In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Who delivered the rites of Islam?
Quran teaches us in no uncertain terms that Abraham is the founder of Islam as it is practiced today. As such, what did Abraham contribute to our daily life as Muslims? Quran teaches us that ALL RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN ISLAM, (Salat, Zakat, Fasting, & Hajj) came to us from Abraham, generation after generation. The hypocrites of the Muslims always ask, how can these practices come to us from Abraham and not from Muhammad.. They do not trust that God Almighty can preserve His own religious practices (rituals) to give to us pure and clear. In other words, all religious practices in Islam existed before Muhammad. Muhammad's sole mission was to deliver the Quran.
[13:40] Your ONLY mission (O Muhammad) is to deliver (Quran), while it is we who will call them to account."
[42:48] You (O Muhammad) have no duty EXCEPT delivering (Quran).
[5:99] The messenger has no function EXCEPT delivering (Quran)...
Abraham was the first recipient of the practices of Islam (Submission), and he already called us as Muslims/Submitters.
[22:78] You shall strive for the cause of GOD as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion - the religion of your father Abraham. He is the one who named you "Submitters" originally. Thus, the messenger shall serve as a witness among you, and you shall serve as witnesses among the people. Therefore, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and hold fast to GOD; He is your Lord, the best Lord and the best Supporter.
[3:67-68] Abraham was neither Jewish , nor Christian; he was a monotheist; a Muslim; he never was an idol-worshiper. The people most worthy of following Abraham are those who follow him and this prophet (Muhammad), and those who believed. God is the Lord of the believers.
[16:123] Then we inspired you (O Muhammad) to follow the religion of Abraham, monotheism; never was he an idol-worshiper."
Logically, if Muhammad was a follower of Abraham, and we are followers of Muhammad, then we are followers of Abraham. What did we learn from Abraham ??? The Quran teaches us that we learned ALL THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES of Islam from Abraham. The whole Arabian society before and during the time of Muhammad had many followers of the religion of Abraham. Thus Abu Lahab, Abu Jahl, and the idolaters of Quraish used to observe Salat prayers as we can see in 8:35.
[8:35] .....Their SALAT PRAYERS at the shrine were no more than deceit and repulsion. ..."
It’s interesting to note that in the third revelation of the Quran (chapter 73), in verse 20, we find the first order from God to observe the contact prayer and the obligatory charity. There were no teachings or details about these two commands in the first or second revelation (chapter 96 and 68). God wouldn’t command us to practice something without any explanation or instructions unless it was already in existence.
[73:20] ......and observe the SALAT and ZAKAT, and lend God a loan of righteousness. Whatever you advance for your souls, you will find at God better and multiplied manifold.....