Short answer
Muslims pray five times a day because God (﷾) Himself set the prayer and its times. The Qur'an says prayers are enjoined on believers "at stated times" (4:103). Its verses name dawn, the sun's decline, sunset and the night. The Prophet (ﷺ) showed the exact times and how to pray. Islam also asks believers to remember God (﷾) standing, sitting and lying down. So the five prayers do not replace that remembrance. They hold it in place, so that work, meals and sleep never push God (﷾) out of a whole day. Each prayer is a meeting with God (﷾), body and heart together, and the believer is nearest to Him in prostration. Sikhs keep set times too, in their morning, evening and night prayers. So the real question is who set the times, and the Qur'an asks to be tested.
Full explanation
Remember God (﷾) at every breath
Sikhism (Sikhs also say Sikhi) was founded by Guru Nanak (Sikhs say Guru Nanak Dev Ji). Its scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs honour as their living Guru. An Ang is a page of its standard 1,430-page edition. The Sukhmani is a long hymn of devotion by Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru. It tells the reader to praise God (﷾) day and night, and to meditate on Him at every breath and every morsel (Ang 280). Its first part calls for remembering God (﷾) again and again (Ang 262). For Sikhs, then, remembrance is not kept for certain hours. It is meant to fill the whole of life. That is why many Sikhs ask why Muslims tie their prayer to five set times.
“Praise God day and night; Meditate on Him at every breath you draw and at every morsel you eat.”
“by remembering Him you shall obtain happiness”
The Nitnem: morning, evening and night
Sikhs keep set prayers too. Guru Nanak's Japji itself names the ambrosial hour of morning for meditating on the true Name (Ang 2). The Sikh Rehat Maryada is the Sikh code of conduct, issued by the SGPC in Amritsar. It asks a Sikh to rise in the ambrosial hours, three hours before dawn, bathe, and repeat the name Waheguru. It lists hymns to be read every day. The Japji and others come in the morning. The Rehras comes in the evening, after sunset, and the Sohila at night, before sleep. Sikhs call this daily round the Nitnem. The morning and evening readings end with the Ardas, a formal prayer of petition said standing with hands folded. Macauliffe's account of the sixth Guru's day shows the same pattern of morning, twilight and night. So Sikhs too join remembrance at every breath with prayers at set times. That matters. The question between Sikhs and Muslims is not whether to keep set times. It is who set them.
“At the ambrosial hour of morning meditate on the true Name and God's greatness.”
The Sikh Rehat Maryada, the Sikh code of conduct issued by the SGPC, says a Sikh should wake in the ambrosial hours, three hours before dawn, bathe, and repeat the name Waheguru. It lists hymns to be recited every day: the Japu and two other compositions in the morning, the Sodar Rehras in the evening after sunset, and the Sohila at night before going to bed. The morning and evening recitations end with the Ardas, which it calls a formal supplication. While it is said, men and women in the congregation stand with hands folded, and at its end the congregation bows before the Guru Granth Sahib.
In his account of the sixth Guru's day, Macauliffe says that Guru Hargobind rose before day, bathed, and went to the Har Mandar to worship. There he heard the Japji and the Asa ki War recited. At twilight the Sodar was read and all stood with clasped hands and offered a prayer to the Almighty. The Sohila was read before the Guru went to sleep.
| Time | Muslim prayer | Sikh Nitnem |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Fajr, from dawn until the sun begins to rise | The Japji and others, from the ambrosial hours before dawn |
| Evening | Maghrib, after sunset | The Rehras, after sunset |
| Night | Isha, until half the night has passed | The Sohila, before sleep |
| Set by | God (﷾), in the Qur'an, and shown by the Prophet (ﷺ) | The Gurus' hymns and the Sikh code of conduct |
Guru Arjan and Guru Nanak on namaz
The Guru Granth Sahib also speaks of the Muslim prayer itself. At Ang 1136, in a hymn in Guru Arjan's section, the speaker says he neither worships as the Hindus nor prays as the Muslims. He takes the Formless God (﷾) into his heart and bows to Him there. So Guru Arjan sets namaz aside for himself, and Sikhs follow the Gurus' way. In Var Majh, Guru Nanak gives the five prayers new meanings. They become truth, what is right, charity in God's (﷾) name, good intentions, and the praise of God (Ang 141). He does not tell the reader to pray namaz. This page does not soften either passage. The page on what the Guru Granth Sahib says about Muslims gives the whole hymn.
“I practise not fasting, nor observe the Ramzan: I serve Him who will preserve me at the last hour. The one Lord of the earth is my God, Who judgeth both Hindus and Musalmans. I go not on a pilgrimage to Makka, nor worship at Hindu places of pilgrimages. I serve the one God and none other. I neither worship as the Hindus, nor pray as the Musalmans. I take the Formless God into my heart, and there make obeisance unto Him. I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman. The soul and body belong to God whether He be called Allah or Ram. Kabir hath delivered this lecture. When I meet a true guru or pir, I recognize my own Master.”
“There are five prayers, five times for prayer, and five names for them— The first should be truth, the second what is right, the third charity in God's name, The fourth good intentions, the fifth the praise and glory of God.”
God (﷾) set the prayer and its times
The Qur'an says prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times (4:103). Ibn Kathir reports Ibn Abbas on this verse: the prayer has a fixed time, just as the Hajj does. Other verses name the times in outline. Prayer is set from the sun's decline to the dark of night, and at dawn (17:78). It is set at the two ends of the day and as night draws near (11:114). God (﷾) is praised before sunrise and before sunset, and in the hours of the night (20:130). He is glorified in the evening and the morning, in the late afternoon, and as the day declines (30:17-18). Ibn Kathir explains that 17:78 covers the times of all five prayers. On 20:130 he says that before sunrise means the Fajr prayer, and before sunset the Asr prayer. The Qur'an also says: guard your prayers strictly (2:238). So the times are not a habit Muslims chose. They are set in the Qur'an, which Muslims hold to be God's (﷾) own word.
“When ye pass (Congregational) prayers, celebrate Allah's praises, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides; but when ye are free from danger, set up Regular Prayers: For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.”
Ibn Kathir says the verse commands remembrance of Allah after the prayer standing, sitting and lying down, meaning in all conditions, and then the prayer itself, performed as commanded, with humility and with its bowing and prostration complete. On "at stated times" he reports Ibn Abbas: the prayer is enjoined, and it has a fixed time, as the Hajj does. He gives the same from Mujahid and others among the early scholars.
“Establish regular prayers - at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony.”
“And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things, that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord):”
“Therefore be patient with what they say, and celebrate (constantly) the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun, and before its setting; yea, celebrate them for part of the hours of the night, and at the sides of the day: that thou mayest have (spiritual) joy.”
“So (give) glory to Allah, when ye reach eventide and when ye rise in the morning; Yea, to Him be praise, in the heavens and on earth; and in the late afternoon and when the day begins to decline.”
Ibn Kathir calls the verse Allah's command to offer the prayers at their appointed times. He reports from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar and others that the sun's decline means midday, and says the verse is understood to cover the times of the five prayers: Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha from midday to the dark of night, and the dawn prayer. The details of the times, he says, come by mass transmission (tawatur) from the Prophet's (ﷺ) words and deeds, and Muslims have followed them generation after generation to this day.
Ibn Kathir heads the passage as the command to be patient and to perform the five daily prayers. He says that glorifying the Lord before the rising of the sun means the dawn (Fajr) prayer, and before its setting the afternoon (Asr) prayer. He cites the Prophet's (ﷺ) words, in al-Bukhari and Muslim, urging believers not to miss the prayers before sunrise and before sunset.
“Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).”
The Prophet (ﷺ) showed how and when
The Qur'an gives the times in outline, and the Prophet (ﷺ) set them out exactly. Gabriel came down and prayed, and the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed with him, five prayers one after another. Gabriel said this was what he had been commanded (Bukhari 521). The Prophet (ﷺ) then gave each prayer its time. Fajr lasts until the sun begins to rise. Zuhr lasts until Asr. Asr lasts until the sun turns yellow. Maghrib lasts until the twilight has gone, and Isha until half the night has passed (Muslim 612a). He told the young men he had taught to pray as they had seen him praying (Bukhari 631). Ibn Kathir notes that these times come by mass transmission from his words and deeds. Muslims have kept them, generation after generation, to this day. So the prayer is not something each person works out alone. God (﷾) gave it, and His Messenger (ﷺ) showed it.
Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari told a governor who had delayed a prayer that Gabriel came down and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed, five times one after another, and then said: this is what I was commanded. Urwa reports this to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz when he too delayed a prayer. Umar asks whether it was Gabriel who set the time of the prayer for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and Urwa confirms it. He adds from Aisha that the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed Asr while the sunlight was still in her room.
Abdullah ibn Amr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) gave the time of each prayer. Fajr lasts until the first part of the sun appears. Zuhr lasts until Asr comes. Asr lasts until the sun turns yellow. Maghrib lasts until the twilight has gone. Isha lasts until half the night has passed.
Malik ibn al-Huwayrith reports that he and other young men stayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) for twenty days. When he sent them home to teach their families, he told them: pray as you have seen me praying.
Ibn Kathir calls the verse Allah's command to offer the prayers at their appointed times. He reports from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar and others that the sun's decline means midday, and says the verse is understood to cover the times of the five prayers: Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha from midday to the dark of night, and the dawn prayer. The details of the times, he says, come by mass transmission (tawatur) from the Prophet's (ﷺ) words and deeds, and Muslims have followed them generation after generation to this day.
- Dawn
Fajr
Until the sun begins to rise.
- Midday
Zuhr
Until Asr comes.
- Afternoon
Asr
Until the sun turns yellow.
- Sunset
Maghrib
Until the twilight has gone.
- Night
Isha
Until half the night has passed.
Five, by God's (﷾) own word
The number five was set by God (﷾) too. The prayer was enjoined on the Night Journey, when the Prophet (ﷺ) was taken up through the heavens. In his account of it, Allah (﷾) first enjoined fifty prayers. Moses said the people could not bear that many, and urged him to ask for less. He asked more than once. Then Allah (﷾) said: they are five, and they are fifty, and My word is not changed (Bukhari 349). Another report of the same night explains the words. They are five prayers every day and night, each counting as ten, and that makes fifty (Muslim 162a). The Qur'an gives the same rule for every good deed: ten times as much to its doer's credit (6:160). So nothing of the first command was lost. The load was made light, and the reward of fifty stands. The Prophet (ﷺ) was also asked which deed Allah (﷾) loves most. He said: the prayer at its proper time (Bukhari 527). This matters because the number is God's (﷾) own. No scholar chose it, and no later teacher can change it.
In the Prophet's (ﷺ) account of his Night Journey, Allah enjoined fifty prayers on his followers. On his way back Moses told him his people could not bear it and sent him back to ask for less. He went back three times. Twice the number was lessened, and the third time Allah said: they are five, and they are fifty; My word is not changed. Moses told him to go back once more, and he said he felt shy before his Lord.
Anas ibn Malik reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) account of the Night Journey. Allah enjoined fifty prayers every day and night. Moses said the people could not bear it, for he had tried the Children of Israel, and urged him to ask for less. He went back and forth until Allah said: they are five prayers every day and night, each prayer counting as ten, and that makes fifty. The report adds that whoever means to do a good deed and does not do it has one good deed written for him, and ten if he does it.
“He that doeth good shall have ten times as much to his credit: He that doeth evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil: no wrong shall be done unto (any of) them.”
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud asked the Prophet (ﷺ) which deed Allah loves most. He said: the prayer offered at its proper time. Asked what comes next, he said: being good and dutiful to one's parents.
- 50Prayers Allah (﷾) first enjoined, on the Night Journey
- 5Prayers a day, after He lightened them
- 50What the five count as, each prayer as ten
Remembrance at every moment, and prayer at its times
Islam asks for both. The same verse that sets the times first says: when the prayer is over, celebrate Allah's (﷾) praises standing, sitting or lying down (4:103). Ibn Kathir explains that this means in every condition. Believers are told to remember God (﷾) often (33:41). People of understanding remember Him standing, sitting and lying down (3:190-191). So remembering God (﷾) at every breath is an Islamic aim as well. The five prayers are not the whole of that remembrance. They are its frame. God (﷾) says to establish prayer for His remembrance (20:14). Five times a day, prayer breaks into work, meals and sleep, and turns the heart back to Him.
“When ye pass (Congregational) prayers, celebrate Allah's praises, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides; but when ye are free from danger, set up Regular Prayers: For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.”
Ibn Kathir says the verse commands remembrance of Allah after the prayer standing, sitting and lying down, meaning in all conditions, and then the prayer itself, performed as commanded, with humility and with its bowing and prostration complete. On "at stated times" he reports Ibn Abbas: the prayer is enjoined, and it has a fixed time, as the Hajj does. He gives the same from Mujahid and others among the early scholars.
“O ye who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often;”
“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding,- Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.”
“Verily, I am Allah: There is no god but I: So serve thou Me (only), and establish regular prayer for celebrating My praise.”
A life of remembrance
Allah (﷾) remembered standing, sitting and lying down.
Five prayers at stated times
Dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and night.
Remembrance between them
Often, through the whole day.
Why set times keep remembrance from slipping
A good aim with no set time tends to slip when life is busy. The Qur'an says man was created impatient: fretful when evil touches him, and grasping when good comes, except those devoted to prayer (70:19-22). It praises men whom neither trade nor business can turn from the remembrance of Allah (﷾) and from prayer (24:37). The times are kept even in hardship. In danger, the Qur'an says to pray on foot or riding (2:239). The Prophet (ﷺ) told a sick man to pray standing, or sitting if he could not, or lying on his side (Bukhari 1117). So a set time does not make remembrance mechanical. It makes sure that no day, however busy or hard, passes without it. Someone who stops for God (﷾) five times a day keeps coming back to Him.
“Truly man was created very impatient;- Fretful when evil touches him; And niggardly when good reaches him;- Not so those devoted to Prayer;-”
“By men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the Remembrance of Allah, nor from regular Prayer, nor from the practice of regular Charity: Their (only) fear is for the Day when hearts and eyes will be transformed (in a world wholly new),-”
“If ye fear (an enemy), pray on foot, or riding, (as may be most convenient), but when ye are in security, celebrate Allah's praises in the manner He has taught you, which ye knew not (before).”
Imran ibn Husayn, who was ill, asked the Prophet (ﷺ) how to pray. He said: pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot, then lying on your side.
What the prayer is: a meeting with God (﷾)
Before praying, a Muslim washes the face, hands and arms, wipes the head and washes the feet (5:6). He faces the Ka'ba, the House of God (﷾) in Mecca (2:144). He stands and recites al-Fatiha, the Qur'an's opening chapter, then bows, prostrates and sits. The Qur'an names these acts: bow down, prostrate yourselves, and adore your Lord (22:77). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever stands in prayer is speaking privately to his Lord (Bukhari 531). He said that God (﷾) answers each verse of al-Fatiha as the servant says it (Muslim 395a). And he said the servant is nearest to his Lord when prostrating (Muslim 482). The Qur'an says: bow down in adoration, and bring thyself the closer (96:19). The body and the heart pray together. The Qur'an praises those who humble themselves in their prayers (23:1-2). The site's Salah guide shows each step.
“O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful.”
“We see the turning of thy face (for guidance to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is Allah unmindful of what they do.”
“O ye who believe! bow down, prostrate yourselves, and adore your Lord; and do good; that ye may prosper.”
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that when one of you prays he is speaking privately with his Lord, so he should not spit in front of him or to his right.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a prayer without Umm al-Qur'an (al-Fatiha) is incomplete, and that he heard him say that Allah the Exalted said: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant in two halves, and My servant shall have what he asks. Allah then answers each verse of al-Fatiha as the servant says it: to the praise He says that His servant has praised Him, to the verse of mercy that he has extolled Him, and to the verse of the Day of Judgement that he has glorified Him; of "Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek" He says that it is between Him and His servant, and of the closing prayer for guidance that it is for His servant, who shall have what he asks.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a servant is nearest to his Lord when he is prostrating, so make much supplication then.
“Nay, heed him not: But bow down in adoration, and bring thyself the closer (to Allah)!”
“The believers must (eventually) win through,- Those who humble themselves in their prayers;”
Wash
Face, hands and arms; wipe the head; wash the feet.
Face the Ka'ba in Mecca
Stand and recite al-Fatiha
God (﷾) answers each verse as it is said.
Bow
Prostrate
The servant is nearest to his Lord.
Sit
What the prayer does
The Qur'an says prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds (29:45). The Prophet (ﷺ) likened the five prayers to bathing five times a day in a river at your door, which leaves no dirt (Bukhari 528). He also said which sins. The five prayers wipe out the sins committed between them, as long as major sins are avoided (Muslim 233a). He gave the conditions as well: the washing done well, and the prayer offered with humility (Muslim 228). Ibn Taymiyyah says this promise covers minor sins only. Major sins need their own sincere repentance (66:8). Wrongs done to other people must be put right with them (Bukhari 2449). The Qur'an also promises that hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah (﷾) (13:28). So the prayer keeps a person from wrong, cleans away the small faults of each day, and gives the heart rest.
“Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.”
Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet (ﷺ) ask whether any dirt would be left on someone who bathed five times a day in a river at his door. They said not a trace would be left. He said that is the example of the five prayers, by which Allah wipes out evil deeds. Also in Sahih Muslim 667.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: the five prayers, and one Friday prayer to the next, wipe out the sins between them, as long as major sins are not committed.
Amr ibn Sa'id reports that Uthman called for water for wudu and said he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: when a prescribed prayer comes, and a Muslim does its wudu well and prays it with humility and proper bowing, it is an expiation for his past sins, as long as he has not committed a major sin; and this holds for all time.
Quotes an-Nawawi that fasting the day of Arafah expiates all minor sins, and that if a person has major sins and no minor ones, it is hoped they will be lessened; and Ibn Taymiyyah that the expiation promised for purification, prayer, fasting Ramadan, Arafah and Ashura applies to minor sins only, while major sins need their own repentance.
“O ye who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance: In the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow,- the Day that Allah will not permit to be humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their Light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, "Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for Thou hast power over all things."”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever has wronged another, in his honour or in anything else, should seek his release from it today, before the Day when there will be no money. If he has good deeds, they will be taken from him in proportion to the wrong. If he has none, some of the wronged person's bad deeds will be laid on him.
“"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
Where the two ways part
Both ways ask for remembrance of God (﷾) through the whole of life. Both keep set prayers in the morning and at night, and both stand before God (﷾) in prayer. They part on the source. For Sikhs, the Nitnem's hymns are the Gurus' word, and the code of conduct sets which are read and when. Guru Arjan sets namaz aside. For Muslims, God (﷾) Himself enjoined the prayer at stated times in the Qur'an, and His Messenger (ﷺ) showed each one. Sikhs hold that the Gurus' word came from God (﷾), as Muslims hold of the Qur'an. A practice alone cannot settle which is right. So it comes down to one question: is the Qur'an God's (﷾) word? If it is, then the five prayers are His command, and no later teacher can set them aside.
The Sikh Rehat Maryada, the Sikh code of conduct issued by the SGPC, says a Sikh should wake in the ambrosial hours, three hours before dawn, bathe, and repeat the name Waheguru. It lists hymns to be recited every day: the Japu and two other compositions in the morning, the Sodar Rehras in the evening after sunset, and the Sohila at night before going to bed. The morning and evening recitations end with the Ardas, which it calls a formal supplication. While it is said, men and women in the congregation stand with hands folded, and at its end the congregation bows before the Guru Granth Sahib.
“I practise not fasting, nor observe the Ramzan: I serve Him who will preserve me at the last hour. The one Lord of the earth is my God, Who judgeth both Hindus and Musalmans. I go not on a pilgrimage to Makka, nor worship at Hindu places of pilgrimages. I serve the one God and none other. I neither worship as the Hindus, nor pray as the Musalmans. I take the Formless God into my heart, and there make obeisance unto Him. I am neither a Hindu nor a Musalman. The soul and body belong to God whether He be called Allah or Ram. Kabir hath delivered this lecture. When I meet a true guru or pir, I recognize my own Master.”
“When ye pass (Congregational) prayers, celebrate Allah's praises, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides; but when ye are free from danger, set up Regular Prayers: For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.”
Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari told a governor who had delayed a prayer that Gabriel came down and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed, five times one after another, and then said: this is what I was commanded. Urwa reports this to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz when he too delayed a prayer. Umar asks whether it was Gabriel who set the time of the prayer for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and Urwa confirms it. He adds from Aisha that the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed Asr while the sunlight was still in her room.
Muslims and Sikhs both keep set prayers.
Who set the Muslim prayer and its times?
God (﷾), in the Qur'an: prayers at stated times.
Who showed how?
The Prophet (ﷺ), who prayed each of the five with Gabriel.
Can a later teacher set them aside?
Not if the Qur'an is God's (﷾) word.
So what decides it?
Test the Qur'an: produce a chapter like it, or find the discrepancy.
Islam's invitation
The Qur'an does not ask to be taken on trust. It invites anyone in doubt to produce a chapter like it (2:23), and to look for the discrepancy a human book would hold (4:82). Read it in a translation you trust, and test it. If it is God's (﷾) word, then the five prayers are His invitation to meet Him five times a day. The site's Salah guide shows the prayer step by step. The pages on Naam simran and dhikr, and on why Muslims remember God (﷾) so often, say more.
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
Perspectives
Sikh: every breath, and the Nitnem in the Gurus' way
Sikhs hold that God is to be remembered at every breath, not only at certain hours. They keep the Nitnem at dawn, evening and night and end it with the Ardas. The Guru Granth Sahib sets namaz aside.
Gurbani, the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib, says to praise God day and night and to meditate on Him at every breath (Ang 280). So remembrance cannot be tied to five times.
Rebuttal
Islam asks the same: remember God (﷾) often (33:41), standing, sitting and lying down (3:190-191). The verse that sets the times asks for remembrance in every condition first (4:103). The five prayers are the frame that keeps it from slipping.
Guru Arjan's hymn says its speaker neither worships as the Hindus nor prays as the Muslims (Ang 1136). So a Sikh does not pray namaz.
Rebuttal
The hymn says this, and it is not softened here. Islam's answer is about authority. God (﷾) Himself enjoined prayer at stated times (4:103; 2:43). If the Qur'an is His word, no later teacher can set it aside, and the Qur'an asks to be tested (4:82).
Guru Nanak turns the five prayers into truth, what is right, charity, good intentions and praise (Ang 141). The virtues are what count.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an asks for those virtues too, and makes them the prayer's fruit: prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds (29:45). It puts faith, giving and prayer in one verse (2:177). It keeps the virtues and the prayer together, not one in place of the other.
The Bhagat Kabir, whose hymns are in the Guru Granth Sahib, asks what prayer and pilgrimage are worth with deceit in the heart (Ang 1350). So prayer at fixed hours can become empty ritual.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an warns against that itself: woe to worshippers who neglect their prayers or pray to be seen (107:4-7). In prayer the believer speaks privately to his Lord (Bukhari 531), and God (﷾) answers each verse of al-Fatiha (Muslim 395a).
Sikhs already pray at set times, in the Nitnem at dawn, evening and night and in the Ardas. They need no other daily prayer.
Rebuttal
Then set times are common ground. The question is who set them. The Qur'an says God (﷾) enjoined the prayers at stated times (4:103). Gabriel came down and prayed each one with the Prophet (ﷺ) (Bukhari 521).
The Islamic perspective
God (﷾) Himself enjoined the prayer at stated times, and the Prophet (ﷺ) showed each one. The five prayers do not replace remembrance at every moment; they hold it in place. Each is a meeting with God (﷾), body and heart, nearest in prostration. Whether to keep them turns on one question: is the Qur'an His word?
The Qur'an says prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times, and names them in outline: dawn, the sun's decline, sunset and the night.
Gabriel came down and prayed the five prayers with the Prophet (ﷺ), and the Prophet (ﷺ) gave each its time.
Allah (﷾) first enjoined fifty prayers and lightened them to five. Each of the five counts as ten, which makes fifty.
The deed Allah (﷾) loves most is the prayer offered at its proper time.
The verse that sets the times also asks for remembrance standing, sitting and lying down, so Islam asks for both.
Set times keep remembrance from slipping. The prayer is kept in danger and in illness, so no day passes without it.
In prayer the believer speaks privately to his Lord, and is nearest to Him in prostration.
The five prayers, prayed well and with humility, wipe out the minor sins between them, as long as major sins are avoided. Major sins need sincere repentance, and wrongs to people must be put right.
Whether God (﷾) set the five prayers rests on whether the Qur'an is His word, and the Qur'an asks to be tested.