$ALAT (PRAYER

OUR DUTY.AIla!:>gave us life. He gives = pve us parents

and our brothas and sisters. He gave __ igence, and Hegives us knowtedge. He gives us . =:ial wealth. He&3'" us C:a! we have, and He will . __ z..::.::-.atwe shall haveia furure,

Al.!a!J loves us and He is more .0'0l.11 pareais, We too, therefore.wa)'Sexpr=i;::g our love for Allah, is t=

Him. It is c!uty to worship Him.

~.Sala; is the most important Allah. It brings

many bcttfu to us, both in this worl bereafter,SWr: t:a!n.s us in punctuality. A;>c::s:>:. • says salat, has

• clean body cd a pure heart.Sa!z: hr.ngs blessings of Allah t;::

and ",=!!h. .E~ respects a person who ,

~aizI, wins the p easure of AlIah,His M=.1It!!.~

. ~ e",-.ues the soul ofa man.ads upon as a deterent fron:.

:;;alm is an "investment" for one's SI!

If a man's ~ is accepted, all his othc1Cttpltx!; ifb Salat is not accepted. all hisDOtbe aa:q:teC.

~ dis;ds evils from a person, ace him the ability

to solve his pro ems. A person who gives • Salat, becomes asinner (rariq md he will receive hard. pt::mlE>CnI for it on theDay of JudgI:xm.

Any pasnn who belittles the Sa1£. :a:aDCS an apostate.anyooe "he bdit:!es ~a!, is disobeying 'h>ever disobeysAllah, cannoI claim to be a muslim.

A pa>On who is punctual in Salat, is GaC- bring. He keepshimsd.f" from foul deeds. A person who • Salat, is gratefulto AJlah for His bounties. Salat is a source obtaining thosebounties. ~ in congreg action promotes bn:6::rlx>od and fostersequality among all muslims, if it is said in on.

Tbere is • prescribed way for Salat. eoe can changewbaI way. AlllllllS!ims offer Salat in the same . This fostersdiscipline and orgaaisarion in the community . .: muslims carrythe same discipline and organisation into their affairs also,they . win = seccess in every thing.

whoever saysthe Imams and

tANDATORY ~ALAT(pRAYERS)

Dw-ing!be pa:iod of occultation of au: Imam (A.S.).there are six !IlaIICa:ary prayers»I. Five canonical pr.!yers, i.e., Fajr, ?uJr, ••• Maghrib and

'ISM.2. -$Iuat of Aay.tUlt: Prayer to be offered the eclipse of

the sun or the moon or after natural disa=- an earthquake.3. ~'lIlal.u/.Mu~t: Prayer for the dead.4. $u/Ql·e-Tuwlf+lt'l!jlb.

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.3. Those prayea •... ,~ ~- •.•.",",-,.~ =os missed.6. Those pr:l)'Cr:S because of Ijaara,

'Nap- and ••The friCa! • of the five canonical

prayers. It is o===:: ===-::-:::'!:X~r;:z:z:o."on Fridays. But if itis held with % an safe side, it shouldbe treated asPre-conditiens r,

There are i:x ;r:"""c::=~.:tr5&.z:,.I. RitU2.1

~d~a2:~c=~o~~;~~2. Puri1i • ablutions or perform

tara=.3. Satr,A == 2U::OS: :=s; :::-OO"'~:E :;z:ti'cular portions ofhis

front == eover the whole bodyexa:;:t' ~= -= upto ankles, whetheranyooe ..,., 101£::1=' :r'lJ:IL

4. T~ E.x::.P. CZJ==£51=:i:::::: £ its' prescribed time.

5. Iba{t£ _ The place where onestanCs " and lawful and notplu::r..:::::..

6. Q' :s~'i:;;aa.=~::::I=::a:::hcQibla.W== ,Plen ornaments while

. situated. Those who"Se=s; ,::z::c' :iIC;::I!~%Jr::JlQwhen praying. 1bose

m..ei:::, ,;:rbc::!;:::!=:.=::m.:z:.r::·~:s:xalld turn in its direetion

:%: =: oa:=::Iining the direction ofQibIa, .•.. i! should note ' thelocal ::ce =_a: ::IX • mosque, ODe uld

ask !be r!~=~!~:~~=~~;:Qibla or det=:::..e itby seeing QIJecan use • ~also for .' . locals who pve

indication ".~ ~~:~~If '( • ~ 1:ICE:::::DIIOC

draw any h'~ ::.:~ !II: :CZ!I'though iI is :>d=":-:io:o ,,a;,,,,'=_CI<s.::~the four u'Utt:O!Xs,

orSalat

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r •••••"'•••..AYER)

~~-~;~~=~~.:mof the bodies. ~. ~~ :=;::~:~~~~;:;should also beuncovered whiC: ;;,:..,..,1S3e::: :i:rX:il_ ••••.and the feet trulYr.::z< -::E"""""'=£ i:::x::

In the mZ=:[::c:."-;;~I=requirements.I. The dress

nylon or any transparent material. If they wear these, theyshould also put on some non-transparent material (Chadar),even if there is none around, other wise the salat will be void.

'2. The dress should be clean, If the clothes are unclean, ODemay not say Saint in them. But if it is likely that one wouldmiss the Salat, then one may offer it in the same clothes.

3. De mubah, The person saying SaIa1 mus: be: wearing hisown clothes. But if he is wearing somccr..e else's clothes,then he must do only with the pa:nissioo 0: the owner. Ifsomeone had to pay Khums and Zabz, and be did not pay,and instead, he bought clothes ,. SI!Cb money or with themouev inheri ted from such pena:. • bad Khums and Zakiitoutstanding, (died under ab~ of paying) any Salatoffered while he is wearing these c:!o6es, will be void.

4. One must not be wearing. ::::ale from skin takenfrom carrion (Non-dhabillli),,~ s;,:-i=g Salats, To avoid it,one should wear, while . clothes bought frommuslim only. One should also !Ie -mng anything madeof leather when saying ~;:: is from anon-muslim,

unless and until its proper is koowq.5. The clothes of a person oEer.::g ¥fal, must not contain

anything from the body of a:: z:±::ial. the consumption ofwhich is unlawful. It bas, ~ beea said that if there ishair of a dog or a cat on the: his Salat will be void.

6. It is unlawful for men to ••••= wbdber they are or theyare not saying ~alat. However .- cocon is mixed with silk insuch a quantity that the cloth DOt be: called to be a silken,then there is no harm ir ~ clothes.

7. Men mav not wear clothes shot with gold or anything withgold thread, Such things as C:lg of gold or chain of gold orthe buttons of gold or golden frames for are unlawful foreye-glasses or gold mounted 00 tooth, are unlawful for them.Women are allowed to w= all gold-<lmaments and silk-clothes.The use of gold for men is C.;ro;dden at all times. not only

when praying. It is not necessary that gold should be pure. Its use.is not allowed even if other metals are mixed with it. However IIsome other metal is mixed with the gold in such aquantity that itmay not be called gold, its use is permissible.

THE P~ACE OF SALAT

. The place means the spot where one stands to say prayers.It is not necessary that the place should be: clean. It can be uncleanalso. The only condition is that the clothes or any part of the bodymust not touch the wet portion of that unclean place.

. The place where one performs Sajda should be clean.Following are some other requirements for the place of

sa».i. Muba~. (Permissible) - If the place of ~a/al belongs to

someone else. one must obtain permission from its ownersto say prayers, otherwise the prayers will be: void.lna mosqueor a public place if someone bas occupied a spot, no one canremove him from there. !f someone tries to do so, Salat will

be void. ..2. In praying, one must not stand in front of the grave of any

Ma 'soom because such an action shows lack of respect. One

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may stand behind the grave or parallel to it. One may,-however, stand in front of sucb a grave if there is considerabledistance, or if there is something like a wall in between.

3. The place where one stands to say prayer, must be stationary.~alat in d rr.oving train is not right, unless it is likely that onewill miss it if wait the train t., be stationed.

4. There is no fixed place for !?aia!.. But it is better to say Salat(in conggregation or individually) in a mosque thanelsewhere. It is even better if~alit is offered in congregation,it attracts mucb divine favours and blessings.The dignity of the mosque is that one ~alat offered there has

the merit of25 prayers, said elsewhere. One prayer offered in Jama'

. Masjid has the merit oflOO prayers. It is said that if a man lives inthe neighborhood of a mosque. he must offer ~alat in the mosque.There is a riwdyat the (The Prophet's saying) that his ~alat at homeor elsewhere will not be acceptable, unless he h;a,s some valid reasonfor doing so.

It is also said that on the Day of Judgment, the mosque!will complain about those people who offered Salat but not in the

mosque.

ADHAN AND IQAMAT

Adhiin and Iqiimat are 'preferable' onl.f~ the fivecanonical prayers and that too with much ed!pFis.li!'~therprayers,whether they are mandatory or non-mandato~, Adhlill and Iqiimatare not allowed. In Adhan and Iqiimat, one must take the followinginto account:- •

1. Niyyat (intent): One must make the niyyat for being near toAllah before saying Aa'han or Iqiimai. Without such Niyyat,there will be no merit for the person saying Adban or lqamator for that any other worship.

2. Sanity: Adban and Iqamat called by a person who is insance,are not valid.

3. Adulthood: Adban and Iqamat called by a minor. are notconsidered enough.

4. Sex: A woman may call Adhan and lqamat for other womenbut oot for men as it is not valid.

5. Right Order: One must call Adhdn first and then /qlimat.6. Mawabt: (Quick succession) Between Adhan, Iqama: and

:faliit, there should not be any long intervals. Each of thesemust be:said in quick succession (without undue interruption)otherwise Adhdn and Iqamat will not be valid.

7. Arabic: One must not call Adhan and Iqamat in any languageother than correct Arabic.

8. Timing: A Salat offered before its' time is invalid. But onemay say a missed prayer as there is no time fixed for it. It canbe said any time. It is preferable that the man calling Adhanshould have clean body and clothes and be standing and facetowards the Qibla. But while calling Iqiimat it is essential tohave clean body and clothes and to remain in standingposition. It has been seen that while calling the lqamat, menget up when they reach the stage of Qud Qamati~ Salah. Thisis not at all proper when offering $alaI individually becausethere is no merit in it, In Adhiin and /qllmat, there should bemention ofAli son of Abu Talib (A.S.) after the name of theProphet (S.A.). This is not an integral part of the Adhan andIqiima! but it is 'preferable: to call it according the Prophet

(S.A.)'s orders.If a man forgets to say Adhdn and Iqdmat and starts the .';alul,

he may break the Salfit before his bowing. He should start the Salatafresh after reciting Adhiin and lqiimat, But if one has forgotten tocall the Iqarnat only,. he coannot break the prayer if he has beenreciting the 'All]amd' Surah but he can break the ~alat beforereciting this Sura. If a man forgets to call the Adhan only then it isnot allowed to break the fialal. If a man has intentionally missedeither Adhiin or Iqdmat, then it is unlawful to break the ~a1al.

.THE MANDATORYREQUIREMENTS OF $ALAT

A total of eleven things are essential in Salat, ~afat meansthe collection of-all these things. They are:-

. (1) Niyyat (intention). (2) Takbiratul Al]ram; (3) QiyiIm(standing) (4) Qir-at (reetitation); (5) Dhikr, (6) Rilla!; (7) Sujood;(8) Tashahhud, (9) Saldm, (10) Tarleeb (order) (11 )'Mawalal (QUicksuccession). .

Out of these eleven, five are mandatory Arkan, (being:plural of Rukn litarally meaning poles) and that means that if.'worshipper omits them even un1cnowgly, his Salat becomes voicLThese are Niyyat, TakbirallllAly-am, Ruh/ and both the Saj dis.:Rest. are non-rukn mandatory. If they are omitted intentionally,$aliil becomes void. But if the omission has taken place becausehe forgot them or any of them, his :jaiat does not become void;but lie must repeat it.Niyyal (intent) is a Rukn and should be made mentally. It is not

necessary to say it out verbally. Making the intent verballywhile offering Namllz~-Al}fia!, renders it void.

Takbiratul Ahram, One must make the Niyyatand then say A/ll1hll-Akbar. This TakbTr is a Rukn. This is the only Takbir in the

· whole ~a1at which is mandatory. Other Talcbirs are Sunnati(desirable).

Qiyii"!".1}Ie man intending to say ~a1at. must stand to say it. If heIS SIck or weak, then he should stand as long as he 'can andthen sit down. Ifhe feels better, he should stand up again. If.someone is too sick even to sit, be should lie down flat or onright or left side but his face should be towards the Qibia:

Qiyim'i~ ~tory while sayiJig 'SuraIl' Fitiha and other· surahbut it is a Rukn, whil~.ciilling llie Takbir.Similarly it is aRukii before o~·gQes.in-Rupi'. One should go· in Rnku' while lie is iD Qiyam: 1bC result'ofthe Qiy&. being

a RlIkn, will be that if a man after reciting Surah Flitiha and· oilier Sura, goes ~ght to performSajda due to forgetfulness· but ~fore actually'performing tlle.Sajda, he remembers thathe has not done the Ruku 'i.then from that position.he cannot

. go in Ruku' because thUs' the $aIat will be rendered void. He. should.fherefore, stand up (Qiyifm) and then goin Ruku' ..

Qir'aL (Fecjution): After the T3kb'ir; one must read surah Fiitihaand one more Silrah in 'the first two Rakaats, But one should

.not read those Surahs in which one has to perform a wiijibmandato'ry(Sajda). Also, one should not R:ad those Surahswhich are very long, and in the reading of which, 'the timefor ~alat itself might .pass. In congregational prayers, afollower.in Salat (Mamoom) does not read these two Surahs:because the prayer-leader (Iinllm).reads them, But the followermust read the rest ofthe Salat himself, 10 the last one or twoRakaats, one may either read only Sura Fiitiha or read once.s .

stJB!iANAr.rJilir~wAiJ;IAMDu LILAHI- wj.. U.r:.4= ;::II..LALAHu-WALLAHu AKBAR .

~~\)"M\~61j~jZJ~~It is, however, better to'reiuI it thrice.

'Ruku',ls 'an important R~ of Salat. If one misses ..goes into RUkU twice, lll~ Salat is void. 111 R.uIcil-bend 0/ such an extent that ~ne's palms reach the bees. bRuku' one. should bend to sudl1 an extent that Qae's ;:a!csreach' the knees. It is not mandatory to keep the !hi; .

. knees. While in RUku one must say once "S iBE.\..'lARABBI-AL 'A{:EEMrWA B~llF' . - :'

'. \~~~\U)~"SUBi:W'!ALl..AH" .. '..t~~~ .~: thrice.

Thereafter its repetition is prefe:.rable. After perf~ ~eRuku', one shculd stand up straight and then- go t:l Sajdabecause this Qiyllm (standing) is also maadatory. A:= onehas stood up after performing Ruku" one should say"'SAMI'ALLAHU LIMAN I;!AMIDAH ALLAHU AKBAR'"

~~Li~~\~.This is preferable but should not be said In the process of

standing.Tashahhud. One must read Tashahhud after the Sajdas of the

second Rakaat and the last Rahat The Tashahhud is:ASHHADU AL LA ILARA JLLALLAHU WAHDAHOOLA SHRTKA 'LAHOO WA ASHHADU ANNAMUHAMMADAN ~BDUHOO WA RASOOLUHALL~HUMMA ~ALLl ~LA MUHAMMAD W WAAALIMuHAMMAD :.j.!l; f ~~'''2»\y\~"j~T• q;- :.J ,

~~~ :6;:';;I~~j.. ~If someone forgets Tashahhud and stands up, be should

atonce sit down, read the Tashahhud, and then after the ~aJatis over, perform two Sajdas tor forgetfulness (Sajda~v).

Salam, Towards end of the saIat one salam is mandatory. One mayeither say ASSAlAMu' ALAINA WA ALA. mADIU}Jll~~ALII;IEEN I OR I ASSALAMU ~LAIKUM WARAI;lMATULLAHl WA BARAKAllnUn additioo to it ispreferable to say ASSALAMU MAIKA AYYOHANNABIYU WA RAI:IMATULLAHIWA BARAKAI1JH.:

~l!J.j:.t~J~1:Jit , •••,'Z~~a;;~;.j!.I

"~" :,;-, .: ~_~,\,-:.~r:::"'<-'~'q<G~J~,4>...v~ ~""""'--"..••.••

Salam is a part of the ~aJal.Tarrib, (Sequence) Tartibmeans the right order. One should

say Salat in the prescribed order or else it will become void.The right order is as follows: Niyyat, Takbir, Surah Fmiha,another Surah, Ruku " Standing, Sajda; Sitting up; going intoSajda' again. This completes the first RDk :,,1. The second'Rak' at should also be completed in the same manner. Ifthere are only two Rak.ats, then one should sit after thesecond Sajda, read Tashahhud and Salam to finish the :)aliJt.If the Salat is of 3 or 4 Raka 'ats, on should complete them inthe same order.

Mawatat.(Quick succession) All the actions in Salat oWst beperformed in quick succession. There must be no intervalsor such a long break or solace as if the salat is ended .

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IQunoot. It should be read in the second Rakut before the RuJW: In

the QUlUJotto read qalwiil is also enough.To read Qunoot ispreferable and is not essential.

WHAT MAKES THE SALATVOID?

There are nine things which make the Salat void and oneto repeat it. They are:

Anything that makes the Wudu. (ablution) void or anything.that makes a Ghusl essential. These things nullify thecleanliness and without cleanliness the sa/ill can not beoffered. • •To turn the whole body away from the Qibla, or turning theface away from the Qibla so Onemight see things in the rear.Turning a tittle to the right or the left will not make the Salatvoid.Doing. Something which is not permitted in Salit or whichchanges the shape of the Saliu, such as dozing, singing,dancing or sewing etc. Moving a few paces backward orforward or the the right or to the left or moving the arms orbending low or to pick up child in laps or in danger to kill asnake or a scorpion Orsucb minor acts, do not make the Salatvoid, provided the face is not shifted from the Qibla and oneremains quiet without doing any Dhikr. These things withoutany valid reason are not fair.Talking. Except Dhikr and D 'ua, any other word spokenduring the Salat, will make it void. D'ua (prayer) etc. shouldbe addressed only to Allah. The worshipper should not

address some man and bless him. The worshipper shouldnot take initiative ill saying saldm (greeting). But if someonegreets him, he should say Salamun Alaikum. He should notsay ~/aikumus Sallim. [f someone greets a whole

congregation, it is enough for one man out of it toacknowledge the greeting. If all of them ignore the.geeting,they will be partners in the sin. ILanyone greets with thewords other than Salamun 'Alaikum e.g. Adib or goodmorning etc. it is not obligatory to respond it using thesewords while in 1alm.Laughing. Laughing (with sound or with such strength thatwhole of the face becomes red though without sound) duringthe Saillt will make it void. A smile will not make it void. If?ne lau~, one should complete the Salat, and then repeatIt.Crying. If'the worshipper cries during ~41 over his personallosses or sorrows, his !ialot. will become void. One may cryout of fear of Allah. Even if a man could. not help cryingsuddenly and could not control it, the fjallJl will become void.To shed tears over the atrocities on Imam l;I~ (A.S:) onlyfor the pleasure of Allah, is permissible.

'. Eating & Drinking. During the Salat one is not allowed toeat or drink in quantity. If someone does, his salat is void.Bill if some particle of sugar etc remains in the mouth andhas been swallowed, the !ialot will not be affected. If a mandue to forgetfulness, has started eating and drinking, the Salat,will not be void provided that he could be regarded as in thestate of offering prayer and not in dining. These conditionsare not applicable to a man who -is offering Namaz-e- Virr

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and has to keep Fast (Roza) in the morning. He em drinkwater but he too cannot eat, While drinking water, his faceshould be towards tN: Qibla.

8. Takfir, (Infidelity) One must not fold one's hands whensyaing Salat as it is not permissible under the Islamic Laws.

9.· At the end of Siirah FI1ti4a, one must not say "Ameen"Doing so will make the Salat void. Moreover it is against theteachings of AIe-Mu¥=ad (A.S.). However if this wordbas been said abruptly, then there is no harm.The above are the things which automaticallymake the Salat

void. Apart from these, to discontinue or to break the Salat withoutany valid reason. is not permissible. Such a course couldbe adoptedif there is valid necessity, religious or worldly, for doing so. Incases where the danger oflosing honour,life or wealth is involved,it is mandatory to break the Salat, But for breaking the Salat, onemust atleast say one Salam.

Warning. In daily prayers, the first two Raka'ats of Fajr,Maghrib and 'Isba prayers, are to b. said aloud and the prayers ofZulu, •Asr and the last one Rak'at of Maghrib and two Raka'atsof 'Isba are to be read without voice (quietly).This condition realtesto the recitation of the Surab Fatiha and the other Surah only. Forthe rest of the Salat, the worshipper has the option whether to readaloud or without voice. It must be ensured that the Surahs andother Dhikr are read correctly according to~e Arabic grammar.

In reciting the Alhamd and other Surah loudly, it ismandatory to read each and every latter loudl)? e.g. even a singleletter like' n' of Dhallten (in AUIamd) should bettead loudly.