Prayer in Islam: Dress Code Guidelines

I thought it may be good to help Muslims, new and old, by pointing out one key etiquette in prayer – and that is keeping your awrah (area of the body that is private) covered. I have previously covered some basics on prayer: How to Pray Part 1: Cleanliness,  How to Pray Part 2: Getting ready for Prayer,  How to Pray Part 3: The Call to Prayer and How to Pray Part 4: Performing the Prayer.

We have been Commanded by Allah to keep our private parts covered and only visible to those whom we are allowed to (eg. wives, husbands etc). In today’s fashion, clothing is made more figure-hugging and exposing these private parts. This is all the more evident when you visit the masjid and see brothers praying but when they bend into Rukoo (bowing) or sujood (prostration), their t-shirts and tops and not long enough to cover themselves, exposing their behinds etc. It is also likely that they are unaware of this. So here’s a reminder for you.

O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment (clothing) upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment to you.  [Surah Al-Ahraf v26)

O ye Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful clothing at every time and place of prayer. [Surah Al-Ahraf v31)

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Whatever is above the knee should be covered and whatever is below the naval should be covered.”
[Dar-ul-qutni]

Every Muslim should wear such clothing that sufficiently cover their Satar. Especially during salaah, he must take care to cover his satar and not wear clothing with pictures, clip art, or cartoons of living creatures ie. human beings and animals.

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The Eclipse Prayer: Salaat-ul-kusoof (Solar Eclipse prayer) and Salaat-ul-Khusoof (Lunar Eclipse prayer)

A solar eclipse

The prayers for a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse is the same. It’s important to pray this in congregation, although praying alone is permissible too. The importance is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed us to remember Allah and invoke Allah during this time, and this was also a time when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was afraid of what was to come.

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr : “When the sun eclipsed in the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle an announcement was made that a prayer was to be offered in congregation.” [Bukhari, 2.155]

The eclipses do not happen because someone has died and this is clear from the following hadith:

Narrated Abu Bakr: We were with Allah’s Apostle when the sun eclipsed. Allah’s Apostle stood up dragging his cloak til he entered the Mosque. He led us in a two-rak`at prayer till the sun (eclipse) had cleared. Then the Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone’s death. So whenever you see these eclipses pray and invoke (Allah) till the eclipse is over.” [Bukhari, 2.150]

Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu`ba: “The sun eclipsed in the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle on the day when (his son) Ibrahim died. So the people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim. Allah’s Apostle said, “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e. birth) of someone. When you see the eclipse pray and invoke Allah.” [Bukhari, 2.153]

Diagram showing how a solar eclipse occurs

SO HOW DO YOU PRAYER THE ECLIPSE PRAYER?

An Eclipse prayer is made up of two rakaats of prayer (two units of prayer). Basically there are two rukus (bowings) and two recitations from Qur’an in each unit of prayer (rakaat) – in normal prayer, there is only one bowing per unit of prayer (see my post on How to Pray).

1. So you stand up for prayer as normal
2. Recite Qur’an as you normally would
3. Go into Rukoo (bow) and prolong the rukoo with duas
4. Stand up and recite Qur’an again
5. Go into Rukoo (bow) again and prolong the rukoo with duas but not as long as the first rukoo
6. Stand up and then go into sujood (prostration) and prolong the sujood with duas
7. Sit up straight
8. Go into sujood again and prolong it (but not as long as the first sujood)
9. You repeat the above steps for the second rakaat (second unit of prayer)

The prayer is described in the following hadiths:

Narrated `Aisha: In the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) the sun eclipsed, so he led the people in prayer, and stood up and performed a long Qiyam, then bowed for a long while. He stood up again and performed a long Qiyam but this time the period of standing was shorter than the first. He bowed again for a long time but shorter than the first one, then he prostrated and prolonged the prostration. He did the same in the second rak`a as he did in the first and then finished the prayer; by then the sun (eclipse) had cleared. He delivered the Khutba (sermon) and after praising and glorifying Allah he said, “The sun and the moon are two signs against the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse on the death or life of anyone. So when you see the eclipse, remember Allah and say Takbir, pray and give Sadaqa.” The Prophet then said, “O followers of Muhammad! By Allah! There is none who has more ghaira (self- respect) than Allah as He has forbidden that His slaves, male or female commit adultery (illegal sexual intercourse). O followers of Muhammad! By Allah! If you knew that which I know you would laugh little and weep much. [Bukhari, 2.154]

Narrated `Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) In the lifetime of the Prophet the sun eclipsed and he went to the Mosque and the people aligned behind him. He said the Takbir (starting the prayer) and prolonged the recitation (from the Qur’an) and then said Takbir and performed a prolonged bowing; then he (lifted his head and) said, “Sami allahu liman hamidah” (Allah heard him who sent his praises to Him). He then did not prostrate but stood up and recited a prolonged recitation which was shorter than the first recitation. He again said Takbir and then bowed a prolonged bowing but shorter than the first one and then said, “Sami`a l-lahu Lyman hamidah Rabbana walak-lhamd, (Allah heard him who sent his praises to Him. O our Sustainer! All the praises are for You)” and then prostrated and did the same in the second rak`a; thus he completed four bowing and four prostrations. The sun (eclipse) had cleared before he finished the prayer. (After the prayer) he stood up, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then said, “The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or the life (i.e. birth) of someone. When you see them make haste for the prayer.” Narrated Az-Zuhri: I said to ‘Urwa, “When the sun eclipsed at Medina your brother (`Abdullah bin Az-Zubair) offered only a two-rak`at prayer like that of the morning (Fajr) prayer.” ‘Ursa replied, “Yes, for he missed the Prophet’s tradition (concerning this matter).” [Bukhari, 2.156]

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr When the sun eclipsed in the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle and an announcement was made that the prayer was to be held in congregation. The Prophet performed two bowing in one rak`a. Then he stood up and performed two bowing in one rak`a. Then he sat down and finished the prayer; and by then the (eclipse) had cleared `Aisha said, “I had never performed such a long prostration.” [Bukhari, 2.160]

I also found the following short instruction on the Eclipse Prayer useful (by Salafi Publications)

I hope I haven’t confused anyone but please ask if I have. Insha’Allah if I can answer in time before the prayer begins, I will.

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Prayer In Islam: How to Pray Part 4 – Performing the Prayer

I thought it may be good to help Muslims, new and old, by explaining the actions of prayer. I have previously covered some issues around washing and cleanliness: How to Pray Part 1: Cleanliness,  How to Pray Part 2: Getting ready for Prayer,  How to Pray Part 3: The Call to Prayer. I have included references to hadith in square brackets – the hadiths used are strong hadiths.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF PRAYER
There are basically three classifications of prayer. These are:

• FARD – This is an obligatory prayer. As a Muslim, you MUST perform this prayer each day. To leave off this prayer is a serious matter and a sin.
• SUNNAH – This is a voluntary prayer but is strongly recommended for you to perform – the choice is yours. There is no sin if you do not perform this prayer but you will miss out on some major benefits and rewards.
• NAWAFIL – also known as Nafl, this is another voluntary prayer but there is no strong recommendation for you perform this. Again, the choice is yours if you do and there is no harm if you do not perform this prayer. There are always benefits and rewards to performing these prayers.

Not only does performing sunnah and nawafil prayers earn you more blessings and rewards but they make up for any deficiencies in your fard prayer.

UNITS OF PRAYER
Each prayer is made up of units, called rakaat. Below are the number of rakaats (units) for each FARD (obligatory) and sunnah (voluntary and recommended) prayer and the order in which they are prayed:

• Fajr – 2 rakaats sunnah, then 2 rakaats fard
• Dhuhr – 2 or 4 rakaats sunnah, then 4 fard, then 2 rakaats sunnah
• Asr – 2 or 4 rakaats sunnah, then 4 rakaats fard
• Maghrib – 3 rakaats fard, then 2 rakaats sunnah
• Isha – 4 rakaats fard, then 4 rakaats sunnah

Nawafil prayers (voluntary prayers) are always prayed as 2 rakaats. You can pray as many Nawafil prayers as you like but not during the forbidden times for prayer (see How to Pray Part 2).

THE CALL TO PRAYER
Make the call to prayer (Adhaan) and then, before praying, also make the Iqaamah. You can find details of this in my post: The Call to Prayer

HAVE A SUTRA
A sutra is any object which is used as a marker and is placed in front of the praying person [Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad and others]. It marks the space in which no one should pass while he is praying. Basically, you would place a sutra a short space ahead of where your head would be if you were to prostrate. In a masjid, the row of people in front of you tends to be your sutra. If you are in the front row, your sutra could be the wall in front of you or even the edge of the prayer mat you are using (a lot of Masjids have carpeting with patterns in rows, so your sutra would be the front edge of the pattern of your row). You can use a pillar as a sutra. You can also use anything like a bag or something that people can easily see is being used as your sutra.

FACE THE KAABA
All prayers are performed by facing in the direction of the Kaaba – also known as facing the Qibla (as narrated by Bukhari and Muslim). Use a Islamic compass – especially useful if you are on a journey and need to pray whilst on route. If you do not know which direction the Qibla is, it is sufficient to make intention to face Qibla before you pray.

MAKE INTENTION
You should make intention for the prayer that you are about to perform (eg. I intend to pray the four rakats of Fajr, Fard). You do not need to say this out loud but can say this in your heart.

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PERFORMING PRAYER

I will describe the prayer below as though you were praying on your own. When you are praying in congregation (with others), then there are a couple of things which are different and I will explain this in How to Pray Part 5: Praying in Congregation.

NOTE: When you are reciting anything in prayer, you do all of it quietly except for the following:

• In the first and second rakaats, when reciting Surah Al-Fatiha, “Ameen” and another Surah, you say it out loud if you are performing either Fajr, Maghrib or Isha prayers. If you are performing Dhuhr or Asr prayers, everything is said quietly, in all rakaats.
  

a) The first rakaat

1. You start, as described above, by standing and facing Qibla. You should look down at the point where your head will prostrate [Baihaqi and Haakim] and you should look at this spot throughout the prayer. Your legs are shoulder-length apart. (NOTE: If you are praying in congregation, standing in a row with other men, your feet should be touching the edges of the feet of the Muslim either side of you.)

2. Raise your hands to your shoulders and say “Allahu Akbar” [Muslim]. Your prayer has begun and you should try not to respond to distractions or people calling you, unless it is an emergency [Ahmad, Haakim, Tirmidhi].

3. Lower your hands and place them on your chest, your right hand over your left hand. [Sahih Muslim, Ahmad and Abu Dawood]

4. Begin by reciting a dua – This is only done in the first rakaat and not any other rakaat. A recommended dua is as follows:

• “Subhana kalla humma wa bihamdika, wa tabarakasmuka, wa ta’ala jadduka, wa la ilaaha ghayruk” [Abu Dawood and Haakim]

5. Then seek refuge with Allah by saying the following- This is only done in the first rakaat and not any other rakaat:

• “Aa-oodhobillahi minash-shaytaan nir-rajeem” [Abu Dawood, Haakim, Ibn Maajah]

6. Then say, “Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem” [Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad]

7. Then recite Surah Al-Fatiha [Bukhari and Muslim]

8. Then say “Ameen” [Bukhari]

9. Then recite any other surah of the Qur’an. [Bukhari and Muslim]

10, Having finished the surah, pause for a moment [Abu Dawood and Haakim]. Then raise your hands to your shoulders and say “Allahu Akbar” [Bukhari and Muslim]

11. Then bend down and bow [Bukhari and Muslim]. This bowing is called Rukoo. You grip your knees with your hands [Bukhari and Abu Dawood] and keep your back straight and level and horizontal [Bukhari]. Do not drop your head nor raise it [Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood].

12. Whilst in Rukoo, you say the following three times [Abu Dawood, Ahmad, Tabaraani, Baihaqi]:

• “Subhana rabiyall-adheem wa bihamdihi”

13. Then you stand up straight again. As you move back to a standing position, you say the following [Bukhari and Muslim]:

• “Sami-Allah huliman hamida”

14. As you move back into a standing position, you also raise your hands to your shoulders [Bukhari and Muslim]:

15. When you are standing up straight, you say the following [Bukhari and Ahmad]:

• “Rabbana walakal hamd”

16. Then you say “Allahu Akbar” and prostrate on the floor [Bukhari and Muslim]. This is called sajda or being in sujood.

• When you go down, you place your hands down before your knees [Abu Dawood, Haakim, Daaraqutni]. Your hands are place either side of your head, near to your ears and shoulders [Abu Dawood]. Your fingers should be closed and not spread out and pointing in the direction of Qibla [Baihaqi and Haakim].
• Your nose and forehead should be firmly on the ground [Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi].
• Your knees and toes are also firmly on the ground [Baihaqi]. Your toes should be pointing towards Qibla [Bukhari and Abu Dawood].
• Your heels should be together [Tahaawi and Haakim].
• Your forearms should not be on the floor but raised slightly away from the floor [Bukhari and Abu Dawood]. Your forearms should also be away from your sides [Bukhari and Muslim].

17. Whilst in sujood, say the following three times [Abu Dawood, Ahmad and Baihaqi]:

• “Subhana Rabi-yall ‘aala wa bihamdihi”
• Whilst in sajda, you can make as many duas as you want and ask Allah for things.

18. Then say “Allahu Akbar” and rise from sujood and go into an upright sitting position [Bukhari and Muslim]. In this position, you should sit with your left foot down [Ahmad, Abu Dawod, Bukhari and Baihaqi] but your right foot upright, with your toes pointing towards Qibla [Muslim and Nasaai]. You are still looking at the spot where your head has prostrated. Your back is straight. The palms of your hands are on your knees.

19. Whilst sitting, you recite the following [Ibn Maajah]:

• “Rabbi, ghfer lee, ghfer lee”

20. Then you say “Allahu Akbar” and go into sujood for a second time [Bukhari and Muslim].

21. Whilst in sujood, say the following three times [Abu Dawood, Ahmad and Baihaqi]:

• “Subhana Rabi-yall ‘aala wa bihamdihi”
• Whilst in sajda, you can make as many duas as you want and ask Allah for things.

22. Then you say “Allahu Akbar” and return to a sitting position for a moment [Bukhari and Abu Dawood].

23. Then you return to a standing position. To stand up, you get up by clenching your fists and supporting yourself on them on the ground, before standing up [Bukhari and Baihaqi]. You stand with your hands on your chest and your right hand over your left hand. This is the end of the first rakaat (one unit of prayer is now complete).

b) the second rakaat

The second rakaat is the same as the first rakaat except for a few differences.

24. Start the second rakaat by reciting Surah Al-Fatiha [Muslim]. After this, say “Ameen” and then recite any other Surah of the Qur’an.

25, Having finished the surah, pause for a moment [Abu Dawood and Haakim]. Then raise your hands to your shoulders and say “Allahu Akbar” [Bukhari and Muslim]

26. Then bend down and bow [Bukhari and Muslim]. This bowing is called Rukoo. You grip your knees with your hands [Bukhari and Abu Dawood] and keep your back straight and level and horizontal [Bukhari]. Do not drop your head nor raise it [Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood].

27. Whilst in Rukoo, you say the following three times [Abu Dawood, Ahmad, Tabaraani, Baihaqi]:

• “Subhana rabiyall-adheem wa bihamdihi”

28. Then you stand up straight again. As you move back to a standing position, you say the following [Bukhari and Muslim]:

• “Sami-Allah huliman hamida”

29. As you move back into a standing position, you also raise your hands to your shoulders [Bukhari and Muslim]:

30. When you are standing up straight, you say the following [Bukhari and Ahmad]:

• “Rabbana walakal hamd”

31. Then you say “Allahu Akbar” and prostrate on the floor [Bukhari and Muslim]. This is called sajda or being in sujood.

• When you go down, you place your hands down before your knees [Abu Dawood, Haakim, Daaraqutni]. Your hands are place either side of your head, near to your ears and shoulders [Abu Dawood]. Your fingers should be closed and not spread out and pointing in the direction of Qibla [Baihaqi and Haakim].
• Your nose and forehead should be firmly on the ground [Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi].
• Your knees and toes are also firmly on the ground [Baihaqi]. Your toes should be pointing towards Qibla [Bukhari and Abu Dawood].
• Your heels should be together [Tahaawi and Haakim].
• Your forearms should not be on the floor but raised slightly away from the floor [Bukhari and Abu Dawood]. Your forearms should also be away from your sides [Bukhari and Muslim].

32. Whilst in sujood, say the following three times [Abu Dawood, Ahmad and Baihaqi]:

• “Subhana Rabi-yall ‘aala wa bihamdihi”
• Whilst in sajda, you can make as many duas as you want and ask Allah for things.

33. Then say “Allahu Akbar” and rise from sujood and go into an upright sitting position [Bukhari and Muslim]. In this position, you should sit with your left foot down [Ahmad, Abu Dawod, Bukhari and Baihaqi] but your right foot upright, with your toes pointing towards Qibla [Muslim and Nasaai]. You are still looking at the spot where your head has prostrated. Your back is straight. The palms of your hands are on your knees.

34. Whilst sitting, you recite the following [Ibn Maajah]:

• “Rabbi, ghfer lee, ghfer lee”

35. Then you say “Allahu Akbar” and go into sujood for a second time [Bukhari and Muslim].

36. Whilst in sujood, say the following three times [Abu Dawood, Ahmad and Baihaqi]:

• “Subhana Rabi-yall ‘aala wa bihamdihi”
• Whilst in sajda, you can make as many duas as you want and ask Allah for things.

37. Then you say “Allahu Akbar” and return to a sitting position [Bukhari and Abu Dawood].

38. Whilst sitting, your raise the index finger on your right hand. pointing it forwards [Muslim].

39. Whilst sitting and pointing your finger, you recite the following, which is called Tashahhud [Bukhari and Muslim]:

• “At-tahhyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wattayyibbatu. As-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahma tullahi wa barakatuhu. As-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibadil-la his-salihin. Ash-hadu al la ilaha illal-lahu wa ash0hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu.”

40. You now lower your finger down.

41. What happens next is dependent upon whether you are performing a prayer that has 2 rakaats, 3 rakaats or 4 rakaats.

• If you are performing a prayer that only has 2 rakaats, go on to step 42.
• If you are performing a prayer that has 3 rakaats, you say “Allahu Akbar” [Bukhari and Muslim] and stand up, with your hands on your chest – your right hand on your left hand. You now perform one more rakaat. So repeat steps 24 to 40. Then you go onto step 42.
• If you are performing a prayer that has 4 rakaats, you need to perform 2 more rakaats. So you say “Allahu Akbar” [Bukhari and Muslim] and stand up, with your hands on your chest – your right hand on your left hand. You now repeat another two rakaats (from step 6 to 40) and then go on to step 42.

42. You are sitting and have put your finger down after reading the Tashahhud. You now invoke the Blessings of Allah on the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by reading the following [Bukhari and Muslim]:

• “Allahumma salli ‘alaa Muhammadin wa ‘alaa aali Muhammadin kamaa sallayta ‘alaa Ibraheema wa ‘alaa aali Ibraheema, innaka Hameedum Majeed. Allahumma baarik ‘alaa Muhammadin wa ‘alaa aali Muhammadin kamaa baarakta ‘alaa Ibraheema wa ‘alaa aali Ibraheema, innaka Hameedum Majeed.”

43. After this, you can recite any supplication/duas you like.

44. When you have finished reciting your duas, you now end the prayer with Tasleem [Abu Dawood, Nasaai, Tirmidhi]. This is done by first turning your head to your right side and saying the following:

• “Asalaaamu alaikum wa rahmatulah”

45. Now turn your face to your left side and say the following:

• “Asalaaamu alaikum wa rahmatulah”

Your prayer is now complete.

The above is an explanation of the basics of prayer. There are additional duas and recitations that you can recite at different stages of the prayer. I won’t go into these additional things now, to avoid confusion for people.

If there is anything in the explanation of prayer above, which is confusing, please let me know by leaving a comment.

Move on to “How to Pray Part 5: Praying in Congregation”

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Prayer In Islam: How to Pray Part 3 – The Call to Prayer

I thought it may be good to help Muslims, new and old, by explaining the actions of prayer. I have previously covered some issues around washing and cleanliness: How to Pray Part 1: Cleanliness and How to Pray Part 2: Getting ready for Prayer

THE CALL TO PRAYER (ADHAAN)
Whether in a Masjid, home or an open place, when two or more people want to pray in congregation, one person should make the Call to Prayer. The Call to Prayer is performed by a man. He does this by standing and facing Makkah, raising his hands to his ears and then making the Call to Prayer in a loud but melodious voice.

The words of the Adhaan (for all obligatory prayers except Fajr) are:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illallah, Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illallah

Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur Rasoolullah, Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur Rasoolullah

Hayya alas-salaah, hayya alas-salaah

Hayya alal-falaah, hayya alal-falaah

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

La ilaaha illallah

Translated this is:

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, I bear witness that there is no god except Allah

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

Come to the prayer, Come to the prayer

Come to the success, Come to the success

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

There is no god except Allah

The Adhaan for Fajr
The Adhaan for Fajr is slightly different.

The words of the Adhaan (for all obligatory prayers except Fajr) are:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illallah, Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illallah

Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur Rasoolullah, Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur Rasoolullah

Hayya alas-salaah, hayya alas-salaah

Hayya alal-falaah, hayya alal-falaah

As-salaatu khayrum minan nawm, As-salaatu khayrum minan nawm

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

La ilaaha illallah

Translated this is:

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, I bear witness that there is no god except Allah

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

Come to the prayer, Come to the prayer

Come to the success, Come to the success

Prayer is better than sleep, Prayer is better than sleep

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

There is no god except Allah

Repeating the Adhaan
If you are listening to a Mu’adhin performing the Adhaan, you should repeat what he says. When the Mu’adhin says “Hayya alas-Salaah”, or “Hayya alal-falaah”, instead of repeating this, you should say “La hawla wa laa quwwatta illa billah” (which means “There is no Might and no Power except by Allah”). This is from Bukhari and Muslim.

After the Adhaan
When the Adhaan has finished, the mu’adhin and the listener should invoke blessings on the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as follows:

Allahumma salli ‘alaa Muhammadin wa ‘alaa aali Muhammadin kamaa sallayta ‘alaa Ibraheema wa ‘alaa aali Ibraheema, innaka Hameedum Majeed. Allahumma baarik ‘alaa Muhammadin wa ‘alaa aali Muhammadin kamaa baarakta ‘alaa Ibraheema wa ‘alaa aali Ibraheema, innaka Hameedum Majeed.

This means: O Allah! Show Mercy to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You have Shown Mercy to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are indeed Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You have Blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are indeed Praiseworthy, Glorious.

Then make the following dua:

Allahumma Rabba haathihid-da’watit-taammati wassalaatil-qaa’imati, ‘aati Muhammadanil-waseelata walfadheelata wab’ath-hu maqaamam-mahmoodanil-lathee wa’adtahu, ['innaka laa tukhliful-mee'aad]

O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and established prayer. Grant Muhammad the intercession and favour, and raise him to the honoured station You Have Promised him. [Verily You Do Not Neglect promises]

This is from Sahih Bukhari.

CALLING THE IQAAMAH
The Iqaamah is slightly different from the Adhaan in that it signals that the obligatory prayer is about to start. The Iqaamah is pronounced by the same person who performed the Adhaan.

The words of the Iqaamah are:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illallah

Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur Rasoolullah

Hayya alas-salaah, hayya alal-falaah

Qad qaamatis-salaah, Qad qaamatis-salaah

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

La ilaaha illallah

Translated this is:

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

I bear witness that there is no god except Allah

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

Come to the prayer, Come to the success

The prayer is being established, the prayer is being established

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

There is no god except Allah

Listen to the Adhaan
If you would like to listen to recordings of the Adhaan, visit my page on Qur’an and Adhaan.

Move on to “How to Pray Part 4: Performing the Prayer”

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Prayer In Islam: How to Pray Part 2 – Getting ready for Prayer

I thought it may be good to help Muslims, new and old, by explaining the actions of prayer. I have previously covered some issues around washing and cleanliness: How to Pray Part 1: Cleanliness

CLOTHING
When praying, your clothing should be clean. For a man, his shoulders need to be covered. Umm Hani (radiAllahanha) reported that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wrapped his body with a single garment and crossed its ends over his shoulders [Bukhari and Muslim].

When praying, your awra should be covered. Awra is that part of the body which should be covered and not shown publicly. For men, it is between the navel and the knee and for the woman, it is everything except the face and hands. Clothing should not contain pictures of living things. The rules of clothing for women still applies (I have not described these rules here but there are many websites/books/scholars that can help women to know what the ruling of dress is).

If you are praying inside (eg. home, Masjid, other building), shoes are always taken off before praying.

Helpful tip: Ensure that you wear clothes that will not reveal any part of your awra, when you are perfoming prayers. For example, the fashion nowadays is for men to wear jeans that hang very low around the waist. This has the effect that when a man bends over, eg. for prostration, then the skin between his waist and the top of his behind becomes exposed to the public.

GOING TO THE MASJID
Performing the obligatory prayers in the Masjid is a duty that Muslim men should do [Bukhari and Muslim], whenever possible (without feeble excuse as well). It is not as much of an obligation for women to pray at the Masjid. Enter the Masjid with the right foot first (when you leave, leave with the left foot first). When you enter the masjid, you should pray two rak’at before sitting [Bukhari]. In addition you should not raise your voice in the masjid [Bukhari].

However, Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) narrated, ‘The Prophet (pbuh) used to ask the Mu’adhin on every cold and rainy night, to announce, “Pray in your houses.”‘ [Bukhari and Muslim]. The Mu’adhin is the person who makes the Call for Prayer.

PRAYING AT HOME
If you are praying at home, ensure there are no pictures or statues in the room you are praying in. [from Bukhari].

PRAYER IN CONGREGATION
Prayer in congregation is highly recommended. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Prayer in congregation in superior by 27 degrees to prayer performed individually.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

PRAYING AT THE PRESCRIBED TIMES
There are presecribed times for prayer (as described in Bukhari). The five obligatory prayers (ie. the prayers that you MUST do) are:

Fajr (morning prayer)
This is between the break of dawn and sunrise

Dhuhr (noon prayer)
This starts when the sun declines from the meridian and ends when the shadow of an object is the same as the length of that object.

Asr (afternoon prayer)
This starts from the end of Dhuhr up until sunset.

Maghrib (prayer after sunset)
This starts from sunset and ends with the disappearance of the red line from the horizon.

Isha (night/evening prayer)
This starts when Maghrib ends and remains until the start of Fajr prayer.

To make it easier for you to know what the times are, simply get hold of a prayer timetable from your local Masjid. There are three forbidden times for prayer. These are:

1. When the sun begins to rise until it is fully up
2. When the sun is at its height at midday til it passes the merdian
3. When the sun draws near to setting, til it has set.

• [Narrated from Muslim]

However, if you have missed an obligatory prayer, you are allowed to pray this, even at the forbidden times. This is because the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Whoever has forgotten the prayer should pray it whenever he remembers it.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Move on to “How to Pray Part 3: The Call to Prayer”

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Prayer In Islam: How to Pray Part 1 – Cleanliness

I thought it may be good to help Muslims, new and old, by explaining the actions of prayer. Please note that there is not a separate kind of prayer for women – the prayer of women is the same as that of men.

CLEANLINESS

Firstly, a Muslim must be clean and have washed themselves. There are two types of washing: Ghusl (basically having a bath/shower) and Wudhu (ablution).

GHUSL (Bath/Shower)
You must do Ghusl if any one of the following conditions apply (and before performing prayer):

• After marital relations – Ghusl must be performed when either:

• semen is emitted (a thick white liquid in the case of a man and a fine yellow liquid in the case of a woman)
• a man has penetrated his wife (in this case, it doesn’t matter if semen had been emitted or not)
• [The evidence for this is in Sahih Muslim]

• After a menstrual period (for women)
• When a woman’s post-natal bleeding has stopped
• When a non-Muslim embraces Islam

Ghusl is done in the following way:

1. Make intention to perform Ghusl
2. Say “Bismillah”
3. Wash your hands three times
4. Wash your private parts and around that area (use your left hand, not your right)
5. Perform Wudhu (see below) – except that you do not need to wash the feet at this stage
6. Pour water over your head three times
7. Pour water over your whole body and rinse yourself with your hands (wash yourself beginning with the right hand side first)
8. Wash your feet
9. [the above was reported by Ahmad and Muslim and others]

WUDHU (Ablution)
Wudhu is performed if any of the following conditions apply (and before performing prayer):

• After sleeping
• After visiting the toilet, ie. if anything comes out of the two private parts. You must clean your private parts with water after this.
• After sexual discharge (this is different from semen – it is the fine fluid that comes out after a wet dream)
• After passing wind
• After becoming unconscious

Wudhu is done in the following way:

1. Make intention to perform Wudhu
2. Say “Bismillah”
3. Wash your hands three times, up to and including the wrists
4. Rinse the mouth three times
5. Rinse inside your nostrils three times
6. Wash your face three times (for men: including the beard)
7. Wash your arms three times, beginning with your right arm, from your wrist up to and including the elbow
8. Wipe your hair with water
9. Wipe your ears with water three times, including the inside of your ears
10. Wash your feet, beginning with your right foot, up to and including the ankles, three times
11. [As reported in Sahih Muslim, Sahih Bukhari, Ahmad and others]
12. After completing this, you say “Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallahu, wahdahu laa shareekalahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluhu”. This means “I bear witness that none has the right to worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slace and Messenger.” [Reported by Muslim, Abu Dawood, At-Tirmidhee, an-Nasaa'ee, Ibn Maajah]

Move on to “How to Pray Part 2: Getting ready for Prayer“

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Some duas (supplications): Connected to Prayer

Dua recited for the Prophet’s pbuh Intercession on Judgement Day:

The dua is recommended to be recited after hearing the Adhaan and after replying to the call of the Mu’aththin.

Allahumma Rabba haathihid-da’watit-taammati wassalaatil-qaa’imati, ‘aati Muhammadanil-waseelata walfadheelata wab’ath-hu maqaamam-mahmoodanil-lathee wa’adtahu, ['innaka laa tukhliful-mee'aad]

O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and established prayer. Grant Muhammad the intercession and favour, and raise him to the honoured station You Have Promised him. [Verily You Do Not Neglect promises]

This is from Sahih Bukhari. The additional wording in brackets is from Al-Bayhaqi

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Dua to be recited on entering the Masjid

A’oothu billahil-’Adheem, wa bi-Wajhihil-Kareem, wa Sultaanihil-qadeem, minash-Shaytaanir-rajeem. [Bismillahi, wassalaatu.] [Wassalaamtu alaa Rasoolilaahi.] Allaahum-maftah lee ‘abwaaba rahmatika.

I seek refuge in Almighty Allah, by His Noble Face, by His Primordial Power, from Satan the outcast. [In the Name of Allah, and blessings.] [And peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.] Oh Allah, open before me the Doors of Your Mercy.

This is from Abu Dawud, Ibn As-Sunni and Muslim

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Dua to be recited on leaving the Masjid

Bismillahi, wassalaatu wassalaamtu alaa Rasoolilaahi,  Allaahumma ‘innee ‘as’aluka min fadhlika, Allahumma’simnee minash-Shaytaanir-rajeem.

In the Name of Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. Oh Allah, I ask for Your Favour, Oh Allah Protect me from Satan the outcast.

This is from Abu Dawud, Ibn As-Sunni and Muslim

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What to say whilst the Adhaan is being called

When you are listening to the Adhaan being called at the time of prayer, you should repeat it to yourself.

When the Mu’aththin says “Hayya alas-Salaah”, or “Hayya alal-falaah”, instead of repeating this, you should say “La hawla wa laa quwwatta illa billah” (which means “There is no Might and no Power except by Allah”)

This is from Bukhari and Muslim

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