This article explains the origin of the Muslim's need to pray 5 times a day:
This idea of being caught as negotiator between Moses and God is a curious one.Since the Koran does not provide specific detail of the Night Journey, historians have to draw on accounts by Islamic scholars versed in the Hadith, or prophetic traditions, for the specific details of what Armstong describes as “the most important mystical experience of Muhammad’s life”.
Alighting on the Temple Mount, he was greeted by Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets, whom he led in prayer. Then Muhammad and Gabriel ascended the seven heavens to the Throne of God, who instructed Muhammad on the five daily prayers. According to tradition, God initially said Muslims should pray 50 times a day. But on his way down Muhammad met Moses, who told him to go back and get the number reduced. Moses kept sending Muhammad back to plead with God until the number of prescribed prayers was reduced to five.
As Armstrong points out: “This tradition shows that religion was not meant to be a crushing burden, but a moderate discipline which everybody could manage.”
Abu Sway agrees: “The amount decided on shows that God is merciful, and the intercession by Moses shows that there should be moderation in matters of faith.”
As a story, it's close to the Genesis one about Abraham bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom, but at least there was something significant at stake there. Arguing the toss with God over the degree of inconvenience of your religion seems a little trite in comparison.
2 comments:
Wasn't it Lot who bargained with God over the fate of Sodom?
There's a nice joke in Mel Brooks' 'History of the World Part One', where Brooks plays the part of Moses and walks back down the mountain bearing The FIFTEEN Commandments.
He drops one and they break, and so they become The Ten Commandments!
There's something quintessentially Jewish about that joke, I think - ridiculing God and the prophets is on the same spectrum as Job seriously questioning God.
Nope: it was Abraham. From Genesis 18:
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. [e] 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare [f] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge [g] of all the earth do right?"
Lot got rescued by a couple of angels before the destruction of Sodom. They probably thought highly of him because he had offered his virgin daughters to the milling lustful crowd of men outside his house if they would just leave the angels alone.
Chivalry was a little different in those days.
Post a Comment