Muslims, how much time to pray 4 Raka'ah ?

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dolphinlove,

Sister Amy’s point is that nothing comes ahead of God. Muslims have been commanded to pray at 5 fixed times in a day and we follow this commandment. I’ve quite a few Christian friends and they also pray and I am sure you also pray alot. In Christianity there is no fixed time of prayer and you’ve the luxury to pray at your convenient time. And this is the right thing to do. But, please consider our situation, we muslims have to pray at specified intervals or our prayer won’t count. For us delaying the prayer due to worldly matters is not acceptable (as Sister Amy explained it).

The meaning of word muslims is ‘one who submits his will to God’. And we believe that all prophets of God (Adam, Noah, Lot, David, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad etc… peace be upon them all) were muslims as they only followed the commandments of God in their time.

If you’ve ever seen a muslim praying then you’ll find out that the way we pray is closer to how all prophets (peace be upon them) prayed. This might sound like a strong claim but in holy Bible, you’ll find many references to the phrase ‘fell upon his face’ and prayed. For example:

Numbers: Chapter 14 verse 5
Numbers: Chapter 16 verse 4, 22, 45.
Genesis: Chapter 17 verse 3, 17
Genesis: Chapter 50 verse 1, 18

And there are many more references where prophets fell on their faces to pray. In muslim prayer we call it ‘Sajda’ and you can see the posture at www.islamicvoice.com/may.2003/images/Sajda.jpg. We do sajda twice in each unit of prayer and while in this posture we say praise to our HIGH LORD.

I have no intention to start a word-war as I respect all religions.

Stay Blessed,
Umer
 
umerazad said:
Friend,
Sister Amy’s point is that nothing comes ahead of God. Muslims have been commanded to pray at 5 fixed times in a day and we follow this commandment. I’ve quite a few Christian friends and they also pray and I am sure you also pray alot. In Christianity there is no fixed time of prayer and you’ve the luxury to pray at your convenient time. And this is the right thing to do. But, please consider our situation, we muslims have to pray at specified intervals or our prayer won’t count. For us delaying the prayer due to worldly matters is not acceptable (as Sister Amy explained it).
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Thanks 🙂 Actually I was replying back to a on the first page by dolphinlove. I didn’t realize that the thread is already 9 pages long 😊

Stay Blessed,
 
**Umerazad has given a very good information from the Muslim point of view. We have not invented the prayer system today. It is effective for the last 1400 years. So there should be no blame or criticism now. It has many advantages. It keeps the Muslims united at equal level, all at same platform. There is unity. Muslims bow down to Allah in humility. There is no bad move.

There is praise of Allah. Individual prayers are not as good as the collective prayers. There is collective as well individual freedom. Then the Quran is recited in the prayers. That keeps the revealed knowledge fresh in the mind of most Muslims. They learn what God had told them.

There is no need to invent any conflicts with the work force. People eat and drink and smoke and do all sorts of things. Prayer can be accommodated in between.**
 
planten said:
There is no need to invent any conflicts with the work force. People eat and drink and smoke and do all sorts of things. Prayer can be accommodated in between.
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so do you stop your work and go pray if there are many people waiting for your services or you accomodate things by postponing your prayer?
 
inJESUS said:
so do you stop your work and go pray if there are many people waiting for your services or you accomodate things by postponing your prayer?
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Just to clarify, for muslims its not a strict hour:minute thing to start praying. Day is divided into periods and each prayer has a fixed period. For example, we’ve to pray the noon prayer after sun reaches its peak during day and the time lasts till almost 1-3 hours before sun-set. (depending upon your geographical location).

Generally for noon prayers we’ve good 2-3 hours slot in which we’ve to pray. I am a software engineer at Microsoft and we’ve all sorts of meetings all day long … but I never found it difficult to find 15 minutes to pray during noon. Well, Microsoft is a fairly laid back company … but even for services related jobs you can always find 10-15 minutes during each slot to pray. At least lunch time is there if nothing else 🙂

And this is true for all the prayers. We’ve relatively flexible time periods in which we’ve to offer prayers. And with God’s help its never difficult to take out sometime to remember HIM.

Cheers,
Umer
 
I am a muslim. Shia’s and Sunny’s are two sects of Islam but dividing the muslim umma in sects is against the commandments of Allah that’s why I don’t call myself Shia or Sunny.

Cheers,
Umer
 
umerazad said:
Just to clarify, for muslims its not a strict hour:minute thing to start praying. Day is divided into periods and each prayer has a fixed period. For example, we’ve to pray the noon prayer after sun reaches its peak during day and the time lasts till almost 1-3 hours before sun-set. (depending upon your geographical location).

Generally for noon prayers we’ve good 2-3 hours slot in which we’ve to pray. I am a software engineer at Microsoft and we’ve all sorts of meetings all day long … but I never found it difficult to find 15 minutes to pray during noon. Well, Microsoft is a fairly laid back company … but even for services related jobs you can always find 10-15 minutes during each slot to pray. At least lunch time is there if nothing else 🙂

And this is true for all the prayers. We’ve relatively flexible time periods in which we’ve to offer prayers. And with God’s help its never difficult to take out sometime to remember HIM.

Cheers,
Umer
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You work for microsoft??? Thats the biggest sin of all!!!😛

Seriously though, as this thread has been going on, and the summaries, basically we have said there is no problem with praying etc in break times, thats fine! But im not going to rehash the last topics, its been discussed and ill leave it at that.
 
Kadaveri said:
A Shi’a named Umar? Come on.
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no a shia quoting Ali 😛

Umer is Umar…ok …since i know it in the arabic pronunciation and since UM means "mother of " in arabic, i understood it the arabic way, not pakistani 😉
 
Just quoting Hazrat Ali (R.A) doesn’t make one a Shia :). He was a wise man and said many wise things. I am one of those who have utmost respect for all companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Cheers,
Umer
 
Sister_Amy said:
While it is generally better for a person to not “count” how much he praises Allah, there is a tradition of reciting a certain number of praises after each of the salaat.

The Prophet (saaws) recommended:
33 times Subhanallah (glorified is Allah)
33 times Alhamduilllah (all praise is for Allah)
33 times Allahu Akbar (Allah is greater)
and then once: laa ilaaha illa Allah, wahdahu, laa sharika lah, lahu almulk, wa lahu alhamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay’in qadeer. (There is no god except Allah, He is one, He has no partners, to Him belongs soveriegnty, and to Him is all praise, and over all things He has power)

Most Muslims will recite this and count it on their fingers. Each of your fingers (except thumbs) has three parts. So you do 3 times each finger, plus three more to make 33.

I don’t know when the beads were introduced–most people prefer to use their hands, though.

People also recite other things for certain numbers of times but I don’t know what or why. But the beads were something introduced later on into Islam, and didn’t exist at the time of Muhammad (saaws).
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It is amassing how many different meanings i have been given for the Arabic words for the tasbeed.
Each jamat that visit our mosque offer different translations, all are every pious of course.

When i pray using my hands i use the three parts of my thumb also, top middle and joint it gives me 30 and i use my little finger for the last three.

No one has ever answered me as to why 33 so i have prayed about it.

For me it is for the 99 names of Allah.

Other religions also have tasbeed so i am told and have seen Jewish and Buhdist. Maybe and this is just guess converts bought the practice with them and reaplyed it.

For me
It is very good as a mantra helping one get prayer focus.
If i am in a conference and will not get the opportunity to pray formally i will use the to keep me mindful of the blessings Allah gives to me.

May we all be guided to share in peace and charity.
 
To me there is a similarity between trinity and Allah and His messenger (pbuh) in Islam.

Both traditions see there is a greatest God that bringers of His message pray to.

Both traditions seek guidance / holy spirit from God / Allah (invisible presence to no believers)

Both traditions have people who exult their bringer of the message.
Jesus (pbwh) taught his followers to pray to God but they pray to him.
Mahomed (pbuh) was spoken of in the Quran as a man and that we are not to distinguish difference between the prophets (pbwt) yet he gets referred to as leader and master.

I am not saying these people are on the right path, just what people have shown and told me.
 
yes Catholics use them too we have several devotions that we use them for but there is actually a devotion in Catholicism called the rosary so we have rosary beads. Of course they are very different then the Islamic prayer beads so it can be pretty confusing for a Catholic to see beads called Turkish rosary beads. Especially ones learning Turkish as a second language!🙂
Steven_John said:
It is amassing how many different meanings i have been given for the Arabic words for the tasbeed.
Each jamat that visit our mosque offer different translations, all are every pious of course.

When i pray using my hands i use the three parts of my thumb also, top middle and joint it gives me 30 and i use my little finger for the last three.

No one has ever answered me as to why 33 so i have prayed about it.

For me it is for the 99 names of Allah.

Other religions also have tasbeed so i am told and have seen Jewish and Buhdist. Maybe and this is just guess converts bought the practice with them and reaplyed it.

For me
It is very good as a mantra helping one get prayer focus.
If i am in a conference and will not get the opportunity to pray formally i will use the to keep me mindful of the blessings Allah gives to me.

May we all be guided to share in peace and charity.
Click to expand...
 
Aydan said:
**yes Catholics use them too **we have several devotions that we use them for but there is actually a devotion in Catholicism called the rosary so we have rosary beads. Of course they are very different then the Islamic prayer beads so it can be pretty confusing for a Catholic to see beads called Turkish rosary beads. Especially ones learning Turkish as a second language!🙂
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Hi Ayden,
Tasbeed and rosary are very different.
I dont know of Catholics where i live using tasbeeds so where you live it is different.
I would love for you to share Catholic devotion that uses them.

I dont think tesbeed is just Islamic i have seen Buhdist use what looks like them and have been told Jewish people do also.
(would love to hear from Jewish brethren on this)

I dont know of any other than Catholic that pray rosary as we do.
If Turkish call tasbeed “Turkish rosary” i think it is different.
Some one eyed Catholics may take offense to this term and i would understand as there is big difference.

Tesbeed is prayer to God only. (as i know it)
Rosary is to Mary (bbhn) also.

Tasbeed is very much a mantra and i offer my own often personal reflection.
In rosary is very rich offering us the mysterys of Jesus (pbwh) life to reflect upon.
I have reflected upon mysteries using tasbeed but do not know of others that do.

I pray third of the rosary with my Catholic community 3 times per week.
I do not pray the same words as i pray only to Allah but with Mary (bbhn) if Allah permits.
My Catholic community is accepting of this as my prayer is as Jesus (pbwh) taught so is without error according to Catholic understanding.
I do not use any beeds i have been praying it for some time and it is like automatic.

Allah guides me it is best not to be dependent on material things for prayer. Not to speak against use of.

Do you know why there are 150 prayers of rosary?
(not including the new mysteries of the light initiated by the previous pope)

I have asked Catholics and they do not seem to know.

I have prayed and asked Allah,

For me
in time ago some priests would have recitation dedication to the psalms attributed to David (pbwh) in a language called latin.
As lay people were not educated this was not able for them so they shared this dedication in the form of the rosary.

May Allah bless you for your sharing with me.
 
I know they are very different I was just saying when I saw Turkish rosary beads I automatically thought of our rosary beads out of habit but I saw very quickly that they are Islamic prayer beads. But thank you. Yes I do know why the rosary has 150 prayers. It has 150 prayers because the rosary is divided up into into different mysteries. Each of these groups teaches us about a different part of Christ’s life and ministry. When you pray the rosary you only do five mysteries a day or at least most Catholics do but sometimes Catholics will decide to do the entire rosary so that means they do all of the mysteries at once. This is called doing all 20 decades of the rosary at once. You can read more about it here.
[/
here is the rosary in Arabic just in case you need it.


I hope this helps. inşaallah.
Aydan
Steven_John said:
Hi Ayden,
Tasbeed and rosary are very different.
I dont know of Catholics where i live using tasbeeds so where you live it is different.
I would love for you to share Catholic devotion that uses them.

I dont think tesbeed is just Islamic i have seen Buhdist use what looks like them and have been told Jewish people do also.
(would love to hear from Jewish brethren on this)

I dont know of any other than Catholic that pray rosary as we do.
If Turkish call tasbeed “Turkish rosary” i think it is different.
Some one eyed Catholics may take offense to this term and i would understand as there is big difference.

Tesbeed is prayer to God only. (as i know it)
Rosary is to Mary (bbhn) also.

Tasbeed is very much a mantra and i offer my own often personal reflection.
In rosary is very rich offering us the mysterys of Jesus (pbwh) life to reflect upon.
I have reflected upon mysteries using tasbeed but do not know of others that do.

I pray third of the rosary with my Catholic community 3 times per week.
I do not pray the same words as i pray only to Allah but with Mary (bbhn) if Allah permits.
My Catholic community is accepting of this as my prayer is as Jesus (pbwh) taught so is without error according to Catholic understanding.
I do not use any beeds i have been praying it for some time and it is like automatic.

Allah guides me it is best not to be dependent on material things for prayer. Not to speak against use of.

Do you know why there are 150 prayers of rosary?
(not including the new mysteries of the light initiated by the previous pope)

I have asked Catholics and they do not seem to know.

I have prayed and asked Allah,

For me
in time ago some priests would have recitation dedication to the psalms attributed to David (pbwh) in a language called latin.
As lay people were not educated this was not able for them so they shared this dedication in the form of the rosary.

May Allah bless you for your sharing with me.
Click to expand...
](http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/rosary/how_to.htm)
 
umerazad said:
In Christianity there is no fixed time of prayer and you’ve the luxury to pray at your convenient time. And this is the right thing to do.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum colleague Umer. 🙂

Good to have an honest opinion on Christianity. 👍
 
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