Subject: [Masjid Tucson] Submission weekly reminder

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

When Abraham implored God in 14:40, he did not ask for wealth or health; the gift he implored for was: "Please God, make me one who observes the contact prayers (Salat)." The religious duties instituted by God are in fact a great gift from Him.

The five daily contact prayers are the main meals for the soul. While a soul may attain some growth and development by leading a righteous life, and without observing the contact prayers, this would be like surviving on snacks without regular meals.

We are reminded to observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) very early in the Quran (Quran 2:3). God placed The Key (Al-Fãtehah)--the only sura we recite in the Contact Prayers--as the first chapter of the Quran. Observing the Contact Prayers is part of righteousness (Quran 2:177), and a condition for staying within God's protection (Quran 5:12). God guarantees He will recompense those who uphold the scripture and observe the Contact Prayers (Quran 7:170)


[Quran 2:2-3] This scripture is infallible; a beacon for the righteous; who believe in the unseen, observe the Contact Prayers (Salat),* and from our** provisions to them, they give to charity.
*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.


References:
Religious Duties: A Gift From God, https://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/appendix15.html#prayers
Contact Prayers (Salat), https://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2015/jan/page1.html

Peace.