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Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? How to Avoid Syncretism When Applying Contextualization to Real Situations Is Critical for Successful Church Planting

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Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? How to Avoid Syncretism When Applying Contextualization to Real Situations Is Critical for Successful Church Planting Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? How to avoid syncretism when applying contextualization to real situations is critical for successful church planting. A key factor is worship and prayer. Here are15 reasons for rejecting praying the Muslim prayer salat. by Warren C. Chastain ome Muslims are puzzled by Chris- Islam, and are not strictly prayers. A.J. the Name of the Son, and it is not evoked Stians who are trying to adopt Wensinck in E. J. Brill’s First Ency- by the Holy Spirit (who is merely an Muslim practices and rituals. How do clopaedia of Islam says of salat, that the angel in Islam theology). Rather, the du’a Muslims interpret this behavior which translation ‘prayer’ simply is not requires certain sacred phrases invok- they themselves might consider to be accurate; the Arabic du’a corresponds ing blessing on Muhammad as, Cyril compromising: i.e., to practice alien closer to our idea of prayer. Cyril Glasse, a Muslim scholar confirms: religious forms which they consider false Glasse in The Concise Encyclopedia of “The du’a, which follows the salah or obsolete? Some, perhaps, are Islam agrees, defines salat as “a rit- [salat], is always introduced with a secretly gratified that the superiority of ual, liturgy, or an act of worship” rather prayer on the prophet” (ibid. p. 317). Our Islam is admitted when non-Muslims than the supplication usually asso- conclusion therefore is that neither take on Muslim practices. Others may see ciated with the word “prayer” in the West. salat nor du’a is a proper substitute for, this as a step toward conversion and E. E. Calverly W. Montgomery Watt, nor parallel to, nor an addition to rejoice. and S. M. Zwemer also concur that salat authentic Christian worship or prayer. It Also what does it mean to those is worship, not “prayer.” Salat is the seems to me that to restructure wor- Christian workers who are facing Mecca Muslim substitute, not merely for Chris- ship so as to appeal to human nature, even and praying the salat? Often this is tian prayer, but also for the basic idea when done for good reasons, will pro- done in meetings where Muslims are and act of Christian worship. Here follows duce nothing but a worship in the flesh. present. It is seen as a tool for 15 reasons why praying the salat is To revise true prayer and devotion so improving communications and making highly questionable if not entirely wrong. as to appeal and perhaps appease Muslims the Gospel more acceptable? Others is to water down our faith and repre- actually do it at home or in private Displacement of Revealed Worship sent an affront to our God. because they consider it to be an It can be dangerous to think we improvement on traditional Christian The Authority of Muhammad forms, though we have not heard of are engaged in one act when actually we any workers praying at mosques when are doing something distinctly differ- A hadith has the prophet they return to their home country. ent though similar, or even overlapping. Muhammad teaching, “Salah is the pillar Many may do it because of they believe Bad theory leads to bad practice. of Islam and whosoever abandons it, that salat type praying is required in Worship is the highest of all human acts, demolishes the very pillar of religion.” order to properly contextualize the Chris- and the God of heaven actually is Muhammad had notions that worship tian message. Probably in most cases, seeking worshipers. However, not just was all important, however, he turned his if not in all, the motives are good and any kind of worship man creates is back on Jerusalem and the Torah, commendable. acceptable to Him. The Muslin salat is with its focus on the sacrificial system, What is the essence of salat? Chris- not done in the spirit, nor in truth, nor the priesthood, the Law and the com- tians usually interpret the word salat in the name of Jesus. Rather it is a ritual- ing Messiah, and substituted his own pat- as meaning “prayer” which then invites ized worship form created by tern of intricate, detailed daily comparisons between Christian and Muhammad, in rejection of true Jewish prayers. Likewise he rejected the freedom Muslim ideas of prayer. In the Muslin and Christian worship, which in some of Christian worship to the Father and worldview, it is actually the funda- form or other had already been available the Son, as children, not slaves. The three mental act of worship which includes a for centuries. Du’a, however, superfi- basic elements of apostolic worship: few recognizable “prayers”. In partic- cially looks like free Christian prayer, but a) the remembrance of Jesus in the “sacra- ular, it is a prayer for blessings on it is anti-Trinitarian in that du’a is not ment of the Lord’s Supper”) hearing Muhammad, prayers for forgiveness, addressed to the Father as Jesus taught, and obedience to the Word of God (which etc. Other statements are made in the salat (indeed the concept of God. as Father Islam rejects as corrupted or super- which are praises, or the creeds of is rejected by Muslims). It is not prayer in seded by the Koran); ministry of spiritual INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 12:3 JUL-SEP. 1995 162 Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? gifts through the presence of the Holy in a half-way measure Muhammad is no exception to cleansing by blood, as Spirit, all were set aside for a pattern removed the images out of the Kaa- Rom 6:3 says: “Do you not know that of ritual words and movements with a bah, but he retained the pagan structure all of us who have been baptized into new ethnocentric focus on Arabic. itself with its Black Stone, which he Christ Jesus were baptized into his The spirit underlying this innovation is kissed, believing that it became black death? non-biblical worship, despite the because sins were transferred to it. Muslims reject the Christian idea adoption of some innocent gestures and Kissing the Black Stone when Muham- that man has a sinful nature, and therefore recitation of some partial truths (e.g mad had the political, military, and reject the need for atonement. Muslim “God is great,” and “God is One”), does religious power to set up a system of true worship accepts mere washing with water not justify Christians to participate in submission to the One God, reveals a as an adequate cleansing for Muslim practices and its underlying sys- fatal compromise. Muslims are not merely approaching God. Even when Muslims tem—a theological error that has kept facing a wrong direction, but they are sacrifice an animal it is not an essen- millions away from salvation in Christ as honoring a pagan shrine and a piece of tial part of any theology of salvation from Lord and Saviour. rock. The only building and stone that sin.. Muslims emphasize water while the Christian should honor is that men- Christians stress blood; specifically the Samaritanism tioned in 1 Pet 2:4-10: “Behold I lay blood of Christ. When Muslims do in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner use water, it is merely for cleansing like To perform salat one must pray stone, and he who believes in Him the outside of a cup. Hence, mission- toward the Kaabah in Mecca. Jesus shall not be disappointed.” If we teach aries who approve of the salat will by rejected the whole idea of a special direc- converts to look to the Kaabah, how implication teach a theology that they tion in prayer. We would have can we also teach them to be “looking to would reject orally. So doing the salat expected Him to teach the apostles to face Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our will in fact be justifying Muslim the- Jerusalem but there is no evidence for faith”(Heb. 12:2)? If we think they can ology and stand against the whole biblical this even for Jewish converts. Jesus cor- look both ways, we are modeling syn- theology of sacrifice for sin as essen- rected the Samaritan woman who cretism and developing a “double- tial to worshipping God. Perhaps a theol- prayed at or toward Mt. Gerizim saying: minded” believer, one “unstable in all ogy of water can be very appealing, “... neither in this mountain nor in his ways” (Jas. 1:7). The conclusion is but nevertheless deceptive, because it will Jerusalem shall you worship the Father” that “Chrislam” leads to syncretism. not cleanse even the outside of the (Jn. 4:21). The whole idea of con- cup! verts being required to face any certain Cleanliness is Far from Godliness direction clearly contradicts apostolic Christian Alchemy According to Muslims, prayer is faith. To worship toward Mecca is to dis- totally invalid unless it is preceded by Are some modern missionaries regard both the clear word and the spirit of Jesus’ teaching. In this age, Jesus total or partial washing. Muslims have trying to perform a bit of magic by turn- himself is our “direction” of prayer. developed an extensive theology of ing the lead of Muslin salat into the washing. Their stress on cleanliness is gold of Christian worship? How are they He is “the Way” and we are to pray “in very admirable. But when it is made a attempting to accomplish this? By a His Name.” The conclusion we can requirement for approaching God then we very well-meaning attempt to cleanse draw here: How can you pray in the enter into dangerous theology.
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