I have many a time before have expressed some opinion on this subject and when I say expressed opinion, I mean opinion because nobody is certain why. When Allah has kept quiet about something, it is only for the man to guess and offer certain explanations as possible explanations. So as such, whatever I say is just an explanation which comes to my mind. It may not convince all of you and some people may think of something else as being the reason. So these issues are not debatable as such.
Everybody has to believe as he thinks best. I have thought over this issue so many times and in my opinion, one of the reasons why these two prayers have been chosen to be the quiet prayers is because this is a time in which man is not by nature musical. In the morning, the birds sing. In the morning, the people who lead the camel, they also walk singing and everywhere there is song on the lips of the rising people, rising with the Sun. So that is a time of pleasure and singing. So the morning prayer is sung in conformity with the dictates of nature and at noon time, the birds disappear. Everything quietens down.
Although man is busy working, but it is the least enjoyable time for talking and singing. So everything calms down. So to be in harmony, nothing would be better than for that prayer to be a quiet prayer. So is the case of the early part of the afternoon, but as you grow closer to the sunset, then the singing bit reappears. That urge of man to sing and celebrate things by music, that begins to come back to him. So as you know, everywhere the night is the right time for holding musical parties and things. So the evening prayers, starting from Maghrib and Isha, they both are the prayers in which you sing or recite the verses of the Holy Quran in singing tone. Again, man to man there are differences.
Some people like things said in loud voices, some are disturbed and they want them to be said quietly. So these prayers are again divided into two parts. Half of them is sung aloud for such people who at that time would like them to be sung and there are others who would not like them to be sung and who would like to be quiet. So they have been provided also a part of the prayer to be said quietly. Again, when you shift deeper into night and reach that Hajj prayer, then it is a different injunction from the rest of the prayers. It’s entirely different. It is said that you should recite a bit loudly, but not loud enough to disturb others. Recite to yourself in a very low tone and low key.
That is because that is a time for sleep to overwhelm people who have just caught up at that odd hour. If you try getting up at that hour, then you’ll know what I mean. Sleep will keep attacking you from all directions. So to keep alert and alive, it’s very important that you sing and then it helps you keep alert. But also it is an odd hour, so if you sing aloud, then your family members and sometimes your neighbours, even neighbours are disturbed. So to safeguard their interests and to prevent you trespassing into the rights of the others, Allah has come out with a compromise solution. That at the Hajjat, you say, say the prayer in a low tone, neither too high nor too low.
Once Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, when I visited the mosque, where different companions were saying prayers, it is said in particular that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq was saying prayer in one corner and Hazrat Umar was also saying. Or perhaps it was on different days, but that is what I don’t remember exactly, but what I’m going to tell you, that is something positive. What happened was that Huzoor-e-Akram sallallahu alaihi wa sallam heard Hazrat Abu Bakr reciting the Holy Qur’an so loudly at the Hajjat time, that the whole mosque was ringing with his voice. So he said, why, why are you doing this? So Hazrat Umar said, to scare away the Satan, I am doing this. So he said, don’t scare away the Satan like this, lower your voice and say it in a very low tone, this is not proper time for saying prayers so loudly. When he saw Hazrat Abu Bakr, he was almost inaudible, he was saying that prayer in very, very low key, so that even somebody close couldn’t hear him.
So Huzoor-e-Akram sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, after he had finished the prayer, he said, why Abu Bakr, why are you saying it in your heart? He said, Allah hears everything, even if you say it loudly or not. So I was talking to Allah, it’s all the same thing. So Huzoor-e-Akram sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, no, this is not the right way to do it. Say it a bit loudly, not to disturb others, but sing it in very low tone, as we call in Urdu, so for each prayer, a different system has been adopted, suitable for the time of the day. Now, that is not all the explanation that could be offered, there could be others. If you think over it and come out with another suggestion, I should welcome it, right?
