islamic prayer : states, decision making, time triggers

Fisrt, there is some considerations to be done :

1) The first prayer performed in islam was a « dohr » (dhor, zuhr) which is a mid-day prayer to be performed when the sun is at the middle of the sky.

2) The first prayer to be performed every day, is the « fajr » (or sobh) prayer which is the sunrise prayer, which must be done when the sun just rises.

3) There are five obligatory prayers (fajr, dohr, asr, maghreb, icha), which will be considered in our study.

Second, in the scenario that we propose to represent the islamic prayer “as-salat”, we will consider beginning with the “fajr” prayer, and finishing with the “icha” prayer of the same day :

(first state) Fajr –> (finishing state) Icha.

First of all, the muslim should wait for one of the three possibilities :

1. the corresponding time of “fajr” prayer, considering a calculation/table of the prayer time.

2. the “apparition of the sun” (first light in the night sky), to attest that this is the time for sun rise, and so for the “fajr” prayer.

3. the first “adhan” (call for prayer) of the day, and so for the “fajr” prayer.

3. the corresponding time of “fajr” prayer, considering a calculation of the prayer time.

We can consider, that there is three triggers (visual, auditive, cognitive) for the prayer time.

First element for the representation : Trigger for prayer time

For each different first trigger, the subject will associate the following items 'a' and 'b' in order to construct the conclusion 'c':

for trigger (1) :

a. the time of the day (using a watch for exemple),

b. the day of the year,

c. it it time for one specific prayer by correlating the day and the time.

for trigger (2) :

a. there is only one sunrise in a day,

b. the prayer corresponding to the sunrise is the “fajr”,

c. it it time for the “fajr” prayer.

for trigger (3) :

a. the time of the day (using a watch or the light of the day)

b. if no possibility to know the correct time,

=> one must recall the previous prayer

c. it it the adhan time for the corresponding prayer.