Prayer in the Bible

A very interesting video showing Prayer in the Bible as practiced by Jesus (peace be upon him) and all the prophets in the Old Testament. This is exactly the way Muslims pray. Hence, we have preserved God's teachings. One may state that according to Mathew 6:5-13, praying in public is unlawful and should be limited to the confines of ones home. When studying scripture one needs to understand each verse in light of all other verses of the subject matter. One also needs to understand the context of each verse as well. Mathew 6 in general is a discussion of hypocrisy seen in some Jews who performed good deeds in order to show off to others. They showed off in regards to charitable deeds (Matthew 6:1-4), prayer (Matthew 6:5-8), and fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). In each case, the Bible comments, "...they have their reward", i.e. the glory of men. The Quran is also clear on this matter when it states: " So woe to the praying ones Who are unmindful of their prayers Who do (good) to be seen" (Quran, Chapter 107, verses 4-6)" And also states: "Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive God, and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it only to be seen of men and do not remember God". (Quran Chapter 4, Verse 142) Now does praying in public make one a hypocrite? If the intent is to be seen by men, then most certainly it does both in Christianity and in Islam. Matthew 6:5-6 is not an injunction against public prayer. It is a warning of the attitude of the Pharisees who were always seeking attention and praise of man. One should realize that Jesus Himself prayed in public on several occasions. In regards to vain repetitions, the quran is also clear on this matter. Just repeating words or actions without actually meaning them is useless. The same would be true for the Lords Prayer. One needs to internalize and really understand what he or she is saying while praying. One should note the need for balance between personal and congregational prayer. Islam encourages private prayers in addition to the 5 congregational prayers. "And do thou Bring thy Lord to remembrance in thy soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not thou of those who are unheedful. (Quran, Chapter 7, verse 205) Also, Prayers in secrecy at late night hours (referred to as Tahajud prayers) are encouraged for purity of the heart. In fact this is the best time to seek repentance though a one on one conversation with God Almighty.