REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Prayer in the general sense is a ritual worship required by Allah SWT to Muslims. Linguistically, prayer comes from Arabic which means prayer.
Whereas, according to the term, prayer is a series of special or specific worship activities that begin with takbiratul ihram and end with salam.
As Allah says in QS al-Baqarah: 238, Allah commands His people to pray five times which is the ritual worship of Muslims. “Keep all your prayers, and the wusthaa prayers. Stand up for Allah (in your salad) solemnly.“
However, do you know any other meanings of prayer, besides being considered ritual worship required by Allah SWT? In his book “Misunderstanding of the Quran,” Ahmad Sarwat, Lc. MA elaborates it into several other meanings.
1. Friday Prayer
Apparently, God also explained the meaning of prayer in addition to the five-time prayer. For example, such as the verse Allah conveys about Friday prayers such as the following verse.
“O you who believe! If you have been called to pray on Friday, remember Allah and stop buying and selling. It is better for you if you know.“
2. Funeral prayer
The prayer described in the Quran is also the prayer of the corpse. Allah says in Surah At-Taubah: 84.
“And do not pray for anyone who dies among them (the hypocrites) for ever and ever and do not stand on his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and they died in iniquity.“
3. Prayer as a giver of blessings and grace
Allah said in his verse, “Allah and His angels intercede for the Prophet. O you who believe! Pray for the Prophet and greet him with reverence. “(QS al-Ahzab: 56)
But what is the meaning of Allah to pray for the Prophet? Apparently, the meaning of prayer here is mercy and compassion. Although in Indonesian prayer and shalawat have different meanings, in Arabic they both have the same meaning. The difference between prayer is the singular form, while shalawat is the mashdar form.
4. Prayer for forgiveness
The meaning of prayer will change if the one doing it is an angel and addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, so the meaning changes to asking for forgiveness. It should not be translated that angels pray to the Prophet Muhammad.
5. Reading Shalawat
Our prayer to the Prophet Muhammad is to recite the lafal shalawat that we know in Indonesian, that is, to recite Allahumma Sholli'alah sayyidina Muhammad. Like the hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslims.
“O Messenger of Allah, we already know how to convey greetings to you. But how do we pray to you? He replied, “Say: Allahumma shalli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala Ali Muhammad.
6. Prayer to pray
Not only the above meaning, it turns out that prayer is also sometimes understood as praying, as stated in the following verse:
“Take zakat from their possessions, to cleanse and purify them, and pray for them. Surely your prayer will bring peace of mind to them. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. “(QS At Taubah: 103)
7. Prayer means reading the Quran
The word prayer can also mean reading the Quran or reciting prayer verses, as God says in his verse in Surah al-Isra': 110. “Do not pray with your prayers.”