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 How to perform Salaah in its simplest form, with illustrations
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HOW TO PERFORM THE COMPULSORY PREAYERS

HOW TO PERFORM THE COMPULSORY PRAYERS

First of all you must be aware that acts  of worship are divided into two parts. The first part is what is compulsory, and the second is what is recommended to beautify that worship but if left out does not nullify it. I am only going to explain the compulsory parts and not the recommended (Sunnan).

Before performing the prayer you must perform the compulsory ablution. This ablution is what removes minor impurities which are spiritual rather than physical. These are:

1. Sleeping

2. Passing wind

3. Urinating

4. Defacating

The above impurities are, therefore, also what nullifies the ablution (wudu). In other words, if you perform the wudu (ablution) and prayer and find that at the next time of prayer none of the above had occurred then you can perform the prayer again without performing the ablution.

The compulsory ablution is as follows

One must have the intention to perform the compulsory ablution

1. To wash the face

2. To wash the hands until the elbows

3. To wipe the head (or part thereof)

4. To wash or wipe the feet upto the ankles

In the event that major impurities had transpired then a full body wash is compulsory called a ghusl. The major impurities are:

1. Sexual intercourse and ejaculating/ orgasms without sexual intercourse

2. Menstruation

The compulsory full body wash is as follows:

1. Have the intention of fulfilling the rite of a compulsory ghusl.

2.Wash the entire body such that water covers the entire body in an amount of water suitable to cleans oneself. There are various measurements given if one is to bath in a body of water; it has to be a large body such that the body of water isn't defiled by the bathing, so the best thing is to shower and let the water run over your entire body. The water must be pure water, unmixed with substances that will change the water. So you can use soap but the fulfillment of the ritual is the actual clean water running over your entire body.

Having performed either the wudu or ghusl you are almost ready to perform your prayers.

The remainder must be in place before prayer

1) Your aurah (the  part that must be covered when appearing in front of strangers, being your entire body except your hands, face and feet)  must be covered.

2) Your clothes must be free from filth (being urine, stool, or having been contaminated by a wet dog or pig and then not purified thereafter)

3) The place you wish to perform the prayer on must be clean

4) You must face the Qibla (the Ka'ba in Mecca)

5) You must know which prayer you intend to pray

THE PRAYER OF FAJR (EARLY MORNING PRAYER CONSISTS OF TWO UNITS)

1) Begin the prayer by raising your hands to your ears or shoulders and say God is the Greatest (Allahu Akbar)

2) Recite al Fatiha (The Opening Chapter of The Quran)

3) Recite any other chapter or verse that you know from the Qur'an or leave this part out if you don't know any other chapter.

4) Bow down with your hands on your knees and back straight looking at the point where you'll be putting your forehead when you are going to prostrate and pause for a few seconds. If you bow without pausing you have not fulfilled the obligation of bowing which is simply to pause.

5) Stand up straight again and say God heard the one who praised Him (Sami'a Allahu li man Hamida)

6) Say Allahu Akbar again and go down into prostration pausing in the prostration.

(Eight parts must touch the ground in prostration: 1) Your forehead 2) The tip of your nose 3) Your palms 4) Your two knees 5) The underneath part of your toes. The last three points all count as two parts because you have two palms, two knees and two sets of toes.

7) Say Allahu Akbar and go into the sitting position pausing again.

8) Say Allahu Akbar and assume the prostration position again pausing in it.

9) Say Allahu Akbar and stand up straight and repeat steps 2 to 8. At this point you have completed one unit of the prayer.

10) After fulfilling steps 2 to 8, instead of standing up straight assume the sitting position with your hands placed on your thighs and say the following:

Ashadu an laa ilaaha ila Allah wa Ashadu ana Muhamadan (abduhu) wa rasoolu (or say wa Ashadu ana muhammadan rasoolu Allah)

I testify that there is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger

Allahuma sallee alaa Muhammad wa alaa Aali Muhammad

Oh God send salutations on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad.

Assalaamu allaykum wa rahmatu Allah. (turn your head to the right)

Assalaamu allaykum wa rahmatu Allah (turn your head to the leftt) THE GREETING TO THE LEFT IS OPTIONAL.

The prayer is complete.

THE PRAYERS OF THUHR, ASR AND ISHAA (AFTERNOON PRAYERS AND THE LAST EVENING PRAYER ALL CONSISTING OF FOUR UNITS)

Do exactly the same as for Fajr but do not say Assalaamu allaykum wa rahmatu Allah after the first two units, instead do the sitting after the first two units saying only:

Ashadu an laa ilaaha ila Allah wa Ashadu ana Muhamadan (abduhu) wa rasoolu (or say wa Ashadu ana muhammadan rasoolu Allah)

Allahuma salee alaa Muhammad wa alaa Aali Muhammad

then stand straight up and repeat the cycle of the two units again and in the final sitting say:

Ashadu an laa ilaaha ila Allah wa Ashadu ana Muhamadan (abduhu) wa rasoolu (or say wa Ashadu ana muhammadan rasoolu Allah)

Allahuma salee alaa Muhammad wa alaa Aali Muhammad

Assalaamu allaykum wa rahmatu Allah. (turn your head to the right)

Assalaamu allayum wa rahmatu Allah (turn your head to the left) THE GREETING TO THE LEFT IS OPTIONAL.

THE PRAYER OF MAGRIB (EARLY EVENING PRAYER AFTER THE SUN HAS SET CONSISTING OF THREE UNITS)

Do exactly the same as for Fajr but do not say Assalaamu allaykum wa rahmatu Allah after the first two units, instead do the sitting after the first two units saying only:

Ashadu an laa ilaaha ila Allah wa Ashadu ana Muhamadan (abduhu) wa rasoolu (or say wa Ashadu ana muhammadan rasoolu Allah)

Allahuma sallee alaa Muhammad wa alaa Aali Muhammad

then stand straight up and repeat the cycle of the one unit again and in the final sitting say:

Ashadu an laa ilaaha ila Allah wa Ashadu ana Muhamadan (abduhu) wa rasoolu (or say wa Ashadu ana muhammadan rasoolu Allah)

Allahuma salee alaa Muhammad wa alaa Aali Muhammad

Assalaamu allaykum wa rahmatu Allah. (turn your head to the right)

Assalaamu allayum wa rahmatu Allah (turn your head to the left) THE GREETING TO THE LEFT IS OPTIONAL.

THE PRAYERS ARE COMPLETE

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE QURAN RECITATION OF THE FIRST TWO UNITS OF ALL PRAYERS THAT ARE DONE WHILE THE SUN HAS SET (FAJR, MAGRIB AND ISHAA) MUST BE READ IN AN AUDIBLE TONE, WHILE THE PRAYERS THAT ARE PERFORMED WHEN THE SUN IS OUT MUST BE READ IN A WHISPER/ INAUDIBLE TONE.