Who needs praying at fixed times?

In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"

Firstly, the daily Jewish ritual prayers whether in the HB fully endorsed and practiced by Jesus and his followers after him, or in today's practice, face a particular direction and are performed at a particular time. Among the examples are 1kings8,Ps5:8,138:2,55:18,1Chr23:30,Dan6:10,Acts3:1,10:9.

Prayers are the real means by which one is constantly kept on the right path, continuously reminded and spiritually "refuled" throughout the day and night. In a parable, the prophet likened the prayers to a wholesome stream by the person's doorsteps, available for the spiritual cleansing of the one washing and bathing in it daily. It is the "call" of God to the believers, and every obedient worshipper answers it duly 43:38. While a believer can certainly engage in worship such as remembering or glorifying God at any time

3:191"standing, sitting or lying on their sides"

some periods of time have special and unique blessings associated with them. Praying cannot be confined to moments of inspiration or desperation - praying only when one is moved by events and "feels like" praying. Anyone who waits for the mood to strike is not a praying person, and probably will not be able to pray authentically even when the mood arrives.

One needs to domesticate the stimulus - to make prayer a natural, comfortable event, a day-to-day happening. Ritual prayer is designed to become second nature, a part of a person, a daily diet. In that way, one comes to be on comfortable speaking terms with God, who, in turn, becomes accessible, almost a conversation partner. There is also a form of religious arrogance in wanting to pray as one feels like it. Taking the example of the change of qibla, the Quran explains that Without God's commission, no place has spiritual excellence or preference in its own essence. The direction in itself is therefore not something to be disputed and argued about. If one wishes to remain in a specific direction as if the place is intrinsically sacred then he may do so. He would have however disobeyed a divine injunction, prioritizing his personal desires and preferences

 2:143,148,177"and We did not make that which you would have to be the qiblah but that We might distinguish him who follows the Messenger from him who turns back upon his heels, and this was surely hard except for those whom Allah has guided aright...And every one has a direction to which he should turn, therefore hasten to (do) good works; wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together...It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil)". 

This is the general principle behind every ritual, to do as one is told, as evidence of submission to the way of God. That is one of the reasons prayers for instance, are made at specific times, with even intervals where they cannot be offered. Islam is the purest form of servitude to God's will, leaving no place even for religious arrogance 

"The Prophet forbade praying after the Fajr prayer till the sun rises and after the 'Asr prayer till the sun sets". 

One can of course recite the Quran, reflect on spiritual matters or make dua/supplications in those restricted intervals.

Linguistically, among the few potential roots all related to another in a certain aspect, salaat stems from silah meaning a close connection. In a horse race, when the second horse follows the first one so closely that its head always overlaps the first horse's head, that horse is called the musalli. The word is thus highly appropriate, as it describes the most essential manner by which the believer holds permanent and perpetual contact with the great Origin of Creation, establishing a relationship with Him, expressing and internalizing his humility, obedience, gratefulness, seeking guidance, protection and forgiveness, as well as imitating the way of the righteous among the prophets and their followers.

That is why Ibrahim demanded God to make him and his offspring keep up prayer 14:40, and keep him on the straight path

6:72,92,1:6,4:103"remember Allah standing and sitting and reclining; but when you are secure (from danger) keep up prayer; surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers". 

This immemorial 19:31,55,20:11-6,21:73 (Bible Dan6:10,Ps55:18,Acts3:1,10:9,Matt6) and timed ordinance that the generations subsequent to the prophets neglected 19:59, of turning oneself to the Creator and Sustainer 38:30,44 solemnly applying one's mind, spirit and body to being in the presence of Allah in total and exclusive devotion 6:162-3,73:8 is done with great joy by the obedient and true believer who does not see it as a heavy task 2:45.

As he accomplishes the first introductory step of purifying his physical self through the ablutions, symbolizing his mental preparedness, he performs it in due time as a demonstration of one's dedication 107:4-5, persistent, consistent and watchful in terms of quality (as denoted with "aala") in the way it is performed 70:22-3, maintaining in mind the remembrance of Allah which is the goal of the ritual, not simply the repetition of gestures and words 20:14, mindful of its contents 4:43 since the ritual is for our own benefit as many times stated throughout the Quran, whether alone or in congregation, with dignity (both mental and physical), humbleness and discretion, in fear, hope, and love of God with a quiet and moderate voice for whether it is uttered loudly or kept within our deepest selves nothing is hidden from Him, without any pride and in total humility at the prospect of addressing the Lord of the universe 7:31,55,56,205,206,17:110,20:7,21:90,23:2,36:11,62:9,67:12. All these qualities are adjoined to the act of prayer as a recipe for success in both this life and the next because prayer in itself becomes meaningless if devoid of spiritual depth and humble intent

23:1-2"Successful indeed are the believers, Who are humble in their prayers.."

That is why there are several reports in which the prophet is depicted as warning against many things that could potentially disrupt the prayers, either because of what they represented at that particular time (fear of disease carrying dogs in Medina), their physical appearance or attributes that alerted the senses (women in general). Although, on that particular point this hadith about women in general causing prayers to be disrupted is a clear example of a rejected report based on its content/matn, despite being narrated by a known and trustworthy contemporary of the prophet. Aisha replies 

"You have compared us to donkeys and dogs! By God I saw the Prophet praying with me lying on the bed between him and the direction of prayer!". 

Aisha here further refers to the fact that she used to be lying between the prophet and the qibla while he prayed. The notion of someone causing the prayer to be disrupted is thus not gender related but depends on what that particular person or thing causes to the praying one 

"I saw Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri praying on a Friday, behind something which acted as a Sutra. A young man from Bani Abi Mu'ait, wanted to pass in front of him, but Abu Sa`id repulsed him with a push on his chest. Finding no alternative he again tried to pass but Abu Sa`id pushed him with a greater force. The young man abused Abu Sa`id and went to Marwan and lodged a complaint against Abu Sa`id and Abu Sa`id followed the young man to Marwan who asked him, "O Abu Sa`id! What has happened between you and the son of your brother?" Abu Sa`id said to him, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'If anybody amongst you is praying behind something as a Sutra and somebody tries to pass in front of him, then he should repulse him and if he refuses, he should use force against him for he is a Shaitan".

We thus see that the precautions the praying person is recommended to take so as to safeguard his focus, is to make sure that no disrupting thing (such as a fearsome dog), stranger or unrelated person, male or female, might come in between him and the sutra. There are cases where the prophet is leading the prayer, without any restriction to what is happening beyond the sutra 

"Bilal fixed the stick and the Prophet offered a two-rak`at Zuhr prayer and a two-rak`at `Asr prayer, while women and donkeys were passing in front of the Prophet (beyond the stick) ".

The prophet was very wary of being concentrated in prayers, as the Quran repeatedly enjoins. For example he disliked having a type of garment on because it reduced his focus 

"the Prophet prayed in a Khamisa (a square garment) having marks. During the prayer, he looked at its marks. So when he finished the prayer he said, "Take this Khamisa of mine to Abu Jahm and get me his Inbijaniya (a woolen garment without marks) as it (the Khamisa) has diverted my attention from the prayer".

A hypocritical, shallow outward ceremonial is a detestable thing to God

 "We visited Anas ibn Malik after dhuhr and he stood up and prayed asr. When he had finished his prayer, we mentioned doing prayers early in their time, or he mentioned it, and he said that he had heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, the prayer of the hypocrites, the prayer of the hypocrites, the prayer of the hypocrites is that one of them sits until the sun becomes yellow and is between the horns of Shaytan, or on the horn of Shaytan, and then gets up and rattles off four rakas, hardly remembering Allah in them at all". 

That is also why some jurists argued that a seemingly valid prayer, whose outward form is correct, can nevertheless be deemed invalid. 

The HB equally admonishes against the soulless ceremonial during rituals

 Prov28:9"He who turns his ear away from hearing the Law-even his prayer is an abomination". 

Similarly when Jesus in the NT Matt6 denounces certain prayer rituals, he is pointing to their vanity in contents, when they are false in spirit and directed to false deities then they are vain no matter how many times they are repeated, as in the case of the prayers of the pagans. On the other hand, even if the contents are true in spirit, but the person reciting them is a hypocrite, doing so just to be seen by men and not acting upon the words he utters, then the prayer becomes meaningless, no matter how many times it is repeated, as was the case of certain Pharisees. Jesus then instructs on the mental manner (in submission to God's will Matt6:10. He doesnt deny its application with steadfastness and constancy if done with the correct mindframe. If done hypocritically, even that very prayer becomes as meaningless as the prayer of the Pharisees. Neither does Jesus deny the repetition of any other prayer ritual when done with true form, contents and intention as alluded to in Lk18:7. He did so himself when he desperately and repeatedly cried to his Lord Matt26:42-44. Groups of angels are depicted whether in the HB or the Quran, as unceasingly praying in Heaven Isa6:1-3,Rev4:8,Quran37:3,40:7-9,42:5. The HB contains many repetitive passages, as in Ps136, which any believer may recite during prayers. 

As to the form of the prayer, it comes in answer to man's natural urge to express his feelings outwardly. When his emotions, in this case spiritual, are released he finds himself fulfilled and satisfied. This action brings balance in man's dual nature, physical and spiritual. Expressing that emotion abstractly, keeping it to one's mind and meditation, is not enough to satisfy the requirements of religious worship. Nothing compares to involving both aspects of one's being during worship, with the senses, a coordinated movement of the body, and position, direction, dress, and recitation of set text, etc. 

Prophets of all times, as seen from both the HB/NT bowed and put their forehead to the ground as the utmost sign of humility to God 

23:1-2"Successful indeed are the believers, Who are humble in their prayers..." 

There is a tradition that says when the Prophet was standing to perform the prayers, he would occasionally look up to the heavens, but when this verse was revealed, he began looking downwards from that time onwards and never raised his head while at prayer. 

The ritual prayers reflect the servant's humility through a combination of words, tone of voice and gestures. The words Muslims recite in each position are highly meaningful and appropriate, for example in the state of sajda/prostration, the lowest one can put his most honourable body part, we acknowledge that God is the highest, most exalted. In the state of ruku', the weakest position in which the slightest push can throw one out of balance, like the bending of a runner crossing the line at the height of his exhaustion, we recognize God's infinite power (al athim). 

The alternation in tone of voice suggests God's Exaltedness when the pitch is higher, or His attribute of closeness, closer than the jugular vein 50:16 when the pitch of voice is lower. 

The consecutive movements of salaat illustrate a progressive humility and submission to the Creator. According to the wise Ali ibn Abu Talib, the cousin and son in law of Muhammad through marriage with his daughter Fatima, each couple of sajda, starting with the forelock on the ground, then up, back to the ground, then up, then standing symbolize respectively; the soil from which we started, then fully grown, then back to the soil at death, then resurrected, then standing for judgement. 

Besides being meaningful in and of themselves, the etiquettes of prayer, from the pre-prayer purifying rituals, the prescribed timings, body positions or words of worship, all are meant to instil the manner of having a proper conversation with the supreme Being, just as one would learn the manners to prepare, present oneself and address an eminent worldly personality 

"This prayer of ours is not the place for ordinary human speech, rather it is glorification and magnification of Allah, and reciting Qur’an".

God is not in need of this worship, we do, so He recommends it for the good it brings and the spiritual growth it causes

 25:77,20:132"And enjoin prayer on thy people, and steadily adhere to it. We ask not of thee a sustenance. We provide for thee. And the (good) end is for guarding against evil". 

Many times when giving sharia directives, the discourse is interrupted with a reminder of the importance of guarding the prayers 2:238-9. In other instances when speaking of the importance of upholding certain moral virtues like the trusts, oaths and promises, the discourse begins and ends with a stress on diligent observance of the prayer 70:23-34. It is as if the prayer is like a boundary wall which encircles and protects everything within it. No other directive in Islam occupies as much significance as the prayer. Like a sentinel it guards both a person’s religious concepts and his deeds 

29:45“Recite, what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do”. 

Prayer is a guard, refocusing the human being's mindset on the higher realities of life. But it must be tied to God-consciousness, a permanent mindset that encompasses the moments of prayers and active, normal life. 

A person who is indifferent to the prayer is as if he is indifferent to religion as a whole. 

Beyond the timed obligatory prayers, and for their own good 

20:130"that you may be well pleased" 

the believers are recommended to stand up for prayers in parts of the night, not forcing themselves, not exaggerating so as to compromise their daily obligations and activities, but just as they can bear 73:20. If in their own volition wish to remain in contemplation until the later part of the night they may do so 17:79,76:25-26. It is a time most suited for concentration and communion with God 

73:6"Surely the rising by night is the firmest way to tread and the best corrective of speech. Surely you have in the day time a long occupation" 

17:79"And in the night, pray humbly with it (the Quran), an addition for you, maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory". 

The Quran refers to 3 prayers, sometimes 2 or sometimes more, maybe even five depending upon how one interprets the particular verse. The obligatory prayers and these timings are sometimes even mentioned before the event of the miraj 30:17-18,20:130,74:43,76:25... The Quran is not anywhere teaching a person how to pray salaat, but is concerned in establishing an already ongoing sunna. The timings the Quran alludes to, are not unprecedented rules rather they are reminders. The Quran wasnt "re-instituting" prayers over and over again considering the similar framing of the verses on prayer. This is why there are countless verses on 'establishing' prayer, or allusion to prayer by certain rites, but not description of prayer in and of itself. The most the Quran does is attest to an already existant practice. The Muslim scholars place the establishment of the 5 prayers in Mecca between 617-622 CE. The earliest attested Islamic source which mentions them is the Muwatta’ of Malik bin Anas, compiled in Medina in the mid to late 700s. The report, traced to the prophet says 

“Five prayers God has ordained for His servants, and whoever does them without treating them lightly, God has given that person a promise to grant them entrance into the Garden..." 

Disregarding Muslim belief that the practice comes directly from the prophet then one would still know that, at least during Malik’s own lifetime in Medina, there was the clear idea that a core part of Islam was five daily prayers. Anas ibn Malik recalled when

 "I arrived at Medina and was asked whether I found any change since the days of Allah's Messenger. I said, "I have not found any change except that you do not stand in alignment in your prayers".

Among non-Muslim sources testifying to the practice early on, there is the T’ung tien, a Chinese Tang court work of history and geography published in 801. It contains a description of Kufa by a Chinese soldier who was taken prisoner at the Battle of Talas in 751, spent years amongst the Muslims in Iraq and Iran, and returned to China in 762. One of the few observations that this Chinese soldier recalls of Kufa, was that the Muslims there would pray five times a day 

"The men have high noses, are dark, and bearded. The women are very fair [white] and when they go out they veil the face. Five times daily they worship God [Tianshen]. They wear silver girdles, with silver knives suspended. They do not drink wine, nor use music".

So between the Muwatta of Malik and the T’ung tien, we know that both Medina and Kufa Muslims in the mid 700’s included the five daily prayers. This despite the fact that the two regions of Medina and Kufa had dramatically different traditions of Islamic law. So both regions must have inherited the prayer practice from a common, earlier practice, pushing the historical attestation at least one generation to at least the early 700’s, only seventy or so years after the death of the Prophet.

Another thing to note is that the sunna of the prophet admits slight variations in the manner of expressing (physically and verbally) the salaat ritual (for example some will cross their hands while standing, others will leave them straight). Rigidity of the outward ceremonial is not what Islam teaches, rather their meaningful application. Early Muslims may have physically expressed themselves differently during prayers depending on the circumstances, personal spiritual emotions etc.

God is beyond the reach of any type of perception, beyond space and time, yet His power and knowledge encompass all things 6:103,31:16,70:3-4. He sees and hears the believer praying, prostrating and addressing Him 26:218-20, whether openly or within his self 

7:205,11:61"surely my Lord is Nigh, Answering". 

He is nearer to humans than one's jugular vein and answers the prayers for nearness with Him of the humble supplicant when it is in turn implemented through acts of obedience

 27:62,40:60,42:26,37:75,50:16,2:186"I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way". 

As reflected in David's 

Psalm145:18"The Lord is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity". 

God undoubtedly knows all the secrets of the hearts, conscious and subconscious, as well as all intricate needs of His creatures 

67:14"Is not He Who has created All-Aware of the states of His creatures whereas He is the Most Precise/lateef the All-Aware?".

The divine attribute lateef stems from lutf which implies an intricate, subtle and minutest knowledge. God nevertheless requires us to invoke Him as a sign of humility, God-consciousness and recognition 40:60-1. And the most praiseworthy way of doing so is crying out to Allah in secret as Zakariyya did 19:3. In desperate, enraging situations, the Quran instructs to seek a means to Allah and cut the doubts and negative thoughts. If one is able to do so, Allah removes what caused this condition, rewarding the supplicant for his spiritual resolve 

22:15"whoever thinks that Allah will not assist him in this life and the hereafter, so let him stretch a means until the heaven, moreover let him cut off. Then let him see if what has enraged him has been taken away". 

This is a beautiful promise of hope from the Creator. Promising the one who in his most desperate condition, that seeks a means to his Lord, and cuts off his evil thoughts. He will then see his problems resolving and his life changed. The Quran and the prophetic traditions also make sure that the believer understands that the Mercy of his Lord is limitless. It encompasses all things. He delivers it upon whom he pleases, not necessarily by virtue of a creature's merit but in account of it being an attribute written upon His essence. The Quran negates the fatalistic approach towards prayer, some people might think that others are more entitled to God's mercy than others with relatively petty needs but God's mercy is all encompassing, limitless, intricate and unfathomable, it covers the smallest ant just as it does the newborn infant, and the unworthy criminal as well.

As regards to prayers aimed at removing hardship or for the attainment of certain temporal benefits, He realizes some, all or none of it depending on a global perspective whose intricacies only He is capable of fathoming 

14:34"He gives you something out of what you may be asking of Him; and should you try to count God's blessings, you could never compute them" 

6:41"He clears away that for which you pray if He pleases".

Innumerable benefits are given to humans by the One and Only Owner of all that is in this life and the next 53:24-25, with whom all matters of sustenance are stored up 15:21 and Who therefore does not need rendering an account to anyone in His enlarging or withholding 3:26-7.