Communicating

You know, People have all sorts of ways to communicate with each other.

They can use words, which they can speak,

or write, or spell out in different ways, even with the shapes of their bodies.

Or they can laugh, or they can cry, or move their bodies or their faces in certain ways

to show the way they feel

or what they are thinking.

It's the same when people want to communicate with God.

They can use words,

or let their thoughts come out as tears,

or use their bodies in a certain way.

The special way that Muhammad taught his followers to pray uses certain words, but also certain actions.

And because, just like other things, people easily forget that God is there, the prayer is made regularly

five times each day as a reminder.

This special kind of prayer is like a greeting between friends.

Different languages have different names for this prayer. In Urdu it is called Namaz, but in Arabic the name for this kind of prayer is Sala

Some of the words are the same in every Sala, and some can be different.

Some prayers are longer and some are shorter.

Some are spoken out loud, and some are said quietly inside.

Some words are said by everyone that makes the Sala

and some are different depending on what tradition you follow.

and of course some words can be whatever you want to add,

words that are just between you and Allah,

the One [Hu] made you.

But as well as the words, the prayer has actions.

When Muhammad taught the Muslims to pray, he taught them to stand, and bow, and stand again, and to kneel with their faces on the ground, and to sit back on their heels.

In Islam, those who cannot speak can pray by joining in with the actions.

The Sala is made to remind us that God is there,

but that doesn't mean that God isn't there when we aren't praying.

God is always there. God is everywhere.

Wherever we look, east or west, up or down, inside ourselves and every other thing, God is to be found.

Of course, we can't see God like we can see other things, but that doesn't mean God isn't there.

God is like Time, which can't be seen itself,

but can be seen in its effect on other things.

We can't see God like other things, nor can we hear God like other things.

But that doesn't mean that God doesn't hear us.

One of the most wonderful things about our relationship with God,

is that although God is everywhere at all times,

God hears each of us whenever we have something we want to communicate.

God hears our prayers when we pray.

God hears our praises when we give praise.

God hears the words that we speak,

knows what we think, and what we feel.

There are no secrets between us and God.

God knows the quiet thoughts inside our hearts.

So we can pray to God at any time, out loud or quietly inside.

But the Salaat is a special prayer

And to make clear that it is special, we wash before we make it.

What has washing got to do with praying?