Question from Abby:

Abby said...

Hello! Would love to ask you questions as a Muslim! Can I? I am a Christian myself. Can I ask you, what is the purpose of prayer, for you? Do you pray five times a day, and why? How does it make you feel? Do you talk to Allah and do you feel he talks back? Prayer for Muslims has always been a confusing issue for me, and although I know a Muslim socially, I don't feel able to ask her this. Would love your help. Abby

1:09 PM

Amaana03 said...

Hi Abby,

I would love to answer your question :) The word for prayer in Arabic is Salah...it comes from the same root word as the word "Silah" which means connection. In Islam there is no middle-man. Everything and anything that you do is between you and God...humans are not to judge one another when it comes to matters of the heart and worship. So this connection that we have 5 times a day is much needed for the human spirit. In our prayers we recite verses from the Holy Quran. As Muslims we believe that the Quran is the Final word of God. These verses are directly the word of God, meaning that everything that we read in it is Allah speaking to us.

The miracle of the Quran is that it never has to change to accommodate the people of the time. In each verse there is a lesson to learn. So, do we speak to God. Yes we do. God is in everything - He is closer to us then the jugular vein in our necks...closer to us then our own blood. Can you imagine such a closeness? We are given so many things in this world...the least we can do is break our busy schedules 5 times a day for about 10 min. to thank Him. Prayer 5 times a day is the minimum of everyday worship, we also have extra prayers (that follow in the Sunnah or teachings of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him)). We also supplicate throughout our day to Allah. Prophet Abraham is known as the Father of all the monotheistic religions and he used to supplicate to Allah as if He were speaking to his friend. Just as in Christianity and Judaism...we also pray to the same monotheistic God. We pray to ask for forgiveness, to give thanks and quite simply, we believe it is a commandment from God.

Every person feels differently when they pray. For me to answer how we all feel is hard...but for me to answer how I feel isn't...I feel fulfilled and happy. It feels like all the worries of the world are washed away and I start new...it's a renewal of the soul during the day - a purifier of intentions. Just as people meditate to find that solace during the day...we do too.

It shouldn't be confusing for you...just try to put yourself in someone else's shoes and then you'll see what it must be like. Remember that Muslims just like Christians and Jews follow a religion of peace. Remember that we too are human beings that are in need of worshipping something Higher and Bigger then ourselves. We have more in common with one another then you could imagine. I hope this helped...don't hesitate to post if more questions pop up :)

Take care and I am really happy that you asked!

~Amaana03

9:13 PM