sunrise, after sunset and in the middle of the day. So why do we pray
five times? I hope that you will not give me the story that 50,000
prayers were enjoined then it was reduced to five. I want a convincing
answer.
Praise be to Allaah.
1 - What is mentioned in the question about the number of prayers is
mistaken. It was 50 then it was altered to 5 prayers, a favour from
the Lord of the Worlds to the Muslims.
2 - The rules of sharee'ah may be divided into two categories: those
which may be understood on a rational basis; and those which are
purely worship, the wisdom behind which is concealed from us and is
not mentioned in either the Qur'aan or the Sunnah.
Examples of the first include: the prohibition on alcohol and
gambling. Allaah has told us the reason why they are forbidden, which
is:
"Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you
with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from
the remembrance of Allaah and from As-Salaah (the prayer). So, will
you not then abstain?"
[al-Maa'idah 5:91]
And there are other similar rulings.
Examples of the second kind include offering Zuhr prayer when the sun
has passed its zenith, circumambulating the Ka'bah with it on one's
left (i.e., anticlockwise), the nisaab of gold being a quarter of ten
percent; Maghrib prayer being three rak'ahs, and many other such
rulings.
What is mentioned in the question falls into this second category,
which is things for which we do not know the reason from the Qur'aan
or Sunnah, so we have to submit to the command of Allaah. This applies
to all such rulings.
The Muslim has to accept the things for which Allaah has not explained
the reason, and say as the believers say: "We hear and we obey." He
should not be like the Children of Israel who said: "We hear but we
disobey."
Accepting what Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):"He
[Allaah] cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be
questioned" [al-Anbiya' 21:23]is better for the believer in his
religious and worldly affairs, for he is a slave who has a Lord, and
the slave has no right to ask his Lord why He enjoined something.
Rather he has to submit to His command. If he tells us why, we should
do it, and if He does not tell us why, we should still do it.
3 - Inal-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah(1/49-51) there is a
useful discussion which we will quote here:
With regard to understanding the reasons why things have been
prescribed, we may divide the issues of fiqh into two categories:
1 - Rulings whose wisdom may be understood on a rational basis, either
because the reason is stated in the texts, or because it is easy to
work out.
Such rulings are the majority of those that Allaah has prescribed,
such as enjoining prayer, zakaah, fasting and Hajj in general, and
such as enjoining the mahr (dowry) in marriage, 'iddah (waiting
period) following divorce or widowhood, spending on one's wife,
children and relatives, divorce when married life becomes unbearable,
and many other such issues of fiqh.
2 - Ruling which are enjoined on us as a kind of pure worship. These
are rulings in which the connection between the ruling and the action
is not clear, such as the number of prayers, the number of rak'ahs and
most of the actions of Hajj. By the mercy of Allaah, such rulings are
few in relation to the rulings the wisdom behind which may be
rationally understood. These rulings are prescribed as a test to
demonstrate whether a person is a true believer. It should also be
noted that sharee'ah - both general principles and minor details -
does not prescribe anything that contradict common sense, but it may
prescribe something the reason for which cannot be understood. There
is a big difference between the two. If a person is rationally
convinced that Allaah exists and that He is wise, and that He alone
deserves to be acknowledged as Lord, and he is rationally convinced
that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is a true
Prophet, then he affirms that Allaah is the Sovereign and the Lord,
and that he is His slave. Then if he is commanded to do something or
is forbidden to do something, and he then says, "I will not follow
this ruling until I know the reason behind this command or
prohibition," then he has proven himself to be false in his claim to
be a believer in Allaah and His Messenger. The human mind has a limit
beyond which it cannot go.
The one who rebels against the rulings of Allaah that have to do with
rituals is like a sick person who goes to a trustworthy doctor who
prescribes various kinds of medicine for him, some to be taken before
eating, some to be taken during the meal and some to be taken
afterwards, in various amounts, and he says to the doctor: I will not
take your medicine until you explain to me the reason why this one
should be taken before eating and this one afterwards, and this one
during the meal, and why are they are varying amounts, some small and
some big? Does this patient really trust his doctor? The same may be
said of a person who claims to believe in Allaah and His Messenger,
then he rebels against the rulings the wisdom behind which he does not
understand. The true believer, if he is commanded to something or
forbidden to do something, says, "I hear and I obey," especially when
we have explained that there are no rulings that can be rejected on
the basis of reason. Not knowing something does not indicate that it
is not true. How many rulings are there, the reason for which has been
concealed from us in the past, then we discovered that there is great
wisdom behind them? The reason why pork is forbidden was unknown to
many people, then we found out that it carries germs and disease and
other bad things, and Allaah wanted to protect the Muslim society
against them. The same may be said concerning the command to wash
vessels that have been licked by a dog seven times, one of which
should be with earth... and other rulings the wisdom behind which may be
discovered one day even though it is hidden from us now.
And Allaah knows best.
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