Newsstand owner seen praying on Church St in New York City, #NewYork. Photo shared by @maryamraza. #PlacesYoullPray
Categories: Islam, Life in the West
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Blogging Theology 
And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward.
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.…
Matt 6:5-6
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so you never pray in public – like in a church?
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Is the church public place? Or is it a place specifically for prayer? A street corner is a public place, and jesus would have condemned such showing off as hypocrisy.
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But it is wrong (and prejudiced) to assume Muslims praying in public are showing off. In fact they are obeying God. And yes a church is a public place. When Christians go to St Paul’s Cathedral here in London they are participating in public prayer and worship. No one says that is wrong.
Jesus taught in an extreme and exaggerated style (eg he taught people to hate their mother and father). Don’t take his words literally.
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So another student of David Wood.
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Paul
More equivocation.
Not all churches are St Paul’s but all churches are designed as places where people go specifically to pray. A church is not a street corner any more than a coffee shop is a mosque. And yes, it is perfectly fair to presume that anyone praying in public is well aware that they are being observed by others, just like an atheist walking around outside a church knows that his actions are being observed by the christians within.
Adullah
Paranoia?
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Clearly you are not familiar with the UK, where worship in church is actually called “public worship”. And you failed to address the extreme hyperbolic way that Jesus taught. Do you hate your parents? Jesus suggests you should.
You are being a fundamentalist in your reading of the gospels.
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The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The earth has been made for me a place of prostration and a means of purification, so wherever a man of my Ummah is when the time for prayer comes, let him pray.'”
FYI, we have to pray 5 times daily in a specfic time for each. Sometimes we need to pray at the place we are in otherwise the time of a pray would pass, so please stop judging people based on your ignorance.
Have you noticed that Jesus criticized those who pray in ( SYNAGOGUES) as well ?
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So you respond with more equivocation?
Some of jesus teachings were to be taken literally, some were not – you’re even equivocating on that.
On this issue, I think that jesus should be taken more literally than not. Clearly, praying in the synagogue is not proscribed, but praying in a manner that is somehow showy is considered excessive.
Praying on a street corner, on the other hand, in such an overtly showy,”submissive” and pious way, in the full knowledge that one is being observed, is precisely what jesus would have condenmed – precisely what he did condemn.
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Abdullah
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The earth has been made for me a place of prostration and a means of purification, so wherever a man of my Ummah is when the time for prayer comes, let him pray.’””
That just proves that mohammed was not a prophet of the same god as jesus.
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I’ve told you !:)
David Wood is here.
The point has been made.
Your logic makes christianity as whole be under the bus easily if I wanna use it.
Try to be a christian and stop judging people.
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N.B I know that you left the point of synagogues.
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So by what criteria do you judge Jesus to be speaking in an exaggerated fashion and when not?
Let’s look at some examples and you tell me:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children
and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26:
“And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off” Matt 5:30
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out” Matt 5:25
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:60
“But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Matt 6
“Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.” Luke 10:4
“When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt. 6:3)
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Frank,
You are right in that it is hypocritical to pray ONLY to be seen by others, and the Qur’an confirms this point (4:142).
HOWEVER, it is wrong to say that anyone who prays in public is a hypocrite, simply because they are in praying public, because neither you nor anyone else knows what is that person’s heart. Allah is the only judge and it is for him, not us to decide and determine the true intention and merit of that persons prayer. So you have violated the commandment found in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not lest ye be judged.”
In Regard to the verse you cited, I would question whether Jesus himself uttered the words in Matt 6:5-6, or did the Unknown Pseudepigraphal author of Mark write those words and put them in the mouth of Jesus? This may have been done by the author in order to support a theological position which developed many years after the death of Jesus, when he was no longer present to defend his name and prevent his teachings from being altered.
As a Muslim, I am happy and content to believe that Jesus, like Muhammad, would have never condemned anyone for praying to God at anytime or anyplace, simply because it was in “public” view. In fact, I think that in diametric opposition to the mythological Jesus of the Church, the true historical Jesus, would have encouraged it.
I pray that Allah will bless the Muslim brother in the photo and reward him greatly for his prayer and efforts..
http://www.answering-christianity.com/praying.htm
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well said!
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Paul Williams
“So by what criteria do you judge Jesus to be speaking in an exaggerated fashion and when not?”
The bible is clear – all it takes is a brain and the ability to use it. That is really a silly line of questioning.
Ibn Isam
You have written pure conjecture. Jesus’ ministry was characterized by his condemnation of religious hypocrites – such as those who pray in public knowing that they are being observed by passersby.
Note also, that the hadith are pseudographical – there are no extant copies of any of the hadith literature signed by the supposed authors. Same goes for the quran – we have no idea who wrote the earliest ones and they could have been written by any Mustapha with an agenda.
Abdullah
“Try to be a christian and stop judging people.”
I’m not judging – that’s the point, Making a meal out of piety in public and showy praying mean nothing – god judges what is in your heart and he judges the hypocrites.
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no the Bible is not clear. Your arrogant dismissal of interpretive questions is typical of a fundamentalists.
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I disagree- it is incredibly clear. And what’s with the name-calling?
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you write like a know it all fundy. Whole books have been written on this question. You think you know it all. Classic.
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Using your brain makes you a fundy?
Obviously you are deflecting.
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Frank,
There is no comparison between the Hadith and the Gospels/NT. One is pseudepigraphal, and the other is not. Period. I know this hurts, but try to accept the facts.
You said:
“we have no idea who wrote the earliest ones and they could have been written by any Mustapha with an agenda.”
Firstly, your reference to “any Mustapha” is quite simply, rude and racist. But, never mind, I have come to expect such comments, and insulting sleights like this from fundamentalist “Good” Christians like yourself.
Secondly, if there was an “agenda” as you said, then the Muhaditheen would not have recorded weak or questionable Hadith which do not portray the faith in the most positive way. Instead, there was a just and fair methodology, which was applied in determining and separating truth from falsehood, and this is more than can be said for the Biblical scriptures.
Methodology of the Muhaditheen:
https://islamqa.info/en/82365
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Ibn issam
There are no extant copies of any hadith that have been signed by their supposed authors. Anyone could have written them. Period.
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Frank
There are no extant copies of any gospel that have been signed by their supposed authors. Anyone could have written them. Period.
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So your best defence is tu quoque?
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Far from it. But it exposes your hypocritical double standards.
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“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues…”
Sounds like church.
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Lol
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… And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward …
Matt 6:5-6
Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it only to be seen of men and do not remember Allah save a little.
Quran 4:142
Hmm this is why Allah says those who were given the Book recognise the new revelation as they recognise their sons.
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Here’s something you should read – it destroys islam and the hadith gossip it is based on….
Click to access Conspiracies.pdf
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groan..
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Isnad is a feature for this Ummah.
Shaykh Wild Aldadu narrated This Hadith :
“Whoever (intentionally) ascribes to me what I have not said then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire.” which is in Bukhari by his Isnad. From his grandfather to the Salamah ibn al-Akwa.
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