The Book of Lights and Watchtowers: On Prayer

In these passages from his comprehensive code of Karaite law, The Book of Lights and Watchtowers (Kitāb al-anwār wa-’l-marāqib), al‑Qirqisānī discusses prayer. Qirqisānī’s position differed from that of ‘Anan ben David, whose conception of prayer was modeled on Temple rituals. Qirqisānī himself insists that prayer should consist only of psalms. Given that the Hebrew Bible has rather limited details on the contents and times of prayer, he relies on his own reasoning about prayer rituals.