Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 175
175 It may be thought that five services daily is a little too much and may become burdensome. In fact that is not so. It is a matter of comparative values. All five services taken together do not take up more than about two hours ⎯ no more time than a person in the West is apt to spend watching television. In the eyes of a Muslim, a diversion such as television, or the formalities attendant upon a ceremonial dinner, together with the preparations concerning dress, etc. , that go with it, or a rubber of bridge has little value, whereas participation in congregational worship is nutriment for the soul. It can be, and in most cases is, a cathartic experience. The frequency of the services has also a very special value. The beginning and the end of each day are devoted to communion with God during the morning and evening services. The greater part of the day must perforce be occupied with mundane pursuits, though, from the Islamic point of view, there is no sharp division between the material and the spiritual, the secular and the religious. Nevertheless, it is recognized that the dominant character of some pursuits and occupations has one or the other of these qualities. In the middle of these pursuits and occupations a person is reminded, two or three times in the course of the day, of his duty to God and his duty to his fellow beings, and he is summoned to participate with others in the common act of homage