Public Display Of Rituals

Re-centring the Quranic Vision of Deen,

Responsibility and Social Order

By Paigham Mustafa

Facebook: Postman pictured praying in street with caption: UK Muslim postman remembers his Lord.

Recent public debates about Muslims praying in workplaces, on pavements or in public spaces often become entangled in a deeper question: what defines Islam? Is it the visibility of ritual, the weight of tradition, or the guidance of the Quran itself?

Beneath the surface of these exchanges lies a more urgent intellectual and ethical challenge — whether Muslims recognise the sovereignty of God as expressed in the Quran, or whether social practice, habit and inherited opinion have gradually assumed the authority that belongs only to divine guidance.

This is not merely a theological concern. It has consequences for personal development, social trust, public responsibility and the moral credibility of Muslim communities.

Deen as a system of living, not a display of ritual

The Quran presents deen not as a set of ceremonial performances, but as a complete system governing how human beings develop the Self and contribute to the progress of society. The emphasis is on integrity, accountability, fulfilment of obligations and social balance.

In the social media exchange mentioned above, one statement captures a deeply Quranic principle: do the job you are paid to do and do not cheat your employer. This reflects the Quran’s consistent stress on honouring commitments, maintaining justice and fulfilling contracts. Ethical conduct in economic life is not secondary; it is foundational.

If a person is being paid for their time, then time becomes a trust. To neglect that trust while claiming moral elevation through outward ritual is a contradiction. The Quran repeatedly binds personal development to social responsibility. A society in which people quietly take what is not theirs — whether time, money or trust — cannot claim to be guided, regardless of how visible its rituals may be.

Abraham and the meaning of submission

The Quran identifies Abraham as a Muslim — one who submits to God — yet it does not present his identity as resting on a fixed ritual structure of prayer recognisable today. His defining qualities are sincerity, uprightness and exclusive devotion to God. Submission, therefore, is a moral and intellectual orientation and not a ceremonial framework.

This raises a legitimate question: if the Quran establishes a figure as exemplary without anchoring that status in later ritual formalism, on what basis have rituals come to define Islam in the public mind?

The Quran’s definition of submission is centred on aligning one’s actions with divine principles: justice, truthfulness, compassion, discipline – all underpinned by accountability. Ritual may exist within cultures, but the Quran repeatedly directs attention to what reforms the Self and improves collective life.

Supplications as reflection, not performance

Within the social media exchanges, one voice notes that prayer can serve as a contemplative pause — a moment to remember God’s grace, recalibrate intention and commit to personal reform. Understanding the role of supplications (dua) as an affirmation aligns with the Quranic ethos. God needs nothing; human beings are the ones in need of reflection and correction.

Yet the Quran also cautions against excess and display. The instruction to call upon God in humility and in private indicates that devotion is not meant to become performative or disruptive. When acts intended for inner reform become public assertions, they risk losing their ethical core.

A person praying quietly during a break is not the same as a system where work duties are routinely set aside without accountability. When public counters close, when highways become stopping points, when duties are left incomplete, the question is no longer about devotion but about social equity. Others must carry the burden. The trust between employer and employee erodes. This may be acceptable in where this culture is the norm abut elsewhere, resentment grows.

Such outcomes conflict with the Quranic vision of a just society.

Sovereignty and interpretation

A recurring argument in modern discussions is that no individual or group can claim ownership over what is truly Islamic. In one sense, this is correct: no human being holds authority over divine guidance. Yet the conclusion often drawn from this premise is more troubling — that interpretation is entirely open, that cultural practices can be elevated to religious necessity, not because they are true, but simply because they are widely held.

The Quran repeatedly affirms that God has revealed guidance and it is complete. If the meaning of deen were entirely arbitrary, the concept of divine sovereignty would be emptied of substance. Islam would be a mirror reflecting cultural preferences rather than a standard shaping them.

The Quran warns against elevating human opinions to divine status. When tradition, habit or communal pressure determine what is “central” to Islam, they risk functioning as parallel authorities. The Quran describes this phenomenon in severe terms, shirk: the state of elevating someone or something to rank with God — not in the sense of worship, but in allowing human constructs to rival divine guidance.

The issue, therefore, is not diversity of understanding. Differences have always existed. The issue is whether the Quran remains the primary reference point, or whether secondary sources, social expectations and inherited norms quietly become decisive.

Work, trust and the ethics of time

The discussion about prayer during working hours illustrates a broader ethical principle. If someone leaves their desk for ten minutes to smoke, fairness demands that those minutes be made up. The same logic applies to any other activity. This is not hostility to religion; it is simple moral accounting.

The Quran places immense weight on fulfilling obligations. A wage is given in exchange for labour and time. To take the wage while withholding the time is to breach a trust. Such breaches, repeated daily across institutions, create systemic inefficiency and injustice.

This is not a trivial matter. A society progresses when its members respect mutual rights. The Quran links righteousness to trustworthiness in transactions, contracts and public duties. Ritual cannot compensate for negligence in these areas.

The social consequences of performative religiosity

Images of people praying in busy streets or halting in emergency lanes on highways to perform ritual illustrate how devotion can cross into disruption. The question is not whether people should remember God, but whether such acts reflect the balance and restraint the Quran calls for.

When religious practice begins to override common sense and public safety, something has gone wrong in the moral framework. Devotion should enhance order, not weaken it.

A deen grounded in Quranic principles cultivates responsibility, discipline and foresight. It produces individuals who honour their commitments and contribute to social stability. A system defined primarily by visible ritual risks producing the opposite — a culture where symbolic acts overshadow ethical obligations.

Returning to the Quranic centre

The core question emerging from the discussion is simple yet profound: when did tradition and opinion become central, and divine decree secondary?

The Quran presents itself as complete guidance. Its principles are not abstract; they are designed to shape human character and build just societies. The focus is always on transformation of the Self — integrity, humility, discipline and accountability — and on the collective good.

If these principles are sidelined while external practices become markers of identity, the essence of deen is diluted. A religion recognised primarily by its rituals can be seen. A deen recognised by its principles can be felt — in the fairness of institutions, the honesty of workers, the reliability of professionals and the trustworthiness of communities.

That is the real measure.

A way forward

The path back is neither to dismiss ritual nor to defend it uncritically. It is to restore proportion. Ritual, where it exists as a benign act, can be accepted. It should not displace responsibility, disrupt society or become a test of public piety.

Accepting the sovereignty of God means accepting that guidance comes from the Quran first. It means resisting the temptation to elevate inherited practices above revealed principles. It means recognising that deen is not a collection of outward signs but a comprehensive moral order.

When individuals fulfil their duties, honour their time, respect public space and pursue inner reform, the Quran’s vision becomes visible in society. That is the utility of deen — not in how often it is displayed, but in how deeply it transforms the Self and how effectively it advances the common good.

© 2026 Paigham Mustafa

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paigham Mustafa has been engaged in the study and research of the Quran since 1988 and has contributed to the print media for over 37 years. His first major work, The Quran: God’s Message to Mankind, was published in 2016, followed by The Divine Blueprint in 2022. He is also the author of How To Be Human, published in 2025. His exegesis of the Quran often challenges traditional readings, offering instead a reasoned and objective analysis of the original text. His works provide essential guidance,  helping readers gain a clearer, more informed understanding of Islam. This helps address many of the issues that stem from misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and misconceptions

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