Salah
(Prayers)
"Surely I am
Allah: there is no god besides Me: so worship
Me alone: and establish Salah for My remembrance." (20:14)
In The Name Of
Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
My Sisters and Brothers in
Islam
Salah:
It is Arabic word for prayer (namaz). It means: To turn attention
towards Allah, proceed towards Allah, pray to Allah, and to be
near to Allah.
The purpose of Salah:
To remember Allah, seek His pleasure, and to live in obedience to
His will.
The essence of Salah:
The Salah performed with full attention, concentration and
devotion.
The pre-requisits of Salah:
1. The body being clean,
2. The clothes being clean,
3. The place being clean,
4. The satr (parts of the body ordained to be covered) being
covered,
5. It being a permissible time for Salah,
6. To perform Wudu (Ablution)
7. The face being turned towards Qiblah, and
8. There being intention to pray.
The obligatory prayers:
1. Fajr: in the early morning before dawn,
2. Zohr: in the afternoon after mid-day,
3. Asr: in the late afternoon before sunset,
4. Maghrib: after sunset,
5. Isha: at night.
The Wajib (ordained) Prayers:
1. Salatul Witr (three rakahs, everyday after Isha Prayers)
2. Eid-ul-Fitr Salah (1st Shawwal, at the end of Ramadan, every
year) and
3. Eid-ul-Azha Salah (10th of Zul hijjah, every year.
The Wajibat (ordained acts) of Salah:
The Wajibat are those acts that are compulsory to be performed in
Salah. They are:
1. To recite a portion of the Quran in the first two rakahs of
the Fard Prayers.
2. To recite Al-Fatiha in the first two rakahs of the Fard Prayer
and in all the rakahs of the other Prayers.
3. To recite another Surah or a passage containing one long verse
or three short verses after Al-Fatiha in the first two rakahs of
the Fard Prayers and in all the rakahs of the other Prayers.
4. To observe the sequence in recitation, Ruku, Sajdah and the
rakahs.
5. To observe Qaumah, i.e, to stand upright after Ruku.
6. To observe Jalsah, i.e, to sit upright between the two Sajdahs.
7. To perform Ruku and Sajdahs peacefully and with perfect
tranquillity.
8. To observe Qadah Ulaa, first sitting, for Tashahhud after two
rakahs in the Prayers consisting of three or four rakahs.
9. To recite Tashahhud in the two Qadahs.
10. To bring the Prayer to completion with salutation: (As-salamu
alaikum wa rahmatullah.)
11. To raise hands with Takbir for the Qunut and to recite the
Qunut in the last rakah of the Witr Prayer.
The Arkan (constituents) of Salah:
The things commanded in Salah are known as arkan (constituents)
of Salah. Arkan is plural form of rukn. Rukn means a command or
obligation. There are six commanded acts in Salah:
1. Saying Takbir e Tahrima,
2. Qiyam (standing),
3. Qirat (reciting the Holy Quran),
4. Ruku (making a bow),
5. Two Sajdahs (falling prostrate),
6. Qaida (sitting) that is, sitting sufficiently long to enable
one to say Tashahhud. But the Takbir e Tahrima is a pre-condition
not a constituent of Salah.
The Makruhat (undesirable acts) in ablution:
1. Performing ablution at an unclean spot,
2. Blowing ones nose with the right hand,
3. Performing ablution against the norms of sunnah.
"Indeed Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentence
and loves those who purify themselves." (2:222)
The Qiblah:
The direction facing the Kaba in Makkah. The first house of
Allah (swt) on earth to worship Him, was built by Prophet
Ibrahim (pbuh) by the order of Allah, which is located in the
holy Makkah called "Baitullah" or "kabatullah" or "Masjid Al-Haram".
Prophet Muhammad was ordered in the Quran to turn the face
towards this house while praying. >From that day onwards,
wherever the Muslims are, have to face towards this house.
The Azan:
Before every obligatory prayer a call for Salah (slogan) is
raised from the mosque.
A Mosque:
A Mosque is in fact the pivot about which the whole life of the
Muslim community revolves. It is a religious center to hold
congregational services and to keep Muslims together and
united. The real purpose of building a Mosque is to make it a
place of Allah's worship and organise in it prayers, otherwise
it won't be much different from other buildings.
A Musalli:
The person who performs Salah.
A Mamoom:
The worshipper praying behind the Imam.
The Jahri Salah:
Salahs in which the holy Quran is to be recited aloud: It is
compulsory for the Imam to recite the holy Quran aloud in the
1. Salatul Fajr
2. first two rakahs of Maghrib and Isha
3. Salatul Jumah
4. Salatul Eid
5. all rakahs of Tarawih and Witr during the holy month of
Ramadan.
The Sirri Salah:
The Salah in which the Quran is recited in a low pitch is
called (Sirri) Salah.
The Virtues of Salah:
1. Salah brings us close to Allah and reminds us of our duty to
Him.
2. It makes us concious of His presence.
3. It makes us love Him and fear Him.
4. It trains us and makes us disciplined.
5. It enables us to obey Him.
6. We receive His help and blessings through Salah.
7. It keeps us on the Right Path.
8. It saves us from disobedience and from evil things.
9. It builds our character and develops a steady and sound
personality.
10. It makes us clean and healthy and enables us to lead proper
lives.
11. It makes us sincere Muslims and true servants of Allah.
May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bless and guide us in the
Straight Path
and grant us strength in emaan and wisdom and patience in our
da'wah.
Ameen.
'It is in rememberance of Allah that the heart finds peace'
Fee Aman Allah