INDEX 1. Introduction............................................................................. 2. The Purpose of Salaah............................................................... 3. Conditions for Salaah (Shara-it).................................................. 4. Cleanliness (Istinja, Ghusl (Bath), Wudhu (Ablution) ................... 5. Direction of Ka’bah (Qiblah)...................................................... 6. The Times of Salaah .................................................................. 7. Classification of Salaah.............................................................. 8. Adhan (The Call For Salaah)....................................................... 9. Salaah...................................................................................... 10. The Daily Salaah How to Perform Salaah ............................................................. 11. Dua After Completion of Salaah ................................................ 12. Ayatul Kursi.............................................................................. 13. 3 Rak’at Witr ............................................................................ 14. Forbidden Times of Salaah ........................................................ 15. Salaah Chart............................................................................. 16. Mustahabbat of Salaah (Preferable Acts)..................................... 17. Makruhat of Salaah (Acts Disliked In Salaah)............................... 18. Mufsidat of Salaah (Breakers of Salaah)....................................... 19. The Manner In Which People Should Stand in Jama’at................ 20. Who Deserves to be an Imam.................................................... 21. Masbuq ................................................................................... 22. The Qadha Salaah .................................................................... 23. The Musafir’s (Traveler’s) Salaah............................................... 24. Salaah of a Sick Person .............................................................. 25. Jumu’ah (Friday) Salaah............................................................. 26. The Salaah of Istikharah ............................................................ 27. The Salaah of Tawbah (Repentance)........................................... 28. Sajdah Tilawah......................................................................... 29. General Remarks on Prayers ..................................................... 30. The last ten Surahs .................................................................... INTRODUCTION Prayer (salaah) is the most important pillar of Islam. Indeed it is the dividing line between Islam and infidelity. Salaah is a duty incumbent on every Muslim, male or female, who has attained the age of maturity and has a sound mind. There are numerous verses in the Holy Qur’an commanding Muslims to observe salaah regularly. Allah I says: ¥  (cid:127)FI¨¤ `ALAS-SALAW(cid:127)TI WAS-SAL(cid:127)TIL-WUS£(cid:127). WA Q¤M¤ LILL(cid:127)HI Q(cid:127)NIT•N. “Guard the prayers strictly, especially the middle prayer (i.e., ‘Asr) and stand up in prayer to Allah with true devotion.” Al Baqarah 238  INNAS-SAL(cid:127)TA K(cid:127)NAT `ALAL-MU’MIN•NA KIT(cid:127)BAM-MAWQ¤T(cid:127). “Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at stated times.” An Nisa 103 The Messenger of Allah r constantly reminded the community, of the importance of salaah and warned them of the consequences of neglecting it. In a hadith, the Prophet r asked his Companions: “Tell me, if one of you had a river at his door and took a bath in it five times a day, would there remain any dirt on your body?” The Companions replied: “No, no dirt would be left on your body.” The Prophet r said: “This is the example of the five prayers by which Allah I washes away the sins.” Bukhari and Muslim The Prophet r said in yet another Hadith: “The dividing line between a believer and the disbeliever is the negligence of prayer.” Muslim In another report the Messenger of Allah r said: “The first thing about which a person will be asked on the Day of Judgement will be the salaah.” Abu Dawud and At Tirmidhi From a study of the traditions of our Holy Prophet r we learn that Rasulullah r denounced the giving up of salaah as the way of the unbelievers. He is reported to have said: “That which separates a believer from infidelity is simply the Salaah.” “He has no share in Islam who does not offer Salaah”. Rasulullah r sounded a note of warning to Muslims that if they gave up salaah their conduct would be associated with that of the unbelievers. What a great act of virtue and felicity it is to offer salaah regularly and how disastrous it is to neglect it, is beautifully summarised in the following prophetic words: “Whoever will offer the salaah properly and regularly, it will be for him on the Last Day a source of light, a proof of his faith and a means to salvation. (On the other hand) Whoever will not offer it carefully and regularly it will be for him neither a source of light, nor a proof of faith, nor a means of salvation, and the end of such a person will be with Qarun, Fir’aun, Haman and Ubai-bin-Khalaf.” The ignominy and disgrace that the defaulters of salaah will be subjected to on the Day of Judgement, has been described in the Holy Qur’an: “The day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not be able, their eyes shall be cast down - ignominy will cover them, seeing that they had been summoned afore time to bow in adoration while they were hale and healthy (and had refused). Al Qalam 42 According to the above Qur’anic verse, mankind will be summoned to bow down in adoration before Allah I on the Last Day. Only the fortunate ones, who had during their lifetime made it a practice to be regular in their salaah, will find no difficulty in bowing down. Those who, in spite of being healthy and strong, had not observed salaah in this world, will discover to their dismay that their backs had suddenly grown stiff, with the result that they will remain standing with the infidels unable to prostate before their Lord and Creator. Such will be the humiliation and disgrace for the defaulters of Salaah! May Allah I save us from such ignominy! THE PURPOSE OF SALAAH Prayer constitutes one pillar of Islam and is considered ‘the foundation of the religion’. Any Muslim who fails to observe his salaah without reasonable excuse is committing a grave offense and a heinous sin. This offense is so grave because it is not only against Allah I, which is bad enough, but is also against the very nature of man. It is an instinct of man to be inclined to worship great beings, and to aspire to lofty goals. The Greatest Being and the loftiest goal of all is Allah I. The best way to cultivate in an individual, a sound personality and actualize his/her aspirations in a mature course of development, is the Islamic salaah. To neglect salaah is to suppress the good qualities in human nature and unjustifiably deny it the right to worship and love, the right to aspire and ascend, the right to excel in goodness and achieve noble aims. Such suppression and denial constitute a very serious and destructive offense. Here lies the significance and vitality of salaah in the life of an individual. It should always be borne in mind that Allah I does not need man’s salaah, because He is free of all needs. He is only interested in our prosperity and well-being in every sense. When He emphasizes the necessity of salaah and charges us with any duty. He means to help us; because whatever good we do is for our own benefit, and whatever offense we commit is against our own souls. Here, too, man is the center of gravity, and his general welfare is the main concern. The benefit which man can derive from the Islamic prayer is immeasurable, and the blessing of prayer is beyond imagination. This is not just a ‘theory’ or conventional assumption; it is a fascinating fact and a spiritual experience. Here is an explanation of the effectiveness of the Islamic salaah: 1. It strengthens belief in the Existence and Goodness of Allah I and transmits this belief into the innermost recesses of man’s heart. 2. It enlivens this belief and makes it constructive in the practical course of life. 3. It helps a person to realize his/her natural and instinctive aspirations to greatness and high morality, to excellence and virtuous growth. 4. It purifies the heart and develops the mind, cultivates the conscience and comforts the soul. 5. It fosters the good and decent element in man, and suppresses the evil and indecent inclinations. 6. It restrains from shameful and unjust deeds. When we analyze the Islamic salaah and study its unique nature, it will reveal to us that it is not merely a sequence of physical movements or an empty recital of the Holy Qur’an. It is a matchless and unprecedented method of intellectual meditation and spiritual devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined. It is an exclusively Islamic experience where every muscle of the body joins the soul and the mind in the worship and glory of Allah I. It is difficult for anyone to impart in words the full meaning of the Islamic salaah, yet it can be said that it is: 1. A lesson in discipline and willpower; 2. A practice in devotion to Allah I and all worthy objectives; 3. A vigilant reminder of Allah I and constant revelation of His Goodness; 4. A seed of spiritual cultivation and moral soundness; 5. A guide to the most upright way of life; 6. A safeguard against decency and evil, against deviation and going astray; 7. A demonstration of true equality, solid unity, and brotherhood; 8. An expression of thankfulness to Allah I and appreciation of Him; 9. A course of inner peace and stability; 10. An abundant source of patience and courage, of hope and confidence. This is the Islamic salaah, and that is what it can do for man. The best testimony to this statement is to experience the salaah and avail oneself of its spiritual joys. Then one will know what it really means. PRE-REQUISITES FOR SALAAH (Shara’it) The offering of salaah is obligatory upon every Muslim, male and female, Eight pre-requisites that must be observed before one performs salaah. 1. To perform ghusl if necessary. 2. To make wudhu if necessary. 3. Taharah (cleanliness) of the entire body and all clothing. 4. Taharah (cleanliness) of the place where one intends performing salaah. 5. Facing towards the Qiblah. 7. Niyyah (intention) for salaah. 8. Performing salaah at the prescribed times. If any one of these requirements are omitted, salaah will not be accepted. CLEANLINESS Before offering a salaah one must be in good shape and pure conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to clean ones body. ISTINJA Istinja means cleaning the private parts after passing out urine and stool by using clean water, earth, tissues, etc. 1. Before entering the toilet with the left foot read the following du'a: ( 7 “&.J %ˆ 7 .J % ‚ | v - ½‰d% Œ €% ~ …yx% ALL(cid:127)HUMMA INN• A`¤DHUBIKA MINAL KHUBUTHI WAL KHAB(cid:127)’ITH In the Name of Allah! I seek refuge in Thee from the foul male and female devils. 2. It is sunnah to make Istinja after passing out urine, stool etc. 3. It is permissible to use lumps of dry earth (or nowadays tissues) for Istinja, provided the body is properly cleaned. 4. It is makruh to make Istinja with coal, bones, glass, baked bricks, printed paper, etc. It is not proper to use paper for Istinja which is also used for writing and printing. But with toilet paper, it is different, It can be used for Istinja, as it is made only for that purpose, is absorbent and not for writing or printing. 5. It is Makruh Tahrimi to face or show the back to the Qiblah when passing out urine or stool. 6. Remove rings, badges or anything else on which the name of Allah I, His Rasul r, Qur’anic verses or hadith are written. It is permitted to have them in the pocket. 7. Istibraa (clearing the urinal canal) is also practically necessary. It is achieved in many ways, e.g. gently squeezing the canal from base to tip, or even placing tissue at the tip and performing a few squats. 8. Use the Left Hand only in Istinja. 9. Exit the toilet with the right foot and read the following du'a: ( Œ€&l&dˆ ‘ ½™% ád / „½% (cid:141) °x% É ¼}I % v €%«mh GHUFR(cid:127)NAKA AL-AMDU LILL(cid:127)HIL-LADH• ADH-HABA `ANNIL-ADH(cid:127) WA `(cid:127)F(cid:127)N•. (I ask) Thy pardon. Praise be to Allah who relieved me from the suffering and gave me health. 10. If you are in an open place where there is no toilet, then sit in a place where you cannot be seen by others. THE FOLLOWING CLEANLINESS OF THE BODY ARE ALSO ESSENTIAL FOR THE VALIDITY OF THE SALAAH: 1. Ghusl or washing of the whole body; 2. Wudhu or ritual ablution Ablution is a requisite for salaah. Allah I, the Exalted said: %‰yçh&l Ž‰y´ x%³ %~ 2}p %%½% ‰(cid:129)|%‚ Š°x%& …Š&Š ~u戒«- %‰> ç|%ˆ rl%[«%³ %~ uŠ¼Š%ˆ ~u„‰9ˆ Y(cid:127)‘AYYUHAL-LADH•NA (cid:127)MAN¤ ‘IDH(cid:127) QUMTUM ILAS-SAL(cid:127)TI FAGHSIL¤ WUJ¤HAKUM WA AYDIYAKUM ILAL-MAR(cid:127)FIQI WAMSA¤ BI RU-‘¤SIKUM WA ARJULAKUM ILAL-KA`BAYN. WA IN KUNTUM JUNUBAN FA££AH-HAR¤. WA IN KUNTUM-MARˆ(cid:127) AW `AL(cid:127) SAFARIN AW J(cid:127)‘A AADUM MINKUM-MINAL-GH(cid:127)-I£I AW L(cid:127)MASTUMUN-NIS(cid:127)`A FALAM TAJID¤ M(cid:127)‘AN FA TAYAMMAM¤ SA`•DAN £AY-YIBAN FAMSA¤ BIWUJ¤HIKUM WA AYD•KUM-MINH. M(cid:127) YUR•DUL-L(cid:127)HU LIYAJ`ALA `ALAYKUM-MIN ARAJIW-WA L(cid:127)KIY-YUR•DU LIYU-£AH-HIRAKUM WA LIYUTIMMA NI`-MATAH¤ `ALAY-KUM LA`ALLAKUM TASHKUR¤N. O you who believe! when you wish to stand for prayer, first wash your faces and your arms as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads with wet hands and wash your feet upto the ankles. And if you are polluted, then cleanse your entire body with a full bath. And if you are ill, or on a journey, or if any of you