|Prayer Timings| | Ablution | | Prayer Mechanics | | Numerical Structure of Salat | | Mosque |
INTRODUCTION
Salah (contact or link) is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God with no earthly intermediaries.
The five-time prayers become obligatory from the moment a person embraces Islam. This is an extremely important tenet of Islam and has been enjoined with great emphasis in the Holy Quran. It is a form of worship which establishes the link between man and his Creator and Benefactor, Allah (GOD). Through 'Salat' a person communes with his Lord, the Creator and the Sustainer of the Universe.
Just as performing 'Salat' is obligatory, learning to perform it in the prescribed way is also obligatory so that one should know what he is saying to his Lord, and enjoy the full blessings and benefits of praying. In the performance of Salat all the prayers have to be said in Arabic. Therefore, it becomes essential for a new Muslim to start learning those prayers in Arabic.
The best way of learning is from a Muslim teacher or a Muslim friend or a family member, which is a time-honored Islamic tradition. But for those who might find themselves in a non-Muslim environment where a Muslim teacher is not readily available, this page has been prepared. All the necessary prayers and the verses of the Holy Quran have been put in the Roman script along with the translation of their meanings into English and can be found here..| Prayer Mechanics |. Since the Roman script can not fully and accurately convey the Arabic sounds, we have prepared an audio tape to go with it wherein the same prayers have been recorded in Arabic. In order to learn the prayers with proper Arabic pronunciation, please concentrate more on listening rather than following the Roman script. It might be a good idea to have your pronunciation of the prayers checked by other Muslims the first available opportunity.
We attempt to supply the very basic information to a new Muslim to enable him to start praying in Arabic as early as possible. Further information is necessary to perform 'Salat ' under abnormal conditions i.e. sickness, travel etc. Some concessions have been granted by Almighty Allah in these conditions in the Holy Qur'an. The Qur'an alone is the good source of finding information regarding the conditions and meaning of SALAT. Please only refer to Qur'an for any conditions. There is no difference in prayer performance for Men and Women. GOD has created both sexes equal and places no gender based conditions for SALAT. The man-made conditions such as "menstruating woman are not allowed to pray" is not Quranic and should be discarded as such. GOD will not, by his infinite grace, take away woman's right to pray due to some natural bodily function put in place by GOD himself. Again, all conditions not found in the Qur'an should be and must be discarded.
Before starting the prayer, a person is required to perform ablution(wash). It is consist of washing his or her hands, face, head and feet. The complete detail of Ablution can be found in the Qur'an. Again, all conditions not found in the Qur'an should be and must be discarded.
There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the
prayers are led by a learned person (Imam) who knows the Qur'an, chosen
by the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Qur'an,
and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication
can be offered in one's own language.
Each prayer is practically an audience with God. Facing in the direction
of the Kaaba (the first mosque ever, built by patriarch Abraham and his
son Ismail for the worship of the One God, at the site which long later
became the city of Makkah in Arabia), the prayer is opened by saying "Allah
Akbar", ie. God is Greater (than all else), and practically you are
turning your back to all the universe and are addressing God. One of the
constant readings during prayer is the Opening Chapter of the Quran that
reads "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The Compassionate,
the Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment. You only do we worship and
to You only we cry for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of
those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, those whose lot is not wrath,
and who go not astray." (1:1-7)
Bowing down and prostrating oneself (to God) interjecting "Glory
to my Lord the Great", "Glory to my Lord the Highest", "Allah
listens to those who thank Him" and what fills one's heart by way
of supplication, the prayer is concluded in the sitting position by reiterating
the affirmation of the faith, the Shahada. The correct Shahada which is;
"I bear witness that there is no god but GOD". This the correct
Shahada and nothing else should be added to it. Mentioning
Mohammed or any other name besides GOD will nullify your Salat and brings
grave consequences.
Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall,
and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable
to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such
as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim
world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life. Performing
daily prayers is an act of communication between humans and God. The prayers
are considered a duty for all Muslims,and on these occasions preparations
in ritual purity are required.
Contact prayer (Salat) is a distinct entity from worship in its wider sense,
that is communicating your feelings to God at any time in any place and
asking for His guidance, help and forgiveness, an ingredient of life which
is highly commendable whether in Islam or other religions. Salat takes
a special form and content, where both body and soul are harmoniously involved.
By speaking certain words in Salat, we in turn are opening a gateway
to our LORD. Interestingly, Al-Fatiah, the sura that we recite during our
Salat means "the opening, the key". It is like making "contact
(Salat)" with GOD through a "key (Al-Fatiha)" or an "opening".
Also these words have been so numerically structured that brings about
that "opening" to "contact" our creator. For example,
number "19" being the mathematical foundation or guide of the
numerical structure of the Qur'an, when we recite "Al-Fatiha"
our lips will touch each other exactly "19" times. For more information
about Al-Fatiha and the Mathematical structure of Qur'an, click here.
In prayer, every muscle of the body joins the soul and the mind in the
worship and glory of Allah. Prayer is an act of worship. It is a matchless
and unprecedented formula of intellectual meditation and spiritual devotion,
of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined.
Although salah can be performed alone, it is meritorious to perform it
with another or with a group. The word mosque comes from the Arabic masjid,
meaning "place of prostration." Although it is permissible to
pray at home, at work, or even outdoors, it is recommended that Muslims
perform salah in a mosque.
How is it performed?
Requirements of prayer: performing of ablution (Wudu), purity of the
whole body, clothes and ground used for prayer, dressing properly and having
the intention and facing the Qiblah (the direction of the Ka'bah at Mecca).
Only around the Kaaba mosque in Makkah do Muslims stand in circles for
their prayers (quite an impressive scene). All the world over they are
in straight lines, leaving no gaps, and facing Makkah.
Praying to the Creator on a daily basis is the best way to cultivate in
a man a sound personality and to actualize his aspiration. Allah does not
need man's prayer because He is free of all needs. Prayer is for our immeasurable
benefit, and the blessings are beyond imagination.
Friday Prayers
The noon congregational prayer of Friday afternoon is mandated to be
a collective and must be said in a Mosque, and is preceded by a sermon
(Khutba). The Imam (prayer leader) is not a priest nor need be the same
person every time, but considerations of scholarship and knowledge of the
Quran and the religion are exercised in choosing him.
Prayer, obligatory and spontaneous, is an immense spiritual treasure to
be tapped. It inspires peace, purity and tranquillity and instills companionship
with God. It amazingly reduces the hustle and bustle of life to tame proportions.
By their spacing to five times a day, including its beginning, prayers
tend to maintain a therapeutic level and practically leave no room for
mischievous thought or deed.