Performing Islamic Prayers: Islam: God's Message of Guidance To Humanity Islam: God's Message of Guidance To Humanity

Performing Islamic Prayers By Hassan Ali El-Najjar
1 of 8
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Islamic Editorials/2010/January/Performing ...
Al-Jazeerah
Al-Haram Mosque in Makkah
The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah .
Islam:
Islam:
God's
Message of
Guidance
to
Humanity
God's Message of Guidance to Humanity
By Hassan Ali
El-Najjar
By Hassan Ali El-Najjar
II. 2
Performing Islamic Prayers

January 30, 2010
Table of
Contents
I.
Introduction:
Basic
Information
1. Islam: A
Brief
Introduction
2. Three
Levels of Faith:
Islam, Iman,
and Ihsan
3. The
Scientific
Evidence That
God Exists and
the Holy
Qur'an Is His
Message to
Humanity
Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem
I seek refuge with Allah from the Stoned Shaytan (Satan)

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
A Muslim is required to perform five prayers everyday, following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who received this
'Ibada (way of worshipping Allah) when he met with God in the seventh heaven, at the night of Al-Isra Wal Mi'araj (The Night of Journey to Jerusalem and Ascent to
Heavens).
The five prayers are performed at specific times, which change daily in accordance with the continuous changes in the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. Many
websites, such as islamicfinder.org, provide schedules of prayer times.
4. Creation
and Evolution
in the Holy
Qur'an
The five prayers and their scheduled daily times, according to the Islamic City prayer schedule of January 30, 2010, for example, are as follows:
6. Adam's
Contest With
the Angels,
and Getting
Out of
Paradise
4. Al-Maghreb (The Sun Set) Prayer: Starts at 6:07 pm.
I. Prayer Times:
1. Al-Fajr (The Dawn) Prayer: Starts at 6:13 am.
5. Humans, As 2. Al-Dhuhr (The Noon) Prayer: Starts at 12:53 pm.

God's Caliphs
on Earth
3. Al-'Asr (The After Noon) Prayer: Starts at 3:46 pm.
5. Al-'Isha (The Dusk) Prayer: Starts at 7:34 pm.
As a rule, prayers should be performed as early as possible after the start time. Delaying prayers should be avoided unless there is a necessity to do so. The apostrophe
in Al-'Asr and Al-'Isha stands for an Arabic glottal sound, represented by the 18th letter of the Arabic alphabet.
7. Worshippers II. Number of Prayer Units:

By Choice Or
The Islamic prayers are composed of specific body movements accompanying recitations from the Holy Qur'an and words of praise to God.
Forced
Slaves?
A single unit of prayer (Raka'a, in Arabic) includes standing, bowing, prostration, and sitting on the floor.
8. The
Relationship
Between the
Spiritual and
the Physical
Aspects of
Islamic
Teachings
The Islamic prayers included a number of required Raka'as (units), a minimum, as well as a number of recommended Raka'as, except for Al-'Asr Prayer. While there are
17 required Raka'as (units) in daily prayers, recommended Raka'as are 13. The distribution of prayer units is as follows:
1. Al-Fajr (The Dawn) Prayer: 2 required Raka'as (units) and 2 recommended Raka'as (units), before.
2. Al-Dhuhr (The Noon) Prayer: 4 required Raka'as (units) and 4 recommended Raka'as (units), 2 before & 2 after.
3. Al-'Asr (The After Noon) Prayer: 4 required Raka'as (units) only.
9. Mind, Self, 4. Al-Maghreb (The Sun Set) Prayer: 3 required Raka'as (units) and 2 recommended Raka'as (units), after.
Soul, Spirit,
and Happiness 5. Al-'Isha (The Dusk) Prayer: 4 required Raka'as (units) and 5 recommended Raka'as (units), 2 before & 3 after..
from an Islamic
III. Performing Al-Fajr (Dawn) Prayer:
Perspective
1. Cleanliness before prayers

10. Heart-Mind
Relationship in Before starting prayers, a Muslim has to be clean by taking showers regularly, particularly after sexual intercourse.
the Holy
Qur'an
Cleanliness is also performed before every prayer in the form of Wudu' (washing the body with water), which includes washing and cleaning the hands, mouth, nose,
face, arms, head hair, ears inside and back, and feet. Thus, the Creator, praise to Him, wants people to be healthy by cleaning themselves of dust, sweat, and microbes
II. Islam: The five times a day (See an illustration video at Wudu' ).
Five Pillars of
the Faith
If water is not available at all (which is a unique case), a Muslim performs Tayamum, which is an emulation of the Wudu' movements.
Structure
2. Facing Al-Qibla
1. Islamic
Proclamation When they pray, Muslim must face Al-Qibla, which is Al-Ka'aba (The cubic-shaped House of Allah in Makkah). They should stand on a clean floor. For that purpose, they
use a clean, small rug for that purpose. Healthy people must stand for prayers. However, the sick can pray in whatever position suiting them, such as sitting or on their
of Faith
sides.
2. Performing
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Islamic Prayers It is essential to make an effort to find the exact direction of Al-Qibla. An easy way is by using the Qibla compass, where the magnetic needle is made to point to a
specific number referring to the location of performing prayers. Then, the arrow refers to the Qibla (See illustration).
3. Giving
Zakat, Charity,
The Third
Islamic Duty
4. Fasting and
Ramadhan,
Great Gifts
from Allah to
Muslims
5. Haj,
Pilgrimage, the
Fifth Pillar of
Islam
III. Iman:
Allah, His
Angels,
Messengers,
Messages,
Latter Day,
and Qadar
For example, number 34 refers to the southern US states of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, while number 33 refers to the eastern US states of Florida, South
Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and D.C. several other eastern states in the US are referred to as number 33 (for more information, see the map at: Finding
Al-Ka'aba Direction). Another method is using the Sundial shadow, as explained and illustrated in the same source.
3. Adhan (Calling for Group Prayer in a Mosque):
1. Allah, As He
Described
Himself in the
Holy Quran
2. Angels
3. Noo'h,
Noah, in the
Holy Quran
4. Ibrahim,
Abraham, in
the Holy Quran
5. Moussa,
Moses, in the
Holy Quran
6. 'Eissa,
Jesus Christ, in
the Holy Quran
7. Muhammed
in the Holy
Quran
8. Prophet
Muhammed's
Night Journey
and Ascent to
Heavens,
Al-Issra Wal
Mi'raj
9. Latter Day
(Day of
Resurrection)
Adhan
(First calling for group prayer in a mosque):
Allahu akbar
(God is Greater): 4 times.
Ash hadu alla ilaha illa Allah (I bear witness that there is no other god but Allah): Twice
Ash hadu anna Muhammedan rasoul ullah (I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of God): Twice
Hayie alas salah
Hayie alal fala'h
Allahu akbar
(Come to prayer): Twice
(Come to prosperity): Twice
(God is Greater): Twice.
La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah): Once
10. Qada and

Qadar: God's
Foreknowledge
4. Iqama (Announcing the start of prayer):
and His
Decree
IV. I'hsan:
Watching
Allah in What
We Say and
What We Do
1. Introduction
to Islamic Law,
Shari'a, Part I,
Prohibition,
Don't Do, and
Do Commands
in the Holy
Quran
2. The La (No)
Commands
3. The
Imperative
Commands
***
Articles with
Islamic
Perspective:
Health Care
Iqama
(Calling for the immediate start of prayer)
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Crisis in the
US: An Islamic
Perspective
"Terrorism" &
"IslamoFascism"
Propaganda
Campaigns: An
Interactive
Lecture
Six Questions
About Islam,
Muslims and
Jews
Five Islamic
Issues:
Predestination
and choice,
position toward
other religions,
angels, and
the End of
Days
Food Islamic
Rules and
Teachings
Are Muslim
women
second-class
citizens
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
(God is Greater): Twice.
Ash hadu alla ilaha illa Allah (I bear witness that there is no other god but Allah): Once.
Ash hadu anna Muhammedan rasoul ullah (I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of God): Once
Hayie alas salah
Hayie alal fala'h
(Come to prayer): once
(Come to prosperity): Once
Qad Qamates salah, qad qamates salah (The prayer has been stood for): Twice
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
(God is Greater): Twice
La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah): Once

5. Intention and Takbeer
As a Muslim stands for prayer, he/she has the intention to perform it, that's why it is unnecessary to say that he/she intends to do that. However, followers of Imam
Al-Shafi'ie pronounce the intention. Then, they lift their hands to the levels of ears making the Takbeer, which is the start of prayers. Followers of other imams may neither
pronounce the intention nor lift their hands when they say the Takbeer.
The Takbeer is saying "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is greater" (than anybody and anything).
6. Performing prayer
With the right hand over the left hand, above the belly button, a Muslim starts prayer by reciting Al-Fati'ha (The Opening), the first Sura (Chapter) of the Holy Quran, as
follows:
Al-Fati'ha
The French
Ban on Islamic
Headscarf, an
Interview with
Links to
Islamic Topics
2007-2010
Links to
Islamic Topics
2007
Links to
Islamic topics
2006
Links to
Islamic topics
2005
Links to
Islamic topics
2004
Links to
Islamic
topics, 2003
2002 Links to
Islamic topics
Chapter 1 of the Holy Quran
1. 1. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Bissmilah irra'hman irra'heem *
1. 2. Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds

Al'hamdu lilahi rabbil alameen
1. 3. The Beneficent, the Merciful

Arra'hman arra'heem
1.4. Owner of the Day of Judgment

Maliki yawm iddeen
1. 5. You ( alone ) we worship, You (alone) we ask for help

Iyaka naabudu wa iyaka nasstaeen
1. 6. Guide us (to) the straight path

Ihdinas siratal musstaqeem
1. 7. The path of those whom You have blessed, not (the path of) those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray
Siratala dheena anaamta alayhim
Gharil maghdhoobi alayhim
Waladh dhaleen
Ameen.
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7. Reciting few verses or a short Sura (chapter) from the last (30th) Part of the Holy Qur'an, after Al-Fati'ha
See some of these short Suras (chapters) below.
8. Rukou'a (Bowing down)
A Muslim makes Rukou'a, making Takbeer first (saying Allahu Akbar), then bowing down with hands over the knees and the back is parallel to the floor. Then, he/she
makes Tasbee'h, saying:
Sub'hana rabiyal adheem
(Praise to my Lord, the Great): 3 times in Rukou bowing
( 3)
9. Standing for 'Hamd (Praising Allah)
After Rukou', a Muslim stands upright saying:
Sami'a Allahu liman 'hamidah (Allah listens to whoever praises Him): Once
10. Sujoud (Prostration)
A Muslim makes sujoud, by making Takbeer firs (saying Allahu Akbar, then going all the way down to the floor, prostrating himself/herself.
Eight body areas have to touch the floor in Sujoud (prostration). These are the forehead, nose, hand palms, the two knees, and the tiptoes of the two feet.
Once the soujoud is made, a Muslim makes the Sujoud Tasbeeh, saying:
Sub'hana rabiyal ala
(Praise to my Lord, the Highest): 3 times in Sujoud (in prostration)
( 3)
Then, the worshipper lifts his/her head while sitting on the floor, then goes down to perform another Sujoud.
By performing the above ten steps, a Muslim completes one Raka'a, or a prayer unit.
Then, he/she stands up to perform the second Raka'a, repeating the above ten steps.
11. Al-Tashahud
After performing the Sujoud (prostration) of the second Raka'a (prayer unit), he/she sits down on the floor reciting Al-Tashahud (The Proclamation and Bear Witnessing),
at the end of which he/she makes greetings to both directions, starting with the right, then the left.
Al-Tashahud (pronounced At Tashahud) is recited fully when a worshipper is praying two Raka'as only, such as in the case of Al-Fajr (Dawn) prayer. However, in the rest
of the required prayers, which include more than two Raka'as, Al-Tashahud is recited in two ways. After the first two Raka'a, the worshipper recites only the first part of
Al-Tashahud but he/she recites it fully at the end of the last Raka'a (last prayer unit).
The Proclamationand Bear Witnessing

To be recited while sitting in prayer

***

***

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Transliteration of Al-Tashahud:
Part I:
At ta'hiyatu, al mubarakatu, wassala watu at tayibatu, lilah
Assalamu 'alayka ayuha anabiyu wa ra'hmatul lahi wa barakatuh

Assalamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadil lahis sali'heen
Ash hadu alla ilaha illal lah
Wa ash hadu anna muhammadan rassoulul lah

***
Part II:
Allahumma salli 'ala muhammadin, wa 'ala aali muhammad

Kama salayta 'ala ibrahima, wa 'ala aali ibrahim
Wa barik 'ala muhammadin, wa 'ala aali muhammad

Kama barakta 'ala ibrahima, wa 'ala aali ibrahim
Fil 'aalamina
Innaka 'hameedun majeed

***
Ending prayer with greetings to the right, then to the left saying:
Assalamu 'alaykum wa ra'hmatul lahi wabarakatuh
English translation:
Part I of Tashahud:
Blessed greetings and good prayers to Allah
Peace to you, O You Prophet, and mercy of Allah, and His blessings
Peace be upon us and upon the good worshippers of Allah
I bear witness that there is no other God but Allah (while raising the pointer finger)
And I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah (while raising the pointer finger)
**************
Full Tashahud (Part I & Part II):
Blessed greetings and good prayers to Allah
Peace to you, O You Prophet, and mercy of Allah, and His blessings
Peace be upon us and upon the good worshippers of Allah
I bear witness that there is no other God but Allah (raising the pointer finger)
And I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah (raising the pointer finger)
***
O Allah! Pray for Muhammed and for the family of Muhammed

As You prayed for Ibrahim and for the family of Ibrahim
And bless Muhammed and the family of Muhammed
As You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim
Amongst the worlds
You are the Praise-worthy, You are the Glorious

***
(Then, the prayer is completed by saying the greetings to those on the right and to those on the left):
Peace of Allah be upon you, His mercy, and His blessings (to the right side)
Peace of Allah be upon you, His mercy, and His blessings (to the the left side)
End of Prayer.
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After Prayer, Tasbeeh is recommended, but not required:
( 33)
Tasbee'h
(words of praise to God said after prayer)
Sub'hana Allah (Praise to Allah): 33 times*

Al'hamdu lilah
(Thanks to Allah): 33 times
Allahu akbar (Allah is Greater): 33 times
* According to Hadith # 579, in Riyadh Al-Saliheen of Imam Al-Nawawi.

Many people add: "There's no other god but Allah."
The number of times each Tasbee'h can be said is dependent on a person's time and circumstances, it can be more or less than the
recommended number of 33 mentioned above.
=========================================================================
Some Short Suras to Be Recited After Al-Fati'ha in Prayer

Translated and transcribed By Hassan Ali El-Najjar
()

()
()
.(4-1 :112 )
()
Surat Al-Ikhlas
Bismila hir ra'hma nir ra'heem *

1. Qul hu allahu ahad
2. Allahus Samad
3. Lam yalid wa lam youlad
4. Wa lam yakun lahu kufwan ahad
Surat Al-Ikhlas
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: He is Allah, (the) One; (1)
Allah, the Eternal; (2)
He did not beget (give birth) and He was not begotten (given birth to); (3)
And there has never been anyone equal to Him. (4)
(Al-Ikhlas, 112: 1-4).

()

()

()

()
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.(105 :113 ( ))
Surat Al-Falaq
Bismila hir ra'hma nir raheem
1. Qul aa-oudhu birabil falaq

2. Min sharri ma khalaq
3. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab

4. Wa min sharrin nafathati fil uqad
5. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad
Surat Al-Falaq
Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the dawn (daybreak), (1)
From the evil of things He created; (2)
And from the evil of night darkness as it overspreads; (3)

And from the evil of tied knots (of witchcraft or plots); (4)
And from the evil of the envious when he envies. (5) (Al-Falaq, 113: 1-5).

()

()

()

( )
()
Surat An-Nas (Al-Nas)

.(6-1 :114 )
()

Bismila hir ra'hma nir ra'heem
1. Qul a-oudhu birabin nas

2. Malikin nas
3. Ilahin nas
4. Min sharril waswasil khannas
5. Alladhi yuwas wisu fi sudourin nas

6. Minal jinnati wannas
Surat An-Nas (Al-Nas)
Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the people (humankind), (1)
King of the people (humankind), (2)
God of the people (humankind), (3)
From the evil of the whisperer (the devil), the silent (who shuts up when people remember God by reciting these verses and others from
the Holy Quran) (4)
Who whispers into the hearts of the people (5)
(Both) the Jinns and the people (humans). (6)
(Al-Nas, 114: 1-6).
(jinns are invisible non-human creatures)
======================================
* Background to the transliteration of Arabic sounds:
There are three Arabic vowels and their three strong forms (Tanween, i.e. adding "N"). The first is the Fat'ha, which maybe expressed in English by the sound / a /, with
its strong form of / an /. The second is the Kassra, which maybe expressed by the sound / i /, with its strong form of / in /. The third Arabic vowel is the Dhamma, which
maybe expressed by the sound / u /, with its strong form of / un /.
Following Arabic grammatical rules, a common name such as "Ahmed" (or Ahmad) maybe written and pronounced as Ahmada, Ahmadan, Ahmadi, Ahmadin, Ahmadu,
and Ahmadun.
While all these six vowel forms are written in the Arabic text of the Holy Quran, not all of them are pronounced in recitation, particularly at the end of each verse.
However, they maybe pronounced when several verses are continuously recited.
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Arabic written words are mainly composed of consonants, vowels are added as symbols over or under a letter, as in the case of the text of the Holy Quran. However, in
books and written media, only basic consonants and essential vowels are written as letters. No vowel symbols are added, as it is expected from an average educated
Arabic speaker to know how to pronounce the words without vowel symbols.
Underlined letters in the Quran transliteration
Some Arabic letters and sounds have no counterparts in the English alphabet and the English phonetic transcription. There are nine Arabic sounds which have no
equivalence in the English alphabet. These are ( ) . Some translators underline the closest English letters to these Arabic letters, in order to tell
readers that these are pronounced differently in Arabic. The closest sounds expressing the Arabic letters in parentheses, from right to left, are ( h, kh, s, dh, t, tdh, a, gh,
q ). However, underlining them as ( h, kh, s, dh, t, tdh, a, gh, q ) conveys the message that these are different from the English sounds expressed by the letters of the
English alphabet.
The two Arabic letters and sounds of Tha ( ) and Dhal ( ) , expressed by the two English letters "th" at the beginning of the English words "three" and "that," are
transliterated as / th / and / th /, respectively.
This author uses this same method of underlining these letters, with the exception of the two Arabic letters expressed by the / h / and / a / sounds. Instead of underlining
them, he adds an apostrophe before the letter to become / 'h / and / 'a / respectively. Using an apostrophe instead of underling a letter is for practical reasons only. First,
these two letters are more frequently used than the other letters in the list. Second, it is easier to use the apostrophe on keyboards than adding underlining after writing.
As an example, an apostrophe is used before the English letter / a / to express the eighteenth letter of the Arabic alphabet / 'ayn /, as in the case of translating the Good
Name of God, Al-'Azeez, the tenth on the list.
An apostrophe is also used before the English letter / h / to express the sixth letter of the Arabic alphabet / 'ha /, as in the case of translating the Good Name of God,
Al-A'had,
The above usage of an apostrophe to help express the Arabic sound / 'a / may not be enough if the sound occurs at the end of a word, such as in the case of the Good
Name of God, number 30, "Al-Samee'u." This Good Name of God is pronounced as "Al-Samee' " without conjugation. However, because the sound / 'a / occurs at the
end of the word, the pronunciation may become distorted as / as-samee'a / instead of / as-samee ' /. As a solution, this author is using the conjugated form of the noun as
a subject to become / as-samee'u /, the closest to the Arabic pronunciation.
======================================
Sources:
Videos:
The following videos, illustrations, and animations provide detailed information about how to perform Islamic prayers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoNPSEWn6aY
http://www.hilalplaza.com/islamic-pray-prayers-salat/index.html
http://www.islam.com/salat/salatfinal.html (animation with full texts in Arabic, pronunciation, and English translation).
Illustrations:
More sources for illustrations about how to perform prayers:

http://www.alsunna.org/salat/salat.htm
http://muslim-canada.org/salaat.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5023330_perform-muslim-prayer.html
http://forum.moe.gov.om/~moeoman/vb/showthread.php?p=1667934
http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Salah
=============================================================
* Dr. Hassan Ali El-Najjar is a native speaker of Arabic. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Masters degree in Cultural Anthropology.
Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent ccun.org.
editor@ccun.org
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Performing Islamic Prayers By Hassan Ali El-Najjar

http://www.aljazeerah.info/Islamic Editorials/2010/January/Performing ...

Al-Haram Mosque in Makkah

The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah .

God's Message of Guidance to Humanity

By Hassan Ali El-Najjar