Subject: [Masjid Tucson] Submission weekly reminder

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Observing the Contact Prayers (Salat) is mentioned early in the Quran (Quran 2:3). And the first Sura of the Quran, Al-Fãtehah, is what we recite in the Contact Prayers. This shows us how important the Contact Prayers are.

Why do we say "Contact Prayers" and not simply "prayers"? Since the Arabic word SALAT is rooted in the word SILAT which means connection or contact, the best translation for Salat is "Contact Prayer".

We learn from 2:37 that we can establish contact with God by uttering the specific Arabic words given to us by God. Sura 1, The Key, is a mathematically composed combination of sounds that unlocks the door between us and God.

[Quran 2:2-3] This scripture is infallible; a beacon for the righteous;
 who believe in the unseen, observe the Contact Prayers (Salat),* ...
*2:3 Since the Contact Prayers are decreed five times a day, they constitute the prime source of nourishment for our souls. Along with all other practices in Submission, the Contact Prayers were originally revealed through Abraham (21:73, 22:78). Although these five daily prayers were practiced before the revelation of the Quran, each Contact Prayer is specifically mentioned in the Quran (24:58, 11:114, 17:78, & 2:238). Appendices 1 & 15 provide physical evidence supporting all the details of the Contact Prayers, including the number of units (Rak'aas) and the numbers of bowings, prostrations, and Tashahhuds in each prayer.

May God help us consistently observe the Contact Prayers.

References:
Religious Duties: A Gift From God, https://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/appendix15.html
Salat: Contact Prayer, https://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/1986/may/page1.html

Peace.