Perform Salah

Prayer is a Muslim's Mairaj, or communication with Allah. Prayer purifies and cleans your mind five times a day, and serves to bring peace to your life. Prayer is a man's way of thanking Allah and reminds him that Allah is watching over his life, giving him the courage to face even the toughest of times. This article explains how the Islamic prayer, Salah, is performed according to one of the five major Islamic schools of jurisprudence, the Hanafi School. Other schools differ in many small details - which from their point of view, are very important.

Steps

  1. Prepare for Salah. Preparing for prayer includes cleaning yourself, wearing clean clothes, finding a clean and pure place to pray and clearing the mind of worldly thoughts.
    • Perform-Wudu, or the Ghusl, depending on the circumstances. You must perform the Ghusl if you have had sexual intercourse, after ejaculation even through unlawful means, after a woman has completed her menstrual cycle or have had contact with anything considered Najis (impure). Wudhu is sufficient if only madhiy (urethral fluid) has been discharged.
    • Wear clean clothes. Men should cover at least the part of their body between the navel and the knees, but it is preferable to wear a (preferably long sleeved) shirt. The lower garment must extend to below the knees but must be above the ankles.
    • Pray in a clean place. The place where you pray must be clean and pure. If you are not sure whether the ground is clean or not, spread a clean cloth or prayer mat over it. Ensure the area is not wet because it may contain urine.
  2. Stand to face the Qibla. The Qibla is the direction towards the Kaaba. Some compasses modified for this purpose are now available. Many hotel rooms also have the Qibla direction marked somewhere on the roof. You must be looking towards the spot where your head will touch the ground during the Sajdah and your feet must be evenly spaced.
  3. Make the intention to pray. You do not need to say it out loud, but you will need to know which prayer of the day you are performing, what will be the type of the rakaat, and the number of rakaats. An example would be to think, "I will perform 2/4 rakaat/fard/sunnat/nafil of the Fajr/Zuhr/Asr/Maghrib/Isha/ prayer". Remind yourself that you are praying to Allah alone and not show off or for the sake of another person (i.e parents).
  4. Perform the Takbiratul Ihram. This starts the prayer. Raise your hands, palms facing forwards, up till your ear lobes (or to your shoulders if you are a woman). Say out loud "Allahu Akbar" (الله أَكْبَر), which means "Allah is the greatest".
  5. Perform Qiyam. Qiyam is where you stand up, your hands folded across your chest. Begin reciting Surah Al Fatiha (the first chapter in the order of the Qur'an) and another portion (Surah) of the Qur'an.
  6. Stand up straight, with your hands folded. Your right hand should be over your left, and they should overlap till the wrists only. Men place their folded hands below their navel, and women at chest level. Three of the Sunni schools of Islamic law - the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali groups - pray with their hands folded. Malikis pray with their arms at their sides. If you are a Shia, stand with your arms at your sides.
  7. Recite Surah Al-Fatihah Al-Fatihah. Your voice can be audible to yourself, but if it is not, thinking the prayer perhaps in your brain or mind is also a valid method. If you are a new Muslim and have not yet learned Surah Al-Fatihah, then praise Allah repeatedly. Until you memorize the Surah, you can start saying it.
  8. Recite a short portion of the Qur'an, a 'surah' as Muslims call it. It is helpful to have memorized small surahs of the Qur'an by heart. The last of the 30 parts of the Qur'an contains many small surahs that are easy to memorize. Commonly recited surahs are Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq, Surah Al-Nas, and Surah Al-Kafirun. Again, if you are a new Muslim and have not yet learned Surah Al-Fatihah then praise Allah repeatedly.
  9. Perform the Ruk'u. The ruku is basically a bow. You unfold your hands and bow, then placing your hands on your knees.Your back should become parallel to the ground, almost like carrying a glass of water on your back. It is essential to completely bow, not just tilt your body at 45o to the vertical. Say "Allahu Akbar" (الله أَكْبَر) as you perform this step. When you are in ruku, recite Subhana Rabbiyal al-Adheem (سبحان ربى العظيم), which means "All praises to Allah, the great". Say this three times.
  10. Rise up. Rise up from the bow, while saying, "Sam'i Allahu liman hamidah (سمع الله لمن حمده) which means Allah listens to those who praise Him. Then say "Rabana walakel hummed" (ربنا لك الحمد), which means "Our lord, to you is due to all praise."
  11. Perform the prostration. Say "Allahu Akbar" (الله أَكْبَر) once again and prostrate on the ground. Make sure you have placed your forehead, palms, and knees all on the floor, touching the ground. The bases of the toes on both feet also need to touch the ground. Have your forehead be bare - a covered forehead invalidates prayer. Recite "Subhan rabbi alAla" (سبحان ربى الأعلى) three times which means "Glory be to my Lord, the Most high." Everyone must keep their elbows raised above the ground.
  12. Rise to a sitting position, saying "Allahu Akbar" (الله أَكْبَر). When you are in this position, you must keep your eyes staring at your lap. Men must turn up the heel, and bend the toes, of the right foot. Women must keep both their feet and soles up under their body.
  13. Prostrate again, saying "Allahu Akbar" (الله أَكْبَر). The second prostration is exactly identical to the first one.
  14. Rise up to proceed to the next raka'at, saying "Allahu Akbar" (الله أَكْبَر). The second raka'at is identical to the first one up till the second prostration, but without the Takbiratul Ihram.
    • Perform the Tashahhud at the end of the second raka'at. After the second prostration, stay in a sitting position and recite the Tashahhud (also known as Tahiyat) and then the SalawatAtta-hiyyatu mubarakatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibatu As-salamu 'alaika ayyuhann-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-ullahi wa barakatuhu As-salamu 'alaina wa 'alaa 'ibaadillaahiss-saliheen. Ash-hadu-al-la-ilaha illAllahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluh. meaning All worships - oral, physical and momentary - are for Allah. Allah's peace be upon you, O Prophet, and His mercy and blessings. Peace be on us and on all righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.
    • If you are performing only two raka'ats, then this is the last raka'at. After saying the Tasyahhud and the Salawat, say the Durud,اللهم صلى على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم و بارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم فى العلمين إنك انت الحميد المجيد (Allahuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala Aali Muhammad kama saliet ala Ibrahim wa ala Aali Ibrahim ennak hameed majeed, wa barik ala Muhammad wa ala Aali Muhammad kama barakta ala Ibrahim wa ala Aali Ibrahim ennak hameed majeed) then recite "allahumma inne zalamtu nafsi zulman kasira wala yagfiru junuba inna anta fagfirulu magfiratam min indika war hamni inna kala gafirur rahima" or "rabbi ja'alni muqeemus salaati wa min zurriyati rabbana wataqabbal du'a rabbanaghfirli waliwalidaiyya walil mu'mineena yauma yaqoom-ul-hisaab". then complete the prayer by looking over your right shoulder (where the angel who records your good deeds is) and saying the Salaamالسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتهand then looking over your left shoulder (where the angel who records your wrongful deeds is) and saying the same.
  15. If you are performing more than two raka'ats, do not say the Durud or the Salaam, but rise after saying the Tasyahhud and Salawat and proceed to the next raka'at. The third raka'at is performed just like the first one, and you rise directly after the second prostration without saying the Tasyahhud or Salaam, unless it is your last raka'at. After your last raka'at, complete the prayer after the second prostration by reciting the Tasyahhud, Salawat, Durud, and Salaam, as described in the step above.



Tips

  • After finishing your prayer, it is preferred if you say Astaghfir ullah 3 times so as to ask for forgiveness in any mistakes that you may have done while offering salah.
  • Try your best to concentrate during prayer.
  • If you're a beginner make sure you practice, before you actually do it. And when your doing your dua make sure you ask for forgiveness if you read anything wrong, because sometimes you don't realize your mistakes.
  • It is one of the main duties of Muslim parents to teach their children salah and instill it as a regular part of their daily lives as they approach adulthood. Children should be taught to perform salah from the age of seven. By the age of ten, they should be performing 5-times daily salah regularly and correctly or it is the parents' duty to discipline them.
  • Look for a book in which the "Dua"s are written in Arabic and memorize them, including the Dua-e-Qunut, some short portions of the Qur'an, the Tasyahhud, and the Salawat.
  • During ruku after we say Allah ho Akbar, we bow and recite Subhana Rabbi Al Azeem and not Subhana Rabbi Al Adheem. The latter changes the whole meaning and your prayer is invalid if you don't say Azeem.
  • If you miss out on anything but the faraiz or wajibaat, you should perform sajdah e suhuh, which is performed in the following way. In the last rakah of your prayer, after saying tasyahhud and salawah, look over your right shoulder in the same manner as if you were ending your prayer and reciting "assalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah", but don't look over your left shoulder after this. Instead, prostrate twice as described above in step 8. Then start with the tasyahhud and salawah, and continue with the durud and complete your salah as usual (as described in Step 11).
  • The five prayers of the day:
    • Fajr prayer is offered between dawn and sunrise. It consists of two raka'at sunnah, followed by two raka'at fard.
    • Zuhr prayer is offered between true noon and the time when an object's shadow equals it in size. It consists of four raka'at pre-fard sunnah, four raka'at fard, two raka'at post farz sunnah, and two raka'at nafil.
    • Asr prayer is offered between the time when an object's shadow equals it in size, to just before sunset. It contains four raka'at pre-farz sunnah, and four raka'at farz.
    • Maghrib prayer is offered between sunset to the time when twilight disappears. It contains three raka'at farz followed by two raka'at post-farz sunnah and two raka'at nafil.
    • Isha' prayer is offered between the time when the twilight disappears and midnight. It consists of four raka'at pre-farz sunnah, 4 raka'at farz, two raka'at post-farz sunnah, two raka'at nafil, and three witr.
  • Note on Fard and Witr prayers:
    • In the fard prayers, the first two raka'ats are performed as stated above. In any raka'ats after that, during the Qiyam, only the Surah Al-Fatiha is recited, and is not followed by a short portion of the Holy Qur'an.
    • In the three witr raka'at for the Isha' prayer, the first two are performed as stated above. In the third raka'at, after reciting a short portion of the Qur'an in the Qiyam, say Allahu akbar(الله أَكْبَر) and raise your hands to your ears (chest for women), as in the Takbiratul Ihram, and then lower and fold them. Then, say the Dua-e-Qunut. After that, bow and prostrate as usual.

Warnings

  • There is some disagreement among different sects as to the fine details of the prayer. This article details the method used by the vast majority of Muslims. Please consult a relevant Aalim-e-din if you belong to a minority sect and wish to learn about the differences in method.
  • Consult an Aalim-e-din if in doubt about anything. Remember that this article has been written by volunteer editors, not Ulema.

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Perform_Salah&oldid=361042"