Why no video for the Salat?
Question:
I wonder whether you have a graphical presentation like vignettes or some pictures or even a video of the way to perform Salat in your views, as there are on some other websites?
Reply:
We have on our site all the Quranic instructions for observing a complete and lawful Salat: The Salat in the Quran
However, we would never post a video of any person performing the Salat for the viewers to follow, as other sites do, simply because by doing so we would violate two important Quranic instructions:
1- In Islamic terminology, the word ‘Sunna’ means the methodology of observing any ritual, such as the Salat or others. The majority of Muslims in the world follow what they call the “Sunna of Muhammad”. This means that they follow the way Muhammad observed his Salat (and all other rituals), in every detail.
However, by virtue of the Quranic verses which confirm that the only duty of the messenger is to deliver the message of God (such as 5:99), it becomes our duty to follow what the messenger was sent with, which is the Quran and nothing else.
The Quran also confirms that God never authorized the Sunna of any human; the Sunna of God is the only lawful Sunna:
Such was the Sunna of God for those who passed on before. You will find that there is no substitute for the Sunna of God. 33:62
Further confirmation is witnessed in the command which God gives Muhammad and which forbids him from following anything other than the Quran:
Say (O Muhammad), "I am not a novelty among the messengers, nor do I know what will happen to me or to you. I follow nothing other than what is revealed to me (Quran). I am no more than a clear warner. 46:9 (also in 10:15).
What this means is that whoever wishes to follow the prophet must follow what the prophet followed, which once again is the Quran and nothing else.
Because of this very clear Quranic message, it would be totally misleading to post a video of any person, whoever he is and then advertise this as the “correct” way of observing the Salat! By doing so, we would be inviting others to follow a person rather than follow the Scripture.
2- The Quran gives a number of basic rules for observing the Salat, but then leaves the believer the freedom to personalize his/her Salat rather than follow a dogmatic mechanical format. As long as the person adheres to the basic principles and framework of the Salat given in the Quran, then he/she is totally free to personalize their Salat.
For example, the Quran instructs us to utter a number of Quranic words which glorify God, one example is: “Subhan rabi Al-Aala” (Glory be to God the Most High), however the Quran does not specify how many times this phrase is to be uttered nor at what stage of the Salat it should be uttered.
Those who are always keen to discredit the Quranic confirmation that the Quran has all the details (6:114) will quickly manipulate the absence of this detail in the Quran (how many times or when) to justify their non-Quranic sources!
However, those with knowledge of the Quranic message will know that the absence of this detail from the Quran is not because the Book does not have all the details, but it is because God does not require a fixed format but has left every believer the freedom to repeat this phrase any number of times and at any time during his/her Salat.
Thus to post a video of any person observing the Salat and uttering this phrase, say 3 times during sujud (prostrating), would imply that this is the correct frequency and timing of uttering this phrase. This would present a restriction that does not exist anywhere in the Quran!
Finally, posting such a video would result in misguiding many people by leading them to follow the methodology of the person in the video without retaining for themselves the personal touch which makes their Salat their own personal spiritual exercise; an exercise which abides by the framework of Salat in the Quran but which is also a personal experience and thus brings them closer to God.
The following pages give the Quranic positions of the Salat, and also the Quranic words for the Salat.