Peace Amid,
Re: Salat2:157 To these will be
salawat from their Lord and a mercy; they are the guided ones.
Does God send his "prayers" to us?
9:103. Take from their money a charity to cleanse them and purify them with it, and
bond (salli) unto them. Your
bond (salat) is a tranquility for them, and the god is hearer, knowledgeable.
I recommend
this and
this. Other points were already adressed by Ayman.
The timed bond (salat) (see 4:103) is to be carried out by the "
mumineen" (those who trust/have assurance) at 2 times per day - dawn and dusk.
11:114 You shall uphold the bond (salat) at the two edges of the day (tarafay al nahar), that are at the near parts/proximities/adjacent parts (zulufan) of the night (min al layl). Good deeds that create balance in the society remove the ill effects of bad deeds. This is a reminder to those who take heed.
17:78 You shall uphold the bond at the setting of the sun (li duluk al shamsi), until the darkness of the night (illa ghasaq al layl); and the reading of dawn (quran al fajr), the reading at dawn (quran al fajr) has been witnessed.
These two verses are adressed to the messenger and are therefore, to my understanding so far, not applicable for us. You may want to ask Wakas who is researching about this.
The following verse adresses the "
mumineen" (those who have trust/assurance):
24:58 O you who have assurance/trust, let those who are committed to you by oath and have not yet attained puberty request your permission regarding three times: Before
the bond of dawn (salat al fajr), and when you take off your attire from the heat of the noon, and after
the bond of dusk (salat al isha). These are three private times for you. Other than these times, it is not wrong for you or them to intermingle with one another. God thus clarifies the revelations for you. God is Knowledgeable, Wise.
It is important to note that "salat/salawat/etc" are
general terms used for general things that do not mean "prayer". The timed "salat"/bond includes reading from the reading/quran. Read the link that I have referenced earlier on.
Re: Quran alone17:45 When you read the reading (quran), We place between you and those who do not acknowledge the Hereafter an invisible barrier.
17:46 We place shields over their hearts, that they should not understand it, and deafness in their ears. And if you mention
your Lord in the reading alone, they run away turning their backs in aversion.
17:46 WajaAAalna AAala quloobihimakinnatan an yafqahoohu wafee athanihim waqran wa-ithathakarta
rabbaka fee alqur-ani wahdahu wallaw AAala adbarihim nufooran.
"rabbaka" = your Lord
"fee" = in
"al quran" = the reading
"wahdahu" = alone
Therefore, and if you don't object to these translations:
"rabbaka fee al quran wahdahu" = your Lord in the reading aloneOne does not even need Arabic skills to understand this (I dont speak Arabic, for example).
Please note that those who have a covering over their hearts and deafness in their ears will not acknowledge this, and cannot understand this.
6:112 We have permitted the
enemies of every prophet,
human and invisible devils, to inspire in each other
fancy words in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it.
You shall disregard them and their fabrications. [Hadith is satanic inspiration]
6:113 That is so
the minds of those who do not have assurance with the Hereafter will listen to it, and they will
accept it, and they will take of it what they will. [It is a very common thing under Hadith-followers to accept some Hadith and reject some, just like you.]
6:114 "
Shall I seek other than God as a judge when He has sent down to you this book fully detailed?" Those to whom We have given the book know it is sent down from your Lord with truth; so do not be of those who have doubt.
6:115
The word of your Lord has been completed with truth and justice; there is no changing His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
6:116 If you obey
the majority of those on earth
they will lead you away from God#s path; that is because
they follow conjecture, and that is because they only guess.
You are disobeying God if you pick and choose Hadith that "do not contradict the Quran". The reading/quran is fully detailed and we are to use it alone, without any sources beside it.
Re: Night journey and al masjid al aqsa:17:1 Exalted is the One (God) who took His servant by night from "al masjid al haram" to the "al masjid al aqsa", which We had blessed around, so that We may show him of Our signs. Indeed, He (God) is the Hearer, the Seer.
First of all, you need to know what "al masjid al haram" is:
2:144 We have seen the shifting of your face towards the sky; We will thus set for you a
target ("qibla") that will be pleasing to you,
"You shall set yourself towards 'al masjid al haram'"; and
wherever you may be, you shall all set yourselves towards it."
Those who have been given the book know it is the truth from their Lord. God is not oblivious of what you do.
Note: we are to face "al masjid al haram" WHEREVER we are - not just during "salat".
2:145 Even if you come to those who have been given the book with every sign,
they will not follow your target,
nor will you follow their target,
nor will some of them even follow each other's target. If you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, then you would be one of the wicked.
"Qibla" here again refers to target/goal, not a focal point during salat. Note that it says "nor will some of them follow each other's target". Is their any evidence that the people of the book are facing various different directions for their prayers? How is it that they know that the target/goal towards "al masjid al haram" is the truth from their Lord? Do they know that phyiscally facing a building called "Al Masjid Al Haram" during their ritual prayers is the truth from their Lord?
2:146
Those to whom We have given the book know it as they know their own children, and a group of them hides the truth while they know.
2:147
The truth is from your Lord; so do not be one of those who doubt.
2:148
To each is a direction that he will take, so you shall race towards good deeds.
Wherever you may be. God will bring you all together. God is capable of all things.
This verse makes it clear that we are to race towards good deeds.
2:149
From wherever you go out, you shall set yourself towards "al masjid al haram"; it is the truth from your Lord; and God is not oblivious of what you do.
This verse again emphasizes that we are to set ourselves towards "al masjid al haram" WHEREVER we are - not just during "salat".
2:150
Wherever you go out, you shall set yourself towards "al masjid al haram".
Wherever you may be, you shall set yourselves towards it; that the people will have no room for debate with you, except those of them who are wicked. You shall not fear them, but fear Me so that I may complete My blessings upon you and that you may be guided.
The fact is that "al
masjid al
haram" means "the
inviolable institution of
submision/obedience".
It is not a physical building - it is about obedience to God and his laws. I am sure that Ayman will elaborate on this.
"Al
masjid al
aqsa" = the
utmost/farthest institution of
submission/obedienceIt is very simple: "al masjid al aqsa" is in heaven/with God. Muhammad (the one who, I think, is adressed in 17:1) was taken (spiritually, of course,) from the inviolable instuition of submission/obediece to the farthest/utmost institution of submission/obeidience, which has the most submission/obedience to God.
Peace