Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Al-Salam-o-alaikum wa rehmatullah!

I visit your website whenever I get chance to use internet and I like your answers as they are totally based on Quran and Hadis(saw) wihtout any color of sectariainism, May Allah reward you and your team in both worlds(Amen).

I want to ask question about validity of 5 times obligatory prayers, I am alhamdolillah muslim and try to offer 5 times Salaah daily, but some days back I visited a website in which a person was arguing about 5 times obligatory prayers infact he was emphasizing validity of 3 times Salaah he said that: "There are only 3 Salaah found in Quran by name with timings viz Fajar, Maghrib and Isha".

He gave references from Surah 11 verse 114, Surah Surah 24 verse 58, Surah 2 verse 238, Surah 17 verse 78 and Surah 17 verse 110.

Especially his reference from Surah 17 verse 110 stunned me which says: "Say (unto mankind): Cry unto Allah, or cry unto the Beneficent, unto whichsoever ye cry (it is the same). His are the most beautiful names. And thou (Muhammad), be not loud-voiced in thy worship nor yet silent therein, but follow a way between."

He meant to say that according to above verse, 3Salah fulfill the criteria viz Fajar, Maghrib and Isha, he meant to say why Zuhar and Asar Salaah are offered silently when Allah said to seek middle tone. He is actually not willing to accept Hadis(saw) as he said that, "To Confess there are 5 Prayers Prescribed by Allah and then to Recite 2 Silently is to repudiate Allah`s Command, see 17:110. Allah repeats this verse "Woe unto the repudiators on that day!" 10 times in Sura Al-Mursalat (77). Majority of the repudiators say: they owe it to "Prophetic Sunnah". Even if it makes "Sunnatu`llah" (practice prescribed by Allah) a secondary Command of Islam!!!"

Please his statement crossed me much and I humbly request you to provide me with sufficient answer From Quran and Sunnah(saw), but he is not willing to accept Hadis(saw) regarding validity of 5 times Salah.

Please try to give answer from Quran so I will inshallah be able to tell him and my heart inshallah would be satisfied too. May Allah guide us all (amen)

I am waiting a quick reply from you.

Al Salam o alaikum wa rehmatullah...!

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Prayer three five times from quran

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 11 Surah Hud verse 114:

Establish the Salat at the two ends of the day and in the early part of the night.

In the above verse the prayers at the two ends of the day would be the obligatory dawn or fajr prayer and the sunset or magrib prayer; and the prayer in the early part of the night would imply the obligatory ‘isha’ prayer.

There are several other Verses in the Quran which Command the believers to observe the prayers at their appointed times, and these Verses in conjunction were understood and implemented by the Messenger of Allah (saws) as the five obligatory prayer times.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah verse 238:

Take great care of your Prayers, especially of the middle Prayer and stand before Allah like devoted servants.

The ‘middle prayer’ was understood and implemented by the Messenger of Allah (saws) as the obligatory ‘asr’ prayers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Bani Israel verse 78:

Establish the Salat from the decling of the sun to the darkness of the night and be particular about the recital of the Quran at dawn for the recital of the Quran at dawn is witnessed.

The prayer at the declining of the sun implies the obligatory ‘asr’ prayer, the prayer approaching the darkness of the night implies the obligatory ‘magrib’ prayer, and the recital of the Quran at dawn implies the ‘fajr’ prayer.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 30 Surah Rum verse 17:

So, glorify Allah in the evening and in the morning; praise is due to Him alone in the heavens and the earth: and (glorify Him) in the afternoon and at the declining of the day.

The glorification of the ‘morning’ implies the obligatory ‘fajr’ prayer, the glorification of the evening implies the ‘magrib’ prayer, in the afternoon implies the ‘dhuhr’ prayer, and the glorification at the declining of the day implies the ‘asr’ prayer.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 50 Surah Qaf verse 39:

Therefore, O Prophet (saws), bear with patience whatever they say, and keep up glorifying your Lord with his praise, before sunrise and before sunset. And glorify Him again in the night and also when you are free from prostrations.

The glorifying of the Lord before sunrise was understood and implemented by the Messenger of Allah (saws) as the obligatory ‘fajr’ prayer, before sunset as the obligatory ‘asr’ prayer, and the glorification of the night as the obligatory ‘isha’ prayer.

All the above verses when read in conjunction were understood and implemented by the Messenger of Allah (saws) under the guidance of Allah as the five daily obligatory prayers.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, the acts and times of prayer is something the Messenger of Allah (saws) established during his own lifetime literally thousands of times in public, and the tens of thousands of believers who offered their obligatory prayers with him (saws) witnessed the establishment of the five daily obligatory prayers at their separate and distinct times of the day and night.

Even the scholars of those sects who today propagate that there are only three prayer times themselves agree to the fact that at the times of the Prophet (saws), the prayer was established at five separate and distinct times of the day and night and it was much later and many years after the death of the Prophet (saws) that this sect was formed, and they started the practice of combining the five prayer times into three to differentiate themselves from the mainstream muslims.

Your Statement:…..but he is not willing to accept Hadis(saw) regarding validity of 5 times Salah.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:

There is indeed the best example for you to follow in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 79-80:

We have sent you (O Mohamed) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allah’s witness suffices for this. Whoever obeys the Messenger, in fact obeys Allah, and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable for his deeds. Anyhow, we have not sent you (O Mohamed) to be a guardian over them.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:

O Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

If one declares belief in Allah and the Quran, but denies or refuses to accept, obey and follow the established Sunnah of the Last and Final Messenger of Allah (saws)…..in light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Glorious Quran, the belief of such people have absolutely no weight in the Sight of Allah Subhanah!

……Whoever obeys the Messenger, in fact obeys Allah, and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable for his deeds.

…..If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

The truth is brother, the people who claim to follow to believe in Allah and the Quran, but deny and reject the established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) are very selective in their rejection!!!!

For example, time and time again the Lord Most High has Commanded His believers to establish prayers….but the exact method of offering one’s conical prayers like:

1. the ‘takbeer’ to signal the start of prayers
2. the recitation of ‘Surah Al-Fatihah’ in every rakah
3. the bowing or ‘ruku’ after the recitation
4. the standing after each ‘ruku’
5. the prostration or ‘sajdah’ after each rakah
6. the number of ‘rakahs’ for each prayer, etc. etc.

…..the exact method of offering one’s prayer can only be learnt from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws)! Thus the person who claims that they do not accept any authentic ‘hadeeths’ should be asked (if indeed they offer their prayers!), how do they know how to offer their prayers???

If any person claims that they do not accept the authentic ‘hadeeths’, then simply ask them to prove (if indeed they offer their prayers) how would they ever have known that the obligatory ‘fajr’ prayer consists of two rakahs, or the ‘magrib’ three rakahs, or the ‘isha’ four rakahs from the Glorious Quran!!!!

These misguided people are selective in accepting what suits them from the Sunnah, and rejecting what does not suit them…..such a belief is absolutely unacceptable to Allah Subhanah!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:

O Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan