In this part of the article titled “The facts on ritual prayer”, we shall discuss two of the important conditions for the validity and acceptance of ritual prayers. Those are the facing of the Qiblah and the permissibility.
3. Qiblah (the Direction of Prayer)
Qiblah is the direction of prayer, and Masjid al-Haram (the Holy Mosque) in Mecca is the Muslims’ qiblah, to which their hearts and souls turn, and vibrate. At the dawn of Islam, Muslims were turning toward Jerusalem in their prayers. Then Almighty Allah through His noble Prophet (S) ordered them to change their qiblah, and turn toward Masjid al-Haram in Makkah al-Mukarramah when he was addressed by the following verse:
قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ – وَ لَئِنْ أَتَيْتَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ بِكُلِّ آيَةٍ مَا تَبِعُوا قِبْلَتَكَ ۚ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَتَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا بَعْضُهُمْ بِتَابِعٍ قِبْلَةَ بَعْضٍ وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّكَ إِذًا لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“Indeed We see the turning of your face to heaven, so We shall surely turn you to a qiblah which you shall like; turn then your face towards the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you are, turn your face towards it, and those who have been given the Book most surely know that it is the truth from their Lord, and Allah is not at all heedless of what they do.”
“And even if you bring every proof to those who have been given the Book, they would not follow your Qiblah (prayer direction), nor can you be a follower of their Qiblah, neither are they the followers of each other’s Qiblah and if you follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, then you will surely be among the unjust”. (1)
That is the exact divine order stating the new qiblah which the Wise Creator has approved to be the qiblah of the Islamic ummah. Qiblah is the point to which the Muslim turns in his prayer and supplication. It is the direction, whether in wakefulness or sleep to which the Muslim directs his or her heart and feelings. This concept embodies more than a simple definition and imprints on the worshipper’s soul an indelible impression and constant awareness.
A single qiblah is then a source of unification of the ummah, whose members sacredly and respectfully turn towards it, several times a day. It is the place to which they look, and incessantly attend. It is the pivot around which their feelings revolve and the point at which their emotions converge. It is the spindle on which the feeling of love and unity are woven. This qiblah which attracts the Muslims and their psychic energy distinguishes the character of the Muslim ummah and clarifies its direction, and purpose from the rest of the nations.
Identifying the qiblah, and fixing it in one place, was a milestone in the history of worship in that it has set a spiritual centre for the ummah to which the souls gather around and made discernable a holy place that inculcates in us the meaning of Islam which grew in its very land. Thus, turning to the Masjid al-Haram – inside Makkah al-Mukarramah – has an import of doctrinal and emotional attraction; a force prompting a continuous spiritual and psychological response.
It constantly reminds us of Islam and its perpetual meanings and imparts continuous attention to the legacy of the message. It is the site where the Islamic message appeared and from which the Islamic doctrine was initiated and grew. For this reason, turning towards the qiblah is considered one element of the spiritual formula which envelops the meaning of prayer in Islam, and is considered a condition for its correctness.
For the sake of preserving the doctrine of unity and purifying the sense of faith from any vestiges of deviation, the effects of the beliefs of other nations, or of the cult of personality, the Qur’an refers to an exceptionally important fact connected to the qiblah which highlights the core of the relationship between man and his Creator.
It cautions that turning towards a certain direction does not confine seeking Allah to that direction only. It does not mean linking worship to a perceptible, limited thing. Allah the Exalted is never tied to place, time, and direction. He does not need these factors. Facing the qiblah has specific devotional and human goals in mind solely for the benefit of the Muslims. The Qur’an says:
وَلِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“To Allah belongs the East and the West; whithersoever turn, there is the presence of Allah; He is Infinite, Omniscient.” (2)
إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
“Surely I have turned myself to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth as an upright, and I am not of the polytheists”.(3)
4. Permissibility
Permissibility here signifies that the worshipper is free to make use of anything he needs for offering his prayer. The condition must certainly be present in anything the worshipper uses while praying or during preparation, like the water of ablution, or its utensil, the place of prayer, or the clothes. All these have to be purely halal (lawful), never usurped (unlawfully taken from other people), so that one stands in front of Allah completely clean and pure, and abides by Allah’s orders. In this way, prayer is conducive to preserving rights, and property, and fighting injustice and coercion.
That is why praying on the usurped ground is not correct, making ablution with usurped water is disallowed and prostrating in stolen garments is forbidden. Moreover, prayer in clothes bought with money from which one has not paid the poor-dues (Zakat) is not valid. This is stipulated in order to protect the financial system in Islam, and harmonize its laws and commandment.
To be continued!
NOTES:
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1. The Holy Quran 2:144-145
2. The Holy Quran 2:115
3. The Holy Quran 6:79
