Did Jesus Pray Like a Muslim?
- philhoraia
- May 26, 2023
- 5 min read
Muslims will tell us that Jesus prayed like a Muslim and will speak of his praying with his head to the ground.
39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. https://biblehub.com/kjv/matthew/26.htm
Muslims will do sujud at some point in their salat, which this isn't, repeating set phrases. Furthermore, Jesus prays, goes to the disciples and goes back to praying, which he does three times. Does this sound like salat?
Another instance of Jesus' praying:
1These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Prayer for the Disciples
6I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Prayer for all Believers
20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. https://biblehub.com/kjv/john/17.htm
That doesn't sound like salat. And does the text say that he had his head to the ground? As sujud among the Jews is towards the site of the Temple, as Muslims themselves did before Allah's boss decided to switch towards the Ka'bah, can Muslims show us from the texts that Jesus was praying towards it?
References to prayer:
9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. https://biblehub.com/kjv/luke/18.htm
Here we have two worshippers standing during prayer.
8I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. https://biblehub.com/kjv/1_timothy/2.htm
Muslims during salat will not only do sujud but also stand and hold their hands out. Sujud itself is performed by Jews. Are Muslims imitating Jews? A Jew will go further than mere sujud and will prostrate, with his whole body on the ground. Jews, Hindus and Buddhists all do sujud. Should one conclude that they're Muslims?
In the Sirah we find Muslims suffering from an illness. They sit rather than stand and Allah's boss tells them that the prayer of the sitter is worth half that of the stander.
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri from 'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As mentioned that, when the apostle came to Medina with his companions, the fever of Medina smote them until they were extremely ill (though God turned it away from 415 his prophet) to such a degree that they could only pray sitting. The apostle came out to them when they were praying thus and said; 'Know that the prayer of the sitter is only half as valuable as the prayer of the stander.' Thereupon the Muslims painfully struggled to their feet despite their weakness and sickness, seeking a blessing.
Slide 164 p. 280 Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf
Videos:
Jewish prayer/amidah standing prayer/with hishtaHawa (prostration) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dytlTfMPyH8
Prostration in Daily Jewish Prayer - השתחוויה בסוף העמידה https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3YFP5r5x-w
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