How you learn is not important, what is important is whether you apply it

 Someone asked me: "Don't you watch Bangladeshi cricket?" I said: "I used to, but now I don't."

He said: "Why?

I said" "Since the cricketers have been praying in the dressing room after winning the game, I haven't watched it."

He said: "Why is that? Are you against Islam?"

I said: "No, I'm not against Islam, I'm against nonsense or meaningless behavior."

He said: "Is praying nonsense?"

Then I told him a story:

A man went to a drugstore and asked: "Do you have condoms?"

The shopkeeper said: "Yes."

The man said" "Do you have black condoms?"

The shopkeeper said: "No."

The man couldn't find any in many shops in the neighborhood, so he went back to the first shop and asked: "Do you have black condoms?"

Seeing the man's great interest, the shopkeeper said" "I told you, there are no black condoms, but what about black ones?"

The man said: "Brother, my girlfriend's husband recently died, so I'm looking for a black one to express my condolences."

The shopkeeper was shocked to hear that!

The man was quite annoyed after hearing my story, and said: "What does this have to do with praying in the dressing room?"

I told him: "It's not about praying, it's an example of contradictory or paradoxical nonsensical behavior. I don't think he understood the example.

I asked him: "What is playing cricket? Isn't it a form of entertainment? Is public entertainment encouraged or forbidden in Islam? Maybe it's not literally forbidden, but it is discouraged. Professional entertainment is discouraged altogether. In those days, those who were gamblers, athletes, and professionals in public entertainment were never valued by Islam. Rather, they were told to stay away from them. Entertainment in Islam is worship and celebrating religious festivals with friends, family, and relatives."

Hearing this, the man fell silent for a while. Then he said that sports are not forbidden. I said, "That's not haram, but does the national cricket team play sports? They are professionals. Professional entertainment is completely discouraged in Islam."

He said: "I understand that, but what's the problem with praying?

I said: "That's why I told you the story about the black condom."

He didn't think anything of it. It seemed that he couldn't grasp the similarity. I interrupted him and said that no matter what rule someone is making a big deviation from, a small positive behavior does not justify a big deviation, but rather proves that he is disrespectful to the entire rule.

The man was still thoughtless. He told me that it is still good to pray. I then asked him what prayer means? Is it in the Quran how to pray? Is it in the Quran how to perform ablution? How to enter the mosque? It doesn't say that you have to pray five times, why is there no description of bowing, prostration, and the tariqa? The man was silent this time.

I told him, the real meaning of prayer or salat is not the ritual of bowing and prostration with folded hands. That is, there was a clear instruction for that method in the Quran. Because of that, there is a difference between Sunnis, Shias and various groups regarding this method. The real meaning of prayer or salat, whether going to the mosque or at home, is reciting from the Quran.

When the Quran was not written, this was a method of reading, understanding and remembering the Quran collectively and purely. The real purpose of prayer or salat is to assimilate this reading during prayer, and even more important, to apply the inner teachings of the Quran to one's life. Prayer or salat is not the ritual of bowing and prostration five times a day at all.

The person was silent again. I told him, I knew then that people would take prayer or salat in the wrong direction. That is why Surah Al-Ma'un was revealed to warn the false worshippers:

"Have you seen the one who denies his deeds? He is the one who drives away the orphan with cruelty. And does not encourage the needy to feed. So woe to those who pray; who are negligent in their prayers. Who do it to be seen by people; and who refrain from giving even a small amount of household goods." - Surah Al-Ma'un (107)

This Surah was revealed for those who are negligent in their prayers or prayers. But why is it said to neglect the deeds, to despise the orphans, and to be reluctant to give to the needy? It is said because prayer or prayer means applying the teachings of the Quran in one's life. It is supposed to go to the house or the mosque several times a day and learn those teachings.

How you learn is not important, what is important is whether you apply it. That is why the Quran does not specify how to pray, but it does specify what to apply, which is actually prayer or salat. Education is of no value if it is not applied. The punishment for showing off without learning the lesson or coming close to applying it is declared.

Sirajul Hossain