5. How to Perform Prayer (Salat)
I. The Adhan (call to prayer) and Iqama (call to start the prayer)
The adhan is the announcement that the time of a particular prayer has begun. This is done with specific wording, and for the purpose of calling the people to pray in congregation. It is a distinctive feature of Islamic society and its religious practice. It is obligatory for the Muslim society to establish it.
The wording of the Adhan
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,Note: In the call to prayer for Fajr (the Dawn prayer) the mu'adhdhin (caller) adds after Haiya 'alal-Falah: As-Salat Khairun minan naum, As-Salat Khairun minan naum, "Prayer is better than sleep." (twice)
"Allah is the Most Great." (repeated 4 times)
Ash-hadu an la ilah ella-Allah, Ash-hadu an la ilah ella-Allah,
"I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah." (twice)
Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasul-ullah, Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasul-ullah,
"I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." (twice)
Haiya 'alas-Salat, Haiya 'alas-Salat,
"Hurry towards prayer." (twice)
Haiya 'alal-Falah, Haiya 'alal-Falah,
"Hurry toward success." (twice)
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
"Allah is the Most Great." (twice)
La illah illa-Allah "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah." (once)
II. The Iqama
The iqama is like the adhan but it is announced immediately before the start of obligatory prayer, in order to assemble the people in the mosque in orderly rows.
The wording of the Iqama
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.It is praiseworthy for one who while hears the adhan to repeat each phrase after the mu'ahdhin, except when he says "Hurry to prayer" and " Hurry to success," one should say:
"Allah is the Most Great." (twice)
Ash-hadu an la ilah ella-Allah
"I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah." (once)
Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasul-ullah
"I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." (once)
Haiya 'alas-Salat
"Hurry towards prayer." (once)
Haiya 'alal-Falah
"Hurry toward success." (once)
Qad Qamatis-Salat, Qad Qamatis-Salat,
"The time of prayer has come." (twice)
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
"Allah is the Most Great" (twice)
La illah illa-Allah
"None has the right to be worshipped but Allah." (once)
La hawla ,la Quwwata illa billah "There is no power nor ability except by Allah."After the adhan, one should ask Allah to bless the Prophet (pbuh) in a low voice, then he should make the following du'a (supplication):
Allahuma rabba hadhi-hid da'wah tit-tam-matiwas-sala til qa'imati ati Muhammad nil waseelata wal fadeelata wab'ath-hu maqamam an mahmudunil-ladhi wa'ad tahu.The Prophet (pbuh) said:
"O Allah, the Lord of this perfect invitation and established prayer, grant Muhammad intercession (to You) and honor and raise him to the position of praise on the Day of Judgement, which You promised him."
"Whoever supplicates with this du'a hearing the adhan will be eligible for my intercession on the Day of Judgement " (Bukhari)
The adhan is an act of worship, and worship should be performed in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh) without addition or omission.
Obligatory prayers and sunna prayers
Besides the obligatory or prescribed five daily prayer (prayers) Muslims are strongly advised to perform the non-obligatory sunna prayers for which they are rewarded; these sunna prayers accompany the fard, or obligatory prayers, as stated below.
After the worshipper has done the ablution and after the adhan and iqama are said, the prayer is conducted according to the sunna of the Prophet (pbuh) who said to companions:
"Pray as you have seen me praying. " (Bukhari),
Since then, Muslims of all times and places have been performing prayer in the same way of the Prophet (pbuh) as illustrated below:
1. The Early Morning prayer (Salatu-l-Fajr)
In this prayer two units (raka'at) are offered first as supererogatory (sunna). These are followed by two other units which are obligatory (fard). Both supererogatory and obligatory prayers are offered in the same manner except that, when declaring the intention, one has to distinguish between the two kinds. Following is the description of the fard (obligatory) or sunna (voluntary) prayer.
Act 1. One stands in reverence and humility, facing the Qiblah, raising his hands up to the ears, and silently intending for Sunat Salati-l-Fajr or Fard Salati-l-Fajr (as the case may be), and says, "Allahu Akbar".
This position of the hands is in accordance with one school of law. Other positions are preferred by other schools. However, these are minor differences and do not affect the validity of the prayer. In fact, all such differences are considered as convenience and facilities rather than hindrances and restrictions.
Act 2. He then says in a low voice the following:
"Subhanaka-l-lahumma wa bihamdik, wa tabaraka-smuk, wa ta'ala Jadduk, wa La Ilaha Ghayruk. A'udhu bi-l-lahi mina-sh-shaytani-r-rajeem. Bismi-l-lahi-rah-mani-raheem. "This means: "Glory be to you, O Allah, and Yours is the praise, and blessed is Your name, and exalted is Your majesty, and there is no God besides You. I seek the refuge of Allah from the condemned devil. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Merciful. "
Bismillahir-rah Mani-Rahim,Then any portion of the Qur'an which the devotee may have learned by heart is recited, whether it is a short chapter, or a few verses.
Alhamdu Lillahi-rabbil-alamin,
Ar-rahmanir-rahim, Maliki Yawmaid-din, Iyyaka na'bodu
Wa Iyyka nasta'in, Ihdinas-Siratal-mustaqim Siratal-lathin An'amta alayhim
Ghqyril-maghdubi Alayhim Waladallin. Amin.
The translation of the Fatiha chapter is as follows:
In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, the Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Thee only do we worship, and from Thee only do we seek help. Guide us to the right path, the path of those to whom Thou hast been Gracious, not of those who are condemned, nor of those who are misguided." Amen.
Act 4. Then he says: "Allahu Akbar. " (Allah is the Greatest) and lowers his head and torso down at a right angle, places the palms of his hands on the knees and says in a low voice:
"Subhana Rabbiya-l-Azeem"
"Sami' a-l-ahu Liman Hamidah; Rabbana laka-l-Hamd"(Allah accepts any who are thankful to Him; Our Lord, praise be to you). When saying this, the hands remain on the sides.
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
"Perform ruku' until you come to rest in ruku', then rise up until you are standing [fully] upright. Then perform sajdah until you come to rest in sajdah" (Bukhari)
Act 5. The worshipper then says: "Allah Akbar", prostrating himself with the toes of both feet, both knees, both hands and the forehead touching the ground. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "When you perform sajdah, place your hands down, and raise your elbows up." (Muslim) This is the position of sujud and is accompanied by these words:
"Subhana Rabbiya-l-A'la"
(Glory to my Lord the Most High, repeated three times.)
After this a second prostration (sujud) is repeated in the same way, with the same utterances as the first one. This completes one unit (raka'at) of the prayer.
Act 8. When he has finished the second bowing and the two prostrations in the same way as the first, he takes a sitting position as in julus and recites the tashahhud with its two parts. (A+B)
A. At-tahyiyatu lilllahi, wassala-watu wattayybatu, Assalamu alaka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuhu. Assalamu alayna wa ala ibadillahis-salihin. Ash-hadu an la-ilaha-illallah wa ash-hadu anna Mohammedan abduhu wa Rasuluhu,
B. Allahumma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad kama salyata ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrabih, innaka Hamidun Majid, wa barik ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad kma barkt ala Ibrahim wa ala ali Ibrahim innak Hamid Majid.
Meaning of Tashahud (The Declaration of Testimony of Faith)
(Recited while sitting after the end of the second raka'at of prayer.)
1. (All) greetings, prayers and all good things are due to Allah, the Almighty. Peace be unto you, oh Prophet of Allah. The mercy and the blessings of Allah be unto us, and unto the righteous slave servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, and I bear witness that Mohammed is the slave/servant and messenger of Allah.
2. Oh Allah! Shower blessings upon Mohammed and upon the family of Mohammed as you showered blessings upon Abraham and the family of Abraham. And grant favors to Mohammed and to the family of Mohammed as you granted favors to Abraham and to the family of Abraham in this world. You are the Praiseworthy and Glorious.
In the final tashahud, one must seek refuge with Allah, the Almighty, from the torture of the hellfire, the torture of the grave, the afflictions and temptations of life and death and temptations of the false Messiah. Then, one may select and recite any other supplications chosen, with particular emphasis on those that have been soundly reported by Allah's Apostle (pbuh), such as:
"Oh Allah! Help me to remember you and worship you in the best and most favorable fashion."
"Oh Allah! I have extremely wronged my soul. Oh Allah! There is no one else to pardon sins and forgive them save you. Oh Allah! Grant me a pardon from your own. Oh Allah! Shower me with your Mercy, as you are the Beneficent. Most Merciful."
Act 9. Finally, he turns his face to the right, saying these words:
"Assalamu 'Alakum wa rahmatu-l-lah"(Peace be on you and the mercy of Allah.) Then he turns his face to the left, uttering the same greetings.
2. The Noon prayer (Salat -al-Dhuhr)
This consists of four units as sunna (recommended) followed by four units as fard (obligatory), and then two others as sunna. The performance of the fard of this prayer is as follows:
1. The first two units are performed in the same way as in the morning prayer. The Fatiha and a portion of Qur'an are recited silently. Bowing and prostration postures are observed in the same way.
2. When reciting the tashahud after the second unit, the worshipper stops at the end of part A to resume the posture of standing.
3. He recites only the Fatiha in the third unit without any added portion of the Qur'an.
4. When he concludes the third unit, he stands for the fourth and recites only the Fatiha as in the third.
5. After bowing and prostrating, he takes the sitting posture of julus and recites the whole tashahud with its two parts.
6. Next he utters the peace greeting to the right and to the left.
7. The two sunna units are performed like the morning prayer but silently.
3. The Mid-Afternoon prayer (Salatu-l-'Asr)
The mid-afternoon prayer consists of four units as sunna followed by four others as fard. These are performed silently in the same way as the noon prayer.
4. The Sunset prayer (Salatu-l-Maghrib)
The Sunset prayer consists of three units as fard followed by two as sunna. It may be recited in the first two units with a low or audible voice; the third unit is silent. It is performed in the same way as the noon or mid-afternoon prayer, except that the fourth unit is excluded. Recital of the Fatiha, bowing and prostrations, come after the third unit, which ends with the final sitting and the utterances of the peace greeting. The two Sunna units are offered in the same way as the early morning prayer.
5. The Evening Prayer (Salatu-l-'Isha)
The evening prayer consists of four units as fard, two as sunna and three as witr. (higher than sunna and lower than fard). The first two units of the four fard may be said in a quiet or audible voice. Other than that, it is performed the same way as the noon or mid-afternoon prayer. The two sunna are performed exactly like the early morning prayer.
The three witr units are performed just like the sunset prayer with two exceptions. First, in the third unit, the Fatiha is followed by a portion of the Qur'an. Second, while standing after bowing and before prostration, the worshipper says these words:
Allahumma inna nasta'eenuk, wa nastahdeek, wa nastaghifiruk, wa natub ilayk, wa nu'minu bik, wa natawakallu 'alayk, wa nuthni'alayka-l-lkhayra kullah. Nashkuruk, wa la nakfurk, wa nakhla'u wa natruku man yafjuruk. Allahumma iyyaka na'bud, wa nusalli wa nasjud, wa ilyaka nas'a wa nahfid. Narju rahmatek, wa nakhsha 'adhabak; inna 'adhabaka bi-l-kuffari mulhaq wa salli-l-llahumma 'ala sayyidina Muhammad wa 'ala alihi wa sahbibi wa salim.This is called qunut and may be interpreted as follows:
O Allah! We beseech you for help and guidance, and seek Your protection and believe in You and rely on You, and extol You and are thankful to You and are not ungrateful to You, and we declare ourselves clear of, and forsake, him who disobeys You.If this qunut cannot be recited by memory, it is sufficient to say any recitation similar to it until it is mastered. All the sunna (supererogatory) prayers are to be said individually, (that is, not in congregation) except the 'Eid prayers, and the witr in the month of Ramadan.
O Allah! To You do we pray and prostrate ourselves, and to You we do betake ourselves, and to obey You we are quick, and Your mercy do we hope for and Your punishment do we fear, for Your punishment overtakes the unbelievers.
O Allah! Exalt our Master Muhammad and his people and his true followers.
The sunna prayers are not required from a person who has missed some Fard prayers. Instead, he must make up what he has missed and offer the obligatory services, Also the sunna prayers are not required if the due time of the accompanying fard prayers has expired. Hence, if a person misses any prayer and wants to make up for it, he has to offer the fard only.
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