*In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful* *The Qur'aan says, "... We have neglected nothing in the Book ..." [Verse 6.38]* ** *And yet, there are a number of things that are not mentioned in the Qur'aan, as, for example, **the number of rakaat in the ritual Prayers ( Salaat) offered at different times of the day **.* ** *In the circumstances, how does one interpret the Verse quoted above, and similar other Verses telling mankind that the divine Book contains explanations on everything? * ** *There are many Verses in the Qur'aan, like Verse 6.38, that are strongly indicative of the divine Book being self-sufficient on all matters concerning Islam, the Allah-approved and perfect Religion for the entire mankind. Some such Verses are as follows: *
- *12.111 - ... It is not a concocted hadeeth, but a confirmation of what preceded it and details of every thing and a guidance and a mercy for people who believe.* - *17.89 - And We have certainly explained, in this Qur'aan, every kind of example ...* - *18.54 - And We have certainly explained, in this Qur'aan, every kind of example for mankind ...* - *39.27 - And We have certainly given for mankind, in this Qur'aan, every kind of example for them to remember.* *When the Almighty Creator of everything, Himself categorically declares that He has explained everything in His Book, and neglected nothing, we cannot but accept the divine declaration. If we do not, we betray our lack of faith in the Qur'an being the divine Book. * *So, the believers have no option but to accept that the Qur'aan explains everything that needs to be explained to mankind for the right conduct of their lives on this planet. Here one thing needs to be clearly understood, and that is that, besides the Qur'aan, the All-knowing Allah has granted the boon of a high grade Intellect to mankind. And when the Qur'aan tells us that it has not neglected anything, it obviously means anything that is not grasped through the Intellect. To illustrate this point through a simple example, it would be ridiculous to ask, "If the Qur'aan has neglected nothing, where is the guidance therein for driving a car properly?" This question would be ridiculous because Allah has given us the Intellect to acquire the necessary knowledge and expertise to be able to drive a car. Allah guides us, through the Qur'aan, in matters that cannot be dealt with merely through the use of the Intellect. And it is in such matters that Allah's guidance, through the Qur'aan, is thorough and perfect. That is what the divine Verses, quoted above, tell us. * ** *Now let us consider the case, specified above, wherein the Qur'aan appears to have missed mentioning some important and necessary detail:* ** *Number of Rakaat in Salaat * ** *The number is of course not mentioned in the Qur'aan. Nor is it unanimously specified, to the best of my knowledge and belief, in the ahaadeeth. Authors of books of Salaat appear to have mentioned the number on the basis of the established practice prevalent at the time of writing those books. In any case, let us consider whether the number is absolutely necessary and important in the eyes of Allah Ta'ala in whose worship the prayers are performed. Since He has not mentioned it in His Book, it goes without saying that it is not absolutely necessary and important in the eyes of Allah. What is absolutely important is what is specifically mentioned in the Qur'aan. And what is mentioned in the Qur'aan is, inter alia, that the prayers be performed devotedly for Allah and for none else. Allah may not question us on the number of rakaat we performed, but He may question us regarding the wanderings of our minds during the performance of those rakaat.* *But that apart, the Qur'aan does not prevent us from following the practice prevalent as regards the number of rakaat. Herein comes the role for our Allah-given boon of Intellect. Since Allah has directed us to perform our salaat in congregation preferably, we have to perform the same number of rakaat as the Imam does. And for the sake of uniformity, it would be preferable to follow the prevalent practice in this regard. But Allah has purposely not prescribed the number to enable His devotees to make adjustments suitable to any abnormal situation that may arise at the time of the prayer. Far from being a neglect, this is really a Mercy from Him .* *To conclude,* - *the number of rakaat is not an absolutely necessary and importanct aspect of a salaat,* - *the Qur'aan does not, nevertheless, prevent us from following the prevalent practice in this regard, for the sake of uniformity,* - *the Qur'aan has not prescribed any number for the rakaat, to enable an adjustment to suit any abnormal situation, * - *far from being a neglect, this is really a Mercy from Allah, and,* - *the Qur'aan is the self-sufficient source for Islam.* *Mohammad Shafi* *islam-n-interest.com <http://www.islam-n-interest.com/>* **
