Allah Does Not Pray To Anyone: Distinguishing Facts from Fiction
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Ibrahim Nkrumah, Ghana
It seems people are getting desperate. They have run out of those arguments against Islam which might sound plausible and have now resorted to allegations that are truly quite odd.
I saw this allegation on social media propagated by Christian apologists. They have tried to prove that Islam was not entirely monotheistic because, apparently, God can pray to people.
For context, it seems that Christian apologists were unable to find a satisfactory answer to the question of why Jesus (as) prays to God the Father in the Bible (i.e. if Jesus and God are the same being then why is Jesus praying to himself?) and so in a weak attempt to turn things around they’ve tried to show that God can also pray to others in Islam (God forbid).
Here’s how their argument works:
Background: In Islam, there are 5 daily prayers. Each one of these involves certain positions (e.g. standing, bowing) and each position is accompanied by different words of prayer in the original Arabic. This is repeated (quietly) by all Muslims irrespective of what their native language is (although they are, of course, supposed to learn the meaning behind those words). Towards the end of each of the 5 daily prayers, Muslims silently recite the following words in
Arabic:
اللّھمّ صلّ علی محمد و علی آل محمد
Transliteration: Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin
Translation: O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the people of Muhammad
Main point: Some Christian apologists have been alleging that the words ‘salli’ (صلّ) and ‘sallaita’ (صلّیتَ) don’t actually mean ‘bless’ in this context but ‘pray (to)’. In other words, they allege that Muslims are asking God to pray to Muhammad (sa) and his people (i.e. Muslims). Now, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Muslims praying to God to pray to Muslims makes zero sense. So why do they think this?
In Arabic, the word for ‘prayer’ is ‘salat’ (صَلَاة) and this is the term used in Arabic for the 5 daily prayers. The plural is ‘salawat’ (صَلَوَات) i.e. ‘prayers’. Both words come from the root ‘salla’ (صَلَّى) meaning to ‘pray’ or ‘supplicate’ (i.e. beg for something). This is the same root as the words in the prayer above, which are also followed by the preposition ‘ala’ (عَلَى) which has a range of meanings such as ‘on’, ‘upon’, ‘over’, ‘against’, ‘for’ and also ‘to’. This means that someone with an agenda whose knowledge of Arabic is weak, could easily make a leap and think that ‘salla ala’ (صَلَّى عَلَى) must therefore mean ‘pray to’ (i.e. ‘pray to Muhammad’, God forbid).
It does not. It literally means to ‘pray for’. This is explained by His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in his Friday Sermon on 30th April 2021:
‘On one occasion, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud(ra) [The Second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community] explained this and I will present a summary of it.
In the durood [prayer for invoking salutations upon the Holy Prophet (sa)], “Allahumma salli” comes first and “Allahumma barik” comes after. The wisdom behind this is that “Salat” means to pray; therefore, “Allahumma salli” means, “O Allah! Pray for the Holy Prophet(sa).”
Now, those who pray are of two types; firstly, those who have nothing and they seek from others; the others are those who have complete authority and grant to others. Thus, when we say regarding God Almighty that He prays, it means that He instructs His creation, including the wind, water, mountains, etc. to support His servant. Therefore, “Allahumma salli” means, “O Allah! Grant Your Prophet(sa) all the good that is found in this world and in the Heavens. Exalt him in honour and respect.’
Thus, when Allah the Almighty decrees for something, then nothing can be greater than that because we cannot even fathom the scope of what He decrees and wills. Therefore, we present this supplication before Allah the Almighty that whatever is the greatest status in His sight or whatever rank He wishes, may He grant that to the Holy Prophet(sa).”
In other words, Muslims ask Allah to pray for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) i.e. to bless him. You can find proof of this very obvious meaning of ‘salla ala‘ in the Holy Qur’an, when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is told by Allah:
وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلاَتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ
‘…And pray for them; thy prayer is indeed a source of tranquillity for them…’ (The Holy Qur’an, 9:103)
Here the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is told to pray for his followers. It would be absurd to think that the Holy Prophet (sa) prayed to his followers. Not only would that defy the rules of Arabic grammar, it defies common sense.
Moreover, consider the following verse, in which God sends ‘salawat’ i.e. ‘blessings’ and ‘rahmah’ i.e. ‘mercy’ upon the righteous believers:
أُولَـئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
‘It is these on whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is these who are rightly guided.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 2:158)
The word ‘salawat’ in this context clearly means ‘blessings’. After all, how can it make sense to pray to people but also send mercy on them? Again, that would contradict not only the rules of Arabic grammar but also of basic common sense.
I would like to conclude this piece by praying:
یا ربّ صلّ علی نبیّک دائماً فی ھذہ الدنیا و بعث ثانی
‘Oh Lord! Bless Your Prophet forever in this world and the next.’
About the author: Ibrahim Nkrumah is a sixth-year student at the University of Theology and Scholastic Sciences Ghana (Jamia Ahmadiyya International Ghana).
Links to the allegations:
