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Recently I came across an article, the topic was As-salaat. So I had a read ofit, reading through it the person was arguing that Salawat in the Qurandoes not mean prayer (worship, according to him it means! a set ofguidelines or instructions. "he pro#lem he has is, he didn$t pro%ide anysource to #ac& his e%idence up. 'e interpreted the word Salawat with his

own understanding. Another thing people need to &now is, he does not &nowthe Ara#ic language. 'e attac&ed the Ara#s for translating the wordSalawat to prayer, so according to this self made illiterate scholar, theAra# Scholars are all wrong for nearly )** years and he is right. +hat I willdo to refute this fool is use mostly on-uslim sources to de#un& hisfallacious claims, od willing.

/dward 0ane elucidates what Salawat means!

/dward 0ane 0e1icon23

As you ha%e read from a#o%e 0e1icon, 'e (/dward e1plains that Salaatmeans prayer (worship.

"he author of the article for As-Salaat goes to say that this %erse #elowma&es no sense if we use prayer. I dont li&e shaming the person (author, Iwont name him, #ut I will use the letter 4 as his name.

Q!56 "hey said, 7 Shu$ay#, does your salaat (salaatu-&a command you(ta8muru-&a that we should lea%e what our fathers ser%ed or not do with ourwealth what we please9 Indeed, you are the for#earing, the discerning:

Actually it ma&es perfect sense if you ;ust read the commentary on the a#o%e%erse. ?@"afsir al-4alalayn commentator for the Quran says the following!

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"hey said, to him moc&ingly! B7 ShuBay#, does your 2way of3 prayercommand you, with the o#ligation 2to ma&e sure3, that we should lea%e whatour fathers 2used to3 worship, of idols, or, that we should cease, to do as wewill with our goods9, meaning that such a command is an a#surdity which noperson calling to good would commend. Cou are indeed the for#earing, the

right-guided$! they said this in moc&ery.2D3

So you see ha%e read, it ma&es perfect sense now, what the story is a#out.

4 istranslates the word Salawata in the following %erse!

QE!FE Gut there came after them successors who neglected to followinstructions (as-Salaat and pursued desiresH so they are going to meet e%il

'ere is a num#er of Ara#ic spea&ing translators of the Quran, who ha%etranslated E!FE. let$s see if one of them agree with his interpretation!

. Sahih International

Gut there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursueddesiresH so they are going to meet e%il -

D. uhsin han

"hen, there has succeeded them a posterity who ha%e gi%en up As-Salat (theprayers 2i.e. made their Salat (prayers to #e lost, either #y not offering themor #y not offering them perfectly or #y not offering them in their proper fi1edtimes, etc.3 and ha%e followed lusts. So they will #e thrown in 'ell.

J. Kic&thall

ow there hath succeeded them a later generation whom ha%e ruinedworship and ha%e followed lusts. Gut they will meet deception.

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). Cusuf Ali

Gut after them there followed a posterity who missed prayers and followedafter lusts soon, then, will they face Lestruction,-

F. Sha&ir

Gut there came after them an e%il generation, who neglected prayers andfollowed and sensual desires, so they win meet perdition,

M. Lr. hali

"hen there succeeded e%en after them a succession who wasted the prayerand closely followed lustsH so they will e%entually meet misguidance.

All of them agree with each other that E!FE is to do with prayer (worship.Question to him is which source has he pro%ided that this %erse is not tal&inga#out prayer (worship, #ut something else9

"his is the last %erse I will respond to from his article, I will pro%ide all theon-uslim sources that agree with uslim scholars that salawat meansprayer.

r 4$s translation for D)!)

QD)!) Lo you not see that he who is in the hea%ens and in the earth goesa#out performing tas&s for Allah, and e%en the #irds with wings spread9 /ach

has its own set of instructions (salaata-hu and its own wor& which it performsfor Allah, and Allah is nowing of what they do.

4 is %ery ignorant, he has ne%er studied the Ara#ic language, yet he istranslating the a#o%e %erse as if he is a scholar. Nhec& the followingtranslators of the Quran and how e%ery one of them agree with each other

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that the a#o%e %erse is tal&ing a#out prayer. Cet 4 is trying to argue it is a#outinstructions not prayer.

. uhammad Asad AR" "'7O 7" aware that it is od whose limitless gloryall 2creatures3 that are in the hea%ens and on earth e1tol, e%en the #irds asthey spread out their wings9 /ach 2of them3 &nows indeed how to pray unto'im and to glorify 'imH and od has full &nowledge of all that they do!

D. . . Kic&thall 'ast thou not seen that Allah, 'e it is +hom all who are inthe hea%ens and the earth praise, and the #irds in their flight9 7f each 'e&noweth %erily the worship and the praiseH and Allah is Aware of what theydo.

J. Sha&ir Lo you not see that Allah is 'e +hom do glorify all those who are inthe hea%ens and the earth, and the (%ery #irds with e1panded wings9 'e&nows the prayer of each one and its glorification, and Allah is NogniPant ofwhat they do.

). Cusuf Ali (Saudi Re%. E5F Seest thou not that it is Allah +hose praises all#eings in the hea%ens and on earth do cele#rate, and the #irds (of the air

with wings outspread9 /ach one &nows its own (mode of prayer and praise.And Allah &nows well all that they do.

F. Cusuf Ali (7rig. EJ5 Seest thou not that it is od +hose praises all #eingsin the hea%ens and on earth do cele#rate, and the #irds (of the air withwings outspread9 /ach one &nows its own (mode of prayer and praise. Andod &nows well all that they do.

M. Lr. 0aleh Ga&htiar 'ast thou not considered that glorifies od whate%er isin the hea%ens and the earth and the #irds, ones standing in ran&s9 /ach&new its formal prayer and its glorification. And od is nowing of what theyaccomplish.

6. +ahiduddin han 2Krophet3, do you not see that all those who are in the

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hea%ens and on earth praise od, as do the #irds with wings outstretched9/ach &nows his own mode of prayer and glorification! od has full &nowledgeof all that they do.

5. ".G.Ir%ing 'a%e you not seen how e%eryone in 'ea%en and /arth glorifiesod, e%en to the #irds lined up (in flight9 /ach &nows its prayer and how toglorify 'im. od is Aware of whate%er they do.

E. A#del 'aleem 2Krophet3, do you not see that all those who are in thehea%ens and earth praise od, as do the #irds with wings outstretched9 /ach&nows its 2own way3 of prayer and glorification! od has full &nowledge ofwhat they do.

*. A#dul a;id Larya#adi Geholdest thou not that Allah those hallow 'imwhosoe%er is in the hea%ens and the earth and the #irds with wingsoutspread9 Surely each one &noweth his prayer and his hallowingH and Allahis the nower of that which they do.

. Aisha Gewley Lo you not see that e%eryone in the hea%ens and earthglorifies Allah, as do the #irds with their outspread wings9 /ach one &nows its

prayer and glorification. Allah &nows what they do.

D. Ali nal Lo you not see that all that is in the hea%ens and the earth, andthe #irds flying in patterned ran&s with wings spread out glorify od. /ach&nows the way of its prayer and glorification. od has full &nowledge of allthat they do.

J. Ali Quli Qara$i 'a%e you not regarded that Allah is glorified #y e%eryone inthe hea%ens and the earth, and the #irds spreading their wings. /ach &nowshis prayer and glorification, and Allah &nows #est what they do.

). 'amid S. APiP 'a%e you not seen that Allah, 'e it is whom praise all whoare in the hea%ens and the earth, and the #irds in their flight9 /ach one&nows its worship and its praise, and Allah is aware of what they do9

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+ho e%er #elie%es that salawat doesnt mean prayer, please do sol%e thispuPPle for me. 0ets say I agree with your interpretation that salawat meansInstructions. Nan anyone ma&e sense of this %erse #elow. Say we remo%ed

the word prayer and replaced it with instructions would it ma&e sense9'ere is the %erse!

Salawat

If we use 4$s way of translating the a#o%e %erse, it will sound something li&ethis!

aintain with care the (o#ligatory instructions and (in particular "'/ILL0/ IS"RON"I7 and stand #efore Allah, de%outly o#edient.

+hat does ILL0/ IS"RON"I7 mean9 I ha%e a lot more %erses that wontma&e no sense at all, if we used the word instruction instead of prayer.

ow I will finish of with on-uslim sources, who &now the Ara#ic languagefluently. See what they thin& Salawat means!

. 'aywood says!

Salaat2J3

D. 'ans +ehr!

salaat2)3

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J. 4ohn Kenrice!

salaat2F3

Nonclusion! It is a#undantly clear with the %ast amount of e%idence I ha%epresented that salawat means prayer. I had loo&ed around from uslimand on-uslim sources, may#e I< salawat could mean instruction, #ut Ididn$t find a one shred of e%idence of that, all of them (uslim and on-uslims Scholars agreed that it could only mean prayer and notinstruction.

Sources!

23 /dward 0ane 0e1icon, %olume ), page 6D* and 6D

2D3 http!88www.altafsir.com8"afasir.asp9tadho*Tt"afsiro6)TtSoraoTtAyaho56TtLisplayyesTOserKrofile*T0anguageIdD

2J34.A 'aywood, A ew Ara#ic rammar, page M5M

2)3 'ans +ehr, A Lictionary of odern +ritten Ara#ic, page FDJ

2F3 4ohn Kenrice. A Lictionary and lossary of the oran. Kage 5F

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