He is wondering about the wisdom behind the fact that the number of rak‘ahs of the obligatory prayers is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an
Question

                What is wisdom behind ALLAH(SWT) mentioning explicitly that heavens and earth are created in 6 days while ALLAH(SWT) is silent about number of Daily Salah i.e. 5 Daily prayers in The Glorious Quran.
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly:

	Not everything that is mentioned in the Qur’an is more 
	important than everything that is proven in the Prophet’s Sunnah. Not one of 
	the scholars said that, and there is no evidence in the Qur’an or Sunnah to 
	indicate that. Rather the opposite of that occurs frequently. The Holy 
	Qur’an often mentions many things that are details pertaining to the people 
	and stories of the past, such as the dog that accompanied the people of the 
	Cave, and the words of the ant in the story of the Prophet of Allah 
	Sulaymaan, and some minor rulings in Soorat an-Noor and elsewhere, such as 
	the etiquette required of children who should ask for permission before 
	entering their parents’ room, or some of the etiquette of eating and 
	drinking, and other matters that are undoubtedly important, but what is 
	proven in the Prophet’s Sunnah of the details of how to pray, the rates of 
	zakaah and the conditions of it being obligatory, how to perform Hajj and so 
	on, are more important and of higher significance among the rulings of 
	Islam.

	Hence the fact that the number of days of the creation of the 
	heavens and the earth is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an does not indicate at 
	all that it is more important than the number of the obligatory prayers to 
	be offered each day and night. The Holy Qur’an does not explain in detail 
	the basic pillars of Islam, and the Prophet’s Sunnah does not deal only with 
	secondary matters; rather each of them is a revelation that speaks of both 
	major and minor branches of faith.

	Secondly:

	This shows you that Islam does not differentiate, with regard 
	to legislative issues and basic religious teachings, between that which is 
	mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and that which is proven in the Prophet’s 
	Sunnah, especially when it is proven in the Prophet’s Sunnah by abundant 
	mutawaatir reports (in which it was narrated by so many from so many that it 
	is inconceivable that they could all have agreed upon a lie), in such a way 
	that there was no difference of opinion concerning the fact that it is 
	proven, as is the case with regard to the number of rak‘ahs of the prayers, 
	and the description of its essential parts and its general description.

	Therefore it is essential for it to be firmly established in 
	the heart and mind of every Muslim that the Sunnah – which is everything 
	that is attributed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
	of words and deeds or approval of the words and deeds of others – is one of 
	the two categories of divine revelation that was sent down to the Messenger 
	of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The other category of 
	revelation is the Holy Qur’an. Allah, may He be exalted, says 
	(interpretation of the meaning):

	“Nor does he 
	speak of (his own) desire.

	It is only an Inspiration that is inspired”

	[an-Najm 53:3-4].

	It was narrated from al-Miqdaam ibn Ma‘di Yakrib (may Allah 
	be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of 
	Allah be upon him) said: “Verily I have been given the Qur’an and something 
	like it with it. Soon there will come a time when a man, having eaten his 
	fill, (will recline on his couch) and say: You should adhere to this Qur’an; 
	whatever you find in it to be lawful, take it as lawful, and whatever you 
	find in it to be prohibited, then take it as prohibited. Verily whatever the 
	Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prohibits is 
	the same as what Allah prohibits.”

	Narrated by at-Tirmidhi (2664). He said: It is hasan ghareeb 
	with this isnaad. It was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in as-Silsilah 
	as-Saheehah (2870).

	Hence Hassaan ibn ‘Atiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) 
	said: Jibreel used to come the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him) with the Sunnah as he used to come down to him with the Qur’an. End 
	quote from al-Kifaayah by al-Khateeb (p. 12)

	Al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi (may Allah have mercy on him) 
	included in his important book al-Kifaayah fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaayah (p. 8) 
	a chapter entitled Chapter on what was narrated about the equality between 
	the rulings of the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, and the rulings of the 
	Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), 
	about the obligation to implement and follow both. End quote.

	All of this is evidence which should make it clear to the 
	questioner that the Muslim does not differentiate between that which is 
	proven in the Holy Qur’an and that which is proven in the Prophet’s Sunnah, 
	on condition that it be clearly proven in the Sunnah, beyond any doubt. That 
	has been explained previously on our website in the answer to question no.
	77243

	Thirdly:

	When asking about wisdom, the questioner may not realise that 
	what we see of daily events in this world and what we see of countless 
	people’s situations, and what is narrated in the Qur’an and Sunnah of 
	hundreds and thousands of texts that speak about Islamic law or the creation 
	of Allah or Allah Himself, may He be glorified and exalted, may all be 
	subjected to the question of what is the purpose behind it? In fact, you 
	could ask about every single issue that the religious texts did not refer 
	to: what is the wisdom behind the texts not referring to it? and you can 
	imagine the amount that the human brain could produce of such questions. 
	Indeed you can well imagine the amount of trouble that could be caused to 
	our reason by persisting in this questioning of the wisdom behind that and 
	going to extremes in such questioning. That does not mean that there is no 
	wisdom behind all that is mentioned above; but it does mean that the amount 
	of what man may find out about of wisdom is very little in comparison to 
	this huge number of created things and events, and it is small as a result 
	of the smallness of the human brain in comparison to this huge universe, and 
	in comparison to the huge number of events and causes, and the outcomes 
	thereof, and the connections between them, and in comparison to the 
	greatness of the Creator, may He be glorified and exalted. So what is 
	appropriate for man is to realise the limits of his reasoning, and not waste 
	his energy except on that which will benefit him in this world and in the 
	Hereafter.

	Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	I have seen that man has a natural inclination to find out 
	about the wisdom of Allah in all of His creation and rulings. Perhaps a man 
	may never know the wisdom behind some things – such as decline after 
	perfection – so he pauses in confusion, and the Shaytaan may seize this 
	opportunity to whisper to him: Where is the wisdom behind that?

	I say to him: Beware lest you be deceived, O poor man. For it 
	has been proven to you with definitive evidence – after you have seen the 
	precision and perfection of His creation – how great the wisdom of the Maker 
	is, even if some of that wisdom remains hidden from you, and that is because 
	of your weak reasoning.

	Moreover, kings always have some secrets, so who are you to 
	learn, despite your weakness, all of His wisdom and reasons behind things? 
	You should be content with believing in His wisdom in general terms. Beware 
	of trying to find out the wisdom behind things that is hidden from you, for 
	you are one of His creation, one small speck among all that He has created, 
	so how can you want to issue a ruling about the One Who created you?

	His wisdom is proven to you in His decrees and His dominion, 
	so strive hard to see some of the wisdom, for this will astonish you, and 
	try to overlook what is hidden from you (of wisdom and reasons), for the one 
	whose vision is weak should not stare at the light of the sun.

	End quote from Sayd al-Khaatir (p. 156)

	Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Most Wise of 
	those who are wise, Possessor of ultimate wisdom and overwhelming blessings, 
	Whose wisdom reaches as far as His power, and Who in all things has 
	brilliant wisdom, as He has in all things overwhelming power, and all 
	guidance comes from Him. What we have mentioned is but a drop in the ocean, 
	otherwise human minds are incapable and are too weak and limited to 
	encompass His perfect wisdom in any matter of His creation.

	End quote from Shifa’ al-‘Aleel (p. 239)

	Fourthly:

	Perhaps one of the greatest reasons why the Holy Qur’an kept 
	silent about the number of rak‘ahs in the daily obligatory prayers is to 
	prove to the scholars and their followers the importance of the Prophet’s 
	Sunnah, which is the second category of revelation that was sent down to 
	Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), so that it might be a 
	definitive argument that will defeat all those whom the Shaytaan tries to 
	make doubt the Sunnah and cast aspersions on its validity.

	Al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi narrated in al-Kifaayah (p. 15) 
	from al-Hasan that ‘Imraan ibn Husayn was sitting, with two of his 
	companions, when a man among the people said: Do not quote anything to us 
	except the Qur’an. He said to him: Come closer. So he came closer. Then he 
	said: What do you think, if you and your companions rely only on the Qur’an, 
	would you find in it that Zuhr prayer is four rak‘ahs, and ‘Asr prayer is 
	four rak‘ahs, and Maghrib is three, of which you recite (something other 
	than al-Faatihah) in two? What do you think, if you and your companions rely 
	only on the Qur’an, would you find that circumambulation (tawaaf) around the 
	Ka‘bah is seven circuits, and that going between as-Safa and al-Marwah (is 
	seven laps)? Then he said: O people, learn from us, for if you do not, you 
	will go astray.

	End quote.

	In al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah (1/49-51) 
	there are some useful comments which we will quote here:

	Issues of fiqh may be divided, with regard to understanding 
	the wisdom behind the ruling or not, into two categories:

	1.

	Rulings of which the wisdom behind them is understandable, 
	which may be called rulings based on clear reason. These are the rulings of 
	which the wisdom behind them is readily understandable, either because the 
	reason is clearly stated or because it may be easily concluded.

	These issues are the most common of the things that Allah, 
	may He be glorified and exalted, has ordained. Out of concern for us, He did 
	not test us with rulings of which the wisdom behind them is beyond our 
	comprehension, so that we would not get confused. Examples include the 
	prescription of prayer, zakaah, fasting and Hajj in general; the rulings 
	that make it obligatory to give the mahr in marriage, observe ‘iddah 
	following divorce or death of the husband, and spend on one’s wife, children 
	and relatives; and the ruling that permits divorce when married life becomes 
	impossible… And there are thousands of other such fiqhi rulings.

	2.

	Rulings having to do with acts of worship. In the case of 
	these rulings we do not necessarily understand the connection between the 
	action and the ruling, and the ruling that prescribes how to do that action. 
	Examples include the number of prayers, the number of rak‘ahs, and most of 
	the actions of Hajj.

	By the mercy of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, such 
	rulings are very few in relation to those rulings of which the wisdom behind 
	them is understood. The prescription of these rulings having to do with acts 
	of worship is a test to see whether the individual is truly a believer.

	What should be understood in this context is that nothing of 
	the fundamental issues or minor issues of Islamic teachings is contrary to 
	reason, but there may be something that is beyond our minds to grasp, and 
	there is a big difference between the two matters. If a person is convinced 
	– rationally – that Allah exists, and that He is wise and He alone is 
	deserving of lordship, to the exclusion of all others, and he is convinced – 
	rationally – of what he has seen of miracles and signs that point to the 
	truthfulness of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who 
	conveyed the message from his Lord, then he has confirmed that Allah, may He 
	be glorified and exalted, is the Lawgiver and the Lord, and he has affirmed 
	that he is a slave. So if, when Allah enjoins something or forbids 
	something, he says, “I will not comply until I know the reason behind what 
	You have commanded or forbidden,” by doing that he will have proved himself 
	to be lying when he claimed to believe in Allah and His Messenger. For 
	reason has a limit beyond which it cannot go, just as physical faculties 
	have a limit beyond which they cannot go.

	The one who rebels against the rulings of Allah, may He be 
	exalted, that have to do with worship is like a sick person who goes to a 
	trustworthy doctor, who is known for his knowledge and honesty, and that 
	doctor prescribes different kinds of medicine for him, some of which are to 
	be taken before food, some during the meal, and some after eating, in 
	varying amounts, but he says to the doctor: I will not take your medicines 
	until you explain to me the reason why one has to be taken before food, 
	another after eating, and another during the meal, and why do the doses vary 
	in amount? Does this patient really trust his doctor? The same is applicable 
	to the one who claims to believe in Allah and His Messenger, then he rebels 
	against the rulings of which he does not understand the wisdom behind them. 
	When a true believer is given a command or prohibition, he says: I hear and 
	I obey – especially after what we have stated, that there are no rulings 
	that are contrary to sound reasoning. Not knowing something does not mean 
	that it is not there. How many rulings there are, of which the wisdom behind 
	them was not known in the past, then we discovered the great wisdom behind 
	them. The wisdom behind the prohibition on pork was hidden to many people, 
	then we discovered what this filthy animal carries of diseases and abhorrent 
	characteristics, from which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, wanted 
	to protect Muslim society. Something similar may be said about the command 
	to wash seven times a vessel that has been licked by a dog, one of which 
	should be with dirt… And there are other rulings which in the future we will 
	discover the wisdom behind them, even if it is hidden from us at present.

	We hope that this answer has dealt precisely with the issues 
	you were asking about.

	And Allah knows best.