Bassam SaehCommunicating with Allah
Rediscovering Prayer (Salah)
Dr. Bassam Saeh holds a BA in Arabic literature from Damascus University, Syria, and an MA & PhD in modern Arabic poetry from Cairo University. He has been Head of the Arabic Department in Tishreen University, Syria (1977) and has taught in a number of other universities, including: Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Oxford. He was the founder and principal of Oxford Academy for Advanced Studies (1990 2005). He has been presenter of several radio and TV programs and author of several books, the latest: Muslims Facing Islam, Christians Facing Christianity (Legacy Publishing, 2008).
CONTENTS
Supplication
1. An Appointment with God
2. ‘And this, indeed, is a hard act...’: But Why?
3. From Duty to Privilege
4. The Satisfaction of Waking up Early for Prayer
5. The Joy of Patient Perseverance
6. Why Do we Pray?
7. The Rhythm of Prayer and the Rhythm of Life
8. Variety: The First Lesson in Civilisation
9. The Call to Prayer and its Ten Wonders
10. The Two Ritual Ablutions
11. Communal Prayer:The Key to Advancement and Civilisation
12.The Friday Khutbah (Sermon): A Course in Development
13. The Five Lines of Prayer
14. Red Key No. 1: ‘God is Greater’
15. Reading, Reciting and Chanting
16. The New Language of the Qur’an
17. Open Language and ‘Fertile Spaces’
18. The Role of the Fatihah
19. Red Key No. 2: ‘You alone do we worship, and unto You alone do we turn
for aid’
20. The Centrality of Bowing and Prostration
21. Red Key No. 3: ‘Blessed Greeting to God’
22. Red Key No. 4: ‘Peace be upon us…’
23. A Session for Supplication and Private Worship
24. Computing Profits and Losses
25. Let Your Whole Life be a Prayer
Endnotes
Index
