This is a translation of a small but comprehensive book concerning salat (prayer)1. It was written by one of our ancestors, the learned shaykh, and upright teacher, Abdullahi ibn Muhammad (d. 1827). Shaykh Abdullahi2 was Fullani by lineage, Maliki3 by school of thought and held to the `Ash'ari4 creed in the beginning of his affair but then relied solely on the Qur’an and Sunna in his later years in the area of belief and theology. He was the brother of the famous leader Shaykh Uthman ibn Fuduye' and was and was the most learned man of his time. He also was the chief general of the armies, and the Amir of the region of Gwandu (the western region of the Sokoto Empire). He was a prolific writer, whose works covered every science of the Islamic sciences. He is said to have written more than 200 books.
1 As-salaat: the Arabic word for prayer in Islam. Linguistically it means supplication, and according to the shari`a it means worship which includes recitation, bowing, prostration and humility. It opens with the takbir and ends with the taslim. There are five obligatory prayers, ten sunna prayers and eight supererogatory prayers. Each of these prayers has its set time. [see Shaykh Abu Bakr Jaabir al-Jazaa'iri, Al-`Ilm wa 'l-`Ulama, p. 45].
2 For more information on Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Muhammad Fuduye’ see our forthcoming translation of his `Ida`a n'-Nusuukh.
3 Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik al-Asbaahi: (c. 712 -96)/ Scholar of hadeeth and jurist who specialized in the Islamic traditions, which were generated in Madina al-Munawwara. His teachings became the basis of what later was to be known as the Maliki law school.
4 Abu Musa al-`Ash`ari: Jurist and celebrated scholar who developed the theological science used to defend the creed of the People of the Sunna from the corruption and deviations of non-Muslim and heretical teachings. He was considered to be the Mujaddid of the 7th century.
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RUUH AS-SALAAT |THE ESSENCE of PRAYER
