PRAYER MENTIONED IN THE QURAN
The word "salat," whose origin in Arabic is debated as to whether it derives from the roots "sly" or "slv ," refers to the spine or thighs from which a person stands or sits, from the head to the tailbone. In the Quran, "salat" is a multifaceted word. It possesses both a rich and profound connotation ("support, help, call for help, invitation, obedience, follow," etc.) and layers of meaning that are intertwined ("prayer, worship, religion" etc.). The accompanying command "ekım-iqam" is a transitive verb derived from the root "kâme," meaning " to rise, " and in addition to its literal meanings of "raising, directing, elevating," it also has metaphorical meanings such as "reviving, mobilizing strength." The term "salat," used in the sense of prayer, is the backbone of the believer's consciousness of monotheism, mobilizing their support to glorify the name of God, and it is through this "backbone" that the believer can realize their true and essential stance before Allah. In short, prayer symbolizes a person's stance before Allah.
Regardless of whether we call the concept of "salat" in the Quran "prayer," "dua," or "support," the important thing is to understand the meaning the Quran gives to this word. The goal shouldn't be simply to translate the word from one language to another.
As we have stated on this page, Salat, or prayer, is not a form of worship that originated with Islam or with the Prophet Muhammad. It has been present in various beliefs, including Hanifism, Judaism, Christianity, polytheism, and many others. However, since the Quran specifically asks us not to follow those who came before us, instead of adhering to the religion of our ancestors, we must focus on the Quran and, consequently, on the Salat as described in the Quran.
The verb "salla" appears 12 times in the Quran , while its noun form appears 83 times. The word "musallin," meaning "one who prays," appears 3 times , and "musallan, " meaning "place of prayer ," appears once, resulting in a total of 99 uses. Where it is used in noun form, the meaning of "performing prayer" is usually given as "establishing" it, often together with words derived from the root "kvm," such as "ekâme," "yukîmu," or "ekım."
When we begin our study with the verb "salla," we see that in verse 31 of Surah Al-Qiyamah(75:31), the translation by the Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey is: "He did not believe (in the Prophet), nor did he pray." In many other translations, the verb "salla" is translated as "to pray," as it is here.
Even the word "not confirming" (the verb "saddaqa") at the beginning of the verse has been translated as "not giving charity" in many translations. Since the verb "to deny" (kadhaba) appears in the verse after the one we are studying as the opposite of "confirmation," the meaning of charity is not primary. Furthermore, when we examine the preceding and subsequent verses, it is seen that the person mentioned is someone who has not yet believed, therefore it is not reasonable to speak of an unbeliever giving charity.
Let's read the entire group of verses:
22-23 . Faces on that day shall be bright, Looking to their Lord.
24-25. And (other) faces on that day shall be gloomy, In the thought that some back-breaking calamity was about to be inflicted on them;
26-30 . No! When the soul has reached the collar bones, And it is said, "Who will cure [him]?" And the dying one is certain that it is the [time of] separation.And the leg is wound about the leg, that day he shall be driven toward your Lord.
31. For he confirmed(saddaqa) it not, and did not pray(salla),
32. On the contrary, he denied(kadhaba) it and turned away(tawalla).
The word "salla" in verse 31 has meanings beyond simply performing prayer; it also encompasses "continuous support, not remaining a passive observer, maintaining constant interest, turning towards, following, and complying." Therefore, we can say that in this verse, the word "salla" expresses not the meaning of "performing prayer," but rather "support ." In fact, almost all of its other meanings are consistent with the opposite of turning away.
The first characteristic of an unbeliever who does not believe in the Day of Judgment and the resurrection in the hereafter is their rejection of the Quran and, consequently, the Prophet. Their second characteristic is defined as "not performing prayer." This expression does not refer to a person who has not yet believed not performing prayer, but rather to their failure to "turn towards the Truth/be on the side of the Truth," which is a requirement of their faith. The word "tawalla," which appears in the next verse and has the opposite meaning, is known to mean "to turn away, to turn one's back," making it even clearer that the meaning is not related to the prayer we know.
The verb "salla" is also found in the following group of verses. As can be seen from what follows, in the same way as in the verse above, actions that are the complete opposite of being on the right path and being pious are expressed here as "denying and turning away."
9-10. Have you seen the one who forbids, A servant when he prays(salla)?
11-12 . Have you seen if he is upon guidance or enjoins righteousness?
13. Have you seen if he denies and turns away -
14. Does he not know that Allah sees?
15. No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock -
16. A lying, sinning forelock.
Surah Al-Alaq, like Surah Al-Qiyamah, is one of the surahs revealed before the command for prayer. The word "Salla" appears in verse 9. It is translated as "to pray," and in most translations, it is rendered as "Have you seen the one who prevents the one who prays?" However, considering the context, it is actually a message to those who hinder those who follow, adhere to, or support the Quran and, consequently, the Prophet. Here, preventing someone from performing worship or following the Quran essentially leads to the same conclusion, but considering this meaning of the word, it addresses a more significant issue than simply preventing someone from worshipping. Because while someone whose worship is prevented can perform it elsewhere and at another time, preventing someone from following the Quran leads to consequences such as polytheism and disbelief. The intention is to draw attention to this.
As can be seen, in verse 13, the same words (tawalla - turning away and kadhaba- denying) are used as in Surah Al-Qiyamah. The verse asks the individual to follow the right path (huda - the path of revelation) and to practice taqwa (acting with reverence towards God), and the meaning of the verb "salla" is also clarified in a way.
The last surah in which the word "Salla" appears is Surah Al-A'la, which was revealed in the early stages of the revelation. When we read the following verses together, the accuracy of the meaning we mentioned in the other two surahs is confirmed here.
6. We shall make you recite, so you shall not forget,
7. Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.
8. And We will ease you toward ease.
9. So remind, if the reminder is beneficial.
10. The reminder will be received by him who fears,
11. But the wretched one will avoid it
12. Who will enter the great Fire.
13. Where he will neither die, nor live.
14. He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
15. And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.
After stating that Allah would have His Prophet read the Book and would not let it be forgotten, He commanded him to remind believers. The believer who is described as "the one who prays" (Salat) will also remember. The thing that the wicked person flees from (i.e., the Quran) is the same thing that the Prophet reads and reminds them of. Therefore, it is stated that they will enter the fire. Based on this, if you translate it as "prayer" and link the salvation of the one who prays to performing prayer, you disconnect the person from the Quran and disregard many of the duties that must be performed as described in the book. Of course, acts of worship are a prescription for salvation for people, but acts of worship, prayers, and behaviors that do not contain the kind of person the Quran desires—that is, those that include polytheism, disbelief, ostentation, and similar bad behaviors—will lead a person astray.
For these reasons, the performance of Salat (prayer) is not mentioned at a point where the orientation towards faith has not yet been fully established. In the early stages of revelation, the primary goal was for the recipients to follow the Prophet, and then to follow the Quran, which he followed—in other words, to submit to the religion. It is as if they are being told to mobilize all their support and effort to remember and glorify the name of their Lord.
1. Verily, We have granted you Al-Kawthar(the abundance).
2. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice.
3. Only the one who hates you is truly cut off (from any goodness).
The translations that render the word "wanhar" in the verse as "and sacrifice" are a misconception stemming from a failure to consider the context of the verse. It is also necessary to understand that the period in which the surah was revealed was the first year of revelation , and considering those circumstances, it would not have been possible to speak of "and sacrifice." The word "Nahr" literally means "chest, neck, to confront, to cut a camel by the chest, to touch the chest with the hands." In this context, the word "Nahr" means "to confront, to stand firm. "
The phrases "Pray to your Lord and sacrifice" likely mean, based on their dictionary definition, "Strive for your Lord and stand firm against the attacks you will encounter in this path." Because "Nahr" (النحر) means "to stand firm," and its imperative form is "inhar" (انحر), so "inhar" in the imperative form means "to stand firm." Therefore, when we translate it into the imperative form as in the verse, its meaning becomes "to stand firm." (Allah knows best)
If we consider the blessings specifically mentioned with the expression "for you" in the Surahs Ad-Duha, Al-Inshirah, and Al-Fath, then Kawthar, if we consider it with the expression "we have given you," could be a reference to goodness and virtues encompassing revelation, prophethood, and wisdom. Stand firm against those who hate you because of the Kawthar given to you, and face their actions only for the sake of your Lord! Therefore, it is not entirely accurate to say that the prayer here refers to the Eid prayer, and the sacrifice refers to the slaughtering of an animal. Because this Surah was revealed in the early period of Mecca, the Prophet, living in difficult circumstances under the pressure of polytheists and disbelievers, could neither lead the Eid prayer collectively nor slaughter an animal for sacrifice . Therefore, this verse does not emphasize either the Eid prayer or the sacrifice an animal. Thus, the prayer and sacrifice here refer to: The Prophet is instructed to seriously turn to Allah with a consciousness free from polytheism, to worship Him, to submit to Him, to ask from Him, and to stand firm (وانحر) against the torment and hardship coming from the polytheists during this process.
Of the 12 verb forms, besides the verses above that came in the first part of the revelation, there are the following 2 verses that came in the last part of revelation, and the verses we worked on in the Salawat section.
The first of the remaining verses mentions the prayer of Prophet Zechariah, and the following verse describes how he was given the good news by angels that his prayer was answered. The verb used here is more appropriately translated as praying/performing prayer.
38. Thereupon Zechariah prayed to his Lord; he said, “My Lord, bestow on me good offspring from Your presence; You are the Hearer of Prayers.”
39. Then, as he stood praying in the sanctuary(Al-Mihrab: a praying place or a private room) the angels called out to him: ‘Allah gives you the good news of John(Yahya), as a confirmer of a Word of Allah, eminent and chaste, a prophet, and one of the righteous.’
The word translated as "sanctuary" in the verse is actually "mihrab." Although the mihrab is currently the name of the place at the front of mosques where the imam leads prayers, as Razi states, it derives from the root "H-r-b," meaning "war", and the reason it is called the mosque mihrab is because it is the place of fighting against Satan and desires. From this, it can be considered that a person's struggle against Satan should be carried out through prayer and worship, that is, by remembering Allah. In the time of Prophet Zechariah, the mihrab was an inner room where people retreated for worship and prayer.
The other is the following verse, which speaks of prayer (salat) during times of war:
When you (O Messenger Muhammad SAW) are among them, and lead them in As-Salat (the prayer), let one party of them stand up [in Salat (prayer)] with you taking their arms with them; when they finish their prostrations, let them take their positions in the rear and let the other party come up which has not yet prayed, and let them pray with you taking all the precautions and bearing arms. Those who disbelieve wish, if you were negligent of your arms and your baggage, to attack you in a single rush, but there is no sin on you if you put away your arms because of the inconvenience of rain or because you are ill, but take every precaution for yourselves. Verily, Allah has prepared a humiliating torment for the disbelievers.
Believed to have been revealed around the 21st year of the revelation, this verse emphasizes the necessity of not abandoning prayer, even during times of war.