christians and the psalms of the Jews are all its remnants. The Qur’ān has informed us that all the Prophets of God have directed their followers to offer it. It also occupies a very prominent position in the religion of the Prophet Abraham (sws) which the Prophet Muhammad (sws) revived in Arabia. When Abraham (sws) settled his son Ishmael (sws) in the barren land of Makkah, he underlined the objective of this endeavour as: (14: 37) رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ Lord! So that they show diligence in the prayer, (14:37). At that instance, he had also prayed: (14: 40) رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي O Lord! Make me and my progeny diligent in the prayer, (14:40). About Ishmael (sws), the Qur’ān says: (19: 55) وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ he would instruct his family to pray, (19:55). The people of Shu‘ayb (sws) ridiculed him by saying: (أَصَلاَتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا (11: 87 does your prayer teach you that we leave the deities of our forefathers? (11:87). About the Prophets that belong to the progeny of Isaac (sws) and Jacob (sws), the Qur’ān says: (21: 73) وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَاةِِ and We sent them inspiration to do good deeds and to be diligent in the prayer, (21:73). When the Prophet Moses (sws) was called to prophethood, he was told: (20: 14) وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي and be diligent in the prayer to remember me, (20:1)). About the Prophet Zakariyyā (sws), the words used are: (3: 39) وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, (3:39). The Prophet Jesus (sws) said about himself: (31:19) وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ and God has directed me to offer the prayer, (19:31). Luqmān was considered a wise person among the Arabs. We are told by the Qur’ān that he gave the following words of advice to his son: (31: 17) يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ O my son! Show diligence in the prayer (31:17). The Almighty pledged a promise with the Israelites in the words: (5: 12) اِنِّي مَعَكُمْ لَئِنْ اَقَمْتُمُ الصَّلاَةَ I am with you if you are diligent in the prayer (5:12). The Qur’ān bears witness to the fact that in the times of the Prophet Muhammad (sws), the righteous among the Jews and Christians adhered to the prayer: مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللّهِ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ (113:3) Of the People of the Book, there is a group which is honouring their covenant with God. They stand at night to recite his verses and prostrate themselves before the Almighty. (3:113) The same has been attributed to the Idolaters of Arabia: فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ (107: 4-5) So woe to these [custodians of the Baytullah] who offer the prayer while being unmindful [of its essence]. (107:4-5) Jirān al-‘Ud, a poet of the jāhilliyah age, says: وادركن اعجازاً من الليل بعد ما اقام الصلوة العابد المتحنف (And these means of transport caught the last part of the night when the diligent and dedicated worshipper had finished the prayer) A‘shā Wā’il says: وسبح على حين العشيات والضحى ولا تعبد الشيطان ، و الله فاعبدا (And offer tasbīh day and night and do not worship Satan; instead worship God only) Some Hadīth narratives also mention that the Jews and Christians and the followers of the religion of Abraham (sws) offered the prayer. ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Umar (rta) says that ‘Umar (rta) or probably the Prophet (sws) himself said: “If any one of you has two pieces of cloth, he should offer the prayer in them and if he only has one then he should use it as a loin cloth. He should not wrap it around himself in prayer like the Jews do.” Abū Bakr (rta) narrates from the Prophet (sws): “When anyone of you is offering the prayer, he should not swing back and forth like the Jews [do in the prayer]; he should stand still.” Shaddād Ibn Aws narrates from his father that the Prophet (sws) said: “In contrast to the Jews, you should wear your socks and boots in the prayer.” Abū ‘Abd al-Rahmān narrates that the Prophet (sws) said: “Some good will continue to exist in my ummah as long as they do not wait for night to fall in the maghrib prayer as the Jews do and as long as they do not wait for the stars to set in the fajr prayer as the Christians do.” Mother of the faithfuls, ‘Ā’ishah (rta), says that joining the hands between the knees while kneeling in the prayer is the way of the Jews. The Prophet (sws) has prohibited this. Abū Dharr Ghifārī (rta) narrates that he used to pray three years prior to meeting the Prophet (sws). “For whom,” it was asked. He said: “For Allah.” The prayer offered by the Jews and Christians has been referred to in the Bible at various places and just as in the Qur’ān the prayer has been called after its constituent rituals and utterances like remembering Allah, reading a portion of the Qur’ān, invoking Allah, glorifying Him and kneeling and prostrating before Him, likewise in the Bible also the prayer has been called after its constituent practices and utterances: From there he [–Abraham–] went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis, 12:8) Abram bowed down in prostration, and God spoke to him. (Genesis, 17:3) The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. (Genesis, 18:22) He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will prostrate ourselves and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis, 22:5) Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis, 26:25) And they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down in prostration. (Exodus, 4:31) In the morning O Lord, you will hear my voice. I will wait for you in your presence after the prayer. (Psalm 5:3) But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down in prostration toward your holy temple. (Psalm 5:7) But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I will cry out in distress, and he will hear my voice. (Psalm 55:16-17) The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us kneel and bow down in worship, let us bend our knees before the LORD our Maker. (Psalm 95:5-6) I will bow down in prostration toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2) When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers. (Kings, 8:33-4) Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the Lord all you people of Judah who come through these gates to prostrate before the Lord. (Jeremiah, 7:2) Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been signed, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God and glorified him, just as he had done before. (Daniel, 6:10) So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel, 9:3) After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew, 14:23) Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” (Matthew, 26:36) Going a little farther, he fell down in prostration and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” (Matthew, 26:39) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he used to pray. (Mark, 1:35) “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Luke, 22:46) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at the ninth part of the day. (Acts, 3:1) About noon at the seventh part of the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. (Acts, 10:9) When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. (Acts, 12:12) On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we usually prayed. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. (Acts, 16:13) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns and glorifying God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts, 16:25) When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. (Acts 20:36) Here it should be noted that the prayer was always offered five times a day. According to a narrative (Abū Dā’ūd, No: 393), Gabriel himself informed the Prophet (sws) of this fact. No doubt, the Jews now offer the prayer thrice a day and one of the above quoted excerpts also refer to three prayers. However, Louis Ginsberg while presenting his research on the Talmud of Jerusalem has explained that this phenomenon is similar in nature to what the Shiites have in them: by combining zuhr with ‘asr and maghrib with ‘ishā on the principle of jam‘ bayna al-salātayn (combining two prayers) they have practically made these four into two and if we add fajr to them, the total number of prayers will come out to be three. Ginsberg has pointed to the fact that in the time of the writing down of Talmud, the Jews used to pray five times a day: thrice for the prayer which is offered till now, and twice for reciting the Shema. However, later because of certain practical difficulties the prayers of the morning and evening were combined and ultimately three prayers remained. After the revelation of the Qur’ān, Sūrah Fatihah is the supplication of the prayer. It is evident from the Bible that similar supplications were revealed in all the divine books. In the Torah, the words of this supplication are: The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he will never leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7) The supplication of the Psalms is: Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life — men without regard for you. But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86:1-17) The supplication of the Injīl is: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for kingdom and glory and power are always Yours. (Matthew 6:9-13) This is the history of the prayer. It is evident from it that when the Qur’ān directed people to pray, it was nothing unknown to them. They were fully aware of its pre-requisites and etiquette, rituals and utterances. Consequently, it was not required that the Qur’ān mention its details. Just as it used to be offered as a practice of Abraham’s religion, the Prophet (sws) at the behest of the Qur’ān promulgated it with certain changes among his followers and they are offering it generation after generation in the same manner. Thus, the source of this prayer is the consensus of the Muslims and their perpetual adherence to it. In the upcoming posts, the details of the prayer shall be presented here from this consensus of the Muslims and their perpetual adherence.