Islam and the prayers of Allah
An examination of the worship and praise which Allah performs
We are told in the Quran that the Islamic deity prays for his followers, especially Muhammad:
They are those on whom are the prayers (salawatun) from their Lord and mercy (rahmatun), and it is they who are the guided-ones. S. 2:157
He it is who prays (yusallee) for you and His angels too, to bring you forth out of the darkness into the light, for He is merciful to the believers. S. 33:43 Palmer
Verily, God and His angels pray (yusalloona) for the prophet. O ye who believe! pray for him (salloo) and salute him with a salutation! S. 33:56 Palmer
The hadith reports also mention Allah praying for people:
1387. Abu Umama reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “Allah AND His angels AND the people of the heavens AND the earth, EVEN the ants in their rocks AND the fish, PRAY for blessings on those who teach people good." [at-Tirmidhi] (Aisha Bewley, Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous), Book of Knowledge, 241. Chapter: the excellence of knowledge; bold, capital and italic emphasis ours)
And:
2685. Abu Umamah al-Bahili narrated: “Two men were mentioned before the Messenger of Allah. One of them a worshipper, and the other a scholar. So the Messenger of Allah said: ‘The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like my superiority over the least of you.’ Then the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Indeed ALLAH, His Angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths – even the ant in his hole, even the fish – say Salat upon the one who teaches the people to do good. (Hasan)
[Abu ‘Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Gharib Sahih… (English Translation of Jami‘ At-Tirmidhi, Compiled by Imam Hafiz ‘Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, From Hadith no. 2606 to 3290, translated by Abu Khaliyl (USA), ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair ‘Ali Za’i, final review by Islamic Research Section Darussalam [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition: November 2007], Volume 5, Chapter 19. What Has Been Related About the Superiority Of Fiqh Over Worship, p. 80 – listed as number 70 in the ALIM CD-Rom version of at-Tirmidhi’s hadith collection; capital and underline emphasis ours)
There are additional references which acknowledge that Allah prays:
The people of Israel said to Moses: “Does your Lord pray?” His Lord called him [saying]: “O Moses, they asked you if your Lord prays. Say [to them] ‘Yes, I do pray, and my angels [pray] upon my prophets and my messengers,’” and Allah then sent down on his messenger: “Allah and His angels pray…” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 33:56; translated from the Arabic online edition; bold emphasis ours)
And:
Hadith 216:
The Israelites said to Musa: Does your Lord pray? Musa said: Fear Allah, O Sons of Israel!
Allah said: O Musa! What did your people say? Musa said: O my Lord, You already know? They said: Does your Lord pray?
Allah said: Tell them My prayer for My servants is that My Mercy should precede My Anger. If it were not so, I would have destroyed them. [Ibn ‘Asakir] (Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsiyyah - Divine Narratives translated by Dr. Abdul Khaliq Kazi & Dr. Alan B. Day, Section 2: Al-Ithafat Al-Saniyya Bi‘l-Ahadith Al-Qudsiyyah by Shaikh Zain al-Din Abdul Ra‘uf b. Taj al-‘Arifin b. ‘Ali b. Zayn al-‘Abidin al-Munawi [Dar Al Kitab Arabi - USA, 1995], pp. 305-306; underline emphasis ours)
The following is supposed to be a prayer of Allah taken from Ibn Hisham’s Al-Sirah Al-Halabiyya:
قلت يا جبريل أيصلى ربك قال نعم قلت وما يقول قال يقول سبوح قدوس رب الملائكة والروح سبقت رحمتى غضبى
I [Muhammad] said, “O Gabriel, does your Lord pray?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “What does he say?” “This is what he says. He says: ‘Glory, holy, Lord of the angels and the Spirit. My mercy overcomes my wrath.’” (Bold, underline and comments within brackets ours)
What makes this rather amazing is that according to the Islamic sources the words salawat and salah refer to worship and glorification:
Ibn Al-Atheer in his highly acknowledged dictionary of the Arabic language, 'Al-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Athar' has explained "Sala'h" as follows:
'Al-Sala'h' and 'Al-Salawaat': used for a particular kind of worship. Its literal origin is supplication (prayer). Sometimes,'Sala'h' is referred to by mentioning any one or more of its parts. It is also said that the literal origin of the word is 'to glorify' and the particular worship is called 'Sala'h', because it entails the glorification of the Lord. (The Meaning of the Word "Sala'h", May 19, 2001; bold emphasis ours)
In fact both of these words are used in the Quran to denote the worship or invocations that Allah’s servants are commanded to give to him:
Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers [al-salawati]) especially the middle Salat [al-salati] (i.e. the best prayer 'Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salat (prayers)]. S. 2:238
And some of the Bedouins believe in God and the Last Day, and take what they expend for offerings bringing them near to God, and the prayers of the Messenger (wa-salawati al-rasooli). Surely they are an offering for them, and God will admit them into His mercy; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. S. 9:99 Arberry
Take of their wealth a freewill offering, to purify them and to cleanse them thereby, and pray (salli) for them; thy prayers (salataka) are a comfort for them; God is All-hearing, All-knowing. S. 9:103 Arberry
And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) Salawat (prayers [salawatihim]) (at their fixed stated hours). S. 23:9
The Muslim scripture also employs the word salla, and its various forms, in this same sense:
And the angels called to him as he stood praying (yusallee) in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah, lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous. S. 3:39 Pickthall
When you (O Messenger Muhammad) are among them, and lead them in As-Salat (the prayer [al-salata]), 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 (yusalloo), and let them pray (yusalloo) 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. S. 4:102
And never (O Muhammad) pray (tusalli) (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and died while they were Fasiqun (rebellious, - disobedient to Allah and His Messenger). S. 9:84
So he (the disbeliever) neither believed (in this Qur'an, in the Message of Muhammad) nor prayed (salla)! S. 75:31
and mentions the Name of his Lord, and prays (salla). S. 87:15 Arberry
Have you (O Muhammad) seen him (i.e. Abu Jahl) who prevents, a slave (Muhammad) when he prays (salla)? S. 96:9-10
Furthermore, the Quran states that all praise belongs to Allah:
Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. His is the dominion, and to Him belong all the praises and thanks, and He is able to do all things. S. 64:1
Some of the creatures that praise Allah include thunder and angels:
And Ar-Ra'd (thunder) glorifies and praises Him, and so do the angels because of His Awe, He sends the thunderbolts, and therewith He strikes whom He wills, yet they (disbelievers) dispute about Allah. And He is Mighty in strength and Severe in punishment. S. 13:13
And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: “Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth.” They said: “Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You?” He (Allah) said: “I know that which you do not know.” S. 2:30
And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups, till, when they reach it, and its gates will be opened (before their arrival for their reception) and its keepers will say: “Salamun 'Alaikum (peace be upon you)! You have done well, so enter here to abide therein.” And they will say: “All the praises and thanks be to Allah Who has fulfilled His Promise to us and has made us inherit (this) land. We can dwell in Paradise where we will; how excellent a reward for the (pious good) workers!” And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne (of Allah) from all round, glorifying the praises of their Lord (Allah). And they (all the creatures) will be judged with truth, and it will be said. “All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin(mankind, jinns and all that exists).” S. 39:73-75
Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) (saying): "Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire!” S. 40:7
Nearly the heavens might rent asunder from above them (by His Majesty), and the angels glorify the praises of their Lord, and ask for forgiveness for those on the earth, verily, Allah is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. S. 42:5
Muhammad and his followers are expressly commanded to praise their Lord:
And put your trust (O Muhammad) in the Ever Living One Who dies not, and glorify His Praises, and Sufficient is He as the All-Knower of the sins of His slaves; S. 25:58
So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives. S. 110:3
Allah even expects his servants to praise him at different times of the day:
And His is all the praises and thanks in the heavens and the earth, and (glorify Him) in the afternoon (i.e. offer 'Asr prayer) and when you come up to the time, when the day begins to decline (i.e. offer Zuhr prayer). (Ibn 'Abbas said: “These are the five compulsory congregational prayers mentioned in the Qur'an”). S. 30:18
So be patient (O Muhammad). Verily, the Promise of Allah is true, and ask forgiveness for your fault and glorify the praises of your Lord in the Ashi (i.e. the time period after the midnoon till sunset) and in the Ibkar (i.e. the time period from early morning or sunrise till before midnoon) [it is said that, that means the five compulsory congregational Salat (prayers) or the 'Asr and Fajr prayers]. S. 40:55
So bear with patience (O Muhammad) all that they say, and glorify the Praises of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting (i.e. the Fajr, Zuhr, and 'Asr prayers). S. 50:39
Moreover, Allah’s praise is directly connected with his worship, such as bowing or prostrating to him:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin(mankind, jinns and all that exists). The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything). Guide us to the Straight Way, The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians). S. 1:1-7
(The believers whose lives Allah has purchased are) those who repent to Allah (from polytheism and hypocrisy, etc.), who worship Him, who praise Him, who fast (or go out in Allah's Cause), who bow down (in prayer), who prostrate themselves (in prayer), who enjoin (people) for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all what Islam has ordained) and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds and all that Islam has forbidden), and who observe the limits set by Allah (do all that Allah has ordained and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden). And give glad tidings to the believers. S. 9:112
So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him). And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death). S. 15:98-99
Only those believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), who, when they are reminded of themfall down prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and they are not proud. S. 32:15
This means that Allah worships, praises and glorifies like his creatures do since he prays like them! In fact, Allah even recites chapters from the Quran like Muslims do in their prayers!
Narrated AbuHurayrah
Allah's Messenger said, "A thousand years before creating the heavens and the Earth, Allah RECITED Ta-Ha and Ya-Sin, and when the angels HEARD the recitation they said, 'Happy are the people to whom this comes down, happy are the minds which carry this, and happy are the tongues which utter this.” Darimi transmitted it (At-Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 660 – taken from ALIM CD-ROM Version; bold and capital emphasis ours)
And since the Quran depicts Allah praying by using the very same words which denote praise, worship and glorification Allah must therefore be praising, glorifying, worshiping etc. himself and/or someone else.
Lo and behold this is precisely what Allah does according to the following Islamic authority!
The Meaning of Salah
Allah's Salah means that HE PRAISES HIS SERVANT BEFORE THE ANGELS, as Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Al-`Aliyah. This was recorded by Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi from Ar-Rabi` bin Anas from Anas. Others said: “Allah's Salah means mercy.”' It may be said that there is no contradiction between these two views. And Allah knows best. Salah from the angels means their supplication and seeking forgiveness for people, as Allah says…
(Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): "Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! Our Lord! And make them enter the `Adn Garden which you have promised them -- and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. And save them from the sins.'') (40:7-9) …
(that He may bring you out from darkness into light.) means, by means of His mercy towards you, HIS PRAISE OF YOU and the supplication of His angels for you, He brings you forth from the darkness of ignorance and misguidance into the light of guidance and certain faith. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 33:43; capital and underline emphasis ours)
And:
The Command to say Salah upon the Prophet
Al-Bukhari said: “Abu Al-`Aliyah said: ‘Allah's Salah is HIS PRAISING HIM BEFORE THE ANGELS, and the Salah of the angels is their supplication.’” Ibn `Abbas said: “They send blessings.” Abu `Isa At-Tirmidhi said: “This was narrated from Sufyan Ath-Thawri and other scholars, who said: ‘The Salah of the Lord is mercy, and the Salah of the angels is their seeking forgiveness.’” There are Mutawatir Hadiths narrated from the Messenger of Allah commanding us to send blessings on him and how we should saySalah upon him. We will mention as many of them as we can, if Allah wills, and Allah is the One Whose help we seek… (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 33:56; capital and underline emphasis ours)
Allah’s prayers consist of praising his slaves such as Muhammad before the angels in heaven!
Ibn Kathir's statements also imply that Allah is actually praying to his angels since he is directly addressing them when he prays and invokes praises upon his servants!
Thus, just as Muslims are praising and glorifying someone when they pray, Allah is also praising and glorifying certain persons when he prays! In the case of Muslims they are glorifying and praising Allah, whereas in Allah’s case he is actually glorifying and praising Muhammad and the believers! And just as the object of Muslim prayers is Allah since they are directly addressing him whenever they pray, the object of Allah's prayers happen to be the angels whom he directly addresses whenever he praises his servants!(1)
Responding to Some objections
Some Muslims argue that Allah’s prayers are really his mercy which he showers on his servants. In other words, when the Quran says that Allah prays it really means that Allah is showing mercy. The problem with this assertion is that the Muslim scripture distinguishes between the prayers of Allah and his mercy:
Upon them shall be prayers from their Lord AND MERCY (salawatun min rabbihim wa-rahmatun), and they are the rightly directed. S. 2:157
So this explanation won’t work, just as the following Muslim website admits:
“Blessings upon the Prophet” – according to the majority of scholars, what is meant is mercy from Allaah, prayers for forgiveness offered by the angels, and du’aa’ offered by humans. Others – including Abu’l-Aaliyah among the earlier scholars and Ibn al-Qayyim among the later scholars, and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen among the contemporary scholars – are of the view that the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet is praise for him among the “higher group” (al-mala’ al-‘a’la, i.e., the angels, cf. al-Saffaat 37:8), and the prayers of the angels and the Muslims for blessings upon him are for him to be praised by Allaah among the “higher group” (the angels). Ibn al-Qayyim wrote a book on this topic entitled Jala’ al-Afhaam fi Fadl al-Salaati wa’l-Salaam ‘ala Khayr il-Anaam, in which he discussed at length the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet, the rulings thereon, and its benefits.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The phrase “Bless Muhammad (salli ‘ala Muhammad)” – it was said that blessing from Allaah means mercy, blessings from the angels means prayer for forgiveness, and blessing from humans means du’aa’.
If it is said: “The angels sent blessings upon him,” it means that they prayed for forgiveness for him.
If it is said, “The khateeb sent blessings upon him,” it means that he prayed for blessing for him.
If it is said, “Allaah sent blessings upon him,” it means that He bestowed mercy upon him.
This is well known among the scholars, but the correct view is something different, because blessing (salaah) is more specific than mercy. Hence the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is permissible to pray for mercy for every believer, but they differed as to whether we may pray for blessings (using this specific word of salaah or salli ‘ala…) for anyone other than the Prophets. If the word salaah here is taken to mean mercy, then there is no difference between them, and just as we pray for mercy for a person we may send blessings upon them.
Moreover, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones”
[al-Baqarah 2:157].
The word rahmah (mercy) is mentioned in conjunction with the word salawaat (blessings), which indicates that they are two different things, so the meaning of the verse is clear. The scholars used the word salaah (blessings) in some places and the word rahmah (mercy) in others, so salaah is the not the same as mercy. The best that can be said concerning this is what Abu’l-‘Aaliyah said: The salaah (blessing) of Allaah upon the Prophet is His praising him among the “higher group” (the angels).
So what is meant by Allaahumma salli ‘alayhi (O Allaah send blessings upon him) is: O Allaah, praise him among the higher group, i.e., among the angels who are close to Allaah.
If someone were to say that this is unlikely from a linguistic point of view, because salaah in Arabic means supplication, not praise, the answer to that is that the word salaah is also connected to the word silah (gift), and there can be no doubt that praise for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) among the higher group (angels) is one of the greatest gifts, for praise may sometimes be more important to a person than all else. So a good mention is a great gift.
Based on this, the correct view is that sending blessings (salaah) upon him means praise for him along the higher group (the angels). End quote.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/163, 164 (The meaning of blessings and salaams upon the Prophet, Fatwa no. 69944; bold and underline emphasis ours)
Still others (like the above site) define Allah’s prayers as his blessings which he bestows upon his servants. This too is wrong since there is a word for blessing which the compilers of the Quran could have used if they meant that Allah is actually blessing and not praying, namely baraka:
And We made a people considered weak (and of no account) inheritors of lands in both east and west lands whereon We sent downour blessings (barakna). The fair promise of the Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because they had patience and constancy and We levelled to the ground the great works and fine buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected (with such pride). S. 7:137
They said: "Dost thou wonder at Allah's decree? The mercy of Allah and His blessings on you (rahmatu Allahi wa-barakatuhu alaykum) O ye people of the house! for He is indeed worthy of all praise full of all glory!" S. 11:73
In fact, the hadiths actually distinguish between Allah’s prayer (salah) and his blessing (baraka):
The Command to say Salah upon the Prophet
Al-Bukhari said: "Abu Al-`Aliyah said: “Allah's Salah is His praising him before the angels, and the Salah of the angels is their supplication.” Ibn `Abbas said: “They send blessings.” Abu `Isa At-Tirmidhi said: “This was narrated from Sufyan Ath-Thawri and other scholars, who said: `The Salah of the Lord is mercy [sic], and the Salah of the angels is their seeking forgiveness.’” There areMutawatir Hadiths narrated from the Messenger of Allah commanding us to send blessings on him and how we should say Salahupon him. We will mention as many of them as we can, if Allah wills, and Allah is the One Whose help we seek. In his Tafsir of thisAyah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Ka`b bin `Ujrah said, “It was said, `O Messenger of Allah, with regard to sending Salam upon you, we know about this, but how about Salah?’ He said…
<<Say: ‘O Allah, send YOUR SALAH upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR SALAH upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are the Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allah, send YOUR BLESSINGS upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR BLESSINGS upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.’'>>” Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Abi Layla said that Ka`b bin `Ujrah met him and said, “Shall I not give you a gift? The Messenger of Allah came out to us and we said, `O Messenger of Allah! We know how to sendSalam upon you, but how can we send Salah?’ He said…
<<Say: ‘O Allah, send YOUR SALAH upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR SALAH upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are the Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allah, send YOUR BLESSINGS upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR BLESSINGS upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.’'>>” This Hadith has been recorded by the Group in their books with different chains of narration. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 33:56; capital and underline emphasis ours)
And:
Another Hadith
Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said: “We said, `O Messenger of Allah, this is the Salam upon you, but how do we send Salah upon you?’ He said…
<<Say: ‘O Allah, send YOUR SALAH upon Muhammad, Your servant and Messenger, as You sent YOUR SALAH upon the family of Ibrahim, and send YOUR BLESSINGS upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR BLESSINGS upon the family of Ibrahim.’>>” Abu Salih narrated that Layth said…
<<Upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent YOUR BLESSINGS upon the family of Ibrahim.>>Ibrahim bin Hamzah told that, Ibn Abi Hazim and Ad-Darawardi told, that Yazid, i.e., Ibn Al-Had said…
<<As You sent YOUR SALAH upon Ibrahim, and send YOUR BLESSINGS upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim.>> This was also recorded by An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah. (*; capital and underline emphasis ours)
Once again:
Another Hadith
Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Humayd As-Sa`idi that they said: “O Messenger of Allah, how can we send Salah upon you?” He said…
<<Say: “O Allah, send YOUR SALAH upon Muhammad and his wives and offspring, as You sent YOUR SALAH upon Ibrahim, and send YOUR BLESSINGS upon Muhammad and his wives and offspring, as You sent YOUR BLESSINGS upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.”>> It was also recorded by the rest of the Group, apart from At-Tirmidhi. (*; capital and underline emphasis ours)
Finally:
Another Hadith
Muslim recorded that Abu Mas`ud Al-Ansari said: “We came to the Messenger of Allah and we were with Sa`d bin `Ubadah. Bashir bin Sa`d said to him, `Allah has commanded us to send Salah upon you, O Messenger of Allah. How can we send Salah upon you?’ The Messenger of Allah remained quiet for so long that we wished that he had not asked him, then the Messenger of Allah said…
<<Say: ‘O Allah, send YOUR SALAH upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR SALAH upon the family of Ibrahim, and send YOUR BLESSINGS upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent YOUR BLESSINGS upon the family of Ibrahim among all people, verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.’ And the Salam is as you know.>>” This was also recorded by Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Jarir. At-Tirmidhi said, “It is Hasan Sahih.” (*; capital and underline emphasis ours)
In the above narratives Muhammad distinguished and differentiated between the words salah and baraka, thereby demonstrating that they do not have the same meaning. As one Muslim authority noted:
Allah makes the merit of His Prophet clear by first praying blessing on Himself, and then by the prayer of the angels, and then by commanding His slaves to pray blessing and peace on him as well. Abu Bakr ibn Furak related that one of the 'ulama interpreted the words of the Prophet, "The coolness of my eye is in the prayer," as meaning Allah's prayer, that of the angels and that of his community in response to Allah's command until the Day of Rising. The prayer of angels and men is supplication for him and that of Allah is mercy.
It is said that “they pray” means they invoke blessing (baraka). However, when the Prophet taught people the prayer on himself, he made a distinction between the word salat (prayer) and baraka (blessing). We will return to the meaning of the prayer on him later. (Qadi 'Iyad Musa al-Yahsubi, Muhammad Messenger of Allah (Ash-Shifa of Qadi 'Iyad), translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K. 1991; third reprint, paperback], Part One. Allah’s great estimation of the worth of His Prophet expressed in both word and action, Chapter One: Allah’s Praise Of Him And His Great Esteem For Him, Section 8: Concerning Allah instructing His creation to say the prayer on the Prophet, His protecting him and removing the punishment because of him, p. 25; bold emphasis ours)
And:
The Prophet made a distinction between salat (prayer) and baraka (blessing) in the hadith in which he taught about making the prayer on him. This indicates that they have two separate meanings. (Ibid., Part Two. Concerning the rights which people owe the Prophet, Chapter Four: The Prayer On The Prophet And Asking Peace For Him, And The Obligation Of Doing It And Its Excellence, Section 1: The meaning of the prayer on the Prophet, p. 250; bold emphasis ours)
Again:
Salama al-Kindi said: 'Ali used to teach us the prayer on the Prophet as follows: “O Allah, the One who spread out the flat expanses and created the heavens! Bestow YOUR NOBLE PRAYERS, Your increasing blessing and the compassion of Your tenderness upon Muhammad…”
'Ali also said about the prayer on the prophet in the ayat, “Allah and his angels pray on the Prophet” (33:56) “At your service and obedience, my Lord. The PRAYERS OF Allah, the good and Merciful, the near angels, the true ones, the martyrs, the salihun, and anything that glorifies You, O Lord of the worlds, be upon Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah…” (Ibid., Section 4: Concerning the manner of doing the prayer on the Prophet and asking for peace for him, p. 257; capital and underline emphasis ours)
This next one is particularly interesting:
Ibn Mas'ud used to say, "When you bless the Prophet, then make the prayer on him excellent. You do not know; perhaps it will be shown to him. Say, ‘O Allah, bestow YOUR PRAYERS, Your MERCY and Your BLESSING on the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the God-fearing, the Leader of the Good and the Messenger of Mercy.’" (Ibid., p. 258; underline and capital emphasis ours)
Here we see the words prayers, mercy and blessing being used together in the same sentence, conclusively proving that they do not have the same meaning.
Thus, as it stands the Islamic deity prays, worships, glorifies, and praises much like his creatures do!
Unless stated otherwise all Quranic quotations were taken from the Hilali-Khan version.
Related Articles
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024234.php
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_praying.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/pbuh.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/pbuh2.htm
http://inthenameofallah.org/God's%20Blessing%20and%20Peace%20be%20upon%20him.html
Endnotes
(1) Shockingly, Allah actually commands Muslims to glorify and praise Muhammad much like they praise him!
That you may believe in Allah and his Apostle and may aid/help him and revere him; and (that) you may declare his glory/glorifyhim, morning and evening. S. 48:9
The nearest antecedent to all of the pronouns is “his Apostle,” which means that Muslims are being exhorted to not only help Muhammad but also to revere and glorify him day and night! The author(s) has/have written the verse in such a way that s/he/they ended up making Muhammad the object of praise, worship and glorification!
As one late Christian writer noted:
"This sentence is disrupted because of a sudden shift from addressing Muhammad to addressing other people. Apart from this, the accusative pronoun in ‘succour Him, and reverence Him’ refers, beyond doubt, to Muhammad, who was mentioned earlier, not to God as the English translator understood it. But ‘give Him glory’ refers to God. The entire verse is chaotic. The reader cannot be expected to understand its true meaning from the arrangement of words. It is kufr (‘unbelief’) to say ‘succour Him, and reverence Him, and that you may give Him glory at the dawn and in the evening’ about Muhammad, since glory should be given to God alone. It is also kufr to make such a statement with reference to God, since God almighty is not in need for succour or help!" ('Abdallah 'Abd al-Fadi, Is the Qur'an Infallible? [Light of Life, PO Box 13, A-9503 Villach, Austria], pp. 182-183)
Lest a Muslim accuse this Christian of distorting the facts here is what noted Sufi Muslim author G.F. Haddad stated regarding this specific text:
“That ye (mankind) may believe in Allah and His messenger, and may honor h/Him, and may revere h/Him, and may glorify h/Him at early dawn and at the close of day" (48:9). Al-Nawawi said that the scholars of Qur'anic commentary have given this verse two lines of explanation, one group giving the three personal pronouns "HIM" a single referent, namely, either Allah ("Him") OR THE PROPHET ("him"); the other group distinguishing between two referents, namely, the Prophet (SAWS) for the first two ("honor and revere him"), and Allah for the last ("glorify Him"). Those of the first group that said the pronouns ALL REFER TO THE PROPHET (SAWS) explained "glorify him" (tusabbihuhu) here to mean: "declare him devoid of inappropriate attributes and pray for him." (The Prophetic Title "Best of Creation"; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Haddad tacitly concedes that the text is somewhat chaotic in its structure resulting in some (if not many) Muslims attributing all the pronouns to Muhammad!
Hence, the Islamic scripture exhorts Muslims to glorify and praise not only Allah but Muhammad as well!
APPENDIX
Listing all the places where the various Arabic words
For Praying appear in the Quran
The following list is taken and adapted from the following lexical source.
musalla (مصلي) n. m. - 2:125
salat (صلاة) n. f. sing. - 2:3, 2:43, 2:45, 2:83, 2:110, 2:153, 2:177, 2:238, 2:277, 4:43, 4:77, 4:101, 4:102, 4:103, 4:142, 4:162, 5:6, 5:12, 5:55, 5:58, 5:91, 5:106, 6:72, 6:92, 6:162, 7:170, 8:3, 8:35, 9:5, 9:11, 9:18, 9:54, 9:71, 9:103, 10:87, 11:87, 11:114, 13:22, 14:31, 14:37, 14:40, 17:78, 17:110, 19:31, 19:55, 19:59, 20:14, 20:132, 21:73, 22:35, 22:41, 22:78, 23:2, 24:37, 24:41, 24:56, 24:58, 27:3, 29:45, 30:31, 31:4, 31:17, 33:33, 35:18, 35:29, 42:38, 58:13, 62:9, 62:10, 70:23, 70:34, 73:20, 98:5, 107:5
salawat (صلوات) nom. gen. n. plu. - 2:157, 2:238, 9:99, 22:40, 23:9
salla (صلي) vb.II m.
perf. act. 75:31, 87:15, 96:10
impf. act. 3:39, plu. neg. 4:102, plu. 4:102, tusalli (تصل) neg. 9:84, yusallee (يصلي) sing. 33:43, yusalloona (يصلون) plu. 33:56
salli (صل) impv. 9:103, salloo (صلوا) plu. 33:56, 108:2
musalleena (مصلين) pcple. act. plu. acc. gen. 70:22, 74:43, 107:4
A careful examination of all of these passages shows that words such as salat, salawut, salli etc. always refer to praying, especially in the context of worshiping Allah. The Quran NEVER uses these words to mean blessing or mercy!
Therefore, unless there is some strong contextual reason to suggest otherwise we should assume that when these same words are used in reference to Allah this means that he is also worshiping and praying.
This becomes all the more clear when we consider the following texts one more time:
He it is who prays (yusallee) for you AND HIS ANGELS TOO, to bring you forth out of the darkness into the light, for He is merciful to the believers. S. 33:43 Palmer
Verily, God AND HIS ANGELS pray (Inna Allaha WA mala-ikatahu yusalloona) for the prophet. O ye who believe! pray for him (salloo) and salute him with a salutation! S. 33:56 Palmer
According to these verses both Allah and his angels are engaged in the same act of salla. Since no Muslim doubts that the angels' salla means prayer, i.e. the angels pray to Allah for both Muhammad and the believers, they should therefore have no problem seeing that Allah's salla must also mean prayer.
It is purely wishful thinking on the part of those Muslims who want to argue that the salla or salawut of Allah does not and cannot mean that he prays, but really refers to his blessings or mercies which he sends down, when both Q. 33:43 and 56 apply salla to both Allah and the angels in the same exact context. The fact that salla is used for both Allah and the angels in the very same context refutes the assertion that the word changes meaning so that in respect to Allah salla really means his blessing or mercy which he bestows whereas in reference to the angels it means their prayers. Since the context is the same the meaning must also be the same.
Therefore, much like the angels' salla mean that they pray so too Allah's salla must mean that he also prays and worships. There is simply no way around this fact.
© Answering Islam, 1999 - 2011. All rights reserved.
Does Allah Answer Prayers?
Oftentimes our Muslim friends attempt to paint a more beautiful picture of Allah than it really is, presenting him as a god who is compassionate and loving in harmony with the biblical character of God.
Having lived in Saudi Arabia, my home town, and growing up as a very devout Wahhabi Muslim in such a staunchly Islamic country where we have very little contact with Christians, I am astonished about some arguments my Muslim people make nowadays when sharing with Christians about Allah and Islam. They try to depict Allah in a way that I have never heard it taught in the mosque or among devout Muslims in particular. They desperately attempt to present Allah as a god who hears and answers the prayers of his people when they call upon him. For this purpose they present to us verses from the Quran that actually, when examined, backfire at the Muslims claim, showing that their god is not a god who truly cares for them but rather a god that cares for himself and his needs, just as humans often do.
We never were taught that Allah loves to answer our prayers, or that we can come to him as we are and bring our requests. Yet, living now in a western country, I see that Muslims seek to “adapt” the image of Allah to what is taught in the Bible and try to make Allah look similar to the biblical God. In other word, they try to Christianize Allah’s image.
In this short article, I want to give one example of this western Muslim adaptation of Allah. We will look at two of those verses from the Quran that Muslims commonly appeal to and also present the interpretation of these verses by classical, i.e., authoritative Muslim commentators. I want to provide a simplified analysis that can help our readers, and mainly our Muslim seekers, see for themselves that Allah’s alleged compassion and answer to prayers are merely wishful thinking on the part of some of our Muslim friends.
The first verse that we will examine is found in Sura 2:186:
“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they MAY walk in the right way.” – Q. 2:186 Shakir (emphasis ours)
This verse, even though at first glance it talks about Allah, the god of Islam, providing an assurance to his followers that he will respond to their prayers and answer them, we can still read between the lines some conditions attached for this to happen:
- The verse requires the person who is calling on Allah to follow Allah’s commands and his call. In other words, he has to perform his duties and not do anything unjust or unpleasing to Allah.
- The person has to actually believe in Allah. Here is where the confusion arises. If this verse is directed by Allah to his followers (the Muslims) then what is the purpose of Allah still asking them to believe in him? Apparently, Allah is unsure of their devotion and the sincerity of their hearts towards him. In fact, this demand by itself shows that Allah is not a god that provides any assurances to his adherents to answer their prayers if they call up on him.
- The passage provides no guarantee whatsoever for the individual who is calling on Allah whether his/her prayers will indeed be answered even if they have been obedient to all the commands of Allah and walked in the right way.
Al Qurtubi1, in his exegesis of this verse, mentioned that in order for a Muslim to have his/her prayers answered by Allah, certain conditions must apply:
- The person who is praying and asking Allah must not be committing any transgressions against Allah, knowingly and unknowingly. He refers to Sura 7:55 to support his view on this point:
“Call on your Lord humbly and secretly; surely He does not love those who exceed the limits.” – Q. 7:55 Shakir
What does “exceed the limits” mean?
According to Al Qurtubi, it means:
- Not asking Allah for any forbidden things
- Not asking Allah for things while committing sin(s) in your life, such as earning interest on your money, steeling from others, not being honest in his/her monetary transactions
- Asking Allah constantly for the same thing yet not having faith that Allah is going to answer the call in the first place.
- The person calling on Allah must do so with a clear heart and a clear conscience. He must not be distracted mentally while praying.
In fact, al Qurtubi notes that according to Ibn Atta, asking Allah has conditions that must be followed by the one who asks. Those conditions include:
- Humbleness & humility, fear, hope, continuity in asking, and eating non-forbidden food (halal)
- Ibn Atta also said: the act of asking must be done in truth.
- The act of asking must be done at the right time(s) which can include:
- At the times of breaking the fast or at dawn before starting a fast, the time between the prayer calling and the start of prayer, the time between the second prayer and third prayer during the day, and on Wednesdays. Other times may include urgent or emergency times and out of necessity.
- The main purpose of the calling must be to glorify the prophet Muhammad.
- The calling must be done in a manner that is audibly clear and contains no chanting.
When reading the conditions above one can almost assume that we are reading a legal contract filled with strings rather than reading the word of a god (Allah) who claims to have an open-door policy.
The other verse that we are going to examine is found in Sura 40:60:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
“And your Lord says: Call upon Me, I will answer you; surely those who are too proud for My service shall soon enter hell abased” – Q. 40:60 Shakir
The Arabic transliteration of this verse reads:2
“Waqala rabbukumu odAAoonee astajib lakum inna allatheena yastakbiroona AAan AAibadatee sayadkhuloona jahannama dakhireena”
The word in question in the preceding verse is “Call upon Me” or “odAAoonee” (ادْعُونِي) as the Arabic reads. In reading the commentaries3 regarding this verse we find that early Muslims understood this word “odAAoonee” (ادْعُونِي) to mean “worship me” or “serve me”. In fact, when Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was asked about the meaning of this verse he indicated that the word “Call upon Me” or “odAAoonee” (ادْعُونِي) is a word that is derived from the Arabic root word “D-A-A” (دعا). According to Muhammad, this word means to “serve Allah in worship” (“Ibada” (عبادة) in the Arabic). Furthermore, in checking an Arabic Lexicon4 for the word used by Muhammad which is “Ibada”, we find that the root word “A-B-D” (عبد) points to the act of religious worship.
Having examined the two verses that are commonly used by Muslims as their main proof for Allah’s dedication to answer their prayers, we cannot find in these verses even a shred of evidence of any sort, or any guarantee regarding Allah’s desire for answering their call or jumping to their rescue compared to what the Lord of the Bible, the true God, who promises His followers time and time again to answer their prayers:
“call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:15)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)
“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.… In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (John 16:23-24, 25-27)
“... and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:19-21)
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14, 15).
As a result, we find ourselves left with no choice but to conclude that our Muslim friends in their attempt to use such verses are either being misled or they themselves are attempting to mislead others. In light of this, I would like to extend my invitation to those Muslims who are genuinely seeking to examine these facts for themselves and to ask God to guide their quest for the truth:
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Forever be the honor and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who hears and answers. Amen.
© Answering Islam, 1999 - 2011. All rights reserved.
A Series of Answers to Common Questions
Question:
If Jesus is God, then who was he praying to on the cross when he said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"? (cf. Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46) Was he praying to himself? If so, was he complaining to himself about why he had forsaken himself?
Answer:
The Holy Bible teaches that there are three distinct, yet inseparable Persons who exist as the one true God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three Persons of God, because they are personally distinct, have loving communion and dialog amongst themselves. Therefore, the Lord Jesus wasn't praying to himself on the Cross, but was actually praying to the Person of the Father.
Furthermore, the Holy Bible also teaches that Jesus became, and forever will remain, a true human being. It is, therefore, not surprising that Christ did what every God-fearing person is supposed to do, namely pray and worship God. Jesus is man as God intends all men to be, namely a perfect servant who perfectly submits and worships the true God.
Now, as to why the Lord cried out to the Father that he had been forsaken by him, this was due to Christ being our sin-bearer. According to the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus came to die as our substitute in order to take upon himself the judgment and wrath of God which came as a result of sins:
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" John 1:29
"God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26
"that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:19-21
"All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue TO DO everything written in the Book of the Law.' Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, 'The man who DOES THESE THINGS will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse FOR US, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Galatians 3:10-14
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit," 1 Peter 3:18
As we saw in response to the first question, sin resulted in the loss of intimate communion with God and also brought on physical death, where the soul departs from the body and the body returns to the dust from which it originally came. God's wrath is poured out on sinners as a result of their rebellion and wickedness, because of their failure to do what God's Law requires (cf. Genesis 2:17, 3:19; Isaiah 59:1-2; Psalm 66:18; Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 1:18-32).
Jesus' cry and the darkness which came upon the land at noon was an indication that God was punishing Christ in our place, that Jesus suffered the loss of God's intimate, loving fellowship in place of sinners:
"From the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (three o'clock) darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ – which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’" Matthew 27:45-46
Contrast this with the following OT citations:
"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.'" Exodus 10:21-23
"'And on that day,' declares the Lord GOD, 'I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feastsinto mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for AN ONLY SON and the end of it like a bitter day.'" Amos 8:9-10
Thus, Christ, because he is the sinners' substitute who came to die in the place of God's people, suffered the just punishment that all sinners deserve.
Fourthly, the Scriptures say that Jesus is also the believers' High Priest who presents his sacrifice on our behalf before the Father, making intercession for us:
"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;" Hebrews 3:1
"For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, butaccording to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.'" Hebrews 7:14-17
"but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever." Hebrews 7:24-28
Related to this point, the Holy Bible states that Jesus was crucified at the third hour where he then offered a prayer on behalf of those who were crucifying him and dividing his garments amongst themselves:
"It was the third hour (nine o'clock) when they crucified him." Mark 15:25
"When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots." Luke 23:33-34
What is more, Christ's cry to the Father occurred at the ninth hour:
"And at the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' – which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Mark 15:34
The Lord Jesus' words just so happen to be the opening words of Psalm 22, part of a collection of Psalms which were sung at the Temple by worshipers:
"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning." Psalm 22:1
This indicates that Jesus was actually praying to God in the very words of this particular Psalm. What makes this so astonishing is that both the third and ninth hours were the times for Temple prayers and the daily sacrifices!
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem Godfearing Jews from every nation under heaven... Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!'" Acts 2:1-5, 14-15
Peter's statement about it being nine in the morning is significant as we will see shortly.
"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon." Acts 3:1
"One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, 'Cornelius!' ... Cornelius answered: 'Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me.'" Acts 10:3, 30
Bible expositor, John Gill, comments on Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:25 and Acts 2:14-15:
And about the ninth hour ...
Or three o'clock in the afternoon, which was about the time of the slaying and offering of the daily sacrifice, which was an eminent type of Christ. The Jews say F9, that"every day the daily sacrifice was slain at eight and a half, and was offered up at nine and a half:"about which time also the passover was killed, which was another type of Christ; and as they say F11, "was offered first, and then the daily sacrifice." Though the account they elsewhere F12 give of these things, is this;"the daily sacrifice was slain at eight and a half, and was offered up at nine and a half; (that is, on all the common days of the year;) on the evenings of the passover, it was slain at seven and a half, and offered at eight and a half, whether on a common day, or on a sabbath day: the passover eve, that happened to be on the sabbath eve, it was slain at six and a half, and offered at seven and a half, and the passover after it." ...FOOTNOTES:
F9 T. Hieros. Pesachim, fol. 31. 3, 4.
F11 lb.
F12 Misn. Pesachim, c. 5. sect. 1. (Source; underline emphasis ours)
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
The time of the daily sacrifice of the morning, at which the priests ought to have been; and the time when the sanhedrim usually began to sit F24; for"the grand sanhedrim sat from the daily sacrifice of the morning, to the daily sacrifice of the evening:" ...FOOTNOTES:
F24 Maimon. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 3, sect. 1. (Source; underline emphasis ours)
seeing it is but the third hour of the day;
or nine of the clock in the morning: for till this time it was not usual with the Jews, if men of any sobriety or religion, so much as to taste anything: the rules are these F8,"it is forbidden a man to taste anything, or do any work after break of day, until he has prayed the morning prayer."Now"the morning prayer, the precept concerning it is, that a man should begin to pray as soon as the sun shines out; and its time is until the end of the fourth hour, which is the third part of the day F9."So that a man might not taste anything, either of eatables or drinkables, until the fourth hour, or ten o'clock in the morning: hence it is said F11, that"after they offered the daily sacrifice they ate bread, (Nyev ebra Nmzb), 'at the time of four hours':"or on the fourth hour, and sooner than this it was not lawful to eat, even ever so little; and whoever did, was not reckoned fit to be conversed with."Says R. Isaac F12, whoever eats a green or herb before the fourth hour, it is forbidden to converse with him; and the same says, it is unlawful to eat a raw herb before the fourth hour. Amemar, and Mar Zutra, and Rab Ashe were sitting, and they brought before them a raw herb before the fourth hour. Amemar and Rab Ashe ate, and Mar Zutra did not eat: they said to him, what is thy meaning? (he replied) that R. Isaac said, whoever eats a herb before the fourth hour, it is forbidden to converse with him."The time for taking food by persons of different characters, is thus expressed by them:"the first hour is the time of eating for the Lydians, the second for thieves, the third for heirs, the fourth for labourers, the fifth for every man; is it not so? Saith R. Papa, the fourth is the time of repast for every man; but (the truth is) the fourth is the time of eating for every man, the fifth for labourers, and the sixth for the disciples of the wise men F13."Hence that advice F14,"‘at the fourth hour’, go into a cook's shop, (or tavern,) if thou seest a man drinking wine, and holding the cup in his hands, and slumbering, inquire about him, if he is one of the wise doctors..."The "gloss" upon it is,"at the fourth hour, for that is the time of eating, when all go into the shops (or taverns) to eat."Now whereas they that are drunken are drunken in the night, and not in the day, and much less so soon in the day, when it was not usual, at least with religious men, to have tasted anything by this time; and whereas the apostles, and their company, were sober and religious men, and had never done thing to forfeit their character, it was unreasonable to suppose anything of this kind in them.FOOTNOTES:
F8 Maimon. Hilch, Tophilla, c. 6. sect. 4. T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 28. 2.
F9 lb. c. 3. sect. 1. Vid. T. Beracot, fol. 26. 2.
F11 Targum in Eccl. x. 17.
F12 T. Bab. Betacot, fol. 44. 2.
F13 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 10. 1.
F14 T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 83. 2. (Source; underline emphasis ours)
These practices of offering morning and evening sacrifices and prayers were instituted by King David to be observed during the time the Temple would be standing:
"These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the LORD. For David said, 'The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.' For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening, and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the LORD on Sabbaths, new moons and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the LORD." 1 Chronicles 23:24-31
"Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, as ordained forever for Israel." 2 Chronicles 2:4
"They offer to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him." 2 Chronicles 13:11
Thus, it is not a coincidence that the Lord Jesus, who as our High Priest, prayed during the very hours that the Jews prayed in the Temple, right at the time when the sacrifices were offered!
Question for Muslims:
The Quran says that Allah prays:
Upon them shall be prayers (salawatun) from their Lord and mercy, and they are the rightly directed. S. 2:157
He it is who sends PRAYERS on you (Arabic- yusallii alaykum), as do His angels ... S. 33:43
Allah and His angels PRAY for the Prophet (Arabic- yasalluuna alan-Nabiyy): O ye that believe PRAY for him (salluu `alayhi), and salute him with all respect. S. 33:56
Allah prays for believers and Muhammad, as Muhammad prays for believers:
Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them and mayst make them grow, and pray for them (wa salli alayhim). Lo! thy prayer (salataka) is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower. S. 9:103 Pickthall
Since these verses all clearly say that Allah literally prays, and since prayer requires an object, we must therefore ask to whom does Allah pray? Muslims claim that Allah is a singular entity, there being no plurality of persons within his Being, which means that Allah cannot be praying to himself. Or is he? Maybe Allah does in fact pray to himself.
Some Muslims try to redefine words by saying that prayer here doesn't literally mean prayer, but actually means blessings, that Allah is sending down his blessings. The problem with this explanation is that there is an Arabic word for blessing, baraka, which does not appear in the above citations. Rather, the passages use the words salawatun, yusallii, yasalluuna and salluu, all of which are derivatives of the word salah.
Muslim writer Moiz Amjad of "Understanding Islam" provides the lexical meaning of salah in response to a reader's question:
Ibn Al-Atheer in his highly acknowledged dictionary of the Arabic language, 'Al-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Athar' has explained "Sala'h" as follows:
'Al-Sala'h' and 'Al-Salawaat': used for a particular kind of worship. Its literal origin is supplication (prayer). Sometimes, 'Sala'h' is referred to by mentioning any one or more of its parts. It is also said that the literal origin of the word is 'to glorify' and the particular worship is called 'Sala'h',because it entails the glorification of the Lord. (The Meaning of the Word "Sala'h", May 19, 2001; source; bold emphasis ours)
On this same site, a question was asked regarding the literal meaning of the word salah to which the writer responded:
Question:
What is the English word that we can use for the word "Salah" ? Is it true that the word "Prayer" is not even close to the meaning of the word "Salah"?
Please explain.....
Answer:Salah (صلاة) literally means one's calling upon one's God (in a respectful and humble way). It is very much the same as the word Du'a (دعا).
In the Oxford dictionary we read:
"Prayer: a request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity".
I think the above can be seen as a reasonable and literal translation of the word Salah. One might argue that the content of Salah is not excluded to requesting for help or expression of thanks and that other things like uttering God's attributes, glorifying God, etc...can also be included in the meaning of the word Salah. I am, however, sure that this is also true in the case of the word "prayer." (Abdullah Rahim, The Meaning of the Word "Salah", May 18, 2005; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)
Noted Muslim commentator, Ibn Kathir, defines the word as:
The Meaning of Salah
In the Arabic language, the basic meaning of Salah is supplication. In religious terminology, Salah is used to refer to the acts of bowing and prostration, the remaining specified acts associated with it, specified at certain times, with those known conditions, and the characteristics, and requirements that are well-known about it. (Source; underline emphasis ours)
Muhammad's own first cousin, and renowned Muslim scholar, Ibn 'Abbas admitted that Allah prays:
"The people of Israel said to Moses (peace be upon him): ‘Does your Lord pray?’ His Lord (az wa gal) called him [saying]: O Moses, they asked thee if your Lord prays. Say [to them] ‘Yes, I do pray, and my angels [pray] upon my prophets and my messengers’, and Allah (az wa gal) then sent down on his messenger (prayer and peace be upon him): ‘Allah and His angels pray ...’" [quoted by Ibn Kathir on Surat Al-Ahzaab 33:56; translated from the Arabic online edition]
[Az wa gal = exalted and majesty, a phrase of praise spoken after God was mentioned.]
Hadith 216:
The Israelites said to Musa: Does your Lord pray? Musa said: Fear Allah, O Sons of Israel!
Allah said: O Musa! What did your people say? Musa said: O my Lord, You already know? They said: Does your Lord pray?
Allah said: Tell them My prayer for My servants is that My Mercy should precede My Anger. If it were not so, I would have destroyed them.
[Ibn ‘Asakir] (Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsiyyah - Divine Narratives translated by Dr. Abdul Khaliq Kazi & Dr. Alan B. Day, Section 2: Al-Ithafat Al-Saniyya Bi‘l-Ahadith Al-Qudsiyyah by Shaikh Zain al-Din Abdul Ra‘uf b. Taj al-‘Arifin b. ‘Ali b. Zayn al-‘Abidin al-Munawi [Dar Al Kitab Arabi - USA, 1995], pp. 305-306)
The following is a translation of an alleged prayer of Allah taken from Ibn Hisham’s Al-Sirah Al-Halabiyya:
قلت يا جبريل أيصلى ربك قال نعم قلت وما يقول قال يقول سبوح قدوس رب الملائكة والروح سبقت رحمتى غضبى
I [Muhammad] said, "O Gabriel, does your Lord pray?" He said, "Yes." I said, "What does he say?" "This is what he says. He says: ‘Glory, holy, Lord of the angels and the Spirit. My mercy overcomes my wrath.’" (Source; translation, bold, underline and comments within brackets ours)
Another Muslim scholar made the following comments about surah 33:56 and Allah praying:
Allah makes the merit of His Prophet clear by first praying blessing on Himself, and then by the prayer of the angels, and then by commanding His slaves to pray blessing and peace on him as well. Abu Bakr ibn Furak related that one of the 'ulama interpreted the words of the Prophet, "The coolness of my eye is in the prayer," as meaning Allah's prayer, that of the angels and that of his community in response to Allah's command until the Day of Rising. The prayer of angels and men is supplication for him and that of Allah is mercy.
It is said that "they pray" means they invoke blessing (baraka). However, when the Prophet taught people the prayer on himself, he made a distinction between the word salat (prayer) and baraka (blessing). We will return to the meaning of the prayer on him later. (Muhammad Messenger of Allah (Ash-Shifa of Qadi 'Iyad), Qadi 'Iyad Musa al-Yahsubi, translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K. 1991; third reprint, paperback], p. 25; bold emphasis ours)
And:
The Prophet made a distinction between salat (prayer) and baraka (blessing) in the hadith in which he taught about making the prayer on him. This indicates that they have two separate meanings. (Ibid., p. 250; bold emphasis ours)
Again:
Salama al-Kindi said: 'Ali used to teach us the prayer on the Prophet as follows: "O Allah, the One who spread out the flat expanses and created the heavens! Bestow YOUR NOBLE PRAYERS, Your increasing blessing and the compassion of Your tenderness upon Muhammad..."
'Ali also said about the prayer on the prophet in the ayat, "Allah and his angels pray on the Prophet" (33:56) "At your service and obedience, my Lord. The PRAYERS OF Allah, the good and Merciful, the near angels, the true ones, the martyrs, the salihun, and anything that glorifies You, O Lord of the worlds, be upon Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah..." (Ibid., p. 257; capital and underline emphasis ours)
This next one is particularly interesting:
Ibn Mas'ud used to say, "When you bless the Prophet, then make the prayer on him excellent. You do not know; perhaps it will be shown to him. Say, ‘O Allah, bestow YOUR PRAYERS, Your MERCY and Your BLESSING on the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the God-fearing, the Leader of the Good and the Messenger of Mercy.’" (Ibid., p. 258; underline and capital emphasis ours)
In Ibn Mas'ud’s hadith right above, one clearly sees a distinction being made between Allah's prayers, his mercy and blessings, showing that the word for pray does not have the same meaning as blessing.
Finally:
Anas ibn Malik related that the Prophet said, "Whoever blesses me once, Allah blesses him with TEN PRAYERS..."
Anas said that the Prophet said, "Jibril called me and said, ‘Whoever prays one prayer on you, ALLAH PRAYS ON HIM TEN TIMES and raises him up by ten degrees.’" ... (Ibid., p. 259; capital emphasis ours)
Moreover, one of the texts which we cited above makes a clear distinction and differentiation between Allah’s prayers and his mercy. Here it is again:
Upon them shall be prayers from their Lord and mercy (salawatun min rabbihim wa-rahmatun), and they are the rightly directed. S. 2:157
This clearly indicates that the word for prayer does not have the same meaning as mercy or blessing but means exactly that, i.e. Allah does actually pray for people.
And it seems that when English-speaking Muslims are not trying to cover up or conceal what Islam truly teaches they will have no qualms admitting that Allah actually prays. For instance, notice how Sunni Muslim author GF Haddad translated surah 33:56:
Perfection of faith is dependent on love of the Prophet because Allah and His angels are constantly raising his honor, as is meant in the verse:
"Allah and His angels ARE PRAYING ON the Prophet" (33:56) …
2. Allah Said: Invoke Blessings on the Prophet
We are encouraged to pray on the Prophet and to praise him, which is an obligation on us through Allah's order in the verse:
"Allah and His angels ARE PRAYING ON (and praising) the Prophet; O believers! pray on (and praise) him and send him utmost greetings" (al-Ahzab 56) … (Love Of The Prophet And Following His Example; source; capital emphasis ours)
Perhaps there is a Muslim out there who can explain to us how can Allah pray if he is a singularity-within-unity Deity?
Postscript
It seems that Christianity and Islam are not the only religions which teach that God prays; so does Judaism!
Rabbi Yohanan, quoting Rabbi Yose said: "How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be God, prays? Because scripture says, Even them will I bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7). Note, it is not said, [house of] their prayer, rather, My prayer; hence [we learn] that the Holy One, blessed be God, prays.
What does God pray? Rabbi Zutra ben Tuviah quoted in the name of Rav: "May it be My will that My mercy suppress My anger, and that My mercy may prevail over My [other] attributes, so that I may deal with My children with the attribute of mercy and, on their behalf, stop short of the limit of strict justice."
It has been taught, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha said: "I once entered into the innermost part [of the Sanctuary - the Holy of Holies] to offer incense, and there I saw Akatriel Yah, Adonai Tzeva'ot - the God of Hosts - seated upon a high and lofty throne. He said to me, 'My son, bless Me!' I replied, 'May it be Your will that Your mercy may suppress Your anger and may Your mercy prevail over Your other attributes, so that You may deal with Your children according to the attribute of mercy, and thus, on their behalf, stop short of the strict limits of justice!' Then God nodded to me."
Incidentally, from this we learn that the blessing of an ordinary person must not be taken lightly. (Babylonian Talmud, Zera'im I, Berakoth 7a; bold and underline emphasis ours)
Thus, all three of the monotheistic religions teach that God actually prays with Christianity being the only one that makes sense out of God praying, i.e. three eternally distinct Persons of God praying to one another as opposed to a singular Monad praying to himself.
Further Reading
http://inthenameofallah.org/God's%20Blessing%20and%20Peace%20be%20upon%20him.html
There was a Muslim response to the above. Our discussion of their arguments is found in these articles:
The Mystery of "PBUH" Revealed [Part 1], [Part 2].
A Series of Answers to Common Questions
Answering Islam Home Page
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