The Role of the Ahl al-Bayt in Building the Virtuous Community Book Eight: The System of Devotional Acts of the Virtuous Community

Chapter Two: Untimed Acts Of Worship

Prelude

The untimed acts of worship are not dedicated to a certain time but can be practiced at any time according to one’s special circumstances and personal choice, or whenever the qualifications of their obligation or recommendation are met. For instance, although jihad is an obligatory act of worship, it is not dedicated to a certain time; rather, it is associated with its necessity and the fulfillment of its conditions.

This chapter will be dedicated to discussing five untimed acts of worship only: prayer, fasting, supplication, remembrance (dhikr), and jihad.

As for the other devotional acts, some of them have been previously discussed. For instance, almsgiving and paying the zakat (poor-rate) and khums (one-fifth) taxes have been discussed in the section on the economic system of the virtuous community. Kind treatment and manners have been discussed in the section regarding the general system of social relations.

As for enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong, which are among the most important obligations and duties in Islam, their laws can be found within the laws and Islamic view of jihad since they are part of the devotional acts that contribute to maintaining worship and religious laws. They are therefore related to the issues of the supreme religious authority (wilayah), as has been previously confirmed.

In the first chapter of this volume devotional acts in their capacity as particular to certain times have been discussed. In this chapter, we will discuss untimed devotional acts.