Is this Salaah? (Part 1)

"Sincerely, I didn't know she was performing her zuhr salaah!"

I was doing my ramadan food shopping (on the second day of ramadan) and I wanted to buy some soursop - you know those hedgehog-like fruits that are very sweet. Being an open-air market along the road, I moved from stall to stall until I saw some ok-looking ones, the stall owner wasn't there so I raised my voice, "Who's here? How much is this one?"

Still stretching my neck, I look around frantically because I zuhr had set in and we still had a long drive home. To my amazement, I notice an old woman in the next stall trying to catch my attention to tell me each was N200! It wasn't the fact that she was standing on a tall benchlike contraption or that she seemed to be following the salaah in a masjid whose door was about 2metres away from her, it was the fact that she was using her hands to tell me all the information I needed and at the same time performing her salaah!

First comes the raising of hands for takbir, then ruku, then standing, then looking in my direction, then raising of one hand and 2 fingers to denote 200, then nodding to affirm my statement "N200", then sujud! All the while, she is following the imam in the masjid (that has space for women and is not yet full!).

This reminded me of the verse in Surah Al-Jumuah,

"O You who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salât (prayer) on the Day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allâh [Jumu'ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salât (prayer)] and leave off business (and Every other thing), that is better for You if You did but know! (Verse 9)

I know this was revealed concerning salatul Jumuah but I'd like to believe that we should also apply the same principle for the five compulsory ones. Do we let our salaah suffer at the expense of our work?

It is also highly detestable to look around in salaah, the Prophet (SAW) said concerning the one who turns around in salaah, "It is what satan steals from the prayer of anyone of you" (Bukhari) Turning around should be for a valid, concrete and legal excuse within Islamic views. It is even worse for people who look towards the sky while praying, for the Prophet (SAW) said, "What is wrong with those people who look towards the sky during prayer? They should stop (looking towards the sky during prayer) or else their eyesight would be taken away." (Bukhari)

Subhanallaah!!!

Now, lets fast forward to getting home and going for tarawih in the masjid, It really is sad the way we have turned salaah into auto-physical rituals that doesn't serve the purpose. I mean, it's compulsory, isn't it? i.e. we can't not do it soooo......I am thinking - if we can't escape it, we might as well do it as close to perfect as possible in the short while we 'force' ourselves to observe it. We can even 'force' that solemness to start, maybe, it would really flow.

As I was saying, getting to the masjid for tarawih was another cup of tea.......

Till next post,

Ma salaam