Solaa: Commitments

Solaa: Commitments And Obligations

By Paigham Mustafa

Worship, in one form or another, is a familiar feature of religious life. For most traditional Sunnis, the five daily prayers sit at the heart of their creed, supported by a range of other prescribed or recommended practices: sunnat, nafl, tahajjud, taraweeh, and others. Whatever the additions, these five ritual prayers, known as salat,  are widely regarded as the essential markers of faith.

Yet the Quran itself prescribes no ritual prayers, and no messenger of God is reported to have decreed them. The Deen of Islam, the Quran insists, is the same system revealed to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (Verse 42:13). The elaborate system of five daily prayers only emerged centuries later, backed by hadith narratives such as the story of Muhammad’s heavenly ascent (Isra wal Mi’raj) on a celestial horse-mule, during which the number of prayers was supposedly negotiated down from 50 to five. The tale, however cherished, sits uneasily with the Quran’s emphasis on reason and consistency.

Millions of Sunnis, in practice, do not perform the daily ritual prayers, turning up only for Friday congregational prayer, the Ramadan taraweeh, or festival gatherings. Yet whether observed or not, salat is presented as obligatory, and questioning its ritual form attracts accusations of unbelief from self-appointed guardians of orthodoxy.

Even the hadith corpus — often invoked to justify the rituals — contains no complete liturgy resembling the elaborate prayer structure used today. Different sects have therefore constructed their own versions, following their preferred scholars, imams and jurisprudential traditions.

At its core, ritual prayer is a passive act. It may offer the feeling of duty performed, but it produces no tangible results, nor does God require it. Rituals, by design, occupy the devout and often keep them from broader reflection or action.

The key distinction lies between salat, the ritual prayer, and solaa, the Quranic term repeatedly translated as “prayer” but accurately means commitment or obligation. Some reformists render it as “to connect” or “to follow closely”. Lane’s Lexicon defines it as “following something closely”—precisely what one does when committed to a responsibility.

When solaa and its derivatives are read as “commitment”, Quranic verses become coherent. When forced to mean “prayer”, they become strained and contradictory. Supplication — dua — is something else entirely: a personal appeal or affirmation of intent, shown in the Quran in the supplications of various messengers. These help focus the mind and clarify goals, but they are not rituals.

Traditional translations run into serious difficulties when insisting that solaa means ritual prayer:

1.               Ritual prayer predating its invention

Jews, Moses, Jesus as a child, and earlier communities are all said to practise solaa (Verses 2:43; 5:12; 20:14; 19:31). How could they perform a ritual supposedly introduced centuries later? Abraham is described as a Muslim (Verse 22:78), and Muhammad is commanded to follow him (Verse 3:95), indicating that the same Deen applied throughout history.

2.               Solaa reforming economics

The Messenger Shuaib says solaa can change an economic system (11:87). Ritual prayer has never reformed an economy; ethical commitment can.

3.               Birds performing solaa

Birds “know their solaa” (Verse 24:41). They are not performing ritual prostrations; they are fulfilling their God-given commitments.

4.               Solaa with disbelievers

The Quran permits solaa with disbelievers (Verse 4:101–102). Disbelievers are hardly expected to join ritual prayer with Believers. Commitments and treaties, however, can be shared.

5.               God performing solaa

God and the malaika perform solaa (Verses 2:157; 33:43; 33:56). This makes sense only if solaa refers to divine commitment—provision, support, relief—not ritual worship.

Because ritual prayer does not fit these contexts, many translations resort to inconsistency: rendering solaa variously as prayer, blessing, connection, place of worship, worshippers or oratory. But the Arabic root system is precise; derivatives share a consistent meaning.

Read correctly, the verses align:

·                 Messengerss and earlier communities upheld their obligations — solaa — to God and society (Verses 2:43; 3:39; 5:12).

·                 Shuaib urged his people to uphold ethical commitments in trade (Verse 11:87).

·                 All creatures fulfil their inherent obligations (Verse 24:41).

·                 Believers and non-Believers can share commitments, treaties and legal processes (Verses 4:101–102; 9:5).

·                 God fulfils His commitments (solaa) by sustaining creation and supporting those who follow His guidance (2:157; 33:43; 33:56).

Solaa is therefore the Quranic summons to uphold one’s obligations: personal, social, familial, ethical and economic. By fulfilling commitments, the Self is strengthened and refined; consequently society benefits.

Life’s challenges test these commitments. Overcoming them elevates character, preparing for and providing us with higher standard of life — and offering a glimpse of “heaven” even in this world. Human development occurs not in solitude, but in facing the challenges of daily life. This requires commitment  and the fulfilling of obligations.

The Quran contains no decree for ritual prayer; wa-aqimu al-solata wa-atu al-zakata means “establish your commitments and keep them pure” is to stand by one’s obligations — just as the messengers did, and just as God and His malaika do.

Ritual prayer cannot suspend the laws of the universe for an individual seeking forgiveness or relief. God needs no ritual tributes. The Quran calls instead for belief, action, and accountability: impressing the divine blueprint onto the Self, living it out, and owning the consequences.

Virtue comes from resisting the regressive ego — the iblees within — through deeds, not recitations. It is through good works, not ritual movements, that God is glorified (Verses 21:20; 57:1; 59:24). In Deen-Islam, human dignity lies in cultivating the Self through action. The Quran says that it is good conduct, during the day or night, that rescinds evil works. (Verse 11:114).

This does not mean supplications are forbidden. The Quran records many heartfelt appeals by the messengers. Verse 10:10 offers a pure expression of praise. But true glorification is lived: enjoying God’s gifts responsibly, bettering oneself, and serving others. Hands that serve are indeed better than lips that pray. This is the message of Verses107:1–7.

The Quran repeatedly stresses that God responds to anyone who calls upon Him sincerely, without ritual genuflections (Verse 40:60). Support comes through steadfastness and commitment (Verses 2:45–46). The intelligent remember God in all positions — standing, sitting, or lying down (Verses 3:190–191). It is through fulfilling commitments that we glorify Him (Verse 62:1; 24:41; 17:44).

Had God intended ritual prayer, He would have detailed it as clearly as He details eating, social etiquette or purification. Instead, the later introduction of ritual prayer shifted people away from the Quran’s dynamic, action-centred system. Abraham and Zachariah, when supplicating, observed no ritualised movements (Verse 3:38; 14:39; 2:177).

The word dua — often conflated with prayer — simply means to call, invite, petition or invoke. God responds to such calls (Verse 2:186; 40:60), and the Quran invites humans to call others towards God (Verse 16:125; 12:108; 41:33).

What the Quran decrees is not worship by ritual or other means but service to humanity, which is service to God.

© 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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