Salah: The Desi Edition

Dear Sisters,

Assalamoalaikum

Many of us have been taught how to pray salah (commonly known as namaz) by our parents who have been taught by our grandparents; who have been taught by our great grandparents; and the chain goes on... Here's a thought: If we go to a doctor to learn medicine, why don't we go to a religious scholar to learn salah? Maybe it's because we trust our parents, who trusted their parents, to give us the right information... or maybe it's because we've always taken salah for granted and automatically assume that we're performing it the right way. In any case, we are obligated to establish and perfect our salah. If you come from a desi family like me, you probably have a lot to improve because the opinion of our ancestors has been stirred into Islam and preserved for generations. To this day, culture continues to influence our practices as a Muslim.

Here are some beliefs/ actions that desies establish during Salah, all of which are neither found in the Quran nor in the sunnah of our beloved Prophet (s.a.w). Hence, these beliefs/ actions are innovations that must be stopped.

1) Saying the neeyah (intention) out loud
I was taught to say this before starting my salah: "neeyat karti hoon namaz ki, namaz parhti hoon waastay Allah Ta'ala ke, 4 rakat namaz farz, waqt dhur ka, moo mera kaaba-e-shareef ki taraf, Allah hu Akbar!" Doesn't it sound like I am repeating to myself what I already know? I mean all of that is obvious information that one does not need to verbalize. Imagine if we started verbalizing all our intentions like that... we'd be talking to ourselves all day (...not exactly the definition of sanity I had in mind)! Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) did NOT verbalize his intention to pray but he did specify it as a condition for prayer. So, instead of verbalizing our intention, we should remind ourselves mentally that we are praying for the sake of Allah alone.

2) Touching the earlobes
I know, I know, we've seen a lot of imaams do that too when they start salah. However, Prophet (s.a.w) did NOT touch his ears when starting his prayer. He used to take his hands (palms facing the qibla) up to his shoulders and start by saying "AllahuAkbar". Don't be fooled by what the majority of people do... they may not be right. The earlobes should only be touched when reciting the adhaan.

3) Not bending properly during rukoo
In yoga class, people will do anything and everything in their power to attain the correct posture. We don't notice that trend when it comes to salah. Did you know your back needs to be completely straight when performing rukoo? So much so that if I were to put a tennis ball on your back, it should not roll forward, backward, or sideways. Grab one of your sedentary siblings from their hideout, hand them a tennis ball, and try it! Unless you've just had an argument with them... as then the ball would be aimed somewhere else. O_O

4) Reciting out loud, too loud
Have you ever prayed beside that sister in the masjid who recites out loud? And in addition to hearing everything she recites, you hear her licking her lips, breathing, gulping, etc. How is a person supposed to concentrate under such conditions!? Please recite in a manner that does not distract and annoy others.

5) Praying too fast
Some people race through their salah like it's some competition. For instance in sujood, they literally touch the ground and sit up, and moments later, end their prayer. We need to remind ourselves that salah is a direct conversation with ALLAH (s.w.t). We don't talk like that with other authority figures do we? Imagine giving an interview like that, super fast... you'd lose the job before even getting it! We need to take our time and recite everything carefully and correctly... we cannot risk having our salah rejected by Allah (s.w.t).

6) Women don't pray like men
Actually, women and men are supposed to pray the EXACT same way. The prophet (s.a.w) did NOT ask the believing women to pray in a different manner. This misconception is widespread among desies. I was told that women have to pray a little conservatively because well, we're women. Very confusing ideology... on one hand we are taught to pray in a conservative manner (which includes doing sujood like a flat pancake on the floor) and on the other hand we are told to beautify and put ourselves on display in public. Double standards? I think so too! Sisters, if you are a victim of this absolutely crazy innovation, please put an end to it now. If you are puzzled like I was when I first found out about this, do the research for yourself and ask a scholar inshallah.

7) Where to fold the hands?
Desi men tend to fold their hands below the belly button and women tend to fold them up too high. The correct way is to fold the hands on your chest (anywhere ABOVE the belly button), in a position that isn't uncomfortable and awkward. Now some desi men would never do this because to them this would resemble a woman's prayer (which is not a separate category to begin with)... Sometimes it can take quite some time for the desi mind to accept what was unknown to it before, even if that is the reality. (thumbs up for D.M's philosophy?? :D)

8) To stand or not to stand? That is the question
Some desies of the older generation choose to sit during salah, even if they can walk around for the rest of the day. Most likely, they do this because they have trouble bending for rukoo and sujood. However, Allah (s.w.t) has commanded us to stand in prayer in Surah Baqarah verse 238, so if a person CAN stand, he/she MUST stand, even if it is with support. Allah (s.w.t) has not made the prayer difficult for us, so it is permissible to keep a chair behind you and sit for the rukoo and sujjood and then stand for the second rakah again if you are able to.

9) Not praying whilst traveling, when at work, or school
Being at work or at school is no excuse to miss salah because the importance of prayer surpasses that of your job, place of destination, and education. If you are in a conscious state, salah should not be missed at any cost. Did you know? Salah is even mandatory on warriors in a battlefield with constant threat of death? Imagine now, how much sin we would get for missing salah in the comfort of our own home, school, or workplace.

Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Verily, between a man and shirk and kufr is the abandonment of salah." (Muslim)

10) Folding a corner of the mussullah (jae-namaaz) to keep shaitaan away!
I will explain in just a moment, but first.... BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What in the world!!?? Who comes up with these ideas!!?? People even go to the extent of saying that if you don't fold the corner after finishing prayer, shaitaan will come and pray salah in the wrong way! Um... three main problems with this theory: a) Why would shaitaan "waste" his time praying when he could be convincing someone to sin? b) Folding the corner of the mussalah will not affect shaitaan and his actions in any way, shape, or form (perhaps reciting "aaodhobillah..." would be more effective??). c) This belief sounds too pathetic to say, let alone believe! Needless to say, there is no evidence of this in Islam.

So there you have it, ten innovations (and more I'm sure), that are practiced by desies worldwide. Please share this post on your social networks to raise awareness about this matter. Salah is the second pillar of faith, so it should be taken seriously.

All of the rulings discussed in this post were taken from the course Coolness of the Eyes: Fiqh of Salah 101 offered by Al-Kauthar Institute, taught by Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury.

I encourage all of you to watch the link below to learn the correct way of performing salah. Stay tuned for amazing facts about Salah (coming up soon inshallah)! :D

Sincerely,
D.M.