Ritual Prayer Research Articles

The Image of God and Prayer in the Statements of Young People Aged 15–19 from Southeastern Poland

This article aims to explore the image of God and prayer practices among young people aged 15–19 from southeastern Poland. The study was conducted between 2019 and 2020 using an online survey (CAWI) on a sample of 1171 students. Cluster and exploratory factor analysis identified three types of God images: transcendent, nature-based, and human construct. The results suggest that the image of God influences the frequency and context of prayer. Adolescents with a transcendent image of God pray more often in emotional contexts, such as gratitude or fear. The study also highlights the decreasing importance of traditional prayer rituals, suggesting a process of individualization of religiosity and the impact of secularization.

Political Tool of “Immoral Rituals” and Resilience of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea

Confucians in Chosŏn Korea (1392–1910) employed the notion of “immoral rituals” as a tool to control Buddhist and shamanic rituals in a selective manner. In Confucian terms, immoral rituals specified those that were dedicated to “ghosts or deities who do not deserve worship”, and, in most cases, they referred to non-Confucian prayer rituals. Buddhist prayer rituals (and shamanic rituals) were largely subject to control by Confucian state officials. Through the Confucian prism of immoral rituals, this article explores the question of which aspects of Buddhist rituals were denounced by the Confucian critics and which goals the Confucians tried to achieve by wielding the tool of immoral rituals against Buddhism. Based on an analysis of four episodes in which Buddhist prayer rituals were denounced as immoral rituals, the article suggests that the Confucians tried to construct a new collective identity of distinction and privilege, to keep in check the royal family and, by extension, the sovereign, to control the female body, and, in collaboration with the king, to suppress people’s discontent with governance. In this process, Buddhism—caught in the politics of immoral rituals, as this article suggests—nevertheless remained vibrant by conducting prayer rituals in the social margins. And for their part, Confucians benefited by continuing to exploit the notion of immoral rituals up to the end of the dynasty. The trajectory of immoral rituals reflected how Buddhism functioned and evolved in Chosŏn Korea.

Konstruksi Thirdspace dari Ziarah Lintas Agama di Makam Soekarno

Soekarno's grave in Blitar is busy with pilgrims from various religions daily. This place has become a space for interfaith meetings. The Blitar government also annually facilitates interfaith prayer activities, which are held four times a year as a symbol of fostering a spirit of tolerance. When pilgrims hold a prayer ritual, a third space is formed for social interaction between the first room and the second room. This article aims to answer the ontological question regarding understanding the encounter between interfaith pilgrims who form the third space at the Soekarno Tomb. This article uses a qualitative descriptive method through literature review, observations, and in-depth interviews in the Soekarno Grave Area, Blitar. The research results concluded that interfaith encounters during the pilgrimage at Soekarno's grave created a thirdspace construction according to Edward Soja's theory, which can be applied at the individual, institutional and community levels. Based on these findings, the main argument is that Soja's thirdspace construction is a framework for thinking to build social glue. The thirdspace construction allows humans to interact socially, which connects different characters and traits.

PENINGKATAN AKURASI ARAH KIBLAT DALAM IBADAH MASYARAKAT CAMPUREJO KOTA KEDIRI

The accuracy of the Qibla direction is a crucial requirement in performing prayers. However, errors in determining the Qibla direction are still common and can affect the validity of worship. To address this issue, a community service program was conducted at Musholla Al-Latief Campurejo, aiming to enhance the community's understanding and skills in accurately determining the Qibla direction. This program employed modern technological approaches and astronomical methods, designed participatively to actively involve the community. The methods included education, hands-on practice, and Qibla direction verification using the A'zam Kiblat technique and observations of the Rashdul Kiblat phenomenon. Tools such as digital applications like Qibla Finder and shadow observations of upright objects during the sun's alignment over the Kaaba were utilized. The program ran from July 11 to 20, 2024, involving collaboration between facilitators, mosque caretakers, and the local community. The results demonstrated an increased scientific understanding among participants regarding the importance of Qibla accuracy and their ability to verify the direction using modern technology. High community enthusiasm and synergy among stakeholders also strengthened solidarity and awareness of the significance of precision in prayer rituals. Thus, this program successfully provided practical solutions and made a tangible contribution to improving the quality of worship among the community. Keywords: Qibla direction; prayer worship (Sholat); astronomical methods; mosque management (takmir); modern technology.

ANALYSIS OF IMAM MOTURIDI'S LEGAL VIEWS ON SAYING "AMEN" AFTER PRAYER

This article explores the legal views of Imam al-Maturidi on the practice of saying "Ameen" after prayer within the context of Islamic jurisprudence. Imam Maturidi, a prominent theologian and jurist, is well known for his contributions to the Hanafi school of thought, and his interpretations of Islamic law emphasize reason and rationality. This study examines how Imam Maturidi addresses the utterance of "Ameen" following the recitation of Al-Fatiha during the congregational prayer (Salat). The article analyzes the theological and jurisprudential significance of "Ameen" in his writings, particularly focusing on whether it is an obligatory or recommended act, and how it aligns with his broader understanding of prayer rituals. Additionally, it discusses how Maturidi’s views contrast with those of other juristic schools, offering insights into the nuances of legal reasoning in Islamic ritual law. The paper concludes by highlighting the flexibility in Islamic legal tradition, showing how Maturidi’s reasoning offers a bridge between strict adherence and the allowances for personal preference in ritual practice.

Apakah Masuk Akal untuk Berdoa: Kajian Filsafat Agama

Human anxiety about life leads to a prayer ritual for religious people. Praying is considered an effective way to realize dreams, but there is also an assumption that it is unreasonable. The purpose of this study is to present a perspective on prayer. The research methodology uses literature studies to support the achievement of research objectives. The results of the study are that prayer is not a shortcut to solving problems that require mastery of all relevant facts. Someone who prays only with the aim of using God to solve their own problems, means violating the basic principles of all social and moral relationships. Prayer has a great influence on humans psychologically, such as being able to calm, soothe and convince themselves of the life choices that have been decided to be lived. The essence of prayer is an extension of togetherness and community concern.

Apakah Masuk Akal untuk Berdoa: Kajian Filsafat Agama

Human anxiety about life leads to a prayer ritual for religious people. Praying is considered an effective way to realize dreams, but there is also an assumption that it is unreasonable. The purpose of this study is to present a perspective on prayer. The research methodology uses literature studies to support the achievement of research objectives. The results of the study are that prayer is not a shortcut to solving problems that require mastery of all relevant facts. Someone who prays only with the aim of using God to solve their own problems, means violating the basic principles of all social and moral relationships. Prayer has a great influence on humans psychologically, such as being able to calm, soothe and convince themselves of the life choices that have been decided to be lived. The essence of prayer is an extension of togetherness and community concern.

Apakah Masuk Akal Untuk Berdoa: Kajian Filsafat Agama

Human anxiety about life leads to a prayer ritual for religious people. Praying is considered an effective way to realize dreams, but there is also an assumption that it is unreasonable. The purpose of this study is to present a perspective on prayer. The research methodology uses literature studies to support the achievement of research objectives. The results of the study are that prayer is not a shortcut to solving problems that require mastery of all relevant facts. Someone who prays only with the aim of using God to solve their own problems, means violating the basic principles of all social and moral relationships. Prayer has a great influence on humans psychologically, such as being able to calm, soothe and convince themselves of the life choices that have been decided to be lived. The essence of prayer is an extension of togetherness and community concern.

R (TTT) v Michaela Community Schools Trust

Michaela School is avowedly secular and operates under a very disciplined regime. It has a high proportion of Muslim pupils, and in 2023 the school's governing body decided to prohibit pupils from performing prayer rituals on its premises – regardless of religion – after the Headteacher had banned prayer rituals as an interim measure. Muslims are required to pray five times a day; and while TTT, a Muslim, accepted that the requirements of the school day meant that she could not always pray during the appropriate period, she wanted to perform the midday prayer (Duhr) in autumn and winter during the school lunch break – which, she argued, was ‘free time’. It was argued for TTT that the school's refusal violated her rights under Article 9 ECHR (Ground 1); that the policy discriminated indirectly against Muslims, contrary to section 85(2)(d) and/or (f) of the Equality Act 2010 read with section 19 (Ground 2); and that in introducing the policy the school had failed to have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, contrary to the public sector equality duty in section 149 of the 2010 Act (Ground 3). She also claimed to have been subject to two procedurally unfair ‘fixed terms of exclusion’ because she had not been allowed to respond to the allegations against her before her exclusions (Ground 4).

Inculturation of Plenat Nim for the life of the community of Timorese believers in Soe, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

ABSTRACT This research aims to examine the inculturation of Plenat Nim by Timorese. The research focuses on the believers of Timorese, who still practice specific prayer rituals to respect their parents after the death of their parents as obedience to God's fifth commandment. It was known as Nanonob Sin Lasi atau Piu Sin Lasi before the Gospel reached Soe, but after they knew the Gospel, they changed its name to Plenat Nim. These rituals prioritize the spirits of the deceased as having the power to grant forgiveness, blessings, serenity, and safety in their daily lives. Timorese believe these rituals help maintain a harmonious relationship between the living and the dead. The Timorese people view these prayer rituals as essential to their cultural identity and continue to pass them down from generation to generation. The research methodology employed in this research is fild study with analysis through the lens of inculturation approach. The data collection is through processes such as collecting, reducing, displaying, drawing conclusions, and verification. The Authors present all data findings descriptively. The research revealed that Timorese believers still have faith in the power of the dead to bless, help, and heal the living.

Guidelines for Conducting Worship During Epidemic Transmission According to Islamic and Scientific Perspectives

The Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The government has issued guidelines to control the spread of the virus, including matters involving activities in mosques such as the implementation of prayer rituals. Some laws and practices in the prayer rituals, issued by the mufti and religious departments, initially caused confusion among the Muslim community because such matters had never occurred in Malaysia and there was a lack of explanation by religious experts. Thus, this study is conducted to obtain views from a panel of experts on matters that can be improved and enhanced in these guidelines. This study employs the method of focus group discussions (FGD) involving 6 expert panelists from the fields of religion, science, and medicine. All expert panelists agree that the development of these guidelines is very beneficial for the community to refer to in the event of airborne virus transmission such as COVID-19 in the future. These guidelines provide justification from both Islamic and scientific perspectives to make the community more confident and comfortable in practicing them.

Challenges during prayer (namaz/salah) rituals in Muslim patients with Parkinson’s disease

Challenges during prayer (namaz/salah) rituals in Muslim patients with Parkinson’s disease

Simone Weil’s Practice of Attention as a Ritual of Prayer: Robert Bresson and Georges Bernanos

In Simone Weil’s religious and metaphysical philosophy, the concept of attention is a human practice of concentrated awareness that can be directed toward a single thought, an object, another being, the self, or one’s soul. Attention is a learned practice, not an innate human characteristic. The practice of attention is integral to Weil’s philosophy because it assists one to identify attachment and through introspection, transcend affliction. The curé in Robert Bresson’s Le Journal d’un curé de campagne (The Diary of a Country Priest, 1951) loses his capacity for prayer when his faith becomes an attachment, and yet, his soul desires union with God, and thus grace. Grace, from the perspective of the curé, will provide reparation for his affliction: the acceptance of himself and the burden of his faith, the circumstances of his childhood, terminal illness, and the anticipation of death. This article engages in analysis of Journal, through the lens of Weil’s philosophical concept, attention, while it also examines the parallel between Weil and the curé in their demeanor, compromised health, and emphasis toward the ritual (or habit) of prayer. Georges Bernanos, author of the novel that Bresson adapted, shares a similar view of grace, which supports the comparison of Weil’s and Bresson’s attention toward the soul.

Gurdjieff: Ritual Movements and Prayer

G. I. Gurdjieff, a mystic of Greek descent, said that, in ancient religion, ritual and sacred dance were guidebooks containing vital truth, which could not be understood without a key. They were “guidebooks” in that they aimed to bring one to a state where one can experience one’s individual reality, and even a relationship to God. For Gurdjieff, prayer, including ritual prayer, meant connection, and so he attributed to rituals an objective value, and did not reduce them to an instrument of communication. His own “sacred gymnastics” or “Movements” comprised three categories: “exoteric,” “mesoteric,” and “esoteric.” While all three levels are linked, the esoteric and mesoteric levels approximate to ritual prayers and to contemplative exercises. Exoteric Movements chiefly serve to prepare one’s body and attention for the higher. We note how Gurdjieff exhibited these ideas in his “ballet scenario,” The Struggle of the Magicians, and how they are consistent with what was understood of ancient Greek dance in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The key to understanding the unity of his aims and methods is his concept of “self-remembering.”

Principles of Ritual Prayer: An 18th Century Catechism in Bahdini Kurdish

Abstract This article presents an edition and linguistic analysis of a verse catechism in the Bahdini dialect of Kurdish. The manuscript of the text is dated to late 18th century and is held among the Oriental manuscripts collections of the Berlin State Library. The text is a didactic verse on the principles and rules of the Islamic ritual prayer (ṣalāt), belonging thus to the catechism or in its Turkish-Arabic term ʿilm -i ḥāl genre. It is the oldest example of the catechism genre, different from creeds, in Kurdish literature that started in the late 16th century. The text is edited here within the context of religious treatises in Kurdish and analysed for its historical-linguistic and dialectological aspects that illustrate Early Modern Kurdish.

Entering the Prophetic Realm: ʿAbd Rabbihī ibn Sulaymān al-Qaliyūbī (d. 1968) on the Nature of Mediation (tawassul)

In his comprehensive work Fayḍ al-wahhāb, ʿAbd Rabbihī ibn Sulaymān al-Qaliyūbī (d. 1968) extensively explores the Prophet Muhammad’s role in theology and argues against interpretations influenced by Wahhābī thought. He emphasizes the prophetic realm, or prophecy and its traces, particularly the means by which believers can establish a connection with it. This article pays special attention to al-Qaliyūbī’s understanding of mediation (tawassul); that is, how the Prophet—by virtue of his elevated status, ordained by God—can serve as a means; similar to how a ritual prayer or any good deed ultimately serves as a means to draw closer to God. For al-Qaliyūbī, following the Prophet means not only regarding him as the founder of the religion, but also incorporating his spirit and character into one’s own life. This article proceeds in four steps: (1) It addresses the systematics of prophecy concerning practical ethics and how this realm can be entered; (2) It introduces the three-layered paradigm of later theology and al-Qaliyūbī’s work; (3) It explores the topic of what constitutes a means (wasīla) and the theological implications of using a means in prayer (tawassul); (4) It zooms in on the aspect of what qualifies a means to be used in an individual prayer.

INTERRITUALITY SEBAGAI MEDIUM KOMUNIKASI LINTAS AGAMA: BELAJAR DARI SEMBAHYANG KING HOO PING UMAT KHONGHUCU DI SEMARANG

For more than thirty years, the existence of the religion of Khonghucu was not recognized by the New Order government. During Abdurrahman Wahid's presidency, the government issued a regulation recognizing the religion. Soon afterward, the Khonghucu community actively engaged in various interreligious communication practices to maintain interreligious harmony. Interestingly, Khonghucu community in Semarang established practice of interreligious communication through the King Hoo Ping prayer ritual. In that annual prayer, religious leaders are invited to actively participate in the private ritual of the Khonghucu community. This kind of interrituality practice can be a medium for interreligious encounter and communication. Using Marianne Moyaert's concept of interrituality, this paper aims to describe the interritual practice of King Hoo Ping interreligious prayer. This paper wants to examine how the host's religious hospitality can turn strangers and outsiders into being guests in the host's ‘religious house’.

The Role of Prayer in Seeking Mercy and Guidance: Lessons from the Tafsir of Surah al-Fatihah

This research underscores the paramount role of prayer in believers' lives, emphasising its significance as a direct means of communication with the Creator. Focused on Surah Al-Fatihah, the "Mother of the Quran," the study delves into prayer for seeking guidance and mercy. Rooted in the Quranic command to invoke Allah and highlighted by various scholars, prayer, according to tafsir, encompasses worship, seeking help, supplication, and ritual prayer. The research employs a literature review method to explore interpretations of Surah Al-Fatihah, contributing nuanced perspectives on prayer's role. Emphasising spiritual needs over worldly matters, the study offers valuable insights for enriching worship and deepening understanding. Because Surah Al-Fatihah is so important in Islamic worship and its ending is all about supplications, the study concludes that it was successful in giving a deep understanding of prayer in this basic Surah, which had an effect on daily life and spiritual connections.

Exploring al-Shāfi'ī and Hanafī Perspectives on Local Beliefs

The increasing belief of the Sanrobone community in the sanctity of Karaeng Lolo Bayo's Tomb is rooted in the significant contributions made while alive, and the deep influence has cultivated a lasting sense of reverence among its members. Therefore, this research was conducted to report the public belief in the sacred grave of Karaeng Lolo Bayo within the Sanrobone community. The belief was subject to analysis through a comparative examination of the two main schools of Islamic fiqh, Hanafiyah and al-Shafi'iyah, specifically concerning the pilgrimage activities associated with the grave. Primary data collection was conducted using interviews with several community leaders, visitors, and experts in related fields. Meanwhile, observation and documentation were used to analyze the data obtained through the interview method. The results showed that the tradition of grave pilgrimage in the Sanrobone community serves the purpose of honoring their ancestors and enabling community members to engage in prayer rituals at the gravesite. The al-Shafi'i madhhab and the Hanafi madhhab literature permitted this tradition in line with the fundamental principles of Islam, maintained simplicity, and avoided acts associating partners with Allah.

Meneliti Simbolisme Darihal Penaikan (Mi‘rāj): Hubungan Antara Ḥikāyāt Melayu Tradisional dan Masjid Melayu Tradisional di Melaka

The saying that the Islāmic ritual prayer (ṣalāh) epitomises the ascension (mi‘rāj) of the believer has prompted some scholars to interpret the Prophet Muḥammad’s Ascension (Mi‘rāj) in the traditional mosque’s symbolism in the Islāmic world, including those in Melaka. Despite being original in the Traditionalist sense of the word, their allusions to the symbolism remain methodologically deficient and conceptually limited. Given these circumstances, this article examines the symbolism of the Mi‘rāj in the traditional Malay mosques in Melaka through the traditional Malay prose narratives (ḥikāyāt) which manifest the symbolism of the same. It employs a hermeneutic reading of MSS 2968 Risālat Laṭīfat fī Bayān al-Isrā’ wa-al-Mi‘rāj (1767), the earliest known manuscript narrating the story of Prophet Muḥammad’s Mi‘rāj in the Malay world as well as case studies of three significant and contemporaneous Malay mosques in Melaka, namely Masjid Tengkera (1728), Masjid Kampung Hulu (1728), and Masjid Kampung Kling (1748). By capitalising on the combination of textual, document, and comparative analyses, it was found that there is a correlation between the text and the buildings, in which the symbolism of the Mi‘rāj is manifested in several external and internal architectural elements of all three mosques. These findings present the unity of the traditional Malay-Islāmic heritage generally and the productive relationship between literature and architecture particularly through a provisional methodological and conceptual framework which endeavours to establish the basis for future research on the subject.