Christianity received the pattern of regular prayer at morning and evening from Judaism; these were the times prescribed in the Old Testament for sacrifice and for offering incense in the Temple. Jewish daily prayer includes the recital of the Sh'ma Israel: 'Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One' and before and after this prayer God is praised as the Master of the Universe 'who creates light' and who 'lets the night follow the day'.

 

The central act of Muslim worship is regular ritual prayer which is offered five times a day at times very similar to those of Christians. It is this discipline and the rhythm of Islamic worship which has been a unifying and attractive factor in Islamic history and orthodox Muslims are outstandingly faithful to this regular worship.