COMPLETE FORMULA FOR SALAT

COMPLETE FORMULA FOR SALAT

            In preparation for Salat rid yourself of major and the minor uncleanness and filth in any other apparent form. Put on clean clothes, stand on a clean spot facing Qiblah and leaving a space of four fingers or so between the two feet. Then affirm the intention for Salat which you are going to offer. The intention may, for example, be like this: “I affirm my intention to offer Salat of Fajr for the sake of Al-lah”. It is better if the affirmation is also expressed in words. Having thus affirmed the intention, raise your hands to your ears with your palms and your fingers, duly separated, turned towards the Qiblah and the thumbs facing the ear tips. Say:

AL-LAHU AKBAR

and fold your hands below the navel. Put your right palm on the back of the left. Bring the right thumb and small finger round the left wrist. Place the remaining three fingers on the back of the left wrist. Keep your eyes on the spot for Sijdah. With hands thus folded, recite Thana slowly. Then recite ta’aw-wuz and tasmi’ and recite Al-Fatiha. Round the Al-Fatiha off with “amen” on a low pitch. Recite a chapter (surah) or a long verse (ayah) or three small verses after the Al-Fatiha (provided that if you are offering it behind Imam you shall recite the Thana and stand quite. Do not recite the ta’aw-wuz, tasmi’, Al-Fatiha and any other chapter or verse). Recite everything clearly and correctly. Do not make haste. After this is over, say:

AL-LAHU AKBAR

and go into ruku’ (bowing). Stretch the fingers and grasp the knees with your scooped palms. Straighten your back in bowing in such a way that if a cup full of water were placed on it, it remained there intact. Keep the head level with the back, no lower and no higher than that. Keep your hands clear of the ribs. Keep the calves of the legs straight. Repeat tasbih for ruku’ three or five times. Then stand up saying tasmi’. Also say tahmid ( the Imam shall only say the tasmi’ and the followers only the tahmid, but the individuals will say both the tasmi’ and tahmid.

            Now go prostrate saying the Takbir. First place the knees, then palms and the nose and the forehead in that order on the ground. Keep your face in between the two palms and the ears parallel to the thumbs. Keep fingers of your hands close to each other so that all point towards the Qiblah. Keep your elbows clear of the thighs. Do not rest the elbows on the ground. Say tasbih for the Sijdah three or five times. Having done this, raise your forehead, then the nose and lastly your hands from the ground saying Takbir and proceed for the second Sijdah. Revert to your standing posture once again saying Takbir. In doing so, first raise your forehead, then the nose, the palms and the knees in that order. Stand up with the help of your toes and fold your hands as before. Recite bismil-lah, Al-Fatiha and another surah (provided that if you are behind an Imam, do not recite anything only stand quiet). Perform ruku’, qaumah, Sijdah, jalsah and the second Sijdah as before. Having performed the second Sijdah give a fold to your left leg and sit on it. Keep your right foot in a vertical position. Turn the toe-tips of both the feet towards Qiblah. Put your hands on your thighs and recite tashah-hud. When the words:

ASHHADU A(N)L-LA ILAHA

are reached, form a circle with the mid-finger and thumb of your right hand and contract the adjoining fingers towards the palm. Then raise your first finger saying:

LA-ILAHA

and drop it when on the point of saying:

IL-LAL-LAH

Keep up this circular position of the fingers. Having finished tashah-hud, recite darud in a Salat comprising two rak’ahs. Say the invocation (dua’). Then say as-salamu ‘alaikum, first turning the face to the right, then to the left. Intend to address the salaam to the angels and other worshippers on the right side as well as those on left. Include the Imam also in your salaam when moving your face towards him. The Imam should likewise include his followers on the two sides.

            If you are offering Salat comprising three or four rak’ahs, do not recite darud and invocation. Instead, you should stand up saying Takbir. If it is a Fard Salat, complete the third and fourth rak’ahs in the manner already followed. If on the other hand, it is wajib, masnun or nafl Salat, the third and fourth rak’ahs should be offered in the manner prescribed for them. After salaam say the invocation (dua’):

AL-LAHUM-MA ANTAS-SALAMU WA MINKAS-SALAMU WA TABARAKTA YA ZAL-JALALI WAL-IKRAM

and

AL-LAHUM-MA A’IN-NI ‘ALA ZIKRIKA WA SHUKRI-KA WA HUSNI ‘IBADATIKA.

The following formula is also the Prohet’s precept:

LA ILAHA IL-LAL-LAHU WAHDA-HU LA SHARIKA LAH LAHUL-MULKU WA LAHUL-HAMDU WA HUWA ‘ALA KUL-LI SHAI-IN QADIR. AL-LAHUM-MA LA MANI’A LIMA A’TAITA WA LA MU’TIA LIMA MANA’TA WA LA YANFA’U ZAL-JAD-DI MINKAL-JAD-DU.

Noorani Qaida - 15

PROPHET’S PRECEPT (SUNNAH) IN SALAT

PROPHET’S PRECEPT (SUN-NAHS) IN SALAT

Q.   What do we mean by the Sun-nahs (masnun acts) in Salat?

  Sun-nahs are acts which are confirmed to have been practiced by the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) but which are not so much emphasized upon as to assume the status of command (Fard) or ordained (wajib) acts. If a person omits anyone of these acts by mistake, neither his Salat gets disturbed nor the remedial Sijdah becomes essential for him nor is it a sin. If omitted deliberately, the defaulter is liable to be punished by Al-lah.

Q.   How many precepts of the Prophet (masnun acts) are there in Salat?

  Twenty one acts are Masnun in Salat;

             i.       Raising the two hands up to the ears before saying Takbir tahrimah;

           ii.     Keeping fingers of both hands straight as they are, facing the Qiblah in saying Takbir;

         iii.     Abstaining from lowering the head in saying Takbir;

          iv.     Uttering of Takbir tahrimah and all other Takbirs by the Imam while making movement from one position to another on required pitch;

            v.     Gripping the left hand with the right hand below the navel;

          vi.     Reciting thana;

        vii.     Reciting Ta’aw-wuz: A’UZU BIL-LAH….. till the end;

      viii.     Reciting complete bismil-lah;

          ix.     Reciting only Al-Fatiha in the third and fourth rak’ahs of Fard Salat;

            x.     Saying ameen;

          xi.     Reciting thana, ta’aw-wuz and bismil-lah and amen on a low pitch;

        xii.     Reciting text from the holy Qur-an to extent practiced by the Prophet in various Salats;

      xiii.     Reciting tasbih thrice in each one of the ruku’s and Sijdahs;

       xiv.     Keeping the head and waist level with each other in ruku’ and gripping the two knees with the two scooped palms;

         xv.     For Imam to say: SAMI’ AL-LAHU LIMAN HAMIDAH  and for the followers to say: RAB-BANA LAKAL HAMD and for the individuals to says both the tasmi’ and the tahmid.

       xvi.     Resting first the knees, then the palms finally the forehead on the ground while going in for Sijdah;

     xvii.     Folding the left leg, keeping it on the ground and sitting on it in jalsah and qa’da and keeping the right foot vertical in a way that the tips of the toes are turned towards Qiblah and place the palms of both hands on the thighs;

   xviii.     Pointing with the first finger of the right hand in tashah-hud at the point of: ASHHADU A(N)L-LA ILAHA;

       xix.     Reciting the holy darud after tashah-hud;

         xx.     Pronouncing invocation (du’a) after the holy darud;

       xxi.     Turning the face in Salaam first to the right, then to the left;

DESIRABLE ACTS (MUSTAHABS) IN SALAT

Q.   How many acts are desirable (Mustahab) in Salat?

  Five acts are desirable:

             i.     Taking palms of the two hands out of sleeves;

           ii.     For the individual to say tasbih more than thrice in ruku’ and Sijdah;

         iii.     Keeping eyes fixed or the spot for Sijdah in Qiyam, on the back of one’s feet during ruku’; on one’s lap in jalsah and qua’dah and over one’s right and left shoulders in saying salaam;

          iv.     Controlling the cough as much as one can;

            v.     Closing one’s mouth in yawning and if it does open, covering it with the back of the right palm in Qiyam and with that of the left in other positions for Salat.

ORDAINED ACTS (WAJIBAT) OF SALAT

ORDAINED ACTS (WAJIBAT) OF SALAT

Q.   What do we understand by the ordained acts (wajibat) of Salat?

  The ordained acts of Salat are those acts are compulsory to be performed in Salat. If a person forgets to perform any of these acts he shall have to rectify the error by means of remedial prostration (Sijdah sahv). If no such Sijdah is performed after the omission of a wajib or any one of these acts is deliberately omitted, Salat will be invalid and will have to be revised.

Q.   How many ordained acts (wajibs) are there in the Salat?

  There are fourteen wajibs in Salat:

             i.     Doing recitation in the first two rak’ahs;

           ii.     Reciting Al-Fatiha in each and every rak’ah of all Salats will the exception of the third and the fourth rak’ahs of Fard Salat;

         iii.     Reciting either one whole chapter (surah) or a long verse (ayah) or three short verses in the first two rak’ahs of a Fard Salat and in each and every rak’ah of all other Salats whether wajib, masnun or nafl after the Al-Fatiha;

          iv.     Reciting Al-Fatiha before reciting any other surah;

            v.     Maintaining the order set for recitation, ruku’, Sijdah and the rak’ahs;

          vi.     Doing qaumah (standing erect after ruku’);

        vii.     Performing jalsah (sitting up in between the two Sijdahs);

      viii.     Doing justice with (performing with ease and grace) the constituents of Salat such as ruku’, Sijdah, etc;

          ix.     Sitting as long as is required for Tashahhud after two rak’ahs in a Salat comprising three or four rak’ahs;

            x.     Reciting Tashahhud in the two Qa’dahs;

          xi.     For Imam to recite the Qur-an aloud in Salat of Fajr, Maghrib, ‘Isha, Jum’ah, the two ‘Ids and all the rak’ahs of Taravih and of Witr in the holy month of Ramadhaan and reciting on a low pitch in the Salats for dhuhr, ‘Asr etc.;

        xii.     Terminating Salats pronouncing as-salamu ‘alaikum warahmatullah;

      xiii.     Saying Takbir for the Qunut and reciting the Qunut in Witr;

       xiv.     Saying additional takbirs in Salat for the two ‘Ids.