Prayer – Salah

Salah is the second pillar of Islam. It is the most important form of worship which is obligatory upon every grown-up conscious Muslim, male or female.

Allah says in Surah An Nisa 4:103

Establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.

The Prophet ﷺ said: Islam is to testify there is no true god but Allah and Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give charity, to fast the month of Ramadan, and to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to the House, if one can find a way.             [Sahih Bukhari]

Why We should Pray

Salah has been prescribed five times a day. We pray salah as it is a commandment of Allah, brings us closer to our Creator, and it guards against evil acts and indecency. Allah says in Surah Ankaboot, 29:45

Recite, [O Muḥammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.

▪ What are the benefits

• It is a direct connection with Allah. A conversation with God
• Salah washes away sins
• It distinguishes between belief and disbelief
• It teaches punctuality and discipline
• It results in great reward from Allah
• When offered in congregation, it is a source of forming bonds of brotherhood and strengthening the community

o Cleanliness

Islam lays a lot of stress on cleanliness. For the performance of Salah special care is taken to ensure cleanliness of the body, clothes, and the place of prayer.

As mentioned in Surah al Maida, 5:6

O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.

Cleanliness is the first condition for praying salah. It can be achieved through, wudhu and ghusl and if water is not available or scarce or a person cannot use water due to some illness, then tayammum (dry ablution) may be performed.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Perform Tayammum and that will be sufficient for you.” [Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

Intention as with all other acts is the first step for Tayammum. Then recite bismillah. Tayammum is performed by striking both the hands in clean dry soil, or any dusty surface. Shake off any excess dust, wipe the hands up to the wrist and then wipe the face.

o Intention

A person must have an intention for each prayer.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “”Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended.”        [Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

o Types of Salah

▪ Fard (obligatory)

There are three types of fard prayers:

1. The five daily prayers
2. Salat al Fajr (Morning prayer)
3. Salat al Dhuhr (Noon prayer)
4. Salat al Asr (Late afternoon prayer)
5. Salat al Maghrib (Sunset prayer)
6. Salat al Isha (Night prayer)
7. Salat al Jummah (Friday prayer)
8. Salat al Janazah (Funeral prayers)

▪ Sunnah

Sunnah prayers are the ones that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ regularly performed in  addition to the obligatory and wajib prayers. They are of two types:

1. Those that are linked to the fard salah
2. Sunnahs of the fard salah: those that are offered before or after the fard salah.
3. Sunnahs of the Jummah prayers: those that are offered before or after the fard of the Friday prayers.

2. Those that are not linked with the fard salah
3. Salat al Tahajjud (the night prayer): prayed between the isha prayer and the fajr (morning) prayer before the dawn.
4. Salat al Taraweeh (Taraweeh prayers): a prayer performed in the month of Ramadan after the Isha prayer.
5. Salat al Duha (the forenoon prayer): offered after sunrise and before the sun reaches its zenith.
6. Tahiyyat al Wudhu (prayer for entering into wudhu): a two rakah prayer made after a fresh ablution.
7. Tahiyyat al masjid (prayer for entering the mosque): a two rakah prayer made upon entering the mosque.

▪ Wajib (required)

1. Salat-al-Eidaien (the festival prayers): These are Salat of Eid al-Fitr and Salat of Eid al-Adha. They are offered in congregation, on the day of the festival.
2. Salat al Witr (odd-numbered prayer): It is offered after the isha prayer in odd number of rakah.

▪ Istikhaarah

The term Istikhaarah linguistically originates from the Arabic word khair. It means to seek that which has khair, that which entails goodness. Istikhaarah is consulting Allah and seeking His guidance, wisdom, and goodness in our matters.

Imam Bukhari recorded that Jabir bin Abdullah rA narrated: The Prophet ﷺ used to teach us the way of doing Istikharaah in all matters as he taught us the Surahs of the Quran. He said, “If anyone of you thinks of doing any job, he should offer a two rakaat prayer other than the compulsory ones and say (after the prayer):

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلاَّمُ الْغُيُوبِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ

“O Allah! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, And Power from Your Might and I ask for Your great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not, and You know the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this matter [mention the matter here] is good for my religion and my subsistence and in my Hereafter, then You ordain it for me and make it easy for me to get, And then bless me in it, and if You know that this matter [mention the matter here] is harmful to me In my religion and subsistence and in the Hereafter, then keep it away from me and let me be away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me and make me satisfied with it.”

Decision making over a matter consists of three steps. To begin with we must use our intellect, evaluate all the options available to us, take into consideration our current situation, examine and research the matter at hand.

The next step is to consult people of knowledge and experience in the area pertaining to our matter. This is also called Istishaarah. Once we have come to a final decision after carefully going through the first two steps, the third and final step is Istikhaarah. Now that we have come to a decision and want Allah to place khair in it, it is time to pray two rakah, make the dua of istikhaarah and go forth with the decision.

Istikhaarah can be done for anything big or small. Changing jobs, moving from one city to another, considering a marriage proposal, enrolling into a university etc. When doing Istikhaarah we ask Allah, if it is good for us then allow it to take place and if it is bad for us, then take it away from us. Subsequently, we implement our decision knowing that Allah will facilitate the path we have chosen if there is khair in it for us. However, if that decision is not good for us, He will block that path, thereby protecting us from harm.

▪ Jummah

Jummah salah (Friday prayer) is obligatory upon every sane, grown-up Muslim except for women, travelers, and sick people.

It is mentioned in Surah Al Jummah, 62:9

O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumuʿah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.

Jummah salah is offered in congregation like the Eid prayers. It is obligatory to listen to the khutbah (sermon) presented by the Imam of the masjid. The sermon serves as a spiritual and educational instruction to the attendees. After that, two rakah prayer is offered with the imam.

o How we should pray

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Pray as you have seen me praying.” Hence a believer follows his example. Following are the steps required to offer a two rakah prayer:

• Select a clean place to offer salah
• Stand facing the Qiblah (in direction of the Ka’aba)
• Make the intention of the prayer
• Say the Takbeer (Allah hu Akbar – Allah is great) and raise the hands upto the ears.
• Do the Qiyaam i.e. stand while folding both the arms either above or below the navel.
• Recite the Thana (glorify Allah)
• Say the Tawoodh (seek Allah’s refuge from the accursed Satan)
• Recite the Tasmia (pronouncing the name of Allah)
• Recite Surah al Fatiha
• Qirat (recite a portion of the Quran)
• Say the Takbeer and go into the Ruku (bowing) position
• In ruku recite the Tasbeeh (glorification of Allah) three times.
• Again, recite Takbeer and stand upright with arms hanging by the sides.
• Recite Tasmee and Tahmeed (glorify Allah)
• Go into the sitting position and perform sajdah (prostration) with the nose and forehead touching the ground, having both hands resting on either side of the head.
• Perform two sajdas while doing jalsa ie. briefly sitting between each.
• Say Takbeer again and stand up back to the Qiyyam position.
• Repeat the same process upto the sajdas.
• Now after the second sajda recite the Tashahud, make duas and turn the face to the right and then to the left each time saying the salaam (As salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah)
• The prayer ends with the salaam.

o What Nullifies Salah

Things that nullify salah are as follows:

• Anything that invalidates Wudhu, such as breaking wind or eating camel meat.
• Deliberately uncovering the parts of the body that must remain covered in public.
• If the direction of the qiblah is incorrect to a large extent.
• If there is some form of impurity on the body or clothes of the worshipper or at the place of praying.
• Unnecessary movement during the prayer.
• Neglecting any of the pillars of the prayer.
• Knowingly performing an extra pillar.
• Knowingly performing some pillars before others.
• Consciously saying the salaam before the prayer is completed.
• Consciously skipping any of the obligatory parts of prayer, such as the first tashahhud.
• If one laughs out loud. (Just smiling does not nullify the prayer).
• Intentionally speaking.
• Eating and drinking.

o Makrouh (disliked) actions in prayer

• Ikhtisaar (to put one’s hands on one’s hips)
• To look around in prayer without necessity
• Spitting to the front or to the right
• Yawning
• Raising the gaze to the skies
• Praying when food has been served
• Praying when one has the urge to relieve oneself
• Clasping the fingers together