Karnal
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People aren’t robots. No religious authority can make people do things outside of Iran, Saudi Arabia and perhaps Yemen, where the imams and mullahs are in charge.
Likewise, if people look to texts to define how they should behave in very specific terms, they’re missing the point entirely.
If any religion or sect micro-manages people, in my opinion, it’s false religion. The very purpose of spiritual teaching is to empower people and give them autonomy.
Having said that, religious orders of monks and nuns are a little different. Here, people volunteer to be micro-managed. These orders impart discipline and routine, and they are not about family life.
Islam, however, is about families. Islam does not have monks. It has a few precepts and rules, and these all fit within the context of the family. Praying five times a day is one of the rules, and this is rigorous compared to other religions. It requires effort and discipline..
It is, however, one of very few Islamic precepts, or pillars. No one is, or should be, forced to pray. All the pillars are voluntary. No one is forced to do the Haj. No one is forced to give alms. If they were, it would defeat the entire purpose of such precepts.
If religion or society attempts to force such things, it’s phoney. Such sects or societies should be critiqued, where possible, or defeated where it’s not possible. The most forceful attempt to encourage prayer I’ve experienced in the Muslim countries I’ve travelled in is the loudspeakers to get people to the mosque. Even in India, Hindus are woken up with the call to prayer. Personally, this would drive me crazy, but people accept it.
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