ABSTRACT
to begin with, it ought to be noticed by a student of Islam that prayer is a duty prescribed for the believer directly by the command of God. Thus, there is an order to pray and, what is more, to translate literally the commandment of the Quran, there is an order to establish prayer, aqīmu ʾl-ṣalāh. This commandment is absolutely binding. There are minor exceptions as when one is ill in a manner such that he cannot pray. One is ordered to pray even in war. This sense of obligation to pray is in reference to the formalized and institutionalized ritual prayer, which is to be performed five times a day. Although one can perform this prayer by oneself, the value of the prayer is enhanced if it is performed in congregation in a mosque. The ritual prayer, over and above its direct benefit to the individual, has a social aspect in that it brings one closer to his fellow men and promotes the life of the community by integrating its members into a fraternal feeling of oneness. The community prayer is led by an imam, who is the leader of the prayer. The rest stand in straight rows behind him and follow his commands and the prescribed course of movements necessary for completing the prayer.
