Kalima The Creed must be repeated by the true Muslim once at the least during his lifetime. This is the confession of the lips, and must be made correctly and without hesitation; it is also the confession of the heart, and must be held till death.
2. THE DAILY DEVOTIONS.
“Therefore glorify God when the evening overtaketh
you, and when ye rise in the morning;
And unto him be praise in heaven and earth, and at
sunset, and when ye rest at noon.”
Sulát There are five services of prayer daily, observed with great regularity by all religious men and women. The form is liturgical; the word Sulát has rather the meaning of devotional service than of hours of prayer. HoursThe first hour is at dawn of day. The second is at noon. The third is between four and five in the afternoon. The fourth service is held as the sun disappears beneath the horizon. The fifth is at the retiring hour at night.
Preparation Before prayer all Mussulmans cleanse face, ears and nostrils, hands and feet; that they may be free of all bodily pollution before entering the presence of God. Many change their garments each time they pray. The room is cleaned, and the worshipper who has cleaned the room changes his garments before engaging in the service.
Solemnity This service of prayer in the case of serious worshippers is very touching to the sympathetic witness; it is true, as so many critics of Islam have noted, that prayer is formal, and is repeated in an unknown tongue; but to those who know the heart hunger which constantly finds expression in that five-times-repeated daily liturgy, who would fain change the constant refrain “God is great” for the gladder “God is love,” the service, whether in the mosque, in the home, or on the wayside, is one of the most pathetic appeals addressed to the unknown God by any people.
There is no mediation; prayer is offered directly to God, the only reference to the Prophet being a prayer “for Muhammad and his descendants.”