# Does prayer have to be physical, or is remembering God enough?

*Is the physical form of salah necessary? Sitting, driving, imagined ablution and remembering God*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zmirskjob4o/s/33/
- Date: 2020-06-26 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Prof. Edip Yuksel | Rejecting Hadith, Rashad Khalifa & Realizing '19' | MindTrap with Mufti #27 (2:42:40–2:45:14)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmIrskjob4o&t=9760s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zmirskjob4o/

**Topics:** Prayer; Quran-only movement; Mindfulness and presence

**Question as asked:** Are you against the physical exercise aspect of salah?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The guest is not against the physical form of prayer but says it is only an expression; the one necessary component of salat according to the Quran is conscious connection with God, so one may pray sitting or while travelling.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth relays a chat comment that the guest seems to be against the physical exercise of salah. The guest says he is not: sujud means mentally obeying God, and as people greet with a smile or a handshake there is nothing wrong with expressing devotion with the body, but the physical side is an expression of the essence, the connection with God. He says that according to the Quran one may pray sitting, while driving a camel, a car or a plane, that ablution may be done by imagining purification when there is no water, and that prayer may be shortened in war; the only necessary component is consciously and intellectually connecting to God, which is why the Quran forbids approaching prayer when drunk. He describes it as self-reflection on one's position as a human being who will return to his Lord, which calms anger, greed and depression, and Mufti notes that this is what some today call mindfulness.

## Sources and names cited

- Edip Yuksel
- Quran 4:43 (do not approach prayer while intoxicated): https://quran.com/4/43
- salah
- sujud
- wudu
- dhikr

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:42:40–2:45:14)

[2:42:26] a salat with God I do think it is prayer Zickuhr law to commemorate God and ask help from God and meanwhile to Institute possible it could be physical but it is an optimist or not valid Vickery yeah it is not the essence the essence is thicker because the only time said God said do not you say that when you don't know what you are saying means mental connection with God it is for moving as for Muslim all the Muslims need to do salat all the Muslims means peacemakers

[2:43:04] in a city or in a town it is their civic duty when they are invited to Salah tree Jumeirah to communal mass solidarity they need to go there to be support this is what somebody has mentioned the worst lay silver run to a loop with your comfortable machete will marketability never ever money ha yeah okay yeah I guess that's in in in line with you know what's being said here okay so right Wow so this just seeing people are just yep

[2:43:42] they're just saying the same thing right I'm against the physical exercise aspect of Salah somebody is mentioned okay that's I'm not against that yeah I don't think it is there sighs okay but if someone is wildin that is trans to Jude means mentally to obey God but physically we do you say hi to someone we smile your face oh yeah exhale your hand it is with with our body to also ever be there is nothing wrong with that what you're saying is the physical side is an expression of what is really exactly what is at the heart of it which is the

[2:44:20] connection with God not you're not against the physical Salah you know this me some of the physical son says look man for example while you are driving the camel or the car or your aeroplane you can be sitting and still doing solid connection with God so there it with God absolutely you may not have water to do the ablution before of course test you can do it by just imagining that you are to find yourself and you can do it short even I stay in the war time but the only time you're not supposed to do these are

[2:45:00] not necessary component of salat the Quran clearly says the only necessary component of salat is consciously intellectually connecting to God if you are drunk says do not go close to salat because you cannot do the very the only condition is to remember God commemoration of God as a believer being so dirty it is really you can accept it self reflection about your position as a human being we are in this work for a short time we are going back to our Lord therefore putting everything in position

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment ZmIrskjob4o/s/33. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zmirskjob4o/s/33/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.