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Early Practices Of Itekhaf And Salah
As-salāmu ʿalaykum – ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ
Dear Brother
I hope you are doing well.
Ghamidi Sahib have spoken about following on multiple occasions but I am finding it very difficult to read more about them.
I have used Google but nothing comes up with reference to:
1. Abdul Mutalib (grand father of of our beloved Prophet (PBUH) regularly going to Cave Hira for Itekhaf and providing food to poor and needy while there. I think he also said that he would go there with family.
2. Some Companions of our beloved Prophet (PBUH) offering five times Salah even before they embraced Islam.
The holy Quran describes the prayers of I think pagans as nothing but whistling and clapping and I remain uncertain what form of Salah was common specially among the God consciousness people (or those who were following the teachings of Prophet Ibrahim (AS)before our Prophet (PBUH) started propagating the Message of Islam.
As an academic I am really intrigued by these two practices and would like to read more about them before time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
May Allah reward you immensely for your time and effort – Ameen!
Thank you.
Ahmad
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5 Replies
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Early Practices Of Itekhaf And Salah
updated 1 month, 2 weeks ago
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Ghamidi Sahib’s perspective on these points, it is important to first clarify that these specific details are not explicitly mentioned in the Quran. The Quran primarily focuses on the core message, law, and the moral consequences of human actions. For the historical context and the day-to-day life of the Arabs before the Prophet’s (PBUH) mission, scholars like Ghamidi rely on the Sirah (biographies like those of Ibn Hisham and Ibn Ishaq) and Hadith literature.
These historical records provide the landscape in which the Quranic revelation descended.
Regarding Abdul Muttalib, the practice he engaged in is historically known as Tahannuth (devotional seclusion). While the Quran does not mention him by name, early biographers record that several “Hanifs”—individuals who rejected idol worship in favor of Ibrahimi monotheism—would spend the month of Ramadan in caves like Hira. Abdul Muttalib, as the patriarch of the Quraysh, was known for this spiritual retreat, where he would meditate and feed the needy. It suggests that rituals like I’tikaf and the sanctity of specific months were not brand-new inventions, but rather remnants of the Religion of Abraham that had survived in Arabia, albeit in a faded or fragmented form.
As for the Companions offering Salah before their formal conversion, the most prominent example found in the Hadith (specifically Sahih Muslim) is Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (R.A.). He explicitly narrated that he used to perform a form of prayer for years before he even met the Prophet (PBUH). You are correct that the Quran describes the prayer of the pagans at the Kaaba as “whistling and clapping” (Surah Al-Anfal 8:35), but Ghamidi Sahib explains that this was a corruption of the original ritual. While the masses had turned worship into a noisy performance, the “God-conscious” individuals still practiced the original Ibrahimi Salah—consisting of standing, bowing, and prostrating—which had been passed down through generations.
Prophet (PBUH) not just bring new laws, but Reformed who purified existing Ibrahimi traditions. When the Prophet (PBUH) began his mission, he didn’t have to explain what “Ruku” or “Sujud” were because the physical structure of the prayer was already a known “Sunnat” among the Arabs. He simply removed the polytheistic elements and restored the prayer to its original solemnity. The Quran criticizes the corruption of worship by the masses, while history records the persistence of the original Ibrahimi rites among a sincere few
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As-salāmu ʿalaykum – ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ
I would like to offer my sincere gratitude and thanks for providing a detailed answer. I find it insightful and helpful. Thank you.
Can you please provide me a list of history books that I can read myself to know more about these two practices? Many thanks in anticipation.
Ahmad
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According to your specific interest in how these traditions existed before Islam and how they were passed down, here is a curated list of books.Each of these offers a different “angle” on the subject, so I’ve included a brief description of what you can find in each one related specifically to your concern:
Meezan (The Law of Islam) — Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
This is perhaps the most critical work for your specific question. Specifically, read the section on “Al-Sunnah.” Ghamidi Sahab provides a scholarly framework explaining that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not “invent” prayer and fasting, but rather revived and purified the existing Sunnah of Abraham that was already being practiced by some.
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources — Martin LingsThis biography is unique because it draws heavily on the earliest Arabic sources. It provides a vivid description of the Hanifs—individuals in pre-Islamic Mecca who rejected idols and followed the “Religion of Abraham,” practicing forms of prayer and spiritual retreat long before the first revelation.
The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum) — Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri While this is a traditional narrative biography, the initial chapters are excellent for understanding the “before and after.” It describes the religious state of Arabia and how the original monotheism of Abraham (AS) had become clouded by paganism over time.
A History of God — Karen Armstrong If you want a comparative lens, this is the one. It tracks the evolution of monotheistic rituals across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam over 2,000 years. It helps place Islamic prayer and fasting within the broader historical continuity of the Near East.
The Life of Muhammad — A. Guillaume (Translation of Ibn Ishaq)This is the primary source. It is the earliest surviving biography of the Prophet (written in the 8th century). If you want to see the “raw” historical records of how the people of that time viewed their connection to Abrahamic traditions, this is the book.
If you want to start with the most direct answers to your question, I’d suggest starting with Martin Lings for the “story” and historical feel of pre-Islamic rituals, and Ghamidi’s Meezan for the academic logic of how those rituals were preserved.
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Please see Seerat Ibn Hisham, one of the earliest records of Seera, which mentions the ritual of meditation as a practice in Quresh.
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Please refer to the following segment from the 23 Questions Series (Episode 46) in which Ghamidi Sahab cites the relevant passage from Ibn Hisham regarding the practice of itekaf in the Cave of Hira:
Discussion 44130 • Reply 45598
As for the practice of Salah among certain companions before Islam, there are several narrations in the Hadith corpus that point to this. You can find these narrations along with their references in the following section of Meezan:
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