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Salah

[suh-lah]

Ṣalāt (Arabic: صلاة‎, pl. ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and namāz نماز‎ in Persian, Bengali, Urdu and Turkish) is one of the five pillars of Islam practiced by Muslims in supplication to Allah, God. Salat, or salaah, is performed five times day, at before sunrise (Fajr), noon (Dhuhr), afternoon (Asr), after sunset (Maghrib) and nightfall (Isha'a). Salaah is obligatory for all Muslims once they have reached puberty.

"As-salat" is one of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam and one of the ten Practices of the Religion in Shia Islam.

In central and South Asian languages such as Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Albanian language, South Slavic languages such as the Bosnian language, Našinski, Macedonian language and Turkic languages it is called namāz (نماز) from the Indo-European root meaning 'to bow or prostrate'.

The person performing As-salat is a musallī (مصلى), while the traditional prayer mat on which prayer is performed is a musalla.

Purpose

The purpose of salat is primarily to act as an individual's communication with God (Allah). It enables one to stand in front of God, thank and praise Him, and to ask of Him guidance onto the straight path "Straight path" (as mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah(The Opening) which is recited in every prayer). In addition, the daily ritual prayers serve as a recurring reminder to Muslims to be grateful for God's blessings. It ensures that every Muslim prioritizes Islam over all other concerns, thereby revolving their life around God and submitting to His will. Prayer also serves as a formal method of remembering God. It is the best form of Zikr(rememberance of the Almighty God).

In the Qur'an it is mentioned that

As-salah is also mentioned as a means to restrain the believer from social wrong and moral deviancy.

Preparation

Cleanliness and dress

Islam advises that the salat be performed in a ritually clean environment (Qur'an 5:6). When praying, the clothes that are worn and the place of prayer must be clean. Men and women each are directed to cover their bodies (awrah) in reasonably loose-fitting garments. A well-known tradition saying that "purity is half the faith" has direct correlation to Islam as the religion has incorporated and modified existing rules of purity in its religious system.

Ritual ablution

Before conducting prayers, a Muslim has to perform a ritual ablution.

The minor ablution is performed using water (wudu) or clean sand or dust (tayammum) when water is not available or not advisable to use such as due to sickness. In Sunni Islam, wudu consists of washing the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, forehead and hair, ears and feet three times each in that order. Shia first wash their faces, then their arms, and then wipe their heads and feet with the moisture on their hands. Tayammum consists of wiping only the hands and face with sand or dust. Wudu is considered to cleanse a Muslim in a permanent fashion such that it is only necessary to perform it again if an act breaking it has occurred. Tayammum, however, has to be performed before each salat.

The major ablution (ghusl) is required when a person has had sexual intercourse, ejected semen, has had menstrual bleeding or is a new convert to the faith. Ghusl may also be performed voluntarily especially before Friday prayers.

Conditions

The compulsory prayer is obligated for those who meet these 3 conditions:

are Muslim
have reached puberty
are of sound mind

There are 5 elements that make a prayer valid:

Confident of the time of prayer. Being unsure invalidates even if the time turns out correct.
Facing the qibla, with the chest facing the direction of the Kaaba. The ill are allowed leniency with posture.
Covering the awrah
Clean clothes, body, place of prostration
Pure from hadath (wudu, tayammum, ghusl)

Articles of Prayer

There are 13 articles:

[1] Reciting intention for prayer in the heart

E.g.: I intend to offer 2 raka'ah obligatory prayer of Fajr for Allah Almighty.
It is done simultaneously with [2] Takbeeratul-Ihram (below).

[2] Takbeeratul-Ihram

Saying الله أَكْبَر (God is The Greatest).

[3] Standing right

For the abled, leaning until it is deemed not standing right invalidates prayer. If one is incapable of standing, he may sit, lay on his right, lay on his left, lay on his back or as he is able to do.

[4] Reciting Al-Fatiha

Recitation of Al-Fatiha is obligated for every raka'ah.
Reading another surah after Al-Fatiha is also obligatory for the first 2 raka'ah for all obligatory prayers, however it is required in all raka'ah of supererogatory

[5] Ruku'

Ruku' is bowing the body until the palms is on the knees. Stopping means all major body parts including arms, wrists, head, legs stop - as long as saying "subhanallah". If the body still moves, stopping is not done. An additional option is to read 3 times سبحان ربى العظيم و بحمده (Glory to my Lord, the Most Magnificent Most Praiseworthy).

[6] I'tidal and stopping

I'tidal is standing again after ruku'. While the body is raising up, an additional option is to read سمع الله لمن حمده (Allah Listens to him who praises Him). During standing, an additional option is to read ربنا لك الحمد ملء السموات وملء الأرض وملء ما شئت من شئ بعد (Our Lord, to You is due all praise...). The body must stop as long as saying "subhanallah".

[7] Prostration [Sajdah]

Prostration involves putting these body parts - the bare forehead, both palms, both knees, the base of both feet's toes - on the place of prostration. The forehead must be bare; a covered forehead invalidates prayer. An additional option is to read 3 times سبحان ربى الأعلى و بحمده (Glory to my Lord, the Most High Most Praiseworthy). There are 2 prostrations, the second is done after sitting between 2 prostrations (as [8] below).

[8] Sitting between 2 prostrations

During the sitting between the two prostrations, an additional option is to recite:

" Allahummaghfirli, warhamnii, wajburnii, wahdinii, warzuqnii, warfa'nii, wa'afinii, wa'fu'annii" Oh Allah Forgive Me, grate me, ...

[9] Final Tashahhud

Reciting the final Tashahhud:

التحيات المبركات الصلوات الطيبات لله
السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته
السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين
أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدا رسول الله

All greetings, blessings and good acts are from You, my Lord.
Greetings to you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.
Peace be unto us, and unto the 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.

[10] Sitting for Final Tashahhud

The final Tashahhud must be done while sitting.

[11] Greetings for Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and for Prophet Abraham (RA)

At least by saying اللهم صلى على محمد.
At best
اللهم صلى على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم
وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم
فى العالمين إنك حميد مجيد

O Allah, bless our Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you have blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham.
O Allah, be gracious unto Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you were gracious unto Abraham and the people of Abraham.
Surely you are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.

[12] First greeting

Greeting "peace be upon you" to the right side. At least with السلام عليكم, at best السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

[13] Following the Prayer Sequence

Prayer not in its rightful sequence is invalidated.

From [3] standing right to the [8] second prostration makes one raka'ah. These are repeated for every raka'ah. At the last raka'ah, the rest [9] to [12] is completed. (Note: For more than 2 raka'ah prayers, an additional option is to sit for Tashahhud on the second raka'ah.)

Performance

Salat is performed in "units" of prayer called raka'ah. One raka'ah consists of a series of positions (and movements from one position to the next), along with specific supplications and verses from the Qur'an which are read in each position. A raka'ah begins in a standing position called qiyaam and ends with the musallee in a prostrate position (sujud). Different salat have different numbers of prescribed raka'at.

The salat must be performed with sincere devotion (khushoo), otherwise it is considered invalid. Salat is performed facing the direction of qibla (i.e. towards the Kaaba in Mecca), to the best estimation of the musallee if there is no certain way to determine the correct direction.

The musallee begins the prayer by standing in qiyaam, facing qibla and silently reciting the niyyah (intention to pray) for the specific salat he is about to make. He then raises his hands and speaks aloud the takbir.

For fard as-salat, the first raka'ah commences with the optional recitation of one of the opening supplications followed by the first chapter of the Qur'an, al-Fatihah. For subsequent raka'at and other types of salat, each raka'ah commences with al-Fatihah. During the first two raka'ah, following the recitation of al-Fatihah any other chapter or several verses of the Qur'an are additionally recited (qira'at) while in the standing position before the musallee moves into the bowing position (ruku').

After one raka'ah is complete (and on every subsequent odd raka'ah), the musallee returns from the prostrate position (sujud ) back to the standing position to begin another raka'ah. On every second raka'ah, he first moves from sujud to an upright sitting position (jalsa) and recites the first portion of a supplication known as the tashahhud, before returning to the standing position to begin the next raka'ah.

On the final raka'ah the musallee moves to the jalsa from the sujud position and recites the complete tashahhud. Sunni Muslims then conclude the prayer by turning their face toward the right shoulder and then toward the left shoulder, each time saying a salutation (taslim) to the angels that take note of your good (right shoulder) and evil (left shoulder) deeds.

After the salat is completed it is common (but not compulsory) for Muslims to offer a supplication (du'a) to God. This supplication, which essentially gives Muslims an opportunity to ask God for forgiveness and blessings, can be offered in any language.

Types of salah

Salah may be classified into four categories of obligation: fard, wajib, sunnah and nafl.

Fard salah are compulsory, non-performance of which renders one a non-Muslim according to the Hanbali Sunni School, for the other Sunni schools it renders one a sinner. The denial of its compulsory status however is agreed upon by all Sunni schools to render the denier outside the fold of Islam.
Wajib As-salat are compulsory, non-performance of which renders one a sinner and the denial of its obligatory nature renders one a 'fasiq' a transgressor whose witness would not be accepted in an Islamic court. There are some who believe that as the 5 prayers are obligatory, it automatically renders all other prayers optional.
Sunnah salah are optional and were additional voluntary prayers performed by Muhammad—they are of two types—the 'Sunna Muakaddah', those practiced on a regular basis which if abandoned cause the abandoner to be regarded as sinful by the Hanafi School and the 'Sunnah Ghair Muakkadah' those practiced on a semi-regular practice by Muhammad which all are agreed upon that its abandonment doesn't render one sinful.
Nafl salah are optional and regarded as extra prayers which bring more reward.

Fard As-salat

The fard As-salat are the five compulsory daily prayers, the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) and the funeral prayer (Janazah). Fard prayers (as with all fard actions) are further classed as fard al-ayn (obligation of the self) and fard al-kifayah (obligation of sufficiency). Fard al-ayn are those actions which are obligatory on each individual; he or she will be held to account if the actions are not performed. Fard al-kifayah are actions obligatory on the Muslim community at large, so that if some people within the community carry it out no Muslim is considered blameworthy, but if no one carries it out all incur a collective punishment.

Men are required to perform the fard salah in congregation (jama'ah), behind an imam when they are able. According to most Islamic scholars, performing salat in congregation is obligatory for men, when they are able, but is neither required nor forbidden for women.

The five daily prayers

Muslims are commanded to perform salah five times a day. These prayers are obligatory on every Muslim above the age of puberty, with the exception being those who are mentally ill, too physically ill for it to be possible, menstruating, or experiencing post-partum bleeding. Those who are ill or otherwise physically unable to offer their prayers in the traditional form are permitted to offer their prayers while sitting or laying, as they are able. The five prayers are all given certain prescribed times (waqt) in which they must be performed, unless there is a compelling reason for not being able to perform them on time.

Some Muslims offer voluntary prayers immediately before and after the prescribed fard prayers. Sunni Muslims classify these prayers as sunnah, while Shi'a Muslims consider them nafil. The number of raka'ah for each of the five obligatory prayers as well as the voluntary prayers (before and after) are listed below:

Name	Prescribed time period (waqt)	Voluntary before fard¹		Fard	Voluntary after fard¹
Name	Prescribed time period (waqt)			Fard
Sunni	Shi'a	Sunni	Shi'a
Fajr (فجر)	Dawn to sunrise	2 Raka'ah²	2 Raka'ah²	2 Raka'ah	-	-
Dhuhr (ظهر)	After true noon until Asr	2-4 Raka'ah²	2-4 Raka'ah	4 Raka'ah⁴	2 Raka'ah²	-
Asr (عصر)	Afternoon. See footnote⁵ and⁶	2-4 Raka'ah	2-4 Raka'ah	4 Raka'ah	-	-
Maghrib (مغرب)	After sunset until dusk	2-4 Raka'ah	2-4 Raka'ah	3 Raka'ah	2 Raka'ah²	2 Raka'ah³
Isha'a (عشاء)	Dusk until dawn⁶	4 Raka'ah	4 Raka'ah	4 Raka'ah	2 Raka'ah ² + 3 Raka'ah Witr	2 Raka'ah ³^{and 7}, 8 raka'ah (4 x 2 Raka'ah) Salat al-Layl³

Sunni often pray 2 Raka'ah Nafl after Dhuhr, Maghrib and Isha'a.

¹According to Shia Muslims, these are to be performed in sets of two raka'ah each.
²Prayed daily by Muhammad (Sunnis)
³Mustahab (praiseworthy) to do everyday. (Shias)
⁴Replaced by Jumu'ah on Fridays, which consists of two raka'ah.
⁵According to Imam Abu Hanifa, "Asr starts when the shadow of an object becomes twice its height (plus the length of its shadow at the start time of Dhuhr)." For the rest of Imams, "Asr starts when the shadow of an object becomes equal to its length (plus the length of its shadow at the start time of Dhuhr)." Asr ends as the sun begins to set.
⁶According to Shia Muslims, 'Asr prayer and 'Ishaa prayer have no set times but are performed from mid-day. Zuhr and 'Asr prayers must be performed before sunset, and the time for 'Asr prayer starts after Zuhr has been performed. Maghrib and 'Ishaa prayers must be performed before midnight, and the time for 'Ishaa prayer can start after Maghrib has been performed, as long as no more light remains in the western sky signifying the arrival of the true night.
⁷According to Shia Muslims, this prayer is termed nawafil.

Jumu'ah

Salat al-Jumu'ah is a congregational prayer performed on Friday which replaces the dhuhr prayer. It is compulsory upon men to perform it in congregation, while women may perform it so or may perform dhuhr salat instead. Salat al-Jumu'ah consists of a sermon (khutba) given by the speaker (khatib) after which two raka'ah are performed. There is no Salat al-Jumu'ah without a khutba. Giving a khutba is task assigned specifically to men, and women cannot perform this task. This does not imply superiority of men to women, but it is done in compliance with what Muslims have been commanded to do by God.

Istikhaarah

Salat al-Istikhaarah is a prayer performed when a Muslim needs guidance on a particular matter, such as whether they should marry a certain person. In order to perform this salah one should perform a normal two raka'at salah to completion. After completion one should say the du'a which is called Istikhaarah. The intention for the salah should be in ones heart to perform two raka'at of salah followed by Istikhaarah. The salah can be performed at any times where salah is not forbidden.

Exceptional circumstances

Dr. Muhammad Hedayetullah, scholar in comparative religion, in his book Dynamics of Islam (2006), stresses that even though salah is compulsory, flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on the circumstances: For example, in the case of sickness or a lack of space, a worshipper can offer salah while sitting, or even lying down, and the prayer can be shortened when travelling. The salah must be performed in the Arabic language.

Qada

In certain circumstances one may be unable to perform one's prayer within the prescribed time period (waqt). In this case, the prayer must be performed as soon as one is able to do so. These prayers performed after the prescribed waqt are called qada. It is not permissible to deliberately miss performing the salat within its waqt with the intention of performing it afterwards.

Qasr and Jam' bayn as-Salaatayn

When travelling over long distances, one may shorten some prayers, a practice known as qasr. Furthermore, several prayer times may be joined, which is referred to as Jam' bayn as-Salaatayn. Qasr involves shortening the obligatory components of the Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha'a prayers to two raka'ah. Jam' bayn as-Salaatayn combines the Dhuhr and Asr prayers into one prayer offered between noon and sunset, and the Maghrib and Isha'a prayers into one between sunset and Fajr. Neither Qasr nor Jam' bayn as-Salaatayn can be applied to the Fajr prayer.

There is no reference to Qasr during travel within the Qur'an itself; the Qur'an allows for Qasr only when there is fear of attack.

Wajib salat

The wajib salat are considered compulsory and not performing them is considered a sin.

Witr

Witr is performed after the salah of isha'a (dusk). Some Muslims consider witr wajib while others consider it optional. It may contain any odd number of raka'ah from one to eleven according to the different schools of jurisprudence. However, Witr is most commonly offered with three raka'ah.

To end prayers for the night after isha'a, the odd numbered raka'ah must have the niyyah of "wajib-ul-Lail", which is mandatory to "close" one's salat for that day.

Eid

Eid salat is performed on the morning of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. The Eid prayer is most likely an individual obligation (fard al-ayn), though some Islamic scholars argue it is only a collective obligation (fard al-kifayah). It consists of two raka'at, with seven takbirs offered before the start of the first raka'ah and five before the second. After the salat is completed, a sermon (khutbah) is offered. However, the khutbah is not an integral part of the Eid salat. The Eid salat must be offered between sunrise and true noon i.e. between the time periods for Fajr and Dhuhr.

Sunnah salat

Sunnah salat are those prayers that are performed to emulate the practices of Muhammad.

Certain sunnah prayers have prescribed waqts associated with them. Those ordained for before each of the fard prayers must be performed between the first call to prayer (adhan) and the second call (iqama) which signifies the start of the fard prayer. Those sunnah ordained for after the fard prayers can be performed any time between the end of the fard prayers and the end of the current prayer's waqt. Any amount of extra raka'ah may be offered, but most madha'ib prescribe a certain number of raka'ah for each sunnah salah.

Nafl salat

Nafl salat (supererogatory prayers) are voluntary, and one may offer as many as he or she likes almost any time. There are many specific conditions or situations when one may wish to offer nafl prayers. They cannot be offered at sunrise, true noon, or sunset. The prohibition against salat at these times is to prevent the practice of sun worship.

Mosque Prayer

Mosque prayer is when you enter the mosque and pray 2 rakats.

This prayer is called "Tahiyyatul masjid"; this is one of the rites of the mosque. Every Muslim entering the mosque is obligated to perform these two rakats.

Prayer in congregation

Prayer in congregation (jama'ah) is considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than praying by oneself. When praying in congregation, the musallees stand in straight parallel rows behind the chosen imam, facing qibla. The imam, who leads the congregation in salat, is usually chosen to be a scholar or the one who has the best knowledge of the Qur'an, preferably someone who has memorised it (a hafiz) . In the first row behind the imam, if available, would be another hafiz to correct the imam in case a mistake is made during the performance of the salat. The prayer is performed as normal, with the congregation following the actions and movements of the imam as he performs the salat.

When the worshippers consist of men and women combined, a man is chosen as the imam. In this situation, women are typically forbidden from performing this role. This point, though unanimously agreed on by the major schools of Islam, is disputed by some groups, based partly on a hadith whose interpretation is controversial. When the congregation consists entirely of women and pre-pubescent children, one woman is chosen as imam.

When men, women, and children are praying, the children's rows are usually between the men's and women's rows, with the men at the front and women at the back. Another configuration is where the men's and women's rows are side by side, separated by a curtain or other barrier, with the primary intention being for there to be no direct line of sight between male and female worshippers, following a Qur'anic injunction toward men and women each lowering their gazes (Qur'an 24:30-31).