Page 33 - Prayer in the Qur'an

TIME AND PLACE FOR PRAYER 31

Lord, and devote yourself to Him completely. (Surat al-
Muzzammil: 6-8)

Although there are no time limitations for prayer, there are rea-
sons that the Qur'an calls attention to the dawn and nighttime
prayers. A believer who starts a new day with a sincere prayer, and
thus establishes a close bond with Allah, is strongly reminded of the
main purpose of attaining Allah's approval or observing His limits.
One who starts her day with prayers conducts herself with the
awareness that Allah sees her at every moment.

The nighttime prayer mentioned in the Qur'an is an opportunity
for someone who has engaged in the mundane tasks of life through-
out day to reconsider and reorient his or her deeds and attitudes; re-
flecting at the end of the day gives hindsight that enables a person
consciously to see the divine wisdom in seemingly negative events

that happened and that appeared random at the time .
Devoting some time to prayer at nighttime helps people reflect
over the wrongdoings they committed during that day, seek repen-
tance and forgiveness for them, and clear their head from the possi-
ble negative emotions that might be clouding their mind.
This aside, a particular place does not necessarily need to be as-
signed for prayer. One can pray in the shopping mall, on the street,
in the car, at school, or at work, that is, anywhere. What matters is to

remember that, wherever a person may be, Allah is near to them
than their own jugular vein. In the Qur'an, Allah states that prophets
called on Him at any time and any place. One verse reads:
So he [Musa] drew water for them and then withdrew into the

shade and said, "My Lord, I am truly in need of any good You
have in store for me." (Surat al-Qasas: 24)