Islam and Peace
Prayer in Islam
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PRAYER IN ISLAM
Du’a (prayer) literally means to call. In Islamic
terminology
du’a
means calling God, whether for
worldly assistance or for salvation in the Hereafter.
Prayer has great significance in Islam. According to
one of the
hadith,
the Prophet Muhammad said, ‘It is
prayer (du’a) which is worship,’ and ‘Prayer is the
essence of
‘ibadah’
1
.
The reason prayer has such
importance is that it is the ultimate expression of
God’s greatness and power and of man’s
helplessness. That is why a sincere prayer is the
most precious of all deeds in the eyes of God.
(
1
A technical term in theology meaning act of
worship or ritual from the word ‘abada “to serve”
and ‘abd “slave.”)
Prayer does not mean learning certain words by
rote and then constantly repeating them. Although
many prayers have been recorded in the books of
Hadith, they are meant only to give us the
substance of prayer, not its wording.
