Salah and reading/learning Quran
According to the Quran the Salah is all about the reading /reciting/learning/researching GODs (swt) revelation. This is emphasized as the main component of Salah throughout the Quran. We have ample verses from the Quran from different angles to support this fact. InshALLAH the following discussion will be appearing to readers logical, rational and consistent .
Let us start with following noble verse :
[029:045] Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.
Salah can only keep one person away from vice and evil , if s/he can learn what the listing of forbidden tasks in Quran and how to defend oneself from these . That is the reason the verse started with the instruction of reciting Quran and then persist the Salah .
In the below verse one is instructed not to approach to Salah intoxicated / with befogged mind :
[004:043] O you who believe! do not go near prayer when you are Intoxicated until you know (well) what you say, nor when you are under an obligation to perform a bath -- unless (you are) travelling on the road -- until you have washed yourselves; and if you are sick, or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy or you have touched the women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth, then wipe your faces and your hands; surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving.
The reason is given in the verse that being intoxicated one would not know what he would be saying. A drunken person can do mistakes in any action involved in the Salah but why Almighty ALLAH is only concern about his words in Salah ? Doesnt this suggest that Salah is all about reciting the Quran (ref.29:45) and ALLAH (swt) doesnt want the musalli to distort HIS revelation becauseof befogged mind?
Now, we got another verse which involves Salah with recitation/reading/saying:
[017:110] Say: Call upon Allah or call upon, the Beneficent God; whichever you call upon, He has the best names; and do not utter your prayer with a very raised voice nor be silent with regard to it, and seek a way between these.
[017:111] And say: (All) praise is due to Allah, Who has not taken a son and Who has not a partner in the kingdom, and Who has not a helper to save Him from disgrace; and proclaim His greatness magnifying (Him).
The verse instructs us not to raise our voice in Salah loudly nor keep it silent rather suggested us to use a middle course. The verse gave us a hints of reciting the verse of Quran (17.111) and/or call ALLAH (swt) in HIS beautiful names in Salah . This verse also suggests that Salah is all about recitation , with of course a middle tone .
Let us look at the following verse:
[019:058] These are they on whom Allah bestowed favors, from among the prophets of the seed of Adam, and of those whom We carried with Nuh, and of the seed of Ibrahim and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose; when the communications of the Beneficent God were recited to them, they fell down making obeisance and weeping.
[019:059] But there came after them an evil generation, who neglected/distorted prayers and followed and sensual desires, so they win meet perdition,
Verse 19.58 is in praise of some of ALLAHs (swt) prophets and one of their quality is given that they fell prostate as a symbol of acknowledgment when HIS revelations were recited in front them . The immediate next verse 19.59, conjuncts with Fa (then/But) , as to predict the continuation of the subject of verse 58 , rolling over to verse 59 , says that the latter generation had distorted the Salah and followed their own desires as they liked . That means the latter generation didnt pay heed to the revelation of GOD, the Almighty, and instead of following the commands of GOD as revealed , they followed their own desires . This simply implies that learning/acknowledging GODs , The Almighty, revelation is Salah .
In verse 24.58, we have seen that there is a Salah in dawn (Fajr), and then we find the following verse which is instructing to recite Quran at Fajr :
[017:078] Keep up prayer from the declining of the sun till the darkness of the night and the Quran at dawn, as it is witnessed.
Hence , Salat Al Fajr = Recitation of Quran in Fajr.
The following verse is suggesting a strong link between preaching the community with revelation of GOD, the Almighty , which in turns is resulted to be persisting the Salah :
[006:091] And they do not assign to Allah the attributes due to Him when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal. Say: Who revealed the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance to men, which you make into scattered writings which you show while you conceal much? And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers. Say: Allah then leave them sporting in their vain discourses.
[006:092] And this is a Book We have revealed, blessed, verifying that which is before it, and that you may warn the metropolis and those around her; and those who believe in the hereafter believe in it, and they attend to their prayers constantly.
The following verse is really very remarkable in this regard:
[008:035] And their prayer before the House is nothing but whistling and clapping ; taste then the chastisement, for you disbelieved.
The above verse has depicted the distorted Salah of the disbelievers. Interestingly whistling and clapping are just noises and can disturb if somebody is saying something meaningful in Salah . Therefore it gives a clue that the real Salah is wholly an acoustic presentation and they wanted to distort it by whistling and clapping.
Now we will see ample verses where recitation of Quran and performing Salah are linked closely:
[007:170] And (as for) those who hold fast by the Book and keep up prayer, surely We do not waste the reward of the right doers.
[035:029] Surely they who recite the Book of Allah and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them secretly and openly, hope for a gain which will not perish.
[073:020] Surely your Lord knows that you pass in prayer nearly two-thirds of the night, and (sometimes) half of it, and (sometimes) a third of it, and (also) a party of those with you; and Allah measures the night and the day. He knows that you are not able to do it, so He has turned to you (mercifully), therefore read what is easy of the Quran. He knows that there must be among you sick, and others who travel in the land seeking of the bounty of Allah, and others who fight in Allah's way, therefore read as much of it as is easy (to you), and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and offer to Allah a goodly gift, and whatever of good you send on beforehand for yourselves, you will find it with Allah; that is best and greatest in reward; and ask forgiveness of Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
The discussion above supports strongly the fact that Salah is all about the learning connection of Quran . This is made compulsory at the timings mentioned in previous post. Hence we have to learn/teach Quran at least twice daily (in Fajr and Isha Salah) and in the day , when we have assembly . That is the reason it is quite reasonable to translate Kitaban Maqwootan in verse 4.103 as the Timed Book :
[4.103] ..Salat upon the believers is Timed Book.