peace wakas, all
this is part of a text i wrote like 6 years ago. do not be confused by the translation of the word salat as prayer, that is what i used to understand. so, skip that one for me
. and focus on the understanding of wusta. also forgive me my bad english. it was even more terrifying at that time
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WHAT IS AS SALATUL WUSTA?
May be there is no need, after the above explanation for the timing of salat, to talk about this expression which is mentioned in 2:238 but because of the misleading translation that has been given to it we better check it as well. This phrase has been understood as MIDDLE PRAYER. We will, GW, see that is has nothing to do with this meaning. So, let’s start.
THE MEANING OF WUSTA IN AL QURAN
In 5:89, God informs us that He will not call us to account for what is void in our oaths But that He will call us to account for our deliberate oaths and we have to do something for the expiation. Here is that verse.
God will not call you to account for what is void in your oaths, but He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: for expiation, feed ten indigent persons, on a scale of the (average) BEST for the food of your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. I f that is beyond your means, then fast for three days…”5:89.
The word average in brackets is the one usually used in the translations. The word best, emphasized, is the one I think is closer to the meaning. Both these words ( average and best ) are the translation for AWSAT. We can see this expiation stands in front of freeing a slave. It is clear that God asks us, if this case happens, to feed and clothe indigent people from the best of what we feed and clothe our family. Remember, it is EXPIATION.
Check this understanding with 2:267.
O ye who believe! Give of the GOOD THINGS which ye have earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not aim at anything which is bad, out of it ye may give something, when you yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that God is free of all wants and Worthy of all praise .
In surah Al Qalam, (68), God informs us about the people of the garden that He had tried when they resolved to gather the fruits of the garden in the early morning.
68:26 “ But when they saw the garden they said: ‘ we have surly lost our way: indeed we are deprived. Said AWSATUHUM: “Did not I say to you, ‘Why not glorify God’?
You see, if we take the meaning of MIDDLE for this word then, in this case it would mean; “Said the middle among them.” Does this have any sense?
Let’s take the other meaning the BEST IN QUALITIES among them, THE MOST JUST among them. In this case, the verse would be (translated): “Said the most JUST among them”. Let’s see if this one has a sense. Why does God call him the most just among these people? The answer is: BECAUSE HE (the most just among them) SAID: “ DID NOT I TELL YOU ‘WHY NOT GLORIFY GOD?’
Which word would you put here, middle or the most just? (The best in qualities and moderate are possible here because they carry almost the same meaning.)
Now, we will, GW, see a very good link of meaning which provides a good clarification to the meaning of the word under discussion. In 2:143 stands: “ Thus have We made of you an ummat JUSTLY BALANCED (UMMATAN WASATAN) That ye might be witnesses over the nations and the messenger a witness over yourselves.”
Try to remove JUSTLY BALANCED and put MIDDLE then see if it makes sense.
Let’s see the LINK MEANING in 3:110; “Ye are the best of people, ( HAYRA UMMATAN) evolved for mankind. Enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believe in God…”
As we can see, the word used here is HAYRA and not WASATN and this what I call ‘link meaning’. Compare UMMATAN WASTAN and HAYRA UMMATAN. Is this not clear enough? “Thus do We make plain our revelation, that they may say: ‘You have studies deep,’ and that this may become clear to men of understanding” 6:105. This is the system of TASREEFUL AYAT, the way Almighty explains His revelation.
Let’s now go back to the phrase we are investigating here.
First, let’s see the way it is traditionally translated or understood
“ Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers. ESPECIALLY the MIDDLE PRAYER, and STAND BEFORE GOD IN A DEVOUT (frame of mind).
As we can see from this understanding, we should GUARD STRICTLY OUR PRAYERS. BUT there is one of them that we should, GUARD STRICTLY ESPECIALLY! Does this sound logical? Let’s say: Yes, it is logical. God instructs us to guard STRICTLY our prayers BUT, ONE OF THEM, we should guard ESPECIALLY STRICTLY. After accepting this “logical” explanation, another logical question appears: Which one is that ESPECIALLY STRICTLY? Well, the answer is very simple. The MIDDLE ONE! But, which ONE of them is the MIDDLE ONE? As we saw in our clarification of the timing of the prayers, there are only TWO DAILY PRAYERS and FRIDAY( CONGREGATION) PRAYER. But, this is our explanation. Let us look at towards other understandings. THREE or FIVE or WHATSOEVER. The question remains: which ONE is the MIDDLE ONE? When God points out to us, in THE DEFINITE ARTICLE, to uphold THE book (in many verses in the Quran) we understand which book is He talking about because it is clearly clarified in the Quran (in many verses). Now here He is pointing to ‘THE middle prayer’ without clarification what is that.
Here comes the KEY PHRASE in this verse (aya). AND STAND BEFORE GOD IN A DEVOUT (frame of mind). Which prayer does this phrase refer to? The middle one or EVERY PRAYER?
This what, always, happens when you allow one thing that is not logical. The thread of nonsense continues endlessly.
Now, let’s take the other understanding, the meaning that the Quran gives to this word.
“ Guard strictly your prayers, they are to be moderate or justly balanced and stand before God in devout (frame of mind)”
AS SALATUL WUSTA is the pattern for each prayer a believer should observe and WA here does not mean that this is another prayer. It has the same meaning as in Hood, 114; Tarafey’yin nahari WA zulafam minal leyli. As well as in 21:48 ; Wa lagad ateyna Musa wa Harunal furgana WA dhiya’aWA zikra lil mutagina the same furgan is dhiya’ as well as zikra lil mutagina.
