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ISLAMIC
OUTREACH - Lesson
Ten
Prayer
- An Overview & Preparation.
An
Overview
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
I
.PRAYER
II
. Establish
basis for understanding
A
. Recall
lessons so far
III
. God
A
. Believer or
non-believer?
B
. If
non-believer what do you believe in?
1
. What gives
your life purpose
C
.
If don't know
just keep an open mind
D
. Name muslims
use for what we understand of God
1
. Allah
IV
.
Prayer
A
. One word in
English, two in Arabic
B
. Distinguish
between du'a and Salaat
1
. Du'a an
asking
2
. Salaat a
greeting and recognition of the way things are
a
. A Remembrance
of Allah
b
. A direct link
between mankind and his Maker
c
. Addressing
Allah as "You"
d
. Following the
example of the Prophet
V
.
Specialness of
the Salaat
A
. Only one of
five pillars not given in Qur'an
1
. From the
Divine Presence
2
. Miraj
B
.
Five times a
day
1
. Not following
a man made schedule
2
. Timed to the
light of the sun
3
. "Surely
the prayer is a timed prescription for the believer"
C
.
Prophet made
many more prayers
1
. Regular
Sunnah prayers
2
. Other prayers
Witr & Tahajjud
a
. Long prayers
b
. Children on
his back
D
.
"Say: `My
Lord esteems you not at all were it not for your prayer"
E
. Not allowed
to do too much however
1
. Prophet
forbade excess in anything
2
. Times of day
when you cannot pray
3
. Prayer and
Doing Good in Qur'an
a
. "Woe to
those who pray and are heedless of their prayers.
To those who
make display and refuse charity."
VI
.
Wudhu
A
. Purification
- Cleaning
1
. Distinction
between wholesome and poisonous
B
.
Sealing -
washing orifices
C
.
"Prosperous
is he who has cleansed himself,
and mentions the Name of his
Lord, and prays."
VII
.
Qibla
A
. Finding our
direction in space
B
. Remembering
our aim, which way we are going
C
. Ka'bah
1
. The Ancient
House
2
. Abraham,
Ismael, Hagar
3
. One God
D
. Straight lines
and circles
VIII
.
Takbir
A
. Then
Multiples of one Rakat
IX
.
The Movements
A
. Standing
B
. Bowing
C
. Prostration -
Sajda
D
. Sitting
X
.
Fatihah &
Qur'an
A
. In Arabic
XI
.
Shahada and
Salaams
XII
. Alone or in
Jama'at
A
. Kings and
paupers shoulder to shoulder
B
. Moving as one
1
. Wind in the
long grass
XIII
.
Practicalities
A
. Health
Benefits
1
. Spine, liver,
kidneys, breath, legs (relaxation & circulation)
B
.
Same place
every time
1
. Same provider
of food and rent
C
.
Ignoring
interruptions
1
. Phone ignored
a
. Privacy of
Bathroom
2
. Possessions
ignored
a
. Luggage on
Indian bus
D
.
Open to
Guidance
1
. Answers to
worries and problems
a
. Egypt in
Alexandria
(
1
) Bus back to
Quds, the Holy City
(
2
) Siddi's room
clean and waiting
La ilaha
illa Allah
Astaghfirallahualazeem
Preparation
Requirements
for Prayer - Where to start? Work backwards - Words,
Movements, Takbir, Intention, Wudu?
Washing
after the toilet is where one first takes on the
consciousness of forthcoming prayer, a time when we are
unavoidably at the mercy of our animal nature, yet aware of
the human spiritual difference that we attain to.
Washing
after the toilet -
The preferability of washing to paper-wiping - Separating
poisonous excretion from
what goes into us - a principle for ecology - sewage systems -
How few in the west recognise the need (Alex Harvey -
"don't piss into your water supply") - Food hygiene
- Halal killing
Two
states of uncleanness - Hadath, when the inner digestive
system opens to the outside world, releasing gas, liquids or
solids. The act of sleeping, when we lose our conscious
self-control (lapsing into that 'little death' when we
surrender our bodies to God's care) also breaks this state of
cleanliness. This state of Hadath requires a formal act of
washing to restore the state of Wudu,
cleanliness. Wudu begins with the intention to make it (we are
judged on our intentions) and contains within its form two
aspects.
The
Exoteric, or Physical involves the washing of the hands, mouth
(teeth, tongue and throat), inside the nose, the face, the
forearms to the elbows (consider the strange case of the
'funny bone'), the head (the fontanelle), the ears, the neck
(where the spinal chord meets the brain), and the feet.
The
Esoteric, or spiritual, follows the physical movements but
links them to purification of our life actions and input -
what we work with our hands, consume through our mouth, take
in through our nose, eyes and ears, what we think, the heat or
coolness of our passions, and the direction in which we
travel.
That
the wudu is much more than just a matter of physical cleansing
is made clear when we travel, when the wudu requirements can
be difficult to achieve, and if no water is available it is
permitted to make a symbolic form of wudu called tayyamum.
This uses 'clean dust', or sand or earth, hinting also at the
way that water itself is filtered and purified by clean earth.
The
second state of uncleanness is much more total than Hadath and
is linked to some overwhelmingly primal human events involving
reproduction, birth and death. Janabat is a state that ensues
from the act of sexual union or the release of sexual fluids,
menstruation, childbirth, major bloodletting, or contact with
a corpse, and requires an all over body wash or shower.
With
this greater purification, known as Ghusl, we wash the largest
bodily organ, the skin, and this overall wash can also be seen
as a return to our beginnings, as when we are washed after our
births. This state of cleanliness (the state of Ghusl) remains
even when the state of Wudu is broken, and when renewed it is
seen as a return to our beginnings and a reminder of our
source.
Thus
ghusl is usually considered an essential part of any formal
adult acceptance of Islam, a return to that Islamic nature
with which we are born. As with the wudu, it has its pragmatic
earthly use, such as washing away germs and bodily odours, and
it is recommended (though not compulsory) for major muslim
gatherings such as the Eids and Friday prayers. But its deeper
significance is much more apparent when ghusl is made for the
donning of Ihram at the time of pilgrimage, and of course when
we return to where we came from, and our bodies are washed for
us after our deaths.
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