Section 3

Ṣalāh (الصَّلَاة) The Islamic Ritual Prayer

3.1 Introduction: The Importance of Ṣalāh

Ṣalāh (الصَّلَاة), the second pillar of Islam, is the most frequent and visible expression of a Muslim’s submission to Allāh. It is an act of both worship and obedience, performed five times daily in a structured manner. Ṣalāh is the distinguishing mark of a believer:

الْعَهْدُ الَّذِي بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمُ الصَّلَاةُ، فَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَدْ كَفَرَ

“The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer. Whoever abandons it has disbelieved.”

(Tirmidhī, 2621; graded ḥasan)

Imām Mālik viewed ṣalāh as non-negotiable, and those who abandon it persistently without excuse were severely censured—even if they didn't deny its obligation (al-Mudawwanah, vol. 1, p. 95).

3.2 Linguistic and Legal Definitions

The Arabic word ṣalāh (الصلاة) means "supplication" or "connection." It is derived from the root ṣ-l-w (ص ل و), meaning to pray or to connect. In the Sharīʿah, ṣalāh refers to the prescribed ritual acts including standing, bowing, prostrating, and reciting specific verses at fixed times.

According to Mālikī fiqh, ṣalāh is defined as:

أقوال وأفعال مفتتحة بالتكبير ومختتمة بالتسليم بشرائط مخصوصة

“Acts and words that begin with takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) and end with salām, under specific conditions.”

(Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, Al-Risālah)

3.3 Qur’anic Basis for Ṣalāh

Ṣalāh is mentioned repeatedly in the Qur’ān:

وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَآتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱرْكَعُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلرَّٰكِعِينَ

“Establish the prayer, give zakāh, and bow with those who bow [in worship].”

(Qur’ān, Al-Baqarah 2:43)

إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَٰبًۭا مَّوْقُوتًا

“Indeed, prayer has been enjoined upon the believers at fixed times.”

(Qur’ān, An-Nisā’ 4:103)

The command in these verses shows ṣalāh as a prescribed duty, not a voluntary act.

3.4 The Times of Prayer (Mālikī View)

In Mālikī jurisprudence, the five daily prayers are:

1. Ṣubḥ (Fajr): From true dawn until sunrise

2. Ẓuhr: After the sun passes its zenith until an object’s shadow equals its length

3. ʿAṣr: From that point until sunset

4. Maghrib: Immediately after sunset until twilight ends

5. ʿIshāʾ: From twilight end until midnight

إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَٰبًۭا مَّوْقُوتًا

(Qur’ān, An-Nisā’ 4:103)

According to al-Qarāfī (d. 684 AH), delaying ṣalāh without valid reason is harām, even if performed within the time (al-Dhakhīrah, vol. 2, p. 192).

3.5 The Pillars of Ṣalāh (Arkān aṣ-Ṣalāh)

Imām Mālik and his school identify 16 essential pillars (arkān) without which the prayer is invalid:

1. Niyyah (Intention)

2. Takbīrat al-Iḥrām

3. Standing (Qiyām) in obligatory prayers

4. Recitation of al-Fātiḥah

5. Bowing (Rukūʿ)

6. Rising from rukūʿ (Iʿitidāl)

7. Prostration (Sujūd) twice

8. Sitting between prostrations

9. Tranquility (Ṭumaʾnīnah)

10. Final Tashahhud

11. Sitting for the final Tashahhud

12. Sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ

13. Taslīm (salutation of peace)

14. Order of acts

15. Continuous performance

16. Covering ʿAwrah (nakedness)

(Summarized from al-Risālah, Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī)

3.6 Inner Dimensions: Khushūʿ and Spiritual Presence

The Qur’ān praises those who pray with humility and reverence:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَٰشِعُونَ

“Successful indeed are the believers those who humble themselves in their prayers.”

(Qur’ān, Al-Muʾminūn 23:1-2)

Mālikī scholars emphasize khushūʿ (خشوع) as a sunnah muʾakkadah (emphasized sunnah) not obligatory but highly recommended.

3.7 Mālikī Distinctions in Ṣalāh

Some unique Mālikī rulings include:

• Not raising the hands after the first takbīr in rukūʿ

• Qunūt in Fajr is allowed but optional

• Resting between sujūd is encouraged for elderly or tired

• Not saying "Āmīn" loudly after al-Fātiḥah in obligatory ṣalāh

(Source: al-Mudawwanah, Sharḥ al-Kharashī)

3.8 Neglecting the Prayer and Legal Implications

The Mālikī position on deliberate neglect of ṣalāh without denying its obligation is that the person is not a kāfir (disbeliever), but is sinful and punishable.

Imām Mālik said:

“Whoever leaves prayer without excuse should be imprisoned and beaten.”

(al-Mudawwanah, vol. 1)

If one denies its obligation, then according to all schools, he is a kāfir (disbeliever).

3.9 Social & Political Importance

In Mālikī legal thought, prayer is a communal obligation. Imām Mālik permitted compulsion to attend congregational prayer for able-bodied men, especially Jumuʿah.

The Caliph or governor can enforce it, as it reflects religious discipline and social order.

3.10 Hadiths on Ṣalāh with Arabic Text

بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ ... وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ

“Islam is built on five pillars… and establishing the prayer.”

(Bukhārī, 8; Muslim, 16)

مَنْ صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَهُوَ فِي ذِمَّةِ اللَّهِ

“Whoever prays Fajr in congregation is under the protection of Allāh.”

(Muslim, 657)

📚 Reference

• Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī. (2003). Al-Risālah. Dār al-Minhāj.

• Mālik ibn Anas. (1994). Al-Mudawwanah al-Kubrā. Dār al-Fikr.

• Al-Qarāfī, A. (2001). Al-Dhakhīrah. Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī.

• Al-Kharashī, M. (n.d.). Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar Khalīl. Dār al-Fikr.

• Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj. (2006). Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Dār Ṭawq al-Najāh.

• Bukhārī, M. (2001). Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Dār Ibn Kathīr.