The Islamic Mode of Worship — Page xiii
Foreword Forms of worship have existed for millennia. Anthro- pologists have been able to trace the history of devotion back to at least 5000 years. The most common of these acts is prayer—a conscious invocation which seeks to create a relationship between the worshipper and God. Modes of prayer are as wide and varied as the people who perform them; ritualistic ceremonies, dance, hymns, meditation and prescribed religious observances are some of the many historical forms prayer has taken. However, despite this diversity, prayer methods across religions and cultures have tended to follow certain fixed patterns which commonly include benedictions, litanies, doxologies and devotional acts intended to induce a state of transcendence and divine nearness. As with all religions, prayer is fundamental to Islam. Its principle expression is the five daily s al a t or nam a z which Muslims are expected to assiduously perform. In , Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II ra expounds on the methodology and philosophy of the Islamic prayer for a non-Muslim audience. The aim