Salat - The Muslim Prayer Book

Page 1

S AL A T The Muslim Prayer Book 2016 ISLAM INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS LIMITED

Page 2

S AL A T — The Muslim Prayer Book First Published in U.K.in 1994 Reprinted with some changes in 1996, followed by several editions in different countries of the world.Reprinted in UK in 2014 Present Edition published in UK in 2016 © Islam International Publications Ltd.Published by: Islam International Publications Ltd Islamabad Sheephatch Lane Tilford, Surrey United Kingdom GU10 2AQ Printed in UK at: Raqeem Press Islamabad Tilford, Surrey, GU10 2AQ ISBN: 978-1-184880-856-0 Unit 3, Bourne Mill Business Park Guildford Road, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 9PS S AL A T — The Muslim Prayer Book First Published in U.K.in 1994 Reprinted with some changes in 1996, followed by several editions in different countries of the world.Reprinted in UK in 2014 Present Edition published in UK in 2016 © Islam International Publications Ltd.Published by: Islam International Publications Ltd Islamabad Sheephatch Lane Tilford, Surrey United Kingdom GU10 2AQ Printed in UK at: Raqeem Press Islamabad Tilford, Surrey, GU10 2AQ ISBN: 978-1-184880-856-0

Page 3

Contents PUBLISHERS’ NOTE.....................................................vii FOREWORD....................................................................xi CHAPTER ONE.................................................................1 1.OBLIGATION TO OFFER PRAYER.......................................2 2.IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER....................................................4 3.THE TIMING OF PRAYERS.....................................................8 4.CONDITIONS FOR PRAYER................................................10 ABLUTION.....................................................................................12 FACTORS WHICH RENDER AN ABLUTION INEFFECTIVE...............................................................................16 SOME NOTEWORTHY DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AMONG DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF JURISPRUDENCE.17 BATH................................................................................................18 1.In Case of Women..................................................................18 2.In Case of Men and Women...............................................19 ADDITIONAL SITUATIONS WHERE A BATH IS ESSENTIAL....................................................................................19 WATER............................................................................................20 DRESS..............................................................................................20 COVERING THE HEAD FOR MEN.........................................21 5.ADH A N.........................................................................................21 THE METHOD OF SAYING THE ADH A N...........................23 IQ A MAT ( IQ A MAH )...................................................................26 NIYYAT ( NIYYAH )......................................................................27 COMBINING PRAYERS.............................................................28 CHAPTER TWO..............................................................31

Page 4

1.THE METHOD OF OFFERING PRAYER..........................31 DUR U D ( A SS AL A TU ‘ALAN-NAB I ).......................................48 INDIVIDUAL PRAYER...............................................................54 CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER.................................................54 2.SOME OTHER POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED............56 3.REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH AFTER CONCLUSION OF THE PRAYER.....................................................................................61 4.TYPES OF PRAYERS AND NUMBER OF RAK‘ A T........65 FAR D PRAYERS...........................................................................65 W A JIB PRAYERS..........................................................................66 S AL A TUL-VITR.............................................................................66 SUNNAT PRAYERS.....................................................................68 NAW A FIL PRAYERS...................................................................68 5.S AL A TUL - JUMU‘AH or FRIDAY PRAYER.......................70 6.‘ I DUL-FI T R AND ‘ I DUL-A DHA FESTIVALS...................74 7.CONSTITUENT PARTS OF PRAYER................................78 FAR D (COMPULSORY) PARTS OF PRAYER.....................78 W A JIB A T (ESSENTIALS) OF THE S AL A T..........................79 SUNAN (PLURAL OF SUNNAT ) OF THE S AL A T..............81 MUSTA H IBB A T OF THE S AL A T............................................82 MAKR U H A T OF THE S AL A T (UNDESIRABLE ACTS DURING PRAYER)......................................................................83 ACTIONS WHICH MAKE PRAYER NULL AND VOID....85 SUJ U DUS-SAHV, i.e.PROSTRATIONS OF CONDONEMENT.........................................................................85 8.PRAYER OFFERED IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES 86 PRAYER DURING SICKNESS..................................................86

Page 5

PRAYER DURING A JOURNEY...............................................87 PRAYER DURING DANGER ( S AL A TUL-KHAUF )............89 QA DA (MISSED) PRAYERS.....................................................89 TAHAJJUD PRAYER....................................................................90 TAR A V IH PRAYER......................................................................91 PRAYER WHEN SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES OCCUR............................................................................................................92 PRAYER TO INVOKE RAIN.....................................................93 ISTIKH A RAH PRAYER...............................................................94 S AL A TUL-H A JJ A T, i.e.PRAYERS OFFERED WHEN IN NEED OF HELP............................................................................96 ISHR A Q PRAYER.........................................................................98 FUNERAL PRAYER.....................................................................98 PRAYER FOR A DECEASED MALE CHILD......................102 PRAYER FOR A DECEASED FEMALE CHILD.................103 Glossary of Terms...........................................................107

Page 6

Page 7

vii PUBLISHERS’ NOTE The name of Muhammad, the Holy Prophet sa of Islam, has been followed by the symbol sa , which is an abbreviation for the salutation S allall a hu ‘Alaihi Wasallam (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).The names of other Prophets and Messengers are followed by the symbol as , an abbreviation for ‘ Alaihis-Sal a m (on whom be peace).The actual salutations have not generally been set out in full, but they should nevertheless, be understood as being repeated in full in each case.The symbol ra is used with the name of the companions of the Holy Prophet sa and those of the Promised Messiah as.It stands for Ra d iyall a hu ‘anhu/‘anha/‘anhum (may Allah be pleased with him/with her/with them).rh stands for Ra h imahull a hu Ta‘ a l a (may Allah have mercy on him).at stands for Ayyadahull a hu Ta‘ a l a (may Allah be his Helper).In transliterating Arabic words we have followed the following system adopted by the Royal Asiatic Society.ا at the beginning of a word, pronounced as a , i , u.ث th , pronounced like th in the English word 'thing'.ح h , a guttural aspirate, stronger than h.خ kh , pronounced like the Scotch ch in 'loch'.

Page 8

viii ذ dh , similar to the English th in 'this' or 'that'.This is not the exact sound.Its pronunciation must be learnt by the ear.ص s , strongly articulated s.ض d , similar to the English th in 'this' or 'that'.This is not the exact sound.Its pronunciation must be learnt by the ear.ط t , strongly articulated palatal t.ظ z , strongly articulated z.ع ‘, a strong guttural, the pronunciation of which must be learnt by the ear.غ gh , a sound approached very nearly in the r ' grasseye ' in French, and in the German r.It requires the muscles of the throat to be in the 'gargling' position whilst pronouncing it.ق q , a deep guttural k sound.ئ ’, a sort of catch in the voice.Short vowels are represented by: a for (like u in 'bud'); i for (like i in 'bid'); u for (like oo in 'wood');

Page 9

ix Long vowels by: a for or (like a in 'father'); i for ی or (like ee in 'deep'); u for و (like oo in 'root'); Other: ai for ی (like i in 'site')  ; au for و (resembling ou in 'sound').Please note that in transliterated words the letter 'e' is to be pronounced as in 'prey' which rhymes with 'day'; however the pronunciation is flat without the element of English diphthong.If in Urdu and Persian words 'e' is lengthened a bit more it is transliterated as 'ei' to be pronounced as 'ei' in 'feign' without the element of diphthong thus ' ⩪ ' is transliterated as 'Kei'.For the nasal sound of 'n' we have used the symbol ' ń '.Thus Urdu word ' — ' is transliterated as 'mei ń '.* The consonants not included in the above list have the same phonetic value as in the principal languages of Europe. In Arabic words like Ῡ (Shaikh) there is an element of diphthong which is missing when the word is pronounced in Urdu.* These transliterations are not included in the system of transliteration by Royal Asiatic Society.[Publishers]

Page 10

x We have not transliterated Arabic words which have become part of English language, e.g., Islam, Mahdi, Quran ** , Hijra, Ramadan, Hadith, ulema, umma, sunna, kafir, pukka etc.For quotes straight commas (straight quotes) are used to differentiate them from the curved commas used in the system of transliteration, ‘ for � , ’ for ء.Commas as punctuation marks are used according to the normal usage.Similarly for apostrophe normal usage is followed.The Publishers ** Concise Oxford Dictionary records Quran in three forms— Quran, Qur’an and Koran.[Publishers]

Page 11

xi FOREWORD The Institute of Islam International Publications Ltd.is rendering unprecedented services in the field of publicising accurate Islamic teachings and is engaged day and night in producing books for the spiritual uplift of mankind.As a proof here is a new publication; S AL A T - THE MUSLIM PRAYER BOOK Prayer, in every religion is regarded as the pivot on which rests man’s Communion with God.God prescribed prayer as the second pillar of His everlasting religion ISLAM.In this modern materialistic world such books can serve as satisfying spiritual food for the starving souls and as such are the need of this age.With many people coming into the fold of Islam this book can certainly be a source of explaining to them all the aspects of the congregational prayer.Although some other booklets on the subject are available, they are not so comprehensive and explanatory.In addition to detailed word-pictures about the significance of prayer, combined with Arabic text, its transliteration and translation, all the postures have been demonstrated with pictures.The postures in prescribed prayer play a very important role in the proper performance as they represent the real state of mind of the worshipper in the presence of God.All these postures are divinely taught.Another landmark of the book is the all-

Page 12

xii exhaustive description of each and every kind of Islamic prayer, obligatory or non-obligatory so that the reader is not left looking for some other help in connection with the Islamic prayers.This book is the need of the time and should be possessed by every Muslim family.The Publishers

Page 13

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 1 CHAPTER ONE The purpose of the creation of man, according to Islam, is that he should worship Allah.Allah says in the Holy Quran: ﻌﺒﺪون اﻻ اﻻ ﺲ و ا ﻦ ﻠﻘﺖ ﻣﺎ َََُُِْْو ََِِّْْْﻟﻴ ﻧ َََُِِّْجل َﺧ And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.(51:57) Worship means total obedience to the commands of Allah.The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa brought the message of God and explained all the commandments concerning the religion of Islam.Islam has five basic duties which a Muslim has to perform.They are known as the Five Fundamentals of Islam or the Five Pillars of Islam.The first pillar of Islam is the Islamic declaration of faith, i.e.to bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.The oneness of God is the basis of our belief in Islam.The second pillar is called S al a t , i.e.to perform Prayer in a prescribed form.The third pillar is called Zak a t, a form of levy which Muslims of means pay annually in cash or kind, and is spent for good causes mentioned in the Holy Quran.The fourth pillar is called S aum , i.e.to keep fasts in the month of Ramadan.The fifth pillar is called H ajj , i.e.to perform

Page 14

2 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah in Mecca least once in the lifetime of a Muslim.Of all religious obligations, Islam has laid greatest emphasis on the institution of S al a t.It is enjoined upon every Muslim to pray five times a day.Besides the five obligatory Prayers, there are other types of Prayers which are optional.A Muslim takes the spiritual side of life as seriously as a worldly person takes the material side of it.As air and food are essential for our physical life, likewise, we cannot survive spiritually without offering S al a t or Prayer regularly in different parts of the day.S al a t or Prayer, consists of various postures, i.e.Standing called Qiy a m , Bowing down called Ruk u‘ , Prostration called Sajdah and Sitting called Qa‘dah.During each posture prescribed phrases are to be recited.As these phrases are in Arabic, every Muslim is required not only to memorise these verses but also to know their meaning so that the worshipper knows what he is saying to his Lord during the Prayer.1.OBLIGATION TO OFFER PRAYER Prayer, in the prescribed manner, is obligatory upon every adult Muslim of sound mind.As far as children are concerned, it is not obligatory on them until they come of age.However, it requires continuous effort and persuasion to get them to the stage where they start offering their Prayers regularly in the manner prescribed for the Prayer.Proper training and education is therefore necessary for

Page 15

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 3 children.It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet sa has directed that when children reach the age of seven, parents should urge them to be regular in their Prayers and when they reach the age of ten, they must be admonished if they fail to offer their Prayers regularly.( Sunan Ab u D a w u d, Kit a bu s - S al a t ).Once the children reach the age of maturity, it becomes compulsory for them to offer their Prayers.At that stage, no individual or Government has the right to force them to offer their Prayers, as the S al a t offered under compulsion does not mean anything.It ought to be offered willingly.The matter rests between the person and his God.Therefore, it is the duty of every and all Muslim parents to prepare their children for S al a t from an early age.Moreover, it is highly essential for them to pray to God Almighty that their children become regular in Prayers.God’s help is sought because the task is huge.It is mentioned in the Holy Quran that throughout his life Hadrat Ishmael as used to exhort members of his household to offer their Prayers regularly.It is often observed that in homes where elders offer their Prayers regularly, the children start copying the movements of their elders naturally and thus become regular in their Prayers, with time.However, when a child reaches the age of seven, the proper method of Prayer should be taught to him.He should be encouraged to join in Prayer and, if possible, he should be persuaded to accompany the parents to the mosque.This will develop in the child an affinity with Prayer, and will safeguard the habit of Prayer in the

Page 16

4 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book following generation.The parent or guardian, however, is permitted to be somewhat strict with the children between the ages of 10 to 12, should they become slack in offering their Prayers.This does not mean that they should be treated cruelly or punished, rather they should be admonished to the same degree as parents often admonish them for missing school.However, when they reach the age of twelve, they should be made to realise that their parents have discharged their duty and from that time on, the matter rests between them and God, to Whom they are answerable.This does not mean that they should not be advised, exhorted or admonished because as far as advising them is concerned, it can go on for life, if required.It is only the element of strictness which comes to an end when the child reaches the age of twelve.As mentioned earlier, Hadrat Ishmael as adopted the same method of love and kind persuasion with the members of his household.The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa treated the grown-ups in his family in the same manner.It is reported that he used to call out to his daughter Hadrat F at imah ra and his son-in-law Hadrat ‘Al i ra to wake them up for Fajr Prayer.2.IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER S al a t or the prescribed Prayer has been mentioned in the Holy Quran as an essential characteristic of a true believer.The Holy Quran states: ۙ ﻠﻤﺘﻘني ﻫﺪی ۛ  ﻓِﻴﻪ ۛ  رﻳﺐ ﻻ اﻟﻜﺘﺐ َََُُُِِّّْْْْٰذﻟﻚ ًَََِِِْٰۚۖۚﻟ َْاﻟﺬ ﻦ َِّﻳ

Page 17

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 5 ﻳ و ﺑﺎﻟﻐﻴﺐ ﻳَََُُُِِِْْْْﺆﻣﻨﻮن رزﻗﻨﻬﻢ ممﺎ و ﻠﻮة ا ََََََُُِّّْْْْٰٰﻘﻴﻤﻮن َِۙﻟﺼ َُُِْْﻳﻨﻔﻘﻮن This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it; it is a guidance for the righteous, Who believe in the unseen and observe Prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them; (2:3-4) Prayer or S al a t , helps us to get rid of sins; inclines us more and more towards God and goodly things and so gradually purifies us.But this is not the end.Prayer does much more than this.It brings man closer to his Creator.The worshipper tries to imitate God in His most excellent attributes and is constantly transformed from a lowly and worldly person to a highly noble and sublime servant of God.The Holy Quran mentions this distinctive quality of S al a t by saying: و اﻟﻜﺘﺐ ﻦ اﻟﻴﻚ او� ﻣﺎ َََِِِْْٰاﺗﻞ َََُُُِِْْۤﻣ َِاﻗِﻢ ﻠﻮة ا ان ؕ  ﻠﻮة ا ََََّّٰٰ ﻟﺼ َِّﻟﺼ ﻠﻢ اﻪﻠﻟ و ؕ  اﻛرب اﻪﻠﻟ ﻟﺬ ﺮ و ؕ  ﺮ ا و اﻟﻔﺤﺸﺂء ﻦ �َُْ َََََُُُِّّْْٰٰﻳَﻌ ﻛ ملﻨﻜ َََََُِِِِْْْْْٰﻋ َﺗﻨ ﻌﻮن ََُْﻣﺎ ََْﺗﺼﻨ Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and observe Prayer.Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil, and remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue.And Allah knows what you do.(29:46) Prayer is indeed a sure and well-tried prescription

Page 18

6 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book for purity of the heart and the soul.It is through S al a t alone that we are able to establish a living communion with Allah.The Quran says: ﻛﺘﺐ ﻠﻮن اﻟﺬ ﻦ ََُِّْْٰان ََْﻳﺘ ََِِّﻳ ِّٰاﻪﻠﻟ اﻧﻔﻘﻮا و ﻠﻮة ا اﻗﺎﻣﻮا و َََََََُّْْٰ َُۙﻟﺼ ﺗﺒﻮر ﻦ جتﺎرة ﺮﺟﻮن ﻋﻼﻧِﻴﺔ و ﺮا رزﻗﻨﻬﻢ ََََََُّْْْْممﺎ ﻟ ﻳ ًًًََََََََُُِِِّّّّْْٰﺳ ﻏﻔﻮر اﻧﻪ ؕ  ﻠﻪ ﻦ ﺰﻳﺪﻫﻢ و اﺟﻮرﻫﻢ ٌَََََُُُُِِّْْْْْْْٖٗﻟﻴﻮﻓِﻴﻬﻢ َِّْﻓﻀ ﻣ َََُُُِِّﻳ ٌَُْﺷﻜﻮر Surely, only those who follow the Book of Allah and observe Prayer and spend out of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a bargain which will never fail; In order that He may give them their full rewards, and even increase them out of His bounty.He is surely Most Forgiving, Most Appreciating.(35:30-31) According to the Holy Prophet sa S al a t is the pinnacle of the spiritual life of the believer.It is the highest form of Divine worship.The Holy Prophet sa is further reported to have observed: Prayer brings the believer into communion with his Lord.It must be realised that sincere prayer never goes in vain.Sometimes, the deep spiritual experience of the intense love of God brings tears to the eyes.Sometimes, a milder pleasure of love fills the heart with sublime happiness.These experiences are signs

Page 19

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 7 of the Prayer being alive, meaningful and fruitful.Otherwise, just a performance of formality is not enough to benefit man.That would be obeying an order without one’s heart being in it.That is why it is highly essential that every beginner should keep this noble objective before him and always try to make his Prayers come alive.The S al a t combines all forms and degrees expressive of humility and submission.The worshippers stand in rows and respectfully behind the Im a m.All the worshippers who line up behind the Im a m must follow his movements at his call.The call for every movement is All a hu Akbar except when the Im a m straightens himself from the position of Ruk u‘ , i.e.the bowing position, when instead of saying All a hu Akbar , he says Sami‘all a hu Liman H amidah which means 'most certainly God listens to those who praise Him.' At this call, all the followers also straighten up with arms by their sides, saying Rabban a Wa Lakal H amd , H amdan Kath i ran T ayyiban Mub a rakan F i hi.Sincerity and humility are the essence of prayer.Allah enjoins believers: ۙ ا ﺆﻣﻨﻮن ا ﺢ َُُِْْْﻗﺪ ََْمل ََْﻓﻠ ﺻﻼِﻢ ىف ﻫﻢ َََُِِْْْْاﻟﺬ ﻦ َِّۙﻳ َُِْﻌﻮن ٰﺧﺸ Surely, success does come to the believers, Who are humble in their Prayers, (23:2-3)

Page 20

8 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book The Holy Prophet sa has said: No servant of Allah humbles himself for the sake of Allah, but Allah thereby brings about his Raf‘a.Raf‘a is an Arabic word meaning 'to raise'.It does not mean that Allah will lift him bodily to heaven.Obviously it means that Allah will exalt his status before Him.True humility can only be achieved by mentally concentrating on the attributes of Allah.When His immense greatness dawns on someone, one has no choice but to be humbled.3.THE TIMING OF PRAYERS For each of the five obligatory Prayers, there is an appointed time fixed in relation to the sun’s position.The time of the Fajr or morning Prayer begins with dawn and ends just before sunrise.The time of the Z uhr or midday Prayer begins after the sun has crossed the zenith point and has begun to decline.The time of the ‘A s r Prayer is when the sun has further advanced in decline and reaches a point nearly halfway between the beginning of decline and sunset, which we may call late afternoon but not very late.It ends up quite some time before sunset, when the sunlight has paled.Although it is not entirely forbidden to say the ‘A s r Prayer that late in the day, it is most certainly preferred that it be offered before daylight has started fading out while the sun is still above the horizon by a good measure.It is to be remembered that at the times of sunrise,

Page 21

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 9 sunset and when the sun is at its zenith, it is forbidden to offer Prayers.Also, when the ‘A s r Prayer has been performed, no optional Prayer should be offered between that time and the time of sunset.Similarly, between morning Prayer and sunrise no optional Prayer should be offered.The time of Maghrib Prayer begins immediately after the sun has set.It lasts till dusk.But the word dusk is differently understood by the different schools of Jurists.The Wahh a b i s and similar sects with a rigid attitude insist that Maghrib Prayer should be offered almost immediately after sunset and that the time of dusk, according to them, ends when the redness of the sunset gives way to a dusky grey.Many other sects believe that dusk lasts still when there is some light left on the horizon after sunset.According to such schools, the allotted time for offering Maghrib Prayer is almost as long as that allotted for performing morning Prayer which lasts from early dawn to sunrise.All schools of jurisprudence agree that the time for the ‘Ish a’ Prayer begins when dusk has finally disappeared, giving way to the darkness of night.According to most, this period lasts till midnight but some even extend it beyond midnight till one retires for sleep.It is, however, very strongly advised and preferred that Prayers should be generally offered at the beginning of their respective times and should not be delayed until the time is about to run out.

Page 22

10 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 4.CONDITIONS FOR PRAYER Some prerequisites and conditions exist regarding the offering of Prayers.They are as follows: i.Determination of Intention: The intention to perform a Prayer must be made prior to the beginning of the Prayer.ii.The Prayer should be offered within the fixed time allotted for that particular Prayer.However, it should be remembered that if one fails to perform a Prayer in time due to some compelling reasons, that Prayer can be offered whenever one remembers it.However, it should not be offered at forbidden times.The question arises that if the timings for Prayer and fasting, etc., are associated with the duration of sunlight, with the rotation of the earth and the relative position of the sun and moon, how could one determine the timings of Prayer and fasting in extreme Southern and Northern areas where the duration of days and nights are longer than twenty-four hours? It should be noted that the Holy Prophet sa replying to a question from a Companion, explained that in those areas where the days and nights are of longer duration as compared to the normal 24- hour day, Muslims should offer their Prayers by measuring time in accordance with the normal length of a day.iii.One should be clean in body and, as far as possible, in mind and spirit also.Cleanliness here is a term which means:

Page 23

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 11 a.The body should be clean from all filth.b.If one has answered the call of nature and has been to the toilet, one should wash oneself properly so that all remnants of faeces or urine have been properly washed away.c.After conjugation, whether ejaculation has taken place or not or when, in whatever manner, ejaculation has taken place, for instance during sleep, cleanliness would mean not just washing oneself partially, but a full bath becomes essential.d.A full bath is also essential for women after menstruation, and after post-parturition bleeding (bleeding following childbirth).iv.The place and mat of Prayer must be neat and clean.v.The body must be properly covered during the Prayer.vi.Qiblah or Direction: All Muslims must face towards the Ka‘bah.Qiblah means facing the Ka‘bah in Makkah, the first House of worship built on earth.All Muslims throughout the world should always face the general direction of the Ka‘bah during every Prayer.However, during a journey and when travelling, if one fails to determine the direction properly or when one is unable to face towards the Ka‘bah because of illness, for it is beyond one’s capacity to do so, then one is not obliged to face towards the Qiblah.Also, when on a journey, riding

Page 24

12 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book on a mount, train, boat or plane, one should say one’s Prayers facing in the same direction towards which one is moving, or indeed any convenient position will be acceptable.ABLUTION The word ablution applies to washing some parts of the body preparatory to the performance of Prayer.This is a prerequisite which must be fulfilled, otherwise the Prayer will not be considered valid.The Hadith clearly instructs that one should wash one’s hands three times with water and then clean one’s mouth by rinsing with water three times.Then, the nose should be internally cleaned by pushing a little water into the nostrils three times.

Page 25

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 13 And then the entire face should be washed three times.After this, the whole of the forearm up to and including the elbow should be washed three times each, starting with the right.

Page 26

14 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Then, having wetted the hands with some water again, a pass should be made over the head with both hands, palms downwards with thumbs outstretched so that almost the whole head is covered by this in a passing motion.At the end of this motion, the ears should be cleaned with the tips of the forefingers.The forefinger of the right hand is used for the right ear and the forefinger of the left hand is used for the left ear.The finger tips move along the crevices and grooves of the outside ear and are dipped slightly into the ear holes.After passing the finger tips around the grooves of the external ear and dipping them into the ear holes, all fingers are joined together and the hands are inverted so that the palms now are facing outwards.With the back of the hands, a pass is made from the nape of the neck to the front of the neck.

Page 27

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 15 Lastly the feet should be washed up to the ankles inclusive, three times each, again beginning with the right.If for some reason, the limbs are washed just once, or twice, during the ablution, the ablution is still complete, even though the best form of ablution is that which we find in the established Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa which is to wash the limbs three times.Thus the ablution is completed.It is essential that the following prescribed prayer be recited for ablution: ﺮ ﻦ ا ﻦ ىن ا و اﻟﺘﻮاﺑني ﻦ ىن ا َََْا ﻠﻬﻢ ملﺘﻄﻬ ﻳ ﻣ ََُِِِِِِّْْْْْﻣ ﻠ ََﻠ ﻌ ْْﻌ ﺟ َََََُِّّّّْٰﺟ َﻟ Transliteration: All a hummaj‘aln i minat-taww a b i na waj‘aln i minal muta t ahhir i n.Translation: O Allah make me of those who seek forgiveness and make me of those who are cleansed.

Page 28

16 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book This is ablution in normal circumstances when one is healthy and the use of water is not medically inadvisable, and where clean water is easily available.In case of illness or non-availability of water, there is a simple substitute for ablution in the following form which is called Tayammum.If a clean dusty surface or a solid surface is available, one should pat the surface with the open palms of both hands, and make a motion with both hands passing them over one’s face.Then, one should pass the hands over the back of each other successively.If too much dust accumulates on the hands, then one is permitted to dislodge the excess.This is only a token ablution to remind one that whenever possible, proper ablution should be performed.It is essential that one should offer Prayer while one’s ablution is intact.If one’s ablution remains intact then even with one ablution, more than one Prayer can be performed.This means that the state of ablution is necessary when one performs Prayer but for each Prayer repetition of ablution is not necessary if the previous ablution is still valid.FACTORS WHICH RENDER AN ABLUTION INEFFECTIVE a.Passing wind.b.Urination even if a drop has passed out.c.Passing stool in however small quantity.d.Sleeping, dozing off to the degree that if one were

Page 29

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 17 without a support, one would not be able to keep balance.e.Menstruation and ejaculation, which have already been discussed earlier.f.About vomiting and bleeding, opinions are divided but minor bleeding from any part of the body by an ordinary cut, etc., or throwing-up of a little food during belching should not be counted as bleeding and vomiting.Otherwise, after vomiting and bleeding, ablution should be performed again.If after ablution, one puts on socks, then it is not essential to wash one’s feet for the following 24 hours when one performs ablution.Instead, one should wet one’s hands and after shaking off the excess water, one should make passes with the hands on both feet on top of the socks.This should be considered an alternative to the washing of the feet.This permission is extended to three days during a journey.SOME NOTEWORTHY DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AMONG DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF JURISPRUDENCE According to Shia jurisprudence, the feet are exempted from washing and only the passes as mentioned before are enough, whether one is wearing socks or not.According to some more rigid schools of thought like the Wahh a b i s , ordinary socks, whether they be woollen or cotton are not enough.Socks have to be made of thin leather which is impervious to dust

Page 30

18 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book and moisture, etc., in order to avail of such concession.According to some other schools, this attitude is too strict and makes one slave to superficialities which is not in the true spirit of Islam.The Holy Prophet sa described the spirit of Islam by saying: ﺮ اﻟﺪ ﻦ ٌُْْان ﻳﺴ ََِِّّﻳ Transliteration: Innadd i na Yusrun.Translation: Indeed it is a religion of ease.(Bukh a r i, Kit a bul- I m a n) The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community agree with this.They consider the best policy is to apply common sense.So, if a pair of socks are thick enough to protect one’s feet from dirt and filth, the question of which material they are made of does not arise.BATH Taking a bath is always encouraged and promoted in Islam.Islam emphasises not only the cleanliness of the soul but also that of the body.In some situations however, it has been made a prerequisite to the offering of any formal Prayer.The following are the conditions which necessitate taking a bath and where ablution alone is not enough.1.In Case of Women a.After each menstruation when the flow of blood has completely stopped.

Page 31

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 19 b.After childbirth when the bleeding has finally stopped.Note: During these bleeding periods, women are not required to perform formal Prayers.2.In Case of Men and Women a.After seminal ejaculation or orgasm, whether resulting from conjugation or from any other cause.The same applies to night discharges during sleep.b.Sexual contact between man and woman, even without ejaculation and however brief it may be.c.All non-Muslims who become Muslims are also obliged to take a bath and start a new, fresh life as a Muslim.ADDITIONAL SITUATIONS WHERE A BATH IS ESSENTIAL Every new born child must be bathed, and also the body of every person who has died should be bathed before the Jan a zah Prayer.However, for those who are martyred or killed during war or murdered in any way, an exception is made and they are not bathed.Apart from the occasions when bathing becomes necessary, the taking of a bath every Friday, on the celebrations of ‘ I d and just before performing H ajj were strongly emphasised by the Holy Prophet sa.It is interesting to note that the Holy Founder sa of Islam used to take a bath in the following manner: He would start bathing by performing Wu du ’ , i.e.ablution, but not including washing of the feet which

Page 32

20 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book he would do at the end.Then he would pour water at least three times on the right side of his body, followed by three times on the left.He bathed so meticulously that every pore of every part of his body was washed thoroughly.In all such conditions where bathing becomes obligatory, one can neither perform Prayer without bathing nor enter the mosque, nor recite the Holy Quran.Exception is made for women during their periods as far as the reading of the Holy Quran is concerned.They can read the Holy Quran but are advised not to touch it with their bare hands.WATER Water to be used for ablution and bathing should be clean and salubrious.Stagnant or polluted water may not be used.However, when salubrious water is not available and people are forced to use whatever water is available, the same can also be used for ablution and bath.DRESS During Prayer, one’s body should be decently covered, particularly the private parts and the areas around them.In case of men, this can be defined as an area of body beginning from the navel down to the end of the knee-cap.As far as women are concerned, they should cover their entire body, including their arms but excluding the hands and feet.However, when praying at home or among other women, they do not have to cover their faces.

Page 33

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 21 COVERING THE HEAD FOR MEN According to most schools of Jurisprudence, men should cover their heads when praying.But the M a lik i s and a few others do not consider this necessary.5.ADH A N In the early days of Islam, there was no prescribed way of telling people that the time for Prayer had commenced nor was there any means to call the Muslims to the mosque for congregational Prayers.The Holy Prophet sa was however, aware of the Jewish, Christian and pagan practices in this regard.He sought counsel and asked his Companions as to what should be done to call Muslims to the mosque for congregational Prayers.One morning, Hadrat ‘Abdull a h ibn ‘Az i z ra approached the Holy Prophet sa and related to him a dream which he had had the night before.He had seen someone announcing the Prayer time and calling people to the mosque for the congregational Prayer in a loud voice.Hadrat ‘Abdull a h then related the words of the Adh a n which he had heard in the dream.They were as follows: اک �� ََُّْٰا ﻟ َرب Transliteration: All a hu Akbar (four times)

Page 34

22 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Translation: Allah is the Greatest.(Recited four times) َََُْْاﺷﻬﺪان ا ﻠ� اﻻ اﻟ� ﻻ ّٰ َََِِّّٰﻟ Transliteration: Ashhadu all a il a ha illall a h (twice) Translation I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah.(Recited twice) حمﻤﺪ ًََََََُُّّْاﺷﻬﺪان ا ا ﻠ� ّٰرﺳﻮل َُُّﻟ Transliteration: Ashhadu anna Mu h ammadar Ras u lull a h (twice) Translation: I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.(Recited twice) �ََّ َ ﻋ �َ ا َّ ﻟﺼ ٰﻠ ﻮة Transliteration: H ayya ‘ala s-S al ah (twice) Translation: Come to Prayer.(Recited twice) َىي ََّﻋ ﺣ �َ ا ََْﻟﻔﻼح

Page 35

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 23 Transliteration: H ayya ‘alal-Fal ah (twice) Translation: Come to success.(Recited twice) اک �� ََُّْٰا ﻟ َرب Transliteration: All a hu Akbar (twice) Translation: Allah is the Greatest.(Recited twice) ا �� اﻻ اﻟ� ّٰﻻ َََِِّٰﻟ Transliteration: L a il a ha illall a h Translation: There is none worthy of worship except Allah.Hadrat ‘Umar ra , who later became the second Khalifah was also sitting in the company of the Holy Prophet sa.He said that he had also had a dream and had heard the same words.The Holy Prophet sa was therefore in no doubt that this was a message from Allah, so he adopted the method of Adh a n to call worshippers to the mosque.Adh a n is thus widely recognised as the call to Prayer all over the world.THE METHOD OF SAYING THE ADH A N The Mu’adhdhin , the person who says the Adh a n,

Page 36

24 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book should stand in a prominent position with his face turned towards the Qiblah.These days a loudspeaker system is also used to say the Adh a n.The Mu’adhdhin should touch his ears with his index fingers, right finger touching the right ear and the left finger touching the left, and recite the Adh a n in a loud voice.He should turn his face towards the right when saying the words, H ayya ‘ala s-S al a h and turn his face to the left while reciting the words H ayya ‘alal- F a lah.During the Adh a n for Fajr Prayer, the Mu’adhdhin should also recite the words given below twice after saying, H ayya ‘alal- F a lah : ري ﻠﻮة ِّا ٌَْﻣ َُّٰﺧ َﻟﺼ اﻟﻨﻮم ََِّْﻦ Transliteration: A ss al a tu khairum-minan-naum (twice) Translation: Prayer is better than sleep.(Recited twice) The Holy Prophet sa has said: ﻓﻘﻮ اﻟﻨﺪاء ﻌﺘﻢ ََََُُُِِّْْإذا َِمس ُْﻟﻮ ﻳﻘﻮ ﻣﺎ ﻣﺜﻞ َََُِْْا ا ﺆذن َُُِّْل ُمل Transliteration: Idh a sami‘tumun-nid a ’a Faq u l u mithla m a yaq u lul- mu’adhdhin.(Bukh a r i Kit a bul-Adh a n) Translation: Whenever you hear the Adh a n, say what the Mu’adhdhin is saying.

Page 37

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 25 Hence, anyone who hears the Adh a n should repeat the same, phrase by phrase, after the Mu’adhdhin has recited them but when the Mu’adhdhin says the words H ayya ‘ala s - S al a h and H ayya ‘alal-Fal ah , the person hearing the Adh a n should say L a h aula wal a quwwata ill a bill a -hil ‘aliyyul ‘A zi m which means: There is neither might nor any power except with Allah.If the congregational Prayer is offered in the open, i.e.outside the mosque, even then, Adh a n should be recited before the Prayer.After completion of the Adh a n , listeners should recite the following prayer: َُّّٰا ﻠﻬﻢ َﻟ ﻫ رب ََّٰ اﻟﺪ َِِّﺬه َْﻋﻮ حمﻤﺪ آت اﻟﻘﺎﺋﻤﺔ واﻟﺼﻼة اﻟﺘﺎﻣﺔ ََََََََََُِِِِِِّّّّْة ِن ا ﻠﺔ وا ﻠﺔ ََََﻟﻮ ﻟﻔﻀﻴ َََِِْْﺳﻴ ا ﺮ َّواﻟﺪرﺟﺔ َََََّﻟ ْ ﻓِﻴ وا ْﻌﺔ َََﺑ َْﻌﺜ ﻣﻘﺎﻣﺎ �ًََُ َّْحم َُﻤﻮد ا ِن ا َّﻟ ﻋﺪ و ََِْﺬی ��َّٗ ا ِ َّﻧ ﻻ ُْک ََخت ا ْﻠﻒ ُِِملﻴ ََﻌﺎد.Transliteration: All a humma Rabba hadhihidda‘watit-t a mmati wa ss al a til q a ’imati, a ti Mu h ammada-nil-was i lata wal-fa di lata waddarajatar-raf i ‘ata, wab‘ath-hu maq a mam-ma h m u da-nilladh i wa’attah u.Innaka l a tukhliful m i ‘ a d.(Bukh a r i, Kit a bul-Adh a n) Translation: O Allah, Lord of this Perfect Call, and of the Congregational Prayer, make Muhammad a means of our access to You, and bless him with excellence and the lofty office, and grant him the most exalted

Page 38

26 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book station Thou hast promised him.Verily, Thou goest not back on Thy promise.IQ A MAT ( IQ A MAH ) When the Prayer is about to commence, Iq a mah is recited.This is an indication that the Im a m has taken his place facing towards the Ka‘bah and is ready to begin the Prayer.The Iq a mah is a shorter version of the Adh a n.Other differences between the Adh a n and the Iq a mah are as follows: i.The Adh a n is called aloud while the Iq a mah is recited in a low tone.ii.During the recitation of Iq a mah the fingers are not raised so as to touch the ears as is done in Adh a n ; instead the arms are left hanging straight by one’s sides.iii.The sentence, A ss al a tu khairum-minan-naum is not recited in the Iq a mah.iv.The Iq a mah is recited rapidly, though the M a lik i school of thought recite both the Iq a mah as well as the Adh a n , with pauses between the verses.During the Iq a mah the sentence Qad q a mati s - S al a t, i.e.S al a t is ready, is repeated twice after saying, H ayya ‘alal-Fal ah.v.During the Iq a mah , the face is not turned towards the right or to the left when Hayya ‘ala s-S al a h and H ayya ‘alal-Fal ah are recited, as is done in the Adh a n.The text of the Iq a mah is as follows: ََا اﻛرب، اﷲ اﻛرب ََََُُُُْْﷲ أن ََُْْأﺷﻬﺪ إﻟ َِّٰﻻ إﻻ ََِّﻪ اﷲ أن أﺷﻬﺪ ،ََََُّْ

Page 39

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 27 ََُّحمﻤ ر ًَّﺪا اﷲ ُُِﺳﻮل ﻲ ﻠﻮة، ا ﻲ ﻲ ،ََََّّ ﺣ ﻠ َّٰﺣ ََﻟﺼ ﻋ اﻟﻔﻼح � َََِْ ﻋ َْ،ﻗﺪ ﻠﻮة، ا ﻗﺎﻣﺖ ﻗﺪ ﻠﻮة ا ََّّٰٰﻗﺎﻣﺖ ﻟﺼ َََََِِْﻟﺼ َا ا أﻛرب ََُُْﷲ ُﷲ أﻛرب ََُْ إﻟ ﻻ،َِٰ َﻪ َِّاﻻ اﷲ ُ.Transliteration: All a hu Akbar, All a hu Akbar; Ashhadu all a Il a ha illall a h; Ashhadu anna Mu h ammadar Ras u lull a h; H ayya ‘ala s - S al a h; H ayya ‘alal-Fal ah ; Qad q a mati s - S al a tu, Qad q a mati s - s al a h; All a hu Akbar, All a hu Akbar; L a Il a ha Illall a h Translation: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is Greatest; I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.Come to Prayer.Come to success.S al a t is ready.Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; There is none worthy of worship except Allah.According to the Sayings of the Holy Prophet sa the person who has recited the Adh a n should also recite the Iq a mah.( Sunan Tirmidh i , Abw a bu s-S al a t, B a b M a J a ‘a anna man Adhdhana fa huwa yuq i m ).However, in certain cases, another person may recite the Iq a mah with the permission of the Mu’adhdhin or the Im a m.NIYYAT ( NIYYAH ) Niyyah means the intention to perform a Prayer

Page 40

28 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book and is an essential part of it.The worshipper should make a Niyyah in his mind as to which type of Prayer, Far d , Sunnah or Nafl etc., he is going to perform and how many Rak‘ a t.It is not necessary to make Niyyah by saying the words aloud.The mere intention in one’s mind will suffice.The worshipper, therefore, should recite Tauj i h along with the Niyyah.Tauj i h is given in chapter 2.COMBINING PRAYERS Under certain conditions, two Prayer services may be combined together.For example, Z uhr Prayer may be combined with ‘A s r Prayer.Similarly Maghrib Prayer may be combined with ‘Ish a ’ Prayer, if the following conditions prevail: a.If a person is sick.b.If a person is on a journey.c.During rain or a storm.d.If it is difficult to go to the mosque because of general discomfort caused by heavy rains.It is preferable to combine the later Prayer with the earlier Prayer.However, in unavoidable circumstances, the earlier Prayer may be combined with the later one.When the Prayers are combined, one Adh a n is sufficient for both Prayers but Iq a mah has to be recited separately for each Prayer.It should also be remembered that the Sunnat part of the Prayer service need not be offered when Prayer services are combined together.However, the two

Page 41

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 29 Sunnats performed before the Jumu‘ah (Friday) Prayer are necessary and should not be omitted.In case the Im a m is leading the congregation for ‘A s r Prayer and a worshipper who comes late does not know which Prayer is being offered, he should join in anyway.Later, if he comes to know that he has missed the earlier Prayer, he should offer it individually after the congregational Prayer.However, if a worshipper who came in late knows that the Im a m is leading the later Prayer, he should offer the earlier Prayer individually first and then join in the congregation.For example, if the Im a m is leading ‘Ish a’ Prayer, the latecomer should offer Maghrib Prayer, which he has missed, and then join in the congregation.If he does not know that the Im a m is leading ‘Ish a’ Prayer and he joins in thinking that it is Maghrib Prayer which the Im a m is leading, he should carry on following the Im a m.Afterwards, he has only to offer Maghrib Prayer individually, as his ‘Ish a’ Prayer behind the Im a m was valid.In normal circumstances, however, one should offer the earlier Prayer first and the later Prayer afterwards.

Page 42

Page 43

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 31 CHAPTER TWO 1.THE METHOD OF OFFERING PRAYER Normally, S al a t should be offered in congregation in a mosque, a place dedicated to Divine worship but it may be held anywhere, the only requirement being that the place chosen should be clean.Before a worshipper commences his Prayer, he should cleanse his body and ensure that his clothes are also clean.He should perform Wu du’ and then stand in a row along with other worshippers behind the Im a m , the person who leads the Prayer, all facing towards the Ka‘bah.The rows must be perfectly straight and the worshippers should stand shoulder to shoulder but in no way in a position to interfere with each other’s Prayer.The Holy Prophet sa was very particular about the straightness of rows.Thus, arranging themselves in rows behind the Im a m , each worshipper should then make his intention as to which Prayer he is going to offer and then recite the Tauj i h.Tauj i h is as follows: ِِّْإين ََُّْوﺟﻬﺖ ﻠﺬي ﻲ َِِّْو َِﻟ َْﺟﻬ ��� واﻷرض اﻟﺴﻤﺎوات ﺮ َََََََََِِّْْْ َﻓﻄ ۖ  ًﻔﺎ َّو ﺮﻛني ا ﻦ أﻧﺎ َِِْْﻣﺎ ملﺸ ََََُِْﻣ Transliteration: Inn i wajjahtu wajhiya lilladh i fa t aras-sam a w a ti wal ar d a h an i fan wam a an a minal mushrik i n.

Page 44

32 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Translation: I have turned my full attention towards the Supreme Being, Who has created the heavens and the earth, and I am not one of those who associate partners with Him.Before the commencement of Prayer, Iq a mah , the notice that the Prayer is about to start, is recited.During the Prayer one should concentrate fully on one’s Prayer and remove all other thoughts from one’s mind.The Prayer starts with Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah , i.e.the Im a m raises both hands to the level of his earlobes and says All a hu Akbar (God is the Greatest).All worshippers do the same.To raise both hands to one’s earlobes when reciting All a hu Akbar is to follow the practice (called the Sunnah ) of the Holy Prophet sa of Islam.All Muslim schools of thought agree on this.However, there are some Muslim sects who raise their hands to their earlobes more than once in one Rak‘at.Thus, in addition to the moment of saying the first All a hu Akbar at the start of Prayer, they also raise their hands while going to Ruk u‘ posture from Standing; when reverting to the standing posture; when going to Sajdah and when getting up from Sajdah.Looking at the history of Islam, we find that the Holy Prophet sa did raise his hands more than once during Prayer on several occasions in the early days of

Page 45

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 33 his ministry as mentioned in the books of Traditions but this was not his common practice.According to many other Sayings of the Holy Prophet sa of Islam he never raised his hands except when saying Takb i r-i- Ta h r i mah in the first Rak‘at of every Prayer.A Companion of the Holy Prophet sa Hadrat ‘Abdull a h ibn Mas‘ u d ra is reported to have stated: Let me show you how the Holy Prophet sa of Islam used to offer his Prayer.‘Abdull a h then offered his Prayer and raised his hands only in the beginning when saying Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah.After raising his hands to the lobes of his ears and reciting All a hu Akbar , the Im a m lowers his hands and folds them on his chest so that the right arm is over his left arm.The worshipper stands before his Lord, an attitude of utmost humility.His hands folded on his chest most respectfully is called the Qiy a m , the

Page 46

34 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Standing Posture.However, there are variations in this posture.Some people fold their arms a little lower than the navel while others slightly above the navel and some even a little higher.These are all signs of respect.One should not be so petty minded as to quarrel with others regarding these minor matters.It should also be noted that generally, the M a lik i among the Sunnis and the Shia do not fold their arms at all.They leave them straight by their sides.Though no Hadith is available to prove that the Holy Prophet sa ever did so, yet no one has the right to object and say that the Prayers of such people who do not fold their arms are not valid.After saying Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah , the following glorification called Than a’ is recited individually in silence: ا ﻠ ّٰﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻚ َََُْﻟ و ﻌﺎىل امسﻚ وﺗﺒﺎرك وحبﻤﺪك ََََُّْْٰﻬﻢ َََََََََُِِﺗ ﺟﺪك ََُّ إﻟ ََِٰوﻻ ريك ََُْﻪ َﻏ Transliteration: Sub ha nakall a h-humma wa bi h amdika wa tab a rakasmuka wa ta‘ a l a jadduka wal a il a ha ghairuk.Translation: Holy art Thou, O Allah, and all praise is Thine; blessed is Thy name, and exalted is Thy state.There is none worthy of worship except Thee alone.(Tirmidh i , Kit a bu s - S al a t, M a Yaq u lu inda ift a hi s-S al a ti; Sunan Nasa’ i , Kit a bul-Ift a h, B a budh-Dhikr baina s-S al a t wa

Page 47

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 35 bainal-Qir a ’at.) It is also reported in some Sayings that sometimes, the Holy Prophet sa of Islam used to recite other verses in place of this glorification but this is the one which is well-known and often recited.The above glorification is followed by Ta‘awwudh , which is also recited silently: َا ُْﻋﻮ ا ﺮﺟﻴ اﻟﺸﻴﻄﺎن ﻦ ﺑﺎﷲ ََِّْْذ ﻟ ََُِِِِّﻣ ﻢ Transliteration: A‘ u dhu bill a hi minash-shai ta nir-raj i m.Translation: I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.After Ta‘awwudh, Bismill a h is recited either silently or loudly, by the Im a m.The congregation, however, recites it silently.Tasmiyah is as follows: ا ﺮﺣِﻴﻢ ﻦ ا ﺮ اﻪﻠﻟ ََِِّّْْﺑﺴﻢ ﻟ ِِِّْٰٰﻟ مح Transliteration: Bismill a hir-Ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.Translation: In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.According to the Traditions, on some occasions, the Holy Prophet sa used to say Tasmiyah aloud while on other occasions he recited it silently.Among Muslims, it is generally recited aloud in Arab countries while the H anaf i sect and a large number of

Page 48

36 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book other Muslims recite it silently.The Im a m then recites S u rah Al-F a ti h ah.In certain Prayers, e.g., Fajr , Maghrib and ‘Ish a’ Prayers, he recites it loudly, while in others, Z uhr and ‘A s r he and other worshippers, following him, recite it silently.When the Im a m is reciting S u rah Al-F a ti h ah loudly, the other worshippers should repeat it silently, verse by verse, during the short interval between the verses after the Im a m has recited those verses.ِﻴﻢ ا ﺮﺣ ﻦ ا ﺮ اﻪﻠﻟ ََِِّّْْﺑﺴﻢ ﻟ ِِِّْٰٰﻟ مح ۙ ا ﻠﻤني رب ﻪﻠﻟ ََِْٰاحلﻤﺪ َََُِِِّّْْٰﻟْﻌ ۙ ا ﺮﺣِﻴﻢ ﻦ ََِّّْا ﺮ ﻟ ِْٰﻟ مح ؕ اﻟﺪ ﻦ ﻳﻮم ِْﻠﻚ َِِِِّْٰﻳ ﻣ اﻳﺎك و ﻌﺒﺪ ََََََُُِِّّْاﻳﺎك ؕﻧ َُِْﻌني َْﻧﺴﺘ ۙ املﺴﺘﻘﻴﻢ ﺮاط ا ََََُِِّْْْاﻫﺪﻧﺎ َِِْﻟﺼ اﻟﺬ ﻦ َْﺮاط ِﻳ َََِّ۠ﺻ اﻟﻀﺂﻟني ﻻ و ﻠﻴﻬﻢ املﻐﻀﻮب ري ۙ  ﻠﻴﻬﻢ َََََََََُِِِِّّْْْْْْْْا ﻌﻤﺖ ﻋ ََِْْﻋ َْ۬ﻏ َﻧ Transliteration: Bismill a hir-Ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.Al- h amdu lill a hi Rabbil ‘ a lam i n.Ar-ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.M a liki yaumidd i n.Iyy a ka na‘budu wa iyy a ka nasta‘ i n.Ihdina s - s ir a t al-mustaq i m.S ir a talladh i na an‘amta ‘alai-him, ghairil magh du bi ‘alaihim wa la d-da ll i n.Translation: In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds, The Gracious, the Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment.Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone

Page 49

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 37 do we implore for help.Guide us in the right path— The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.At the end of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah , the worshippers say A m i n which means 'O Allah! Accept our supplications.' The members of the M a lik i , Sh a f‘ i and H anbal i sects of Islam say A m i n loudly while the members of the H anaf i sect say it silently.Both forms are admissible.This is not one of those matters which makes S al a t valid or invalid.One can adopt whatever method one likes, i.e.to say it aloud or to say it silently.No one else should have the right to object, except when someone says it so loudly that other worshippers are disturbed.Thereafter, the Im a m recites a portion of the Holy Quran, at least three verses or a short chapter.For example: S U RAH AL-KAUTHAR ِﻴﻢ ا ﺮﺣ ﻦ ا ﺮ اﻪﻠﻟ ََِِّّْْﺑﺴﻢ ﻟ ِِِّْٰٰﻟ مح اﻟﻜﻮ ﺮ ا����ﻚ َََاﻧﺎ ََََِّْْْْٰۤﺛ ؕ ََِّﻓﺼﻞ ا ﺮ و ََْْﺮﺑﻚ حن ََِِّﻟ ؕ ۠ اﻻ رت ﻫﻮ ﺷﺎﻧِﺌﻚ َُْان ََََََُِّْﺑ Transliteration: Bismill a hir-Ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.Inn a a‘a t ain a kal- Kauthar.Fa s alli lirabbika wan h ar.Inna sh a ni’aka huwal abtar.

Page 50

38 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Translation: In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.Surely We have given thee abundance of good; So pray to thy Lord, and offer sacrifice.Surely, it is thy enemy who is without issue.S U RAH AL-IKHL AS ا ﺮ ﻦ ا ﺮ اﻪﻠﻟ ََّّﺑﺴﻢ ﻟ ِِِِّْْٰٰﻟ مح ِﻴﻢ ِْﺣ ۚ اﺣﺪ اﻪﻠﻟ ﻫﻮ ٌَََُُُّْٰﻗﻞ َُّٰۚاﻪﻠﻟ ََُّاﻟﺼﻤﺪ ۙ ﻳﻮﻟﺪ ﻟﻢ و ۙ  ﻠﺪ َََََُِْْْْْ۬ﻟﻢ ﻳ ۠ اﺣﺪ ﻛﻔﻮا ﻟﻪ ﻦ ﻟﻢ ًٌََََُُُّْْٗو ََﻳﻜ Transliteration: Bismill a hir-Ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.Qul huwall a hu A h ad.All a hu s - S amad.Lam yalid, walam y u lad.Walam yakullah u kufuwan a h ad.Translation: In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.Say, He is Allah, the One; Allah, the Independent and Besought of all.He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.S U RAH AL-FALAQ ا ﺮ ﻦ ا ﺮ اﻪﻠﻟ ََّّﺑﺴﻢ ﻟ ِِِِّْْٰٰﻟ مح ِﻴﻢ ِْﺣ ۙ ﻖ ا ﺮب اﻋﻮذ َِﻗﻞ َِِّْﻟﻔَﻠ َُُُْْﺑ ۙﻣِْﻦ ﻖ ﻣﺎ ََﺮ ََِّﺧَﻠ ﺷ ۙ وﻗﺐ اذا ﻏﺎ ﻖ ﺮ ﻦ ٍَََََِِو ََِّﺳ ﺷ ِْﻣ اﻟﻨﻔﺜﺖ ﺮ ﻦ و ََِِّّّٰٰ ﺷ َِْۙﻣ ا ﻌﻘﺪ َُِْىف ِﻟ ۠ ﺣﺴﺪ اذا ﺣﺎﺳﺪ ﺮ ﻦ ٍََََََِِِّو ﺷ َِْﻣ

Page 51

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 39 Transliteration: Bismill a hir-Ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.Qul a‘ u dhu birabbil falaq.Min sharri m a khalaq.Wa min sharri gh a siqin idh a waqab.Wa min sharrin-naff a th a ti fil-‘uqad.Wa min sharri ha sidin idh a h asad.Translation: In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn, From the evil of that which He has created, And from the evil of the night when it overspreads, And from the evil of those who blow into knots to undo them, And from the evil of the envier when he envies.S U RAH AN-N A S ِﻴﻢ ا ﺮﺣ ﻦ ا ﺮ اﻪﻠﻟ ََِِّّْْﺑﺴﻢ ﻟ ِِِّْٰٰﻟ مح ۙ اﻟﻨﺎس ﺮب اﻋﻮذ ََِِِّّﻗﻞ َُُُْْﺑ ۙ اﻟﻨﺎس ﻣََِِِّﻠﻚ ۙ اﻟﻨﺎس َِِِّٰاﻟﻪ ۪ اخلﻨﺎس ۙ  اﻟﻮﺳﻮاس ﺮ َََََِِِّّْْْ۬ۙﻦ ﺷ ِْﻣ ۙ اﻟﻨﺎس ﺻﺪور ىف ﻳﻮﺳﻮس َََُُُُِِِِِّّْْْْاﻟﺬی ۠ اﻟﻨﺎس و اجلﻨﺔ ﻣََََِِِِّّْﻦ Transliteration: Bismill a hir-Ra h m a nir-Ra hi m.Qul a‘ u dhu birabbin- n a s, M a likin-n a s, I la hin-n a s, Min sharril wasw a sil khann a s.Alladh i yuwaswisu f i s ud u rin-n a s, minal jinnati wan-n a s.Translation: In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The King

Page 52

40 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book of mankind, The God of mankind, From the evil of the sneaking whisperer, Who whispers into the hearts of men, From among the Jinn and mankind.These few S u rahs of the Quran which we have stated above are only a sample.The Im a m may choose any portion of the Quran to recite after the S u rah Al- F a ti h ah.When the Im a m is reciting a portion of the Holy Quran, the worshippers are required to listen to it silently.The Holy Quran says: اﻧﺼﺘﻮا و ﻟﻪ ﻌﻮا ﻓﺎ ا ﺮان ﺮئ اذا ََََُُُِِْْْٰٗو ََُْْْﺳﺘﻤ ﻟﻘ ََُِِﻗ ﻟَﻌََُّْﻠﻜﻢ ََُُْْﺮمحﻮن ﺗ Translation: And when the Quran is recited, give ear to it and keep silence, that you may be shown mercy.(7:205) A Companion of the Holy Prophet sa Hadrat ‘Ib a dah ibn Sa mit ra , relates that once the Holy Prophet sa while leading the Fajr Prayer, found it too difficult to recite the verses of the Quran because of the murmur at the back.When he finished his Prayer, the Holy Prophet sa asked his Companions whether they were reciting the verses of the Quran after him.Their reply was in the affirmative at which the Holy Prophet sa said: Do not recite the verses of the Quran after the Im a m, except the recitation of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah as S u rah Al-F a ti h ah is an integral part of the S al a t.

Page 53

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 41 It is essential that every member of the congregation takes care not to cause disturbance to other worshippers and therefore Muslims should take note of the above mentioned Hadith of the Holy Prophet sa of Islam.At the end of the recitation, the Im a m goes from the Standing position to the Bowing position, Ruk u‘ , by calling out All a hu Akbar.The other worshippers follow him into the Bowing position.In this posture, the right hand of the worshipper should press the right knee and the left hand the left knee, and the upper half of the body from the waist to the head is kept level and horizontal to the ground.In the Bowing posture the following Tasb ih is recited silently three times or more in odd numbers:

Page 54

42 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book رىب ََََُِّْﺳﺒﺤﺎن َُِْْا ﻌﻈﻴﻢ ﻟ Transliteration: Sub ha na Rabbiyal ‘A zi m.Translation: Holy is my Lord, the Most Great.The Im a m then straightens up and stands with his arms by his sides.When he initiates this movement, he recites Tasm i ‘ loudly which is an indication for the congregation to change the posture from Bowing to Standing.The Tasm i ‘ is recited as follows: محﺪه ﻦ اﷲ َََِِْﻊ ََُِمل ٗمس Transliteration: Sami‘all a hu liman h amidah Translation: Allah listens to him who praises Him.In response the congregation follows the Im a m and changes posture as well, and then recite the following which is called Ta h m i d: احل ﻟﻚ و َََََََّْرﺑﻨﺎ ُْﻤﺪ ﻓِﻴ ﻣﺒﺎرکﺎ ��ﺒﺎ ريا ًًًَََُِِّْْمحﺪا ًََﻛﺜ ِﻪ

Page 55

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 43 Transliteration: Rabban a walakal- h amd, h amdan kath i ran T ayyiban Mub a rakan f i h.Translation: Our Lord, Thine is the praise, the praise which is bountiful, pure and blessed.This position of standing erect ends with the recitation of Ta h m i d.Then the Im a m says All a hu Akbar loudly again and leads the congregation into the Prostration position called Sajdah, knees on the ground, then the head.In this posture, the knees, hands, nose and the

Page 56

44 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book forehead of the worshipper should be touching the ground.The head should be placed on the ground between the two hands.The arms should be away from the ground and away from one’s sides.The Holy Prophet sa has said: When you prostrate before God, you should place your limbs on the ground in the correct manner.In no way should you spread your arms on the ground like the front legs of a dog when it sits.(Musnad Ahmad bin H anbal, vol.III, p.279; Al-Maktabah- Islam i, T ab‘a wan-Nashr, Beirut..) The fingers are held together pointing towards the Ka‘bah.The feet should be planted on the ground so that the toes are bent in the direction of the Ka‘bah.In this posture the Tasb ih given below should be recited silently three times at least.If the worshipper wishes to recite it more than three times, he should make sure that the number of recitations are odd and not even: � �� ريب ْٰﺳﺒﺤﺎن َََََُِّْْﻋ Transliteration: Sub ha na Rabbiyal-a‘l a.Translation: Glory to my Lord, the Most High.Prostration is a posture of utmost humility, submission and helplessness in which a supplicant pours his heart before God Almighty and asks for His

Page 57

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 45 forgiveness.It should also be noted that during the Ruk u‘ and Sajdah , the Holy Prophet sa has forbidden the recitation of any Quranic verse.( S a hih Muslim, Kit a bu s - S al a t, B a bun M an a h i an Qira’til-Quran fir- ruk u ‘ was-suj u d.) The Im a m then says All a hu Akbar again, at which he and the congregation raise their heads and then their hands from the ground and go into the Sitting position called Jilsah.When sitting in this position, the worshipper spreads his left foot horizontally on the ground and rests on it while his right foot is placed on the ground in a perpendicular position, with the toes facing the Ka‘bah.The hands are placed on the thighs with the fingers pointing towards the Ka‘bah , very close to the knees.In this position, the following supplication is recited silently: ّٰا ﻠ ﻟ يل ﺮ ا ِِّْْﻬﻢ َُْﻏﻔ وﻋﺎ ىن،وار واﻫﺪىن، ىن، وار ،َ ََََِِِْْْﻓ ﻓ ََِِْْْْمح ﻌ ِْىن و َ ُِْْْاﺟربىن وارز ىن ،ِْْ َُْﻗ Transliteration: All a hum-maghfir l i war h amn i wahdin i wa ‘ a fin i warfa‘n i wajburn i warzuqn i.Translation: Lord forgive me and have mercy on me and guide me and grant me security and raise me up and make good my shortcomings and provide for me.

Page 58

46 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book After Jilsah , the Im a m leads the congregation into a second Prostration by saying All a hu Akbar and, again Sub ha na Rabbiyal A‘l a is done three times or, if more, in odd number.In every Rak‘at of Prayer there are always two Prostrations.At the end of the second prostration, one Rak‘at of Prayer is completed.After saying All a hu Akbar once again, the Im a m leads the congregation into the Standing posture to commence the second Rak‘at which is offered exactly as the first Rak‘at.However, during the second Rak‘at , Than a ’ (Glorification) and Ta‘awwudh are not recited.Than a ’ and Ta‘awwudh are recited only in the first Rak‘at of every Prayer.The Im a m recites S u rah Al-F a ti h ah and then some verses of the Holy Quran and completes the Rak‘at in the same manner as the first.After the second Prostration, he sits down in the same manner as he sat in the position called Jilsah.This Sitting Position, at the end of the second Rak‘at is called Qa‘dah.During this position Tashahhud is recited silently, which is as follows: َا ﻪﻠﻟ ََُِِّّّٰﻟﺘﺤِﻴﺎت ا واﻟ���ﺎت� ﻠﻮات وا ََََََََُُِّّّ ﻟﺼ ََّﻟﺴﻼ أﻳﻬﺎ ﻠﻴﻚ َََََُّْم ُﻋ

Page 59

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 47 ﻲ ُِّا َّﻟ�ﺒ و ﺮکﺎﺗﻪ اﷲ ورمحﺔ َََُُ ََََِْٗﺑ ا ،َ ََّﻟﺴﻼ ُم و � ���ﺎ َٰ ََََْﻋ ﻋ اﷲ ﻋﺒﺎد َِِِ ﻻ أن َََََُِّّْْْاﻟﺼﺎحلِني،أﺷﻬﺪ إﻻ إﻟﻪ ََِِّٰ حمﻤﺪ أن وأﺷﻬﺪ اﷲ ًَََََََُُُّّْ ا ﻋﺒﺪه َُْٗ ََُُٗورﺳﻮﻟﻪ Transliteration: Atta h iyy a tu lill a hi wa s - s alaw a tu wa t - t ayyib a tu, Assal a mu ‘alaika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa Ra h matull a hi wa Barak a tuh, Assal a mu ‘alain a wa ‘al a ib a dill a hi s - S ali hi n.Ashhadu al la il a ha illall a hu wa ashhadu anna Mu h ammadan ‘abduh u wa Ras u luh.Translation: All Salutation is due to Allah and all Prayer and everything pure.Peace be upon thee, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings; and peace be on us and on all righteous servants of Allah.I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.It should be noted that while reciting Tashahhud , when the worshipper reaches the phrase Ashhadu all a il a ha illall a hu , he should raise the forefinger of his right hand and should drop it down as he has recited it.It is written in the Books of Traditions that the Holy Prophet sa used to close the fingers of his right hand leaving the thumb and the forefinger free,

Page 60

48 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book placing the hand on the right knee and raising the forefinger while reciting Ashhadu all a il a ha illall a hu and dropping it to its original position as soon as he had recited it.The fingers of the left hand would remain straight on his left knee.After reciting Tashahhud , the invocation of blessings on the Holy Prophet sa called Dur u d (A ss al a tu-‘alan-nab i ) and some other prayers are recited silently.DUR U D ( A SS AL A TU ‘ALAN-NAB I ) َا ﻟّٰﻠ � ﺻﻞ ََٰﻬﻢ َُِّّﻋ حم َُ ٍَّﻤﺪ َّو ﻋ�َٰ � ﻠﻴﺖ ﻛﻤﺎ حمﻤﺪ آل ََٰ ََََّّْﻋ ٍََُِﺻ و � َٰإ ﺮاﻫﻴﻢ ََِْْﻋ ِﺑ جم محﻴﺪ إﻧﻚ إ ﺮاﻫﻴﻢ آل ٌََََََِِِِِّّْْْ ِﺑ ا ﻠ ّٰﻴﺪ، ٌَْﻟ ﺑﺎرك ََُِّْﻬﻢ ﻋ�َٰ و حمﻤﺪ ٍَََُّّ ﻋ�َٰ آل ِ و � إ ﺮاﻫﻴﻢ � ﺑﺎرﻛﺖ ﻛﻤﺎ حمﻤﺪ َََٰٰ ﻋ ٍََََََِّْْﻋ َََُِْﺑ آل ِ محﻴﺪ إﻧﻚ ٌَََََِِِِّْْْإ ﺮاﻫﻴﻢ ﺑ جم َِّ ٌْﻴﺪ.Transliteration: All a humma s alli ‘al a Mu h ammadin wa ‘al a a li Mu h ammadin kam a s allaita ‘al a Ibr a h i ma wa ‘al a a li Ibr a h i ma innaka H am i dum-Maj i d.All a humma B a rik ‘al a Mu h ammadin wa ‘al a a li Mu h ammadin

Page 61

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 49 kam a B a rakta ‘al a Ibr a h i ma wa ‘al a a li lbr a h i ma innaka H am i dum-Maj i d.Translation: Bless, O Allah, Muhammad and the people of Muhammad, as Thou didst bless Abraham and the people of Abraham.Thou art indeed the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.Prosper, O Allah, Muhammad and the people of Muhammad, as Thou didst prosper Abraham and the people of Abraham.Thou are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.The invocation Dur u d (A ss al a tu‘alan-nab i ) is followed by a short prayer or prayers, some of which are given below: ﻋﺬاب ﻗِﻨﺎ و ﺣﺴﻨﺔ اﻻ ﺮة ىف و ﺣﺴﻨﺔ اﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ىف اﺗِﻨﺎ ًًََََََََََََََََِِّّّٰرﺑﻨﺎ ََُِِّْْٰۤﺧ َِّاﻟﻨﺎر Transliteration: Rabban a a tin a fidduny a h asanatan wa fil a khirati h asanatan waqin a adh a bann a r.(2:202) Translation: Our Lord, grant us good in this world as well as good in the world to come, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.دﻋﺂء ﺗﻘﺒﻞ و رﺑﻨﺎ ۖ  ذرﻳىت ﻦ و ﻠﻮة ا ﻣﻘﻴﻢ ىن ا ََََََََََََُُِِِِِِّّّّْْْْٰۗرب َِّﻣ ُِْْﻟﺼ ّﺟْﻌَﻠ

Page 62

50 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book احلِﺴ ﻳﻘﻮم ﻳﻮم ﺆﻣﻨني و ﻟﻮاﻟﺪی و ىل ﺮ ا ََََََََُُُِِّّْْْْْْْرﺑﻨﺎ َََِِِِﻟِْﻠﻤ ََْ۠ﻏﻔ ُﺎب Transliteration: Rabbij‘aln i muq i ma s - S al a ti wamin dhur-riyyat i.Rabban a wa taqabbal du‘ a’.Rabbanaghfir l i wali- w a lidayya wa lil-mu’min i na yauma yaq u mul h is a b.(14:41-42) Translation: My Lord, make me observe Prayer, and my children too.Our Lord! bestow Thy grace on me and accept my prayer.Our Lord, grant forgiveness to me and to my parents and to the believers on the day when the reckoning will take place.ﻦ ذﺑک واﻋﻮ وا ﺰن اهلﻢ ﻦ ذﺑک اﻋﻮ اىن ََِِا ﻠﻬﻢ ﻣ حل َََََََََُُُُُُِِِِِِّّّّْْْْْْٰﻣ ﻟ و ﺰ َِْا ﻟَْﻌﺠ ْاﻟ َْکﺴ ذﺑک واﻋﻮ واﻟﺒﺨﻞ اجلنب ﻦ واﻋﻮذﺑک ََََََََُُُُُُِِِِِِْْْْْْﻞ ﻣ ا ﺮﺟﺎل ﺮ و اﻟﺪ ﻦ ﻠﺒﺔ َِِِّﻦ ﻟ ﻗﻬ ﻳ َََََِِّْْْﻣ ِْﻏ Transliteration: ‘All a humma inn i a‘ u dhu bika minal-hammi wal- h uzni, wa a‘ u dhu bika minal ‘ajzi wal kasli, wa a‘ u dhu bika minal jubni wal-bukhli.Wa a‘ u dhu bika min ghalbatid-daini wa qahrir-rij a l.(Sunan Ab u D a w u d, Kit a bu s - S al a t).Translation: O Allah, I seek Thy protection against problems and

Page 63

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 51 anxieties, and I seek Thy protection against helplessness and shiftlessness, and I seek Thy protection against cowardice and miserliness, and I seek Thy protection against indebtedness and the tyranny of people.َُّّٰا ﻠﻬﻢ َﻟ اﻟﺬﻧﻮ ﺮ وﻻ ريا، ﻠﻤﺎ ﻲ ﻠﻤﺖ إين ًُُُِّْْ ًَََِْﻳﻐﻔ َََُْﻛﺜ ﻇ ِﻇ َُِِّْﻧﻔﺴ إﻻ ََِّب ََْأﻧﺖ.يل ﺮ ﻓﺎ ِِْْ َْﻏﻔ ﺮة َِّ ﻣ ًَِْﻣﻐﻔ أﻧﺖ إﻧﻚ وارمحين ﻋﻨﺪك، َََََََِِِِّْْْْْﻦ َُْْاﻟﻐﻔﻮ ا ﺮﺣِﻴ َّْر ُﻟ ُﻢ.Transliteration: All a humma inn i z alamtu nafs i z ulman kath i ran, wa l a yaghfirudh-dhun u ba ill a anta, faghfir l i maghfiratan min ‘indika war h amn i innaka antal Ghaf u rur-Ra hi m.Translation: O Allah, I have been unjust to myself and no one grants pardon for sins except You; therefore, forgive me with Your forgiveness and have mercy on me.Surely You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.َُّّٰا ﻠﻬﻢ َﻟ أﻋﻮ إين َُِِّْ وأﻋﻮ اﻟﻘرب، ﻋﺬاب ﻦ ﺑﻚ َََََُِِِْْْْذ َُِﻣ ﻓ�ِﻨ� ﻦ ﺑﻚ َِِْْذ َُِﻣ وأﻋﻮ اﻟﺪﺟﺎل، ﺢ ََََُِِّّْا َِْملﺴﻴ واملﻤﺎت املﺤﻴﺎ ﻓ�ِﻨ� ﻦ ﺑﻚ ََََََِِِْْْْْذ َُِﻣ.َُّّٰا ﻠﻬﻢ َﻟ أﻋﻮ إين َُِِّْ ﻦ ﺑﻚ َِذ َُِﻣ ﺮم وا املﺄﺛﻢ َِْ ََََِْْْملﻐ

Page 64

52 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Transliteration: All a humma inn i a‘ u dhu bika min ‘adh a bil-qabri wa a‘ u dhu bika min fitnatil-mas ih id-dajj a l.Wa a‘ u dhu bika min fitnatil ma h y a wal mam a t.All a humma inn i a‘ u dhu bika minal ma’thami wal maghram.Translation: O Allah, I seek Thy protection from the punishment of the grave, and I seek Thy protection against Dajj a l, the architect of disorder and trials, and I seek refuge with You from afflictions of life and death.O Allah, I seek Thy protection from sins and from being in debt.After reciting one or more of these prayers, the Im a m turns his face towards the right and says Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h, i.e.peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah, and then turns his face towards the left and repeats Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h , to mark the end of the Prayer.The

Page 65

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 53 congregation does the same.If the Prayer which is being performed is not of two Rak‘ a t but is a three or four Rak‘ a t Prayer, then sitting in the Qa‘dah position at the end of the second Rak‘at , is shortened and the worshipper recites only up to and including Tashahhud.Having recited Tashahhud , the Im a m says All a hu Akbar indicating the end of the second Rak‘at and the beginning of the third Rak‘at , and assumes the Qiy a m posture, completes the third Rak‘at exactly as he has done the second.The whole congregation follows him.If the Prayer is of three Rak‘ a t , for example Maghrib Prayer, then after the second prostration of the third Rak‘at , the Im a m sits in the Qa‘dah position, recites Tashahhud and Dur u d and some other prayers silently and says Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h , marking the end of the Prayer.The whole congregation follows his movements and recite the same silently.If the Prayer is a four Rak‘ a t Prayer , like Z uhr, ‘A s r and ‘Ish a’ , the Im a m does not assume the Qa‘dah posture at the end of the third Rak‘at , but leads the congregation immediately into the Qiy a m of the fourth Rak‘at.It is only after the second Prostration of the fourth Rak‘at that the Im a m sits in the Qa‘dah position.In this Qa‘dah which is called final Qa‘dah , recite Dur u d and prayers after Tashahhud.They then end the Prayer by saying Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h while turning their face towards the right and to the left as explained earlier.The following points should be noted: i.If it is the final Qa‘dah , Tashahhud and Dur u d and

Page 66

54 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book some other prayers are recited.If it is not the final Qa‘dah , only Tashahhud is recited and after saying All a hu Akbar the next Rak‘at is started.ii.If the Prayer being performed is a two Rak‘ a t Prayer, the Qa‘dah after the second Rak‘at is the final Qa‘dah.iii.If it is a three Rak‘ a t Prayer, the Qa‘dah at the end of the third Rak‘at is the final Qa‘dah.iv.If it is a four Rak‘ a t Prayer the Qa‘dah at the end of the fourth Rak‘at is the final Qa‘dah.INDIVIDUAL PRAYER Even if Prayer is not offered in congregation but offered individually, it is offered exactly in the same way as when led by an Im a m , except that whatever the Im a m recites loudly, is not recited loudly by the individual worshipper.He recites everything silently, without raising his voice.For example, when he recites S u rah Al-F a ti h ah , or says All a hu Akbar , Sami‘all a hu liman H amidah and Assal a mu ‘Alaikum , he recites all of these silently.CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Every Muslim is required to offer the Far d part of his Prayers in congregation.Mosques are built for the purpose of congregational Prayers.A Hadith tells us that the reward of a Prayer offered in congregation is twenty-seven times more than that offered individually.The Im a m should be chosen by the congregation, keeping in mind that to the best of their knowledge, he

Page 67

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 55 is a pious person and the most well-versed among them in the Holy Quran.The Im a m can also be appointed if there is a regular religious authority, e.g., a Khalifah.Whoever is chosen or appointed as Im a m must be followed in the Prayer even if somebody thinks that the appointed person is not worthy of it.For those people who doubt the worthiness of an Im a m , the following instructions of the Holy Prophet sa should suffice: َ ﻋ ْﻦ ا َ ِْيب ُ ﻫ َْﺮ ﻳ َﺮ َة ﻗ َ َﺎل ﻗﺎل ََ ا ﻠ� ِّٰرﺳﻮل َُُﻟ ﻠﻴ ا ﻠ� � َََّْ ﻋ َُّٰﻟ ﺻ �ِ و ﻠﻢ ََّ َﺳ واﺟﺒﺔ املکﺘﻮﺑﺔ ﻠﻮة ٌَََََُُُِّْٰا ﻟﺼ او کﺎن ﺑﺎرا ﻠﻢ، کﻞ ﻠﻒ ًٍََََُِّْْْ ﻣﺴ ََُِّﺧ و ًَِﻓﺎ ﺮا َﺟ إ اﻟکﺒﺎ ﺮ.ﻋﻤﻞ َِن ََََِْْﺋ Transliteration: ‘An Ab i Hurairah q a la Q a la Ras u lull a hi s allall a hu ‘alaihi wa sallam: A ss al a tul makt u batu W a jibatun khalfa kulli Muslimin, b a rran k a na au f a jiran wa in ‘amilal kab a’ ir.(Sunan Ab u D a w u d, aljuz’ul-awwal, Kit a bu s - S al a t) Translation: Hadrat Ab u Hurairah ra related that the Holy Prophet sa stated: To offer Far d Prayer behind any Muslim Im a m is essential, whether he is a pious person or a sinner, even if he had committed a grievous sin.If, at the prescribed time for any Prayer, two or

Page 68

56 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book more men are present away from a mosque, they are required to observe the prayer in congregation.When only two males come together for Prayers, one of them should lead the Prayer.They should stand together so that the 2nd person stands on the right side of the Im a m.If a man performs his Prayer at home and a female member of the family like to join him, then, she should stand on his left.In the case where two men are already offering their prayer in congregation, and worshippers arrive, they should arrange themselves in a row so that the Im a m remains in the middle.In normal cases when three or more persons offer their prayer in congregation, the Im a m should stand in front, all facing towards the Ka‘bah.In exceptional cases however, the Im a m can also stand in the middle of the first row along with other worshippers.According to some schools of thought, there should be at least two persons in the last row behind the Im a m.These schools of jurisprudence even permit gently pulling someone from the last row so as to form a new row with two persons instead of one.Other schools discourage this act, as it not only causes disturbance to the person who is gently pulled but also to the others who are already engaged in prayer.2.SOME OTHER POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED 1.The worshippers in the front row are rewarded more than the worshippers in the back row,

Page 69

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 57 according to a Saying of the Holy Prophet sa.The reason is that those who come early, continue remembering God Almighty while they wait for the Prayer to commence; naturally they are in communion with Allah during more time as compared to the people who come later.Again, the Holy Prophet sa instructed that a new row should not be started until the previous one is fully filled.It is therefore clear that those who come early and occupy the first row and spend more time in the remembrance of God Almighty will be rewarded more than those who come just in time while the Takb i r is being recited or even later.These are the people who occupy the back rows.2.If the Prayer has already started, the latecomer should join in the congregation in the position in which he finds them.For example, if they are in the Standing position, he should start his Prayer in standing position but if they are prostrating, he should join the congregation in prostration.When the Im a m ends the congregational Prayer by saying the Salutation , i.e.Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h and turning his face towards the right and towards the left, the person who joined the Prayer later should go into Qiy a m position and complete the remaining Rak‘ a t of his Prayer individually.3.S al a t consists of units.Each unit is called a Rak‘at.There are two Rak‘ a t and four Rak‘ a t Prayers in the Far d of obligatory Prayer.Each unit or Rak‘at consists of the following

Page 70

58 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book essential component parts: i.The posture of standing called Qiy a m.ii.The posture of Bowing down with the hands on one’s knees called Ruk u‘.iii.The position of Standing erect again with arms on the sides called Qaumah.iv.The position of Prostration called Sajdah.There are two Prostrations in one Rak‘at.v.Jilsah : The position of sitting in between the two Prostrations.vii.Qa‘dah : The position of sitting after the two Prostrations.If a latecomer joins the congregation before or during the Ruk u‘ , then it is deemed that he had offered that Rak‘at and he does not have to offer it again at the end of the Prayer.If he misses both the initial Standing position ( Qiy a m ) and the Bowing position ( Ruk u‘ ) and joins later in that Rak‘at he has to offer the whole Rak‘at again at the end of the Prayer when the Im a m has done both salutations.4.Once the congregational Prayer has begun, one should not commence with Sunnat and Nafl Prayer.If someone is already engaged in Sunnat Prayer when the Im a m starts the Prayer, and he finds himself in the middle of a row formed for the congregational Prayer, he should terminate his Prayer immediately and join in the congregation.If he is offering his Sunnat or Nafl Prayer away from the Prayer Service and he thinks that he can join in the congregation without losing much of the first

Page 71

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 59 Rak‘at , he may complete his Prayer; otherwise he should terminate his Prayer and join in the congregation.5.If the Prayer has already started, it is forbidden for a worshipper to run and join in the congregation.6.Out of respect for their chastity and honour, women are not advised to stand for Prayer in front of men.For this reason, the rows of women are always behind the men’s rows.This gives the women complete freedom to offer their Prayers in the back rows without being embarrassed by the presence of men.It is preferable however, to have a separate enclosure for women.It also follows from the above that a woman cannot lead a congregation of men, but can lead a congregation of women.This means that she can lead a congregation consisting of children of either sex among the worshippers, but not adult men.7.Women need not say Adh a n for their congregational Prayers.The female Im a m stands in the middle of the first row, according to common practice, and not ahead of the congregation as in the case of a male Im a m.8.If the Im a m commits a mistake while leading the congregation, the following method is adopted to point it out to him: i.If the mistake is an incorrect recitation of the Holy Quran, or the Im a m has forgotten a verse of the Holy Quran, anyone in the congregation who clearly remembers the correct wording, should

Page 72

60 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book remind the Im a m by reciting the correct verse in a clear and audible voice.ii.If the Im a m commits any other mistake, a member of the congregation should draw his attention to it by saying Sub ha nall a h.Sub ha nall a h means 'Allah is free from all faults.' It gives a cue to the Im a m that he may have committed a mistake.If so, the Im a m should rectify his mistake.If he does not correct his error, the congregation has to follow him and no one has the right to differ with him during the Prayer.They must follow the Im a m even in his mistake.However, he should be told of his mistake after the Prayer.Then he should lead the congregation to two additional Prostrations by way of condoning the mistake before turning his face to right and left and again repeating Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h.These are called Suj u d-us-Sahv or the Prostrations of condonement.9.If a woman wants to draw the attention of the Im a m to a mistake which he had committed, she is not allowed to say Sub ha nall a h aloud; instead, she should clap her hands.The sound of clapping from women conveys to the Im a m the message that he has committed a mistake.In the case where a female Im a m commits a mistake during Prayer, her followers may draw her attention to it by either reciting the verse correctly or by saying Sub ha nall a h , as the case may be.10.The Im a m should not prolong the

Page 73

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 61 congregational Prayer to the extent that the worshippers who are praying with him get tired.He should keep in mind that there might be people of old age or who are sick or weak in the congregation and also people who have to attend to other duties after the Prayer.3.REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH AFTER CONCLUSION OF THE PRAYER Continuing the remembrance of Allah for a little while when the S al a t is over and engaging in Tasb ih and Ta h m i d follows from the explicit injunction of the Holy Quran.Allah says in Chapter 4, verse 104: اﻪﻠﻟ ﻓﺎذ ﺮوا اﻟﺼﻼة ﻢ���� َُُّٰﻓﺈذا ََََََََُُِّْْﻛ Transliteration: Fa idh a qa d aitumu s - S al a ta fadhkurull a h.Translation: And when you have finished the Prayer, remember Allah.It is also established by the practice of the Holy Prophet sa of Islam.Hadrat ‘ A ’ishah ra relates that after finishing his Prayer the Holy Prophet sa would continue sitting long enough to recite the following prayer: َُّّٰا ﻠﻬﻢ َﻟ اﻟﺴﻼ أﻧﺖ ََََّْ اﻟﺴﻼ وﻣﻨﻚ ََََُِّْم اجلﻼ ذا ﻳﺎ ﺗﺒﺎرﻛﺖ ، ََََََََُْْم ِل َِْواﻹ ﻛَِْﺮام

Page 74

62 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Transliteration: All a humma antas-sal a mu wa minkas-sal a mu, tab a rakta y a dhal-jal a li wal-ikr a m.Translation: O our Lord! Thou art (the embodiment of) peace.And true peace comes from Thee.Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Majesty and Bounty.(Sa hih Muslim, Kit a bul- Mas a jid wa maw a dhi‘u s - S al a ta, B a b Isti h b a bu-dhikri ba‘da s - S al a t) It is also related in the Books of Traditions that on some occasions, the Holy Prophet sa used to sit among his followers and raise his hands to pray for those who requested him to pray for them.However, as is evident from what Hadrat ‘ A’ ishah ra has related, it was not the normal practice of the Holy Prophet sa to raise hands in silent prayer after he had finished his S al a t.This occasional gesture of the Holy Prophet sa which has been reported in some Traditions has mistakenly been generalised.The result has been that certain sects in Islam regard it as his normal practice ( Sunnah ) while in fact, according to the Sayings of the Holy Prophet sa mentioned above, this was not his common practice.The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is of the view that to raise hands to pray after finishing the S al a t was not the common practice, Sunnah , of the Holy Prophet sa.His practice was to sit for a while remembering Allah and reciting prayers without raising his hands.Apart from the above-mentioned prayer, the

Page 75

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 63 following were also recited by the Holy Prophet sa after Prayer: وﺣﺪہ ا ﻠ� اﻻ اﻟ� َََُّْٰٰٗﻵ ََِِّﻟ ﻻ َ َﺷ ِْﺮﻳ َک ��َٗﻟ ﻟ� َٗ ا ُْ مل ْﻠ وﻟ� ََُٗک و ََُْْاحلﻤﺪ ء � کﻞ � ٍََُِّْٰﻫﻮ َُﻋ ﻗﺪ ْ َِﻳ ُﺮ Transliteration: L a il a ha illall a hu wa h dah u l a shar i ka lah.Lahul- mulku wa lahul h amd.Wa huwa ‘al a kulli shai’in qad i r.Translation: There is no one worthy of worship except Allah.He is alone and has no partner.Sovereignty and praise are only for Him and He has full authority over everything.َُّّٰا ﻠﻬﻢ َﻟ ﻻ َ وﻻ أﻋﻄﻴﺖ ملﺎ ﻣﺎ ﻊ َََََََِِْْ َﻧ وﻻ ﻌﺖ ملﺎ ﻲ ََََْ َََِِﻣﻨ ﻣُْﻌﻄ ذا ﻊ ََُ َْﻳﻨﻔ اجلﺪ ﻣﻨﻚ َََُِِّّْْْاجلﺪ Transliteration: All a humma l a m a ni‘a lima a‘ t aita wal a mu‘ t iya lima mana‘ta wal a yanfa‘u dhal jaddi minkal jaddu.( S a hih Bukh a r i , Kit a bu s - S al a t, b a bu dhikri ba‘da s-S al a t).Translation: O Allah! Nobody can hold back whatever You have granted and none can grant what Thou hold back.And no great person can benefit from his greatness

Page 76

64 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book in opposition to Thy Greatness.َا ﻟَُّّٰﻠﻬﻢ ﻋﺒﺎدﺗِﻚ ﻦ و ﺮك و ذ ﺮك � أﻋين َََِِْ ﺣﺴ ﺷﻜ ََََََُُِِِْْﻛ َِِّﻋ Transliteration: All a humma a‘inn i ‘al a dhikrika wa shukrika wa h usni ‘ib a datika.Translation: O my Lord, help me so that I can properly perform Thy remembrance and Thy thanksgiving, and that I may worship Thee in the best possible manner.ﻋﻤ ا ﺰة رب رﺑﻚ َََُِِّّّْﺳﺒﺤﺎن َََََِِّﻟْﻌ ﻳﺼﻔﻮ َُِْﺎ َن � وﺳﻼم ،ََ ٌَََﻋ ﻪﻠﻟ واحلﻤﺪ ،ََََُِِِّْْٰا ﺮ ﻠني مل ُْْﺳ ا ﻌﺎملني رب َََِْ َِّﻟ Transliteration: Sub ha na Rabbika Rabbil ‘izzati ‘amm a ya s if u n, Wa sal a mun ‘alal-Mursal i n, Wal h amdu lill a hi Rabbil ‘ a lam i n.(Tirmidh i , Kit a bu s - S al a t, B a b ma Yaq u lu idh a Sallama) Translation: Thy Lord is Holy and clear of all that is alleged against Him (by the non-believers); and He is Exalted.May God’s blessing be upon all Messengers.All praise truly belongs to Allah Who is the Sustainer of all the worlds.At the request of some Companions, the Holy

Page 77

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 65 Prophet sa also prescribed the prayers below to glorify Allah.In some sections of the Muslim society, this has become a regular practice.It should be remembered that they do not form part of his regular precept.Therefore, it is not essential for a person to recite them after his obligatory Prayers in a mosque.a.Sub ha nall a h , i.e.Holy is Allah, free from all defects—to be recited thirty-three times.b.Al h amdu Lill a h, i.e.All praise belongs to Allah— to be recited thirty-three times.c.All a hu Akbar, i.e.Allah is the Greatest—to be recited thirty-four times.4.TYPES OF PRAYERS AND NUMBER OF RAK‘ A T There are four types of Prayers: 1.Far d 2.W a jib 3.Sunnat 4.Nafl FAR D PRAYERS Far d is an Arabic word which means compulsory or obligatory.There are five obligatory Prayers everyday: Prayer No.of Rak‘ a t Fajr 2 Z uhr 4 ‘A s r 4 Maghrib 3 ‘Ish a’ 4 It is sinful to leave out a Far d Prayer intentionally, but if such a Prayer is missed through forgetfulness or due to unavoidable circumstances,

Page 78

66 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book then this mistake can be rectified by offering the missed Prayer as soon as one remembers, or whenever possible.W A JIB PRAYERS The following Prayers are regarded as W a jib (necessary) Prayers: 1.Three Rak‘ a t of Vitr.2.Two Rak‘ a t of ‘ I d ul-Fi t r and two Rak‘ a t of ‘ I d ul- A dha.3.Two Rak‘ a t offered while performing the T aw a f of the Ka‘bah.If a person misses these Prayers intentionally, he is deemed to have committed a sin.However, if he misses a W a jib Prayer unintentionally, e.g., through forgetfulness, he is not required to offer it as a Qa da Prayer.Qa da means offering of a missed Prayer.S AL A TUL-VITR Vitr literally means odd.There are three Rak‘ a t in this Prayer.It is offered after the ‘Ish a ’ Prayer.It is preferable to recite S u rah Al-A‘l a , S u rah Al-K a fir u n and S u rah Al-Ikhl as respectively in these Rak‘ a t.However, this is not necessary.Any S u rah or verses of the Holy Quran can be recited.In the third Rak‘at of Vitr , after performing the Ruk u‘ , Du‘ a’ i Qun u t should be recited which is as follows: ّٰا ﻠ َﻟ اﻧ ََُِّّﻬﻢ ﻌ َِﺎ َْﻧﺴﺘ �ْ ﺑ ﺆ ﻦ و ﺮک و ُِِﻨک ﻣ ُْﻧﺴﺘﻐﻔ ََََََُُِْْﻧ ﻧﺘﻮکﻞ و ََََََُّک و ُﻠﻴک ََََْﻧ ﻋ �ِْىن ا ري، ﻠﻴک َََْْ ََْخل ﻋ َو ﻻ و َْﻧﺸکَََُُﺮک ﻊ و ﺮک َُ ََُُخنَْﻠ َْﻧکﻔ

Page 79

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 67 ﺮک ﻦ رتک َُُُو ﻳﻔﺠ َََُْْْﻣ َﻧ ، ّٰا ﻠ َﻟ اﻳ ََُِّّﻬﻢ � ﻟک و ﻌﺒﺪ َِّﺎک ََََُُُﻧﺼ َﻧ و َ َُُْﻧﺴﺠﺪ ، و َ ﻧﺴ� اﻟﻴک َََِْْٰ حن و ََْ ﺮﺟﻮ و َُْﻔﺪ َُِﻧ رمح ََْ �� و ََََْٰﺘک ََﻋﺬ ﻋﺬ ان َََََِّاﺑک ﺑﺎﻟکﻔ َََُِّْاﺑک ﻖ ِﺎر ِﻣُْﻠﺤ.Transliteration: All a humma inn a nasta‘ i nuka wa nastaghfiruka, wa nu‘minu bika wa natawakkalu ‘alaika, wa nuthn i ‘alaikal khair, wa nash-kuruka wal a nakfuruka, wa nakhla‘u wa natruku man-yafjuruk.All a humma iyy a ka na‘budu wa laka nu s all i wa nasjudu, wa ilaika nas‘ a wa na h fidu, wa narj u ra h mataka, wa nakhsh a ‘adh a baka, Inna ‘adh a baka bil kuff a ri mul h iq.Translation: O Allah, we beseech Thy help and ask Thy protection and believe in Thee and trust in Thee and we praise Thee in the best manner and we thank Thee and we are not ungrateful to Thee, and we cast off and forsake him who disobeys Thee.O Allah! Thee alone do we serve and to Thee alone do we pray and make obeisance and to Thee we flee and we are quick and we hope for Thy mercy and we fear Thy chastisement, for surely Thy chastisement overtakes the unbeliehers.

Page 80

68 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book SUNNAT PRAYERS The Holy Prophet sa of Islam offered extra Rak‘ a t of Prayer in addition to those of Far d Prayers.These Prayers are called Sunnat Prayers.Offering Sunnat Prayers is considered to be necessary by all jurists.The wilful neglect of Sunnat Prayers is censurable in the sight of Allah.Sunnat Prayers are: 1.Two Rak‘ a t before the Far d Prayer of Fajr ; but if a person joins the congregation without having offered two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat due to some unavoidable circumstances, he can offer them after the congregational lead Prayer.2.Four Rak‘ a t before Far d and two Rak‘ a t after Far d in Z uhr Prayer.In case one has not performed the four Rak‘ a t of Sunnat before the congregational four Rak‘ a t due to unavoidable circumstances, one should do so after the congregational Prayer.Note: Ahmadi Muslims, who most often follow the H anaf i school of thought, offer four Rak‘ a t of Sunnat before the Far d of Z uhr and two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat after the Far d of Z uhr Prayer.However, some other Muslims offer four Rak‘ a t of Sunnat before the Far d of Z uhr Prayer and four after the Far d of Z uhr Prayer.3.Two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat after the Far d of Maghrib Prayer.4.Two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat after the Far d Rak‘ a t of ‘Ish a’ Prayer.NAW A FIL PRAYERS Muslims also offer additional Rak‘ a t of Prayer

Page 81

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 69 apart from Far d and Sunnat Rak‘ a t.These are called Naw a fil Prayers or Nafl.These are optional Prayers.Those who voluntarily offer Naw a fil Prayers reap the benefits of Allah’s favours.Naw a fil Prayers are as follows: 1.Eight Rak‘ a t of Tahajjud.2.Two Rak‘ a t after the two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat at the end of Z uhr Prayer.3.Four Rak‘ a t before Far d of ‘A s r Prayer.4.Two Rak‘ a t after the two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat in Maghrib Prayer.5.Four Rak‘ a t of Ishr a q Prayer.6.Two Rak‘ a t offered when one enters a mosque.7.Two Rak‘ a t offered when seeking blessings from God Almighty.8.Two Rak‘ a t offered as S al a t-i-H a jj a t.9.Two Rak‘ a t offered as a Thanksgiving Prayer.There are some other Naw a fil Prayers which are mentioned later in this book.One may offer as many Naw a fil Prayers as one wishes.However, Naw a fil should not be offered during the forbidden times for Prayers.For example, they should not be offered between ‘A s r Prayer and Maghrib Prayer.It is preferable to offer Naw a fil Prayers at home rather than in a mosque except for those which have been mentioned to be offered in a mosque.However, it is a matter of personal choice and there is no compulsion in this matter.

Page 82

70 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 5.S AL A TUL - JUMU‘AH or FRIDAY PRAYER S al a tul-Jumu‘ah or Friday Prayer is offered in congregation.It is offered in place of Z uhr Prayer.Each week on Friday, Muslims are required to take a bath, dress in their best clean clothes, wear perfume and assemble in the mosque for Friday Prayer.The Holy Quran and the Hadith speak highly of the blessings of Jumu‘ah Prayer.If a Muslim spends Friday in the remembrance of God Almighty, supplicating before his Lord, he is abundantly rewarded by Allah.Friday Prayer is an occasion for the assembly of the Muslims of a whole city or a town.In a large city, Friday Prayer can be offered in more than one place for the convenience of the Muslim community.It gives them an opportunity to meet together to discuss and solve their individual as well as community problems.Getting together once a week develops unity, cooperation and cohesiveness among Muslims.Friday Prayer is also a demonstration of Islamic equality.It gives the Im a m a chance to advise all Muslims at the same time on urgent matters that face them.The Im a m’s sermon gives them guidance in Islamic teachings.Friday Prayer is an obligatory Prayer for every adult male Muslim.However, those who are sick, blind or disabled, those on a journey, and women, are exempt from the obligation of attending the Prayer at the mosque.They can join in the Prayer

Page 83

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 71 if they so wish, but if they cannot attend the Friday Prayer, they have to offer Z uhr Prayer instead, as the Friday Prayer is offered in place of Z uhr Prayer.There are two Adh a ns for Friday Prayer.The first Adh a n is recited when the sun begins to decline and the second is recited just before the Im a m stands up before the congregation to deliver his sermon.The sermon consists of two parts.In the first part the Im a m , after the recitation of Ta‘awwudh and S u rah Al-F a ti h ah , advises the gathering to act upon the commandments of Allah and also about the duties they have to perform to become good Muslims.The sermon can also deal with any other matter of importance.This part of the sermon can be delivered in any language.After delivering the first part of the sermon, the Im a m sits down for a short while, then stands up again and starts with the second part which is in Arabic and which reads as follows: وﻧﺘﻮکﻞ ، ﺑﻪ ،و ﺆ ﻦ ﺮه و ﻌ�ﻨﻪ و حنﻤﺪه ﻪﻠﻟ َََََََََُُُِِّْٖاحلﻤﺪ ﻣ َُْﻧﺴﺘﻐﻔ ﻧ ََََََُُُِِِِّْْْْْْٰٗٗٗﻧﺴﺘ ، أﻋﻤﺎﻟﻨﺎ ﺳ��ﺎ� و ﻦ أﻧﻔﺴﻨﺎ ﺮور ﻦ ﺑﺎﻪﻠﻟ و ﻌﻮذ ،َََََََُِِِِِِّْْْْْﻠﻴﻪ ﻣ ﺷ َََُُُُِِِّْْٰﻣ ََِﻧ ﻋ ، ﻟﻪ ﻣﻀﻞ ﻓﻼ اﻪﻠﻟ ﻳﻬﺪه ﻣََََََُُِِِّّْْٰٗﻦ ﻓﻼ ﻠ� و ﻦ ََُِْ َُّْﻳﻀْﻠ َﻣ وﻧﺸﻬﺪ ، ﻟﻪ ﻫﺎدي ََََََُِْٗ حمﻤﺪا أن وﻧﺸﻬﺪ ، ﻟ� ﺮﻳک ﻻ وﺣﺪہ اﻪﻠﻟ إﻻ إﻟﻪ ﻻ ًََََََََََََََُُُِّّْْْٰٗأن َََِِّّّْٰٗﺷ ﻳﺄ ﺮ ا ﻠ� ان ا ﻠ� رمحکﻢ ا ﻠ� ﻋﺒﺎد ورﺳﻮﻟﻪ.َُُﻋﺒﺪه ََََُُّّّْْٰٰٰﻣ ﻟ ﻟ َََََُُُِِِِّٗٗﻟ و ا ﺮىب ذی اﻳﺘﺂئ و اﻻﺣﺴﺎن و َﺑﺎ ﻌﺪل ْﻳ َََُْٰﻟ َََِِِِِِِْْْْْﻟﻘ ﻦ �َِ ْٰﻋ ﻨ

Page 84

72 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book ﻠکﻢ ﻌﻈکﻢ اﻟ�� و ﺮ ا و َََُُّْْاﻟﻔﺤﺸﺂء َََُِﻟَﻌ َََِِْْْﻳ ُِْْْملﻨک ﻟکﻢ ﻳﺴﺘﺠﺐ وادﻋﻮہ ﻳﺬ ﺮکﻢ ا ﻠ� َََََُُُُُُُُِّْْْْْْﺗﺬ ﺮون.اذ ﺮوا ک ک ََّْٰک َََُْﻟ اکرب.ا ﻠ� ََُِّْٰوﻟﺬ ﺮ ُْﻟ ََِک Transliteration: Al h amdu lill a hi na h maduh u wa nasta‘ i nuh u wa nastaghfiruh u wa nu‘minu bih i wa natawakkalu ‘alaih.Wa na‘ u dhu Bill a hi min shur u ri anfusin a wamin sayyi’ a ti a‘m a lin a.Man-yahdihill a hu fal a mu d illa lah u wa man-yu d lilhu fal a h a diya lah.Wa nash-hadu all a il a ha illall a hu wa h dah u l a shar i ka lah u wa nash-hadu anna Mu h mmadan ‘abduh u wa Ras u luh.‘Ib a dall a hi ra h ima-kumull a h.Innall a ha ya’muru bil ‘adli wal-i h s a ni wa i t a i ’ dhil-qurb a, wa yanh a ‘anil fa h sh a i’ wal-munkari wal-baghyi, Ya‘i z ukum la‘allakum tadhakkar u n.Udhkurull a h yadh-kur-kum wad‘ u hu yastajib lakum.Wala Dhikrull a hi Akbar.Translation: All praise is due to Allah.We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection; we confide in Him, we trust Him alone and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls and from the bad results of our deeds.Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him; and whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him

Page 85

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 73 onto the right path.And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah.He is alone and has no partner.We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.O servants of Allah! May Allah be Merciful to you.Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other and to do good to others as one does to one’s kindred and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves and evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority.He warns you against being unmindful.You remember Allah; He too will remember you; call Him and He will make a response to your call.And verily divine remembrance is the highest virtue.Muslims are required to listen to the sermon attentively.Any type of conversation during the sermon is prohibited.After the Im a m has delivered the second part of the sermon, the Iq a mah is recited and the Im a m leads the congregational two Rak‘ a t of Jumu‘ah Prayer.The Holy Prophet sa of Islam did not approve of a person telling others to refrain from conversation while the Im a m is delivering his Sermon.In unavoidable circumstances, a gesture by hand or with a finger can be made to draw the attention of someone to stop talking.In case the Im a m asks something during the sermon, then he should be replied to.It is preferable that the person who delivered the sermon should lead the Prayer.The Im a m should

Page 86

74 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book recite S u rah Al-F a ti h ah and some verses of the Holy Quran in a loud voice during the Jumu‘ah Prayer.One should offer four Rak‘ a t of Sunnat Prayer before the Friday congregational Prayer and four Rak‘ a t of Sunnat after the congregational Jumu‘ah Prayer, but two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat after the congregational and Far d Jumu‘ah Prayer are also allowed instead of four, as mentioned in the famous book of Traditions called Sunan Ab u Daw u d ( Kit a bu s - S al a t, B a b A s-S al a t ba‘dal Jumu‘ah wash-sharah As-Sunnah , Vol.3 page 449).The two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat Prayer to be offered before the Far d are compulsory and are not dropped even during a journey.A person who comes to the mosque during the sermon should not steer his way to the front by jumping over the shoulders of the people already sitting.As the sermon has already begun, he can if he wishes, offer two Rak‘ a t of Sunnat quickly during the sermon.If a person is late for Friday Prayer and joins the congregation in the final Qa‘dah , he should complete his Prayer individually after the Im a m has finished leading the Prayer.If, however, he misses the congregational Prayer completely, such a person should offer Z uhr Prayer instead.6.‘ I DUL-FI T R AND ‘ I DUL-A DHA FESTIVALS There are two ‘ I d festivals in a year.One is called ‘ I dul-Fi t r and the other, which comes about 10 weeks later is called ‘ I dul-A dha.‘ I dul-Fi t r is celebrated at the end of the month of fasting.On this day, Muslims

Page 87

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 75 rejoice for having been given the strength to fulfil their obligation of fasting.‘ I dul-A dha is celebrated on the 10th of the month of Dhul- H ajj to commemorate the obedience of Hadrat Ibr a h i m as (Abraham) and his son Hadrat Ishmael as (Ism a ’ i l).Allah accepted the devotion and obedience of both of them and directed that a lamb be sacrificed instead of Hadrat Ishmael as.Muslims who gather in Makkah for H ajj , offer their sacrifices on the occasion of ‘ I dul-A dha , following the example of Prophet Ibr a h i m as.This act of sacrificing animals is repeated by Muslims all over the world.All Muslims, men, women, and children, join in the congregational two Rak‘ a t Prayer held in the open outside a village or town, if possible, on both ‘ I dul- Fi t r and ‘ I dul-A dha occasions.Early in the morning, on an ‘ I d day, after taking a bath, Muslims, young and old, put on their best clothes.Children specially, wear new garments.Perfume is worn by men and women alike, as it was the practice of the Holy Prophet sa to wear perfume on such occasion.Specially dishes are prepared on ‘ I d days in Muslim homes.On the occasion of ‘ I dul-Fi t r , one should pay Fi t r a nah before the ‘ I d Prayer.Fi t r a nah is spent on the poor and needy so that they, too, can join in the festivities of ‘ I d.Every member of the household is required to contribute towards the Fi t r a nah at the rate fixed for that year.Fi t r a nah is due in respect of children also, even of newborn babies, whose parents are expected to make the nescessary payments.One

Page 88

76 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book should have a full breakfast before proceeding to the ‘ I d-g a h , the place where ‘ I d Prayer is offered.On the occasion of ‘ I dul-A dha , it is reported that the Holy Prophet sa preferred not to eat anything until he slaughtered his own animal for sacrifice.With the meat of that sacrifice he would have the first meal of the day, but to eat before that is not forbidden.As was the practice of the Holy Prophet sa Muslims generally go to the ‘ I d-g a h by one route and return by another route.The time for ‘ I d Prayer is before noon.Like Friday Prayer, ‘ I d Prayer is always offered in congregation.No Adh a n or Iq a mah is called for ‘ I d Prayers.In the first Rak‘at of ‘ I d Prayer, after reciting Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah and Than a ’ , but before reciting Ta‘awwudh the Im a m raises his hands to his earlobes seven times saying All a hu Akbar each time in a loud voice and then drops his arms to his side each time until after the seventh Takb i r when he folds his arms the normal fashion and proceeds with the Prayer.The followers also raise their hands to their earlobes saying All a hu Akbar but in an inaudible voice and then leave their hands hanging by their sides as done by the Im a m.In the second Rak‘at there are five Takb i r a t , i.e.the Im a m and the followers raise their hands to their ears five times saying All a hu Akbar and then leaving them hanging on their sides each time.At the end of second Rak‘at , after the recitation of Tashahhud , and Dur u d and some of the prescribed Prayers, the Im a m turns his face towards the right

Page 89

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 77 saying Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h and then turns his face to the left saying the same, to mark the end of the Prayer.After the ‘ I d Prayer, the Im a m delivers a sermon.Like for the Friday Prayer, ‘ I d sermon consists of two parts.It should be noted that the sermon for the Friday Prayer precedes the Prayer, while on the occasion of ‘ I d , the sermon follows the Prayer.After the two Rak‘ a t of ‘ I dul-A dha Prayer, the Im a m and the congregation recite the following words of glorification of God in an audible voice: َا اﻛرب ََُُْﷲ ا اﻛرب، ََُُْﷲ َﻻ ا اﻟﻪ َِِٰ َّﻻ اﷲ ُ و َ ا اﻛرب ََُُْﷲ ا �� و اﻛرب ِِّٰﷲ َََُُْﻟ َُْْاحلﻤﺪ.Transliteration: All a hu Akbar, All a hu Akbar, l a il a ha illall a hu wall a hu akbar All a hu Akbar, wa lill a hil h amd.Translation: Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest.There is none worthy of worship except Allah; Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest and all Praise belongs to Him.Similarly, from the time of Fajr Prayer on the 9th Dhul- H ajj till the ‘A s r time of the 13th of Dhul- H ajj , loud recitations of the above verses are made after each congregational Far d Prayer service.Note: To recite the above-mentioned verses while

Page 90

78 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book going to the ‘ I d-g a h and while coming back, is to follow the practice of the Holy Prophet sa of Islam.7.CONSTITUENT PARTS OF PRAYER The functions performed in a Prayer are categorised according to their relative importance.FAR D (COMPULSORY) PARTS OF PRAYER Those which are so essential that without them the Prayer cannot be considered valid, are called Far d , i.e.obligatory, mandatory or compulsory.If Far d constituent parts are not carried out, the Prayer becomes null and void.However, in case a worshipper does not perform that part because he completely forgot about it, the Prayer will be held valid in the sight of Allah.If he had forgotten at the time but remembers it either during the Prayer or after the Prayer, or if someone reminds him of his omission, then he should rectify the omission by performing the function that has been missed and then perform the Suj u d-us-Sahv , i.e.two prostrations by way of condonement.These compulsory functions are as follows: 1.Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah : To say All a hu Akbar to begin the Prayer.2.Qiy a m : The posture of Standing.3.Ruk u‘ : The posture of Bowing down.4.Sajdah : The posture of Prostrating.The above are the common features of every Rak‘at.5.The Final Qa‘dah : The last long sitting position before ending the Prayer.This feature is not

Page 91

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 79 repeated in every Rak‘at.6.Recitation of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah : The recitation of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah is also essential in every Rak‘at.When the Im a m is leading the congregation, the loud recitation of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah is compulsory in the first two Rak‘ a t of the following Prayers: a.Fajr Prayer, which comprises two Rak‘ a t.b.Maghrib Prayer, which comprises three Rak‘ a t.c.‘Ish a’ Prayer, which comprises four Rak‘ a t.Note: If the recitation of some portion of the Holy Quran is not done in the first two Rak‘ a t , the Rak‘ a t will not be invalidated, but on remembering this mistake, the two Suj u d-us-Sahv become essential to validate the Prayer.If the Im a m forgets to recite S u rah Al-F a ti h ah aloud and also the additional verses of the Holy Quran in any Rak‘at , and he is reminded of this before he goes to the Bowing position, he should complete this function by reciting S u rah Al-F a ti h ah as well as the verses of the Holy Quran and then go into Ruk u‘.In this case no prostrations of condonement are necessary.However, if he has led the congregation into Ruk u‘ and then remembers his mistake, the repetition of the function, i.e.the recitation of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah and the verses of the Holy Quran, is not needed.Only two Prostrations of condonement are enough to make the Prayer valid.W A JIB A T (ESSENTIALS) OF THE S AL A T The W a jib a t (essential or necessary parts) is the second category.These are the parts which, if left out wilfully, will invalidate the Prayer, but if forgotten

Page 92

80 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book and remembered afterwards, may be condoned by offering two Prostrations of condonement towards the end of the Prayer.The Prostrations of condonement are deemed sufficient to rectify the mistake and the missed function is not repeated in this case.The W a jib a t of the Prayer are as follows: 1.The recitation of a portion of the Holy Quran after reciting S u rah Al-F a ti h ah in the first two Rak‘ a t of the Far d part of the Prayer and in all Sunnat and Naw a fil Prayers.2.Standing erect after Ruk u‘ , technically called Qaumah.Note: Qiy a m is a Far d part, i.e.is compulsory, while Qaumah is W a jib i.e.essential or necessary.3.Jilsah , the sitting position between two prostrations.4.Short sitting position after completing the first two Rak‘ a t (not the final Qa‘dah ).5.Recite Tashahhud, i.e.At-ta h iyy a tu Lill a hi wa s - S alaw a tu.....in Qa‘dah position.6.For the Im a m to recite S u rah Al-F a ti h ah and a portion of the Holy Quran audibly in the first two Rak‘ a t of Fajr , Maghrib , ‘Ish a ’ , Jumu‘ah and ‘ I d Prayers, and to recite the same silently in Z uhr and ‘A s r Prayers.7.Tart i b , i.e.to perform various Far d and W a jib parts of the S al a t in their appropriate order.8.Ta‘d i l i.e.to perform all parts of the Prayer with dignity and respect.In other words the S al a t (Prayer) should be offered with full concentration and without any haste.

Page 93

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 81 9.To turn the face to the right and to the left, saying Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h , to mark the end of the Prayer.10.For the Im a m to say Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah aloud.SUNAN (PLURAL OF SUNNAT ) OF THE S AL A T All other parts of the S al a t , besides the Far d and W a jib constituents, are either Sunnat or Musta h ab factors.The worshipper should strictly adhere to all the Sunnat and Musta h ab parts of the S al a t and should not omit any of them without any good reason.However, no prostrations of condonement are performed if any of the Sunnat or Musta h ab parts are omitted.The Sunnat parts of the S al a t (Prayer) are as follows: 1.To raise the hands up to the ear lobes when reciting Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah.2.Folding of arms in Qiy a m position.3.To recite Than a ’.4.To recite Ta‘awwudh before reciting S u rah Al- F a ti h ah.5.To say A m i n at the end of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah.6.To say All a hu Akbar while going to Ruk u‘.7.To recite Sub ha na Rabbiyal ‘A zi m at least three times in Ruk u‘ position.8.To say Sami‘all a hu liman H amidah while getting up from Ruk u‘ , and in case one is offering individual Prayer, to say Rabban a wa lakal H amd.If one is following the Im a m in a congregation, to say Rabban a wa lakal H amd is the Practice of the Holy Prophet sa.

Page 94

82 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 9.To say All a hu Akbar while going into the position of Prostration and while getting up from the Prostration.10.To say Sub ha na Rabbiyal A‘l a at least three times during the Prostration.11.To recite the prescribed prayer during the Jilsah position.12.To raise the forefinger of the right hand while reciting Ashhadu all a ill a ha Illall a h.13.To recite Dur u d and other prayers during the final Qa‘dah.14.To recite S u rah Al-F a ti h ah in the third and fourth Rak‘at.15.For the Im a m to say All a hu Akbar , and Sami‘all a hu liman H amidah , in an audible voice.MUSTA H IBB A T OF THE S AL A T The following things, which pertain to the style and the carriage of Prayer, i.e.its beauty and its excellence, are entitled Musta h ibb a t of the Prayer.The term Musta h ibb a t means preferable and praiseworthy.Of course, they are not compulsory, essential or Sunnat parts of the Prayer.They are as follows: 1.To fix one’s gaze on the spot which will be touched by the head during prostration.2.To place one’s hands on the knees with spread fingers while performing Ruk u‘.3.To leave one’s hands by one’s sides in Qaumah position.4.To prostrate in such a manner that the knees

Page 95

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 83 touch the ground first, then the hands, the nose and the forehead.5.To get up from the second Rak‘at after Prostration without any support.6.To place one’s hands on one’s lap near the knees so that the fingers are spread towards the Qiblah.7.To sit on the left foot in Qa‘dah and Jilsah position, and to plant the right foot in a way that the toes are towards the Qiblah.8.After the recitation of S u rah Al-F a ti h ah , the Quranic verses which are recited should be longer in the first Rak‘at as compared to the verses recited in the second Rak‘at.9.For the worshipper who is following the Im a m , to say A m i n in an audible voice and to say Rabban a wa lakal H amd in an inaudible voice.MAKR U H A T OF THE S AL A T (UNDESIRABLE ACTS DURING PRAYER) These are acts which are undesirable, and are below the dignity of the Prayer.Prayer should always be offered with a consciousness that one is standing before one’s Lord.The Makr u h a t are: 1.To fiddle with one’s clothing.2.To glance sideways or to the sky.3.To keep the eyes closed.4.To offer Prayer without any head dress.5.Not to place one’s feet with toes towards the Qiblah during Prostration or to lift the feet from the ground in this position.6.To start Prayer when one is hungry whilst food is

Page 96

84 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book laid on the table.7.To continue the Prayer in spite of an urge to go to the toilet.8.To pray in a cemetery while facing a grave.9.To offer Prayer in very tight clothes so that one feels uncomfortable during the Prayer.10.To pray in an unsuitable environment, e.g., in a stable, goat’s pen or in a noisy market place.11.To stand with one’s weight shifted on to one leg alone or to do things which are below the dignity of the Prayer.12.To pray in an open place without a Sutra.A Sutra is an object placed before the worshipper to mark the boundary of his Prayer.13.To nod when someone says Assal a mu ‘Alaikum during the Prayer.14.To pray without washing one’s mouth after eating.15.To change the order of S u rahs in the Prayer, i.e.to recite S u rahs which come later in the Quran in the first Rak‘at and the S u rahs which appear earlier in the Holy Quran, in the following Rak‘ a t.16.To place hands under the forehead while in prostration.17.To rest one’s belly on things during prostration.18.To spread one’s forearms on the ground while performing Sajdah.19.To recite Quranic verses during Ruk u‘ or Sajdah.20.To go ahead of the Im a m , i.e.to go into the next posture before the Im a m.

Page 97

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 85 Note 1: A worshipper is allowed to remove or kill any harmful insect in case he finds it close to where he is praying.Note 2: The place of worship should be neat and clean and the air, as far as possible, should be free of any unpleasant odour.Every Muslim is enjoined to respect the dignity of the Prayer even if he is not praying himself.No one should in any way, e.g.by words of mouth or by his action, cause any worshipper discomfort or distraction.That is why it is not allowed to cross the path of a worshipper.This means that one should wait until the worshipper finishes his Prayer.ACTIONS WHICH MAKE PRAYER NULL AND VOID The following acts are incompatible with Prayer and invalidate Prayer if done: 1.When the ablution lapses.2.Eating or drinking while offering Prayer.3.To speak or to respond to anyone during Prayer.4.To laugh during Prayer.5.To turn the face to the right or to the left while praying.SUJ U DUS-SAHV, i.e.PROSTRATIONS OF CONDONEMENT If a person commits a mistake during Prayer, which affects the validity of the Prayer, e.g.if he is in doubt whether he has offered the prescribed number of Rak‘ a t , the Prostrations of condonement are

Page 98

86 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book necessary.The Prostrations are offered after the recitation of Tashahhud , and Dur u d , and other prescribed prayers in the final Qa‘dah of the Prayer.Thus, after saying All a hu Akbar , two prostrations are performed, in which Sub ha na Rabbiyal A‘l a is recited, then the Im a m reverts back to Qa‘dah position and says Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h turning his face towards the right and then towards the left, to mark the end of the Prayer.If the Im a m commits such a mistake which can be condoned by the Prostrations, then the whole congregation will have to perform those Prostrations of condonement.But if one of the followers commits a mistake while following the Im a m , he is not required to perform the Prostrations of condonement.If there is a doubt as to how many Rak‘ a t have been performed, then one should observe the rule of certainty, i.e.if the doubt is whether one has offered three or four Rak‘ a t , for instance, one should offer the fourth Rak‘at to be on the safe side though one might have offered it before.8.PRAYER OFFERED IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES PRAYER DURING SICKNESS The performance of S al a t is of prime importance in Islam.A sick person who cannot stand for Prayer, should offer his Prayer while sitting; and if he cannot even sit, he should offer his Prayer while lying down.

Page 99

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 87 If he cannot bow down or prostrate, he is allowed to make symbolic gestures to that effect, and if he is so sick that he cannot move his head or hand, he can fulfill this obligation by making gestures in his mind.PRAYER DURING A JOURNEY If a person is travelling by any means of transportation which precludes his standing up for Prayer, nor can he get off from the vehicle, he can offer his Prayer while seated and the condition of facing towards the Qiblah would not be mandatory in this situation.He should face in the direction in which the mount, vehicle, boat or airplane, etc., is moving, if possible.In the early days of Islam, the Z uhr, ‘A s r and ‘Ish a ’ congregational Prayer services had only two Rak‘ a t , just like Fajr Prayer but subsequently they continued to be of two Rak‘ a t length only for a person who is on a journey.In normal circumstances, the number of Rak‘ a t were doubled.Hence, normally, one has to perform four Rak‘ a t Far d each, for Z uhr , ‘A s r and ‘Ish a ’ Prayers while a traveller offers only two Rak‘ a t for each of the above-mentioned Prayers.If a traveller reaches a place where he intends to stay less than 15 days, then this concession will apply and he will shorten his Prayers as mentioned above.However, this concession does not apply to the Far d part of the Fajr and Maghrib Prayers.If a person is staying with a close relative whose house he regards as his own, e.g.his parents’ home, the home of his in-laws, or a religious headquarter

Page 100

88 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book such as Makkah, Medina, Qadian or Rabwah, etc., he can shorten his Prayer as outlined above but it would be preferable for him to offer the full four Rak‘ a t as applicable.While one is on a journey, the Sunnat part of every Prayer is dropped, with the exception of the Vitr Rak‘ a t in the ‘Ish a’ Prayer and the two Rak‘ a t Sunnat of the Fajr Prayer.To offer Naw a fil during a journey, i.e.optional Prayers, are entirely up to each individual.Moreover, it is also permissible to combine two Prayer services during a journey.Z uhr Prayer can be joined with the ‘A s r Prayer and can both be offered either at the Z uhr Prayer time or at ‘A s r Prayer time.Similarly the ‘Ish a ’ Prayer can be joined with the Maghrib Prayer and can be offered either at Maghrib Prayer time or ‘Ish a ’ Prayer time.If travellers are offering their congregational Prayer behind an Im a m who is a local inhabitant, they have to follow the Im a m and offer four Rak‘ a t for Z uhr , ‘A s r and ‘Ish a ’ Prayers.The rule of concession would not apply in that case.But if the person leading the Prayer, i.e.the Im a m , is a traveller, then he will shorten his Prayer accordingly and the travellers in the congregation will also finish their Prayer with the Im a m , while those who are not on a journey will stand up when the Im a m has recited the salutations to mark the end of Prayer and complete their Prayer.

Page 101

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 89 PRAYER DURING DANGER ( S AL A TUL- KHAUF ) It is permissible to shorten one’s Prayer when one is facing life-threatening danger, e.g., war.The act of Qa s r , which means shortening of Prayer, can be applied to Prayer in eleven different ways that have been mentioned in the Holy Quran and in the Traditions.In essence, when heavy fighting breaks out in the battlefield, or one anticipates a surprise attack from the enemy, or if the army is forced to take up positions in trenches, Prayers are shortened because of the intensity of the situation.If the situation permits one to offer two Rak‘ a t , one should offer two Rak‘ a t , otherwise one Rak‘at would be acceptable.In case it is too dangerous to offer Prayer in congregation, individual Prayers should be offered but if the situation does not allow even this, then one can offer Prayer while on the move, on foot or on a mount, whether or not facing the Qiblah.If the danger is even of a greater degree, the Prayers can be offered through mere gestures, or by declaring the intention to pray and with a few gestures reciting some portion of the prescribed verses.It is also permissible to combine several Prayers at a time during such conditions.( S a hih Bukh a r i , Kit a bul-Magh a z i , B a b Ghazwah Khandaq, S a hih Muslim, Kit a bu s - S al a t B a b S al a tul-Khauf ) QA DA (MISSED) PRAYERS If one misses the timely performance of a daily Prayer service, e.g., due to forgetfulness, falling asleep, or becoming unconscious, etc., then such

Page 102

90 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book missed Prayers, when offered later on, are known as Qa da Prayers.One has to offer the obligatory part of the Prayer services which have been missed.Whenever a person realises that he has missed the obligatory Prayers or Prayer, he should offer them immediately keeping in view the natural sequence of those Prayers.Some religious leaders have given decrees that one may offer one substitute Prayer to compensate all Prayers missed in one’s lifetime.They have coined the term Qa da’ i ‘Umr i for it.Because of such teachings people have become less attentive in the observance of Prayers.Prayer is the daily sustenance of the spirit.How can a person stay hungry for ten years and then eat ten years’ worth of food in one go? It, therefore, demeans the institution of Prayer to suggest that a person may neglect the duty of offering Prayer all his life and then simply offer Qa da’ i ‘Umr i one day to compensate the loss.This is not the teaching of the Holy Prophet sa of Islam.According to Islamic jurisprudence, if someone has missed a Prayer knowingly and deliberately, no Qa da can compensate that and the Prayer is lost for ever, but the true judge in such cases is God Almighty.TAHAJJUD PRAYER To go to bed soon after the ‘Ish a ’ Prayer and to get up in the late hours of the night for the observance of the optional Tahajjud Prayer is a source of great

Page 103

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 91 blessing.Although it is not obligatory, it is very strongly emphasised by the Holy Quran.It has always been the practice of the pious people to perform this Prayer regularly in order to gain Allah’s special favours.The time for Tahajjud Prayer finishes when the time for Fajr Prayer starts.The supplications made during Tahajjud Prayer are granted acceptance by God Almighty readily.It is also a vehicle for achieving nearness to God, because at that hour, one gives up sleep and forsakes the comfort of one’s bed, to fall prostrate before one’s Lord.Tahajjud Prayer consists of eight Rak‘ a t.The Holy Prophet sa always offered Tahajjud Prayer, dividing it into two Rak‘ a t units.He used to recite long passages from the Holy Quran in the Qiy a m position and prolong Ruk u‘ and Sajdah with supplications.His Tahajjud Prayer was followed by three Rak‘ a t of Vitr Prayer.Thus he used to offer eleven Rak‘ a t every night before dawn.TAR A V IH PRAYER Tar a v ih Prayer is the special Prayer ordained for the month of Ramadan.It has to be performed each night during the month of Ramadan.It is in fact offered at Tahajjud time.The observance of Tar a v ih Prayer after the ‘Ish a ’ Prayer was allowed during the caliphate of Hadrat ‘Umar ra , to enable such people, who for unavoidable reasons could not perform Tar a v ih Prayer at Tahajjud time to still offer this Prayer.However, it is preferable to offer this Prayer in pre-dawn hours.The recitation of long passages from the Holy Quran during the Tar a v ih Prayer has been in vogue among Muslims, following the practice of the

Page 104

92 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Companions of the Holy Prophet sa.Tar a v ih Prayer consists of eight Rak‘ a t , but one can offer as many as twenty or more Rak‘ a t if one wants to.It seems appropriate to take a little rest each time after offering four Rak‘ a t.PRAYER WHEN SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES OCCUR The solar eclipse is called Kus u f and the lunar eclipse is called Khus u f.This visual change in the heavenly bodies reminds the faithful that just as the sun and the moon appear to have lost their light to a considerable extent during the eclipses, so can various kinds of spiritual ills result in a reduction of the spiritual light that illuminates the believer’s heart.Only God’s mercy can protect one from such a spiritual eclipse.Hence a two Rak‘ a t Prayer is precribed on the occasion of solar or lunar eclipses as a reminder to believers that they should seek God’s blessings and God’s mercy if they want to scale spiritual heights.The inhabitants of a town or city offer two Rak‘ a t in congregation, either in a mosque or outside in the open.S u rah Al-F a ti h ah and long passages from the Holy Quran should be recited aloud in this Prayer.In every Rak‘at , two Ruk u‘ are performed.After the recitation of some passages of the Holy Quran, a Ruk u‘ should be performed, then the Im a m should go back in Qiy a m position and recite some other passages from the Quran and then go into Ruk u‘ for the second time.Some Traditions even tell us that the

Page 105

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 93 Holy Prophet sa performed three Ruk u‘ in one Rak‘at.Then the Im a m should go into Sajdah position.Lengthy supplications should be made in Ruk u‘ as well as in Sajdah of this Prayer.At the end of the Prayer, the Im a m should deliver a sermon, in which he should draw the attention of people to the subject of asking forgiveness from God Almighty and he should discuss ways and means of reforming society.PRAYER TO INVOKE RAIN When there is a drought due to lack of rain, people might invite the mercy of God Almighty by gathering in an open field for Prayer, during the day.The Im a m should wear a sheet of cloth as his outer garment and lead a two Rak‘ a t Prayer.The recitation in this Prayer should also be aloud.After the Prayer, the Im a m should lead the congregation by raising his hands in Prayer and he should recite the following: ﺮ ﻌﺎ ﻣ���ﺎ ﻏ��ﺎ اﺳﻘﻨﺎ ��ًّْْا ﻠ ًًَََُُِِّّْْٰﻣ ُِّﻳ َﻟ ، ري ﻧﺎ ﻌﺎ ََْ ًِﻏ َّﻓ ٍَّﺿﺂر، ري ََْﻋﺎﺟﻼ ًَِﻏ آ ٍِﺟﻞ.��َُّّٰا ﻠ َﻟ رمحﺘک ﺮ وا وﺑﻬﺎﺋﻤک ﻋﺒﺎدک َََََََََُْْْا ﻖ ََََِِِْﻧﺸ ﺳ ﻠﺪک ََََوا ىي ِْﺑ ََﺣ ََِّاملﻴﺖ.اﺳﻘﻨﺎ ��ََُِّّْٰا ﻠ َﻟ ، اﺳﻘﻨﺎ ��ََُِّّْٰا ﻠ َﻟ.Transliteration: All a hummasqin a ghaitham-mugh i tham-mur i‘ an- n a fi‘an ghaira dh a rin, ‘ a jilan ghaira a jil.All a hummasqi ‘ib a daka wa bah a’ imaka wanshur ra h mataka wa a h yi baladakal-mayyita.All a hummasqin a , All a hummasqin a.(Sunan Ab i D a w u d,

Page 106

94 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Kit a bu s - S al a t; Sunan Nasa’ i ) Translation: O Allah, give us rain, abundant, widespread, producing herbage, benefiting without doing injury, soon, without delay.O Lord send water for Thy servants, and Thy animals, and extend Thy Mercy and revive the land that lies dead.O Lord send us water! O Lord send us water.Then, the Im a m should recite Dur u d and continue to pray, expressing his humility and extolling the greatness of God.Then he should turn his sheet of cloth inside out.This amounts to a good omen and, in a way, depicts the plight of the people to the Creator, making a plea to Him that as the Im a m has overturned his outer garment, God Almighty should accept their supplications and overturn the existing suffering caused by drought.ISTIKH A RAH PRAYER It is a Prayer to seek guidance from God Almighty when one intends to embark upon any important task or project, e.g., trade, journey, marriage, etc.The matter may be religious or otherwise.The purpose of this Prayer is also to seek God’s help so that the outcome of the task in hand is successful.A two Rak‘ a t Prayer is offered, before one goes to bed at night, in which S u rah Al-F a ti h ah is followed by S u rah Al-K a fir u n in the first Rak‘at and S u rah Al- F a ti h ah followed by S u rah- Al-Ikhl as in the second Rak‘at.During Qa‘dah position after reciting

Page 107

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 95 Tashahhud and Dur u d and some other Prayers, the following should be recited: ﺑﻘﺪرﺗِک واﺳﺘﻘﺪرک ﻠﻤک ريک ا اىن ََََََََََُُِِِِِّّْْْْْا ﻠﻬﻢ ﻌ ِّﻟ ُِﺑ ََُِْْٰﺳﺘﺨ اﻗﺪر ﺗﻘﺪروﻻ ﻓﺎﻧک ا ﻌﻈﻴﻢ ﻠک ﻦ ََََََََََََُُِِِِِِّْْْْْواﺳﺄﻟک ْﻟ َِْﻓﻀ َُﻣ ﻠﻢ َُْو َﺗَﻌ اﻟﻐﻴﻮب ﻋﻼم واﻧﺖ ا ﻠﻢ ََََََََُُُُِّْْْْوﻻ َﻋ.کﻨﺖ ان ا ﻠﻬﻢ ََُُِّّْْٰ َﻟ ﺗَﻌَُْﻠﻢ اﻻ ﻫﺬا ََََّْٰان وﻋﺎﻗِﺒﺔ و ﻌﺎ� د ىن ىف ىل ََََََِِْْﺮ ري ِْْﻣ ٌَِِِّْْﻳ ﻣ َْﺧ ِْْا ﺮی َﻣ ﺮہ و ىل َُُِّْﻓﺎﻗﺪرہ ََِِْْْﻳﺴ کﻨﺖ ان و ﻓِﻴ� ىل ﺑﺎرک ﺛﻢ ََََُُِِِِِّْْْْْْىل ﺗَﻌَُْﻠﻢ ﺮ اﻻ ﺮ ﻫﺬا ٌََّٰان ﺷ ََََّْْﻣ و ﻌﺎ� د ىن ىف ََِْْىل َِْْﻣ ِِِّْﻳ ا ﺮی وﻋﺎﻗِﺒﺔ َِْْ َََِﻣ وا ىن ََِّْﻓﺎ ﺮﻓ� َُِْْﻋ ﺻ ﻋﻨ� َُِْْْﺮ ىن ﺻ ِْﻓ ، َِْْواﻗﺪر کﺎن ﺣﻴﺚ ا ري ََََََُْْْىل ِخل َُّﺛﻢ َا ْر ﺑ� ﺿِِِْٖىن.Transliteration: All a humma inn i astakh i ruka bi‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka biqudratika wa as‘aluka min fa d likal ‘a zi m.Fa innaka taqdiru wal a aqdiru, wa ta‘lamu wal a a‘lamu wa anta ‘all a mul ghuy u b.All a humma in kunta ta‘lamu anna h a dhal amra khairun l i f i d i n i wa ma‘ a sh i wa ‘ a qibati amr i faqdirhu l i wa yassirhu l i thumma b a rik l i f i h.Wa in kunta ta‘lamu anna h a dhal amra sharrull i f i d i n i wa ma‘ a sh i wa ‘ a qibati amr i fa s rifhu ‘ann i wa s rifn i ‘anhu, waqdir liyal- khaira h aithu k a na thumma ar d in i bih.

Page 108

96 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Translation: O Allah, I seek good from Thee out of Thy knowledge and seek power from Thee out of Thy power and I beg of Thee out of Thy boundless Grace, for Thou hast power and I have no power, and Thou hast knowledge and I have no knowledge, and Thy knowledge encompasses the unseen.O Allah! If it be within Thy knowledge that this task is for my good, both materially and spiritually, and in respect of my ultimate end, then make it possible for me and bless me therein, but if it be within Thy knowledge that it is harmful for me in my spiritual and material life and in respect of my ultimate end, then turn me away therefrom, and enable me to attain good wherever it may be and cause me to be blessed therewith.(Bukh a r i , Kit a bud-Da‘w a t B a bud-Du’ a indal Istikh a rah; Also Tirmidh i; Shara h As-Sunnah Vol.4, page 153).This sequence of Prayer recitation is derived from the practice of the Holy Prophet sa.S AL A TUL-H A JJ A T, i.e.PRAYERS OFFERED WHEN IN NEED OF HELP This Prayer is performed when one is in need or in difficulty.The Holy Prophet sa said that whoever is in need of something, should perform Wu du’ and then say two Rak‘ a t of Prayer.After the Prayer, one should recite Than a ’ or glorification and praise of God Almighty, Dur u d and then recite the prayer given

Page 109

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 97 below.It is hoped that the particular need will be fulfilled and God would show the way for the achievement of that goal.َﻻ اﻻ �ََِِّٰاﻟ ا ﻠ ّٰ ﻟ ﺮﻳﻢ ا ا ﻠﻴﻢ �َُُِْْ َِْْﻟک ُحل ، ا ﻠ ﺳﺒﺤﺎن ّٰ ََُْﻟ �ِ ا ﺮش رب َِْ َِّﻟْﻌ َِِْْا ﻌﻈﻴﻢ ﻟ.ا ﻌﺎملني رب احل�ﺪ ﻠ� َََِْْْ َِِِّّٰﻟ ََُْﻟ ، ﻣﻮﺟﺒﺎت ﻟک ََََُُِِْْاﺳﺄ واﻟ ﺮﺗِک و ﺰاﺋﻢ َََََِْْرمحﺘک ﻣﻐﻔ ََََََِِْﻋ ﺮ کﻞ ﻦ ٍِّﻐ�ﻴ�ﺔ ﺑ َََُِِِّْْﻣ ﻻ اﺛﻢ کﻞ ﻦ ٍََُِِِّّْْواﻟﺴﻼﻣﺔ ََََّّﻣ ذﻧ ىل ﺗﺪع َََِْْْ ا مهﺎ وﻻ ﺮﺗ� اﻻ ًًََََََِِّّْٗﺒﺎ َﻏﻔ َّﻻ ﻓََّﺮ و �ََْٗﺟﺘ ارﺣﻢ ﻳﺎ ���ﺘ�ﺎ اﻻ رﺿﺎ ﻟک � ﺣﺎﺟﺔ ًًَََََََََََََََِِِّْْﻻ َّا ﺮ ﻟ َِِْامحني.Transliteration: L a il a ha illall a hul H al i mul Kar i m, sub ha nall a hi Rabbil ‘arshil ‘a zi m.Al h amdu lill a hi Rabbil ‘ a lam i n.As’aluka m u jib a ti ra h matika wa ‘az a’ ima maghfiratika, wal ghan i mata min kulli birrin was- sal a mata min kulli ithm.L a tada‘ l i dhamban ill a ghafartah u wa l a hamman ill a farrajtah u wa l a h a jatan hiya laka ri d an ill a qa d aitah a y a Ar h amar- R ah im i n.Translation: There is none worthy of worship except Allah.He is the Compassionate, the Kind.Allah is free of all blemishes and holds the great Heavenly Throne.All praise belongs to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds.

Page 110

98 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Lord! I seek from Thee the instruments of Thy Mercy and the ways and means of Thy forgiveness.I implore Thee to grant me abundantly from Thy virtue and I beg Thee to keep me away from every sin.O Most Merciful God! Eliminate all my sins by forgiving them, and all my grief by dispelling it, and fulfil all my needs which Thou art pleased with.ISHR A Q PRAYER This Naw a fil (optional) Prayer consists of two phases; offering two Rak‘ a t when the sun has risen for a while but not enough to have heated up the environment.Once the latter has occurred, this is the second phase, in which one may offer four or eight Rak‘ a t.The first phase is known as S al a tul-Ishr a q and the second S al a tu d - D u ha.It has also been named S al a tul-Awwab i n.In some Traditions, however, the six Rak‘ a t Prayer offered in between Maghrib and ‘Ish a ’ Prayers is called S al a tul-Awwab i n.FUNERAL PRAYER When it seems that someone is approaching his time of death, the recitation of S u rah Y a S i n (Ch.36 of the Holy Quran) is recommended.The reason for this choice is that the topics dealt with in this S u rah are of a nature which alleviate the suffering of the person concerned and give him a kind of spiritual comfort.One should also recite, in low but audible tone, the Takb i r , and Kalimah Shah a dah near the person concerned.Once the person dies, all those who

Page 111

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 99 are present and all who come to know of the death later, should recite: را ﻌﻮن اﻟ�� واﻧﺂ �� َُِّْْاﻧﺎ َََََِِِِِِّّٰﺟ ﻟ Transliteration: Inn a lill a hi wa inn a ilaihi r a ji‘ u n.Translation: Indeed we are for Allah and it is to Him that we return.The eyes of the deceased should be closed by hand and a cloth band should be used round his chin and head so that his mouth is closed.Instead of bewailing, one should remain calm and patient and attend to the funeral and burial arrangements.The body should be bathed in the following manner: Fresh or lukewarm water should be used to wash the body three times.The practise of the Holy Prophet sa was to put some leaves of a Ber i tree in the water for washing the dead body.First of all, those limbs, which are washed during normal Wu du’ (Ablutions) should be washed though it is not required to pour water in the mouth or nostrils to clean them or to wash the feet.Next the body should be washed, first the right side and then the left.Private parts of the body should remain covered by a cloth.Men alone can bathe male persons and women alone can bathe female persons.The body should then be wrapped in a shroud, which normally is made of an inexpensive

Page 112

100 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book white cloth.The shroud for men consists of three pieces of cloth; a top sheet to cover the top part of the body, a bottom sheet to cover the lower part and a large sheet to cover the whole body from head to feet.For a female, however, two additional pieces of cloth are used, one for her chest and the other for her head.Islam instructs that one should arrange the burial with utmost simplicity.A martyr does not need either bathing or the shroud to wrap his body.He should be buried in the clothes he was wearing at the time of death.After bathing and wrapping the body in a shroud, the body should be carried on shoulders to the place where the Funeral Prayer is to be performed.The Funeral Prayer is held in the open or in a place built for that purpose called Jan a zah G a h.Those present for the funeral service should arrange themselves in rows behind the Im a m.The number of rows should be odd.The Im a m should occupy a position ahead of the first row and in the middle, with the body of the deceased resting in front of him.The position of the dead body should be such that the right side of the body should be towards the Ka‘bah.The Im a m commences the Prayer by saying All a hu Akbar , i.e.Allah is the Greatest, loudly.The followers say the same in a low tone.The Im a m then recites Than a ’ and S u rah Al-F a ti h ah silently.He then says All a hu Akbar without raising his hand.The followers say All a hu Akbar too, but in a low tone.

Page 113

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 101 Then, the whole congregation recites Dur u d silently.After that the Im a m says All a hu Akbar for the third time audibly and the particular prayers for the deceased as given below, are recited.The Im a m then says All a hu Akbar for the fourth time and, turning his face towards the right says Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h , and turning his face towards the left repeats the same to mark the end of the Prayer.The followers, too, say Assal a mu ‘Alaikum wa Ra h matull a h , in a low tone and also turn their faces to the right and left.There is no Ruk u‘ or Prostration in the Funeral Prayer.Funeral Prayer in absentia can also be offered for a deceased person, specially for prominent people or in a case when few Muslims have offered the original Funeral Prayer.To offer a Funeral Prayer for a Muslim is obligatory for the body of all Muslims.It is called Far d -i-Kif a yah.Thus if only a few people offer the Funeral Prayer they are deemed to have done it on behalf of all Muslims.The rest of the Muslim Community is therefore absolved from the obligation of performing the Funeral Prayer.If the deceased is an adult, male or female, the following Prayer is recited: و ريﻧﺎ و � ��ﻨﺎ و ﺷﺎﻫﺪﻧﺎ و ﻣ��ﻨﺎ و ��ﻨﺎ ﺮ ا َََََََِِْا ﻠﻬﻢ ﺻﻐ ََََََََِِِِِِِِِّّّْﺋ َُّْٰﻏﻔ َﻟ اﻧﺜﺎﻧﺎ و ذ ﺮﻧﺎ و َََََََُِْريﻧﺎ َِِْک َکﺒ.اﺣ ﻦ ا ﻠﻬﻢ َََْْ َُّّٰﻣ ﻟ � �ﺎﺣ�� ﻣﻨﺎ ����ََ َََََِِّْْٖٗﻋ ����� ﻣﻨﺎ ������ ﻦ و ََََََََََِّّّْْْٗٗاﻻﺳﻼم ََِِْﻣ ﻋ�ََ اﻻميﺎ َِْْ ِن.ا ﻠﻬﻢ َُّّٰ َﻟ ﻻ َ

Page 114

102 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book ا ﺮ َْﺮﻣﻨﺎ ﺟ َََِْْحت ٗہ ﻌﺪ �ﻔ�ﻨﺎ وﻻ ََْ ََََِّْﺑ ٗہ Transliteration: All a humaghfir li h ayyin a wa mayyitin a wa sh a hidin a wa gh a ’ibin a wa s agh i rin a wa kab i rin a , wa Dhakarin a wa unth a n a.All a humma man a h yaitah u minn a fa’a h yih i ‘alal-Isl a m, wa man tawaffaitah u minn a fatawaffah u ‘alal- I m a n.All a humma l a ta h rimn a ajrah u wal a taftinn a ba‘dah.Translation: O Allah, forgive our living ones and our deceased ones and those of us who are present and those who are absent, and our young ones and our old ones and our males and our females.O Allah, those of us whom Thou grantest life, keep them firm on Islam, and those of us whom Thou causest to die, cause them to die in the faith.Deprive us not, O Allah, of the benefits relating to the deceased and subject us not to trial after him.(Ibn-e-M a jah Kit a bul-Jan a’ iz, B a bud-Du‘ a’ fi s - S al a ti ‘alal jan a zah, page 107).PRAYER FOR A DECEASED MALE CHILD ﻟﻨﺎ ﻠ� ا َََُّْا ﻠﻬﻢ ﻌ ْﻟ ََُّٰﺟ و ﺮ ُُﻠﻔﺎ ًَََّﻓ ﺳ و ﺮا ذ و ا ﺮا ﻟﻨﺂ ﻠ� ا و ﻃﺎ ًًًََََّّّْ ﺧ َََُُْْﺟ ﺟْﻌ ﻟﻨﺎ ﻠ� َََُْا ﺟْﻌ ﻌﺎ و ﻌﺎ ﺷﺎ ًًََّ ِﻣﺸﻔ ََُّﻓ

Page 115

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 103 Transliteration: All a hummaj‘alhu lan a salafan wa furu t an, waj‘alhu lan a ajran wa dhukhran, waj‘alhu lan a sh a fi‘an wa mushaffa‘a.Translation: O Allah make him our forerunner, and make him, for us, a reward and a treasure, and make him for us a pleader and accept his pleading.PRAYER FOR A DECEASED FEMALE CHILD ﻠﻬﺎ ا ََُّْا ﻠﻬﻢ ﻌ ْﻟ ََّٰﺟ ﻟﻨﺎ ََ و ﺮ ُُﻠﻔﺎ ًَََّﻓ ﺳ ﻃﺎ ً َ،و ا و ﺮا ذ ًََّْ ُﺧ ﺟًَّْﺮاو و ﻌﺔ ﺷﺎ ًََِّ َﻓ ُﻣﺸﻔًَََّﻌﺔ Transliteration: All a humaj‘alh a lan a salafan wa furu t an wa dhukhran wa ajran wa sh a fi‘atan wa mushaffa‘ah.Translation: O Allah make her our forerunner, and make her, for us, a reward and a treasure, and make her for us a pleader and accept her pleading.After the Funeral Prayer, the body should be taken to the cemetery for burial without any delay.The coffin should be carried on shoulders and all those who accompany the coffin should take turns in shouldering the coffin.If the body is to be carried to a considerable distance for burial, a vehicle may be used.Those who follow the funeral procession should

Page 116

104 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book continue the remembrance of God as well as pray for the forgiveness of the deceased in a low tone.The grave may be prepared either as a dug up area which contains a further niche ( la h d ) inside for the body to rest on or it may be just a dug up area.However, it is essential for the grave to be wide and spacious.In extreme cases more than one body can be buried in one grave.If the burial at a particular location is meant to be temporary, or if the burial ground is likely to be affected by flood waters, then it is permissible to use an iron or wooden box for the corpse so as to protect the body from decaying too early.The body must be lowered into the grave with care and caution.The following should be recited when the body is being lowerd into the grave: ﺑ� ﻠ� و � ﻠ� َﺑﺴﻢ ِِّّٰٰﻋ ﻟ ِِِْﻟ و ﻠ ﻠ�� � ﻠ� � � ﻠ� رﺳﻮل ﻠﺔ �ََََّّّّٰٰ ﺳ ﻋ ﻟ ﻟ ََََُُِِّْْﻣ َِِِٰﺻ َﻢ Transtiteration: Bismill a hi wa bill a hi ‘al a millati Ras u lill a hi s allall a hu ‘alaihi wasallam.Translation: In the name of Allah and with his blessings, upon the path set by the conduct of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.As the body is placed in the grave, the sheet wrap should be loosened a bit at the opening and the face

Page 117

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 105 tilted a little towards the Qiblah.Some bricks or stone slabs should be used to cover the niche ( la h d ) and then sand or loose earth should be heaped.The following should be recited on this occasion: َِْﻣﻨﻬ ﺎ ﻓِﻴ و ﻠﻘﻨکﻢ َََُْْْٰ ﺧ ﻌﻴ ُِْﻬﺎ َﻧ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ و ُْﺪکﻢ ََُُِْْخن ﺗﺎرة ًََُُِْﺮﺟکﻢ ْٰا ﺮ ُﺧ ی.Transliteration: Minh a khalaqn a kum wa f i h a nu‘ i dukum wa minh a nukhrijukum t a ratan ukhr a.Translation: We have created you out of this (dust) and we shall return you to it and it is out of the same that we shall revive you in the end.It is in keeping with the practice of the Holy Prophet sa to make the heap of the grave somewhat raised from the ground, i.e.a slight hump-like form.When the burial ceremony is complete, a brief silent congregational Prayer with raised hands should be made for the forgiveness of the deceased.Then the mourners should leave the cemetery reciting the following: ََّاﻟﺴ واﻧ ﻠﻴکﻢ ََََُُِّْْﻼم َﻋ اﻪﻠﻟ ﺷﺎء إن ََُِّْٰﺎ ﻟﻼﺣِﻘﻮن.ﺑکﻢ ََُِْْْ Transliteration: Assal a mu ‘alaikum wa inn a insh a’ all a hu bikum la- l ah iq u n.

Page 118

106 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Translation: Peace be upon you and God willing we are certainly bound to join you.Condolences must be offered to those related to the deceased.It is commendable for the near and dear ones, or neighbours, to provide meals to the bereaved family for one time at least.One must not give in to any superstitions.The condolences and conditions of bereavement should be maintained for three days.After that life should come back to normal.However, the period of bereavement as applicable to the widow of the deceased is four months and ten days.According to the Holy Quran, this is a period to stabilise her mentally and emotionally as women are under a great stress, more so than men in this situation, and they need protection from those who sometimes exploit their helplessness by sympathising at the time when such women are more vulnerable.During this period, a widow should not leave her house except for unavoidable needs.In case the woman is the only earning hand in the family and she has to keep up her job obligations, then she is allowed to go out for the purpose of performing her essential professional responsibilities, without socialising herself.She may further abstain from wearing make-up, dressing up festively, using perfume or taking part in festive ceremonies.This period should be spent by her in the remembrance of Allah and with patience and gratitude to her Creator.

Page 119

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 107 Glossary of Terms Adh a n : The Islamic call to Prayer.‘A s r : The 3rd of the five daily Prayer services, offered any time between the time when the sun starts declining and sunset.Ta‘awwudh : Set words for seeking the protection of God against Satan, recited at the beginning of Prayer.Tashahhud : A set prayer recited silently at the beginning of the Qa‘dah , or second Sitting position, in Prayer.Du‘ a’ i Qun u t : Arabic name of the special prayer recited in the last Rak‘at of Vitr Prayer.Dur u d : Invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad sa.‘ I dul-A dha : The Islamic festival commemorating the obedience to God of Prophet Ibr a h i m as , (or Abraham), and his son Prophet Ishmael as.‘ I d ul-Fi t r : The Islamic festival concluding the fasting of the month of Ramadan.Fajr : The 1st of the five daily Prayer services, offered any time during the period starting from dawn and ending a few minutes before sunrise.Far a’ i d : Plural form of Far d.Far d ( plural Far a’ i d ): Compulsory or obligatory, used when describing categories of Prayers or constituent parts of Prayer.

Page 120

108 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book Far d -i-Kif a yah : Obligatory duty binding on all Muslims, but which is deemed to have been discharged (by all of them), when a body from among them perform it; e.g.the funeral Prayer of a Muslim.Fi t r a nah : Money contributed by Muslims before the ‘ I d ul-Fi t r Prayer service and spent on the needy so that they may also join in festivities.H ajj : Pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah in Makkah, Arabia; also known as the fifth pillar of Islam.Im a m : The person who leads a congregational Prayer service.Iq a mah : A shortened verse of the Adh a n , which is recited loudly to indicate that a congregational Prayer is about to start.See also Takb i r.‘Ish a ’ : The 5th and last of the five daily Prayer services, offered any time between nightfall and midnight, or before going to bed.Jilsah : The Sitting position which occurs in between two prostrations during Prayer.Kalimah : The credo of Islam, There is none worthy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.Kalimah Shah a dah (also called Kalimah ): The declaration of Islamic faith, i.e.to bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, He is One, without any associate, and to bear witness that Muhammad is the servant and Messenger of Allah.Khus u f : Eclipse of the moon, during which a special

Page 121

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 109 Prayer is to be offered.Kus u f : Eclipse of the sun, during which a special prayer is to be offered.Maghrib : The 4th of the five daily Prayer services, which can be offered any time in the period starting from immediately after sunset and ending when there is still some light left on the horizon.Makr u h a t : Acts which are considered undesirable or below the dignity of Prayer.M a lik i s: One of the sects of Islam.Mu’adhdhin : The person who says the Adh a n , or Call to Prayer.Musta h ab: (plural Musta h ibb a t ): Preferable or praiseworthy things, when referring to the style or manner of performing Prayer.Naw a fil : Optional or supererogatory as applied to types or categories of Prayer.Niyyah : The Formal intention which one makes in one’s mind before starting a Prayer.Qa‘dah : Sitting position adopted towards the end of the second Rak‘at in Prayer.Qa da : Offering a missed Prayer.Qa s r : The act of shortening one’s Prayer.Qaumah : The posture of Standing erect after Ruk u‘.Qiy a m : The standing position in Prayer.Rak‘at : One complete unit within Prayer, consisting of a number of different postures of the body with corresponding prescribed prayers, words of

Page 122

110 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book glorification and of praise of God.Rak‘ a t : Plural form of Rak‘at.Ruk u‘ : The Bowing down position in Prayer.Sajdah : ( Suj u d ) The position of Prostration in prayer.S al a tul-Jumu‘ah : The Friday prayer service.S al a t : Prayer in the prescribed form; also known as the second pillar of Islam.S al a tul-H a jj a t : Prayer offered when one is in need or in difficulty S al a tul-Ishr a q : Optional Prayer offered in two phases in the forenoon.S al a tu d - D u ha : The second phase of S al a tul-Ishr a q.S aum : Fasting in the month of Ramadan ; also known as the fourth pillar of Islam.Shias : One of the sects of Islam.Suj u d : ( Sajdah ): The posture of Prostration in Prayer.Suj u dus-Sahv : Prostrations of condonement performed when a mistake has been committed during Prayer and which may affect its validity.Sunan : Plural form of Sunnat.Sunnah or Sunnat : One of the types or categories of Prayer; less compulsory than a Far d (obligatory) Prayer, but more so than a Naw a fil (voluntary) one.Sunnis : One of the sects of Islam.S u rah : Arabic word for 'chapter', and used for designating the chapters of the Holy Quran.Sutra : An object which a worshipper places before him to mark the physical boundary of his Prayer.

Page 123

S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 111 Tahajjud : Optional Prayer of great merit offered in the latter part of the night.Ta h m i’ : The prescribed words recited by the congregation in response to the Tasm i ’ of the Im a m ; also, words of praise and remembrance of God.Takb i r : A set formula, recited loudly in order to indicate that a congregational Prayer is about to start.Takb i r-i-Ta h r i mah : The Arabic expression All a hu Akbar (God is the Greatest), proclaimed loudly by the Im a m while he raises his two hands to his earlobes at the very beginning of a congregational Prayer service.Tar a v ih : Special Prayer offered after ‘Ish a ’ Prayer during the month of Ramadan.

Page 124

Page 125

Page 126

Page 127

Page 128

Page 128