Namaz (Salah, Sallaah, Salat, Salaat) is the best among all acts of worship. If it is accepted by the Almighty Allah, other acts of worship are also accepted. And, if prayers are not accepted, other acts are also not accepted

Ablution	Things which invalidate ablution
Tayammum	Method of performing Tayammum
Adhan	Iqamah
Things which invalidate prayers	Conditions for dress worn during prayer
Place where Namaz should be prayed	Prayer Times
The Qiblah	How to perform Prayer

Ablution

How to perform ablution

• Wash palm and gargle: It is preferable to wash hands and gargle three times
• Sniffing: It is preferable to sniff; breathe water into the nose three times
• Resolution (Intention) to perform ablution; wash the face: After the resolution begin to wash the face starting from the forehead to the chain, vertically, and between the thumb and the tall finger, horizontally

 

• Wash the right hand: Start from above the elbow by a little "downwards" till the end of the fingers, wetting the whole hand
• Wash the left hand: Start from above the elbow also, till the end of the fingers, downwards so that whole hand gets wet

 

 

• Cajole (Rub) the head: Cajole with the already wet right hand the head

• Cajole (Rub) the feet: Cajole with the already wet right hand the, also the right foot beginning from the tips of toes of the ankle. And cajole with the already wet left hand the, also the left foot beginning from the tips of toes of the ankle.

 

Things which invalidate ablution

Wudhu becomes void on account of the following seven things:

• Passing of urine
• Excretion
• Passing wind from the rear
• A sleep, deep enough to restrict sight and hearing. However, if the eyes do not see anything, but the ears can hear, Wudhu does not become void
• Things on account of which a person loses his sensibility, like insanity, intoxication or unconsciousness
• Istihaza – which will be dealt with later
• Janabat, and, as a recommended precaution, every state which requires Ghus

 

Tayammum

Tayammum should be performed instead of Wudhu or Ghusl in the following seven circumstances:

• When it is not possible to procure sufficient water for performing Wudhu or Ghusl.
• If a person is unable to procure water on account of old age or weakness, or fear of a thief or a beast, or because he does not possess means to draw water from a well, he should perform tayammum. The same would apply if acquiring water is intolerably difficult. But in this last situation, if a person, inspite of the difficulty, did not perform tayammum, and did Wudhu, his Wudhu will be valid.
• If a person fears that if he uses water his life will be endangered, or he will suffer from some ailment or physical defect, or the illness from which he is already suffering will be prolonged, or become acute or some complications may arise in its treatment, he should perform tayammum. However, if he can avoid the harm by using warm water, he should prepare warm water and do Wudhu, or Ghusl when it is necessary.
• If a person fears that if he uses water for Ghusl or Wudhu, he will be involved in hardship because of thirst.
• If the body or dress of a person is najis and he possesses only as much water as is likely to be exhausted if he does Ghusl or Wudhu, and no water would be available for making his body or dress Pak, he should make is body or dress Pak and pray Namaz with tayammum. But if he does not have anything upon which he would do tayammum, then he should use the water for Ghusl and Wudhu, and pray with najis body or dress.
• If a person possesses such water or container which is not permitted to use, like when they are usurped (Ghasbi) he should perform tayammum instead of Ghusl and Wudhu.
• When the time left for Namaz is so little that if a person does Ghusl or Wudhu he would be obliged to offer the entire prayers or a part of it after the prescribed time, he should perform tayammum.

Method of performing Tayammum

• Intention (Niyyat)
• Striking or keeping both the palms on the object on which tayammum is valid. As an obligatory precaution, this should be done by both the palms together. Wiping or stroking the entire forehead with the palms of both the hands, and, as an obligatory precaution, its two ends commencing from the spot where the hair of one's head grow down to the eyebrows and above the nose. And it is recommended that the palms pass over the eyebrows as well. To pass the left palm over the whole back of the right hand and thereafter, to pass the right palm over the whole back of the left hand.

Athan

You say the following:

• Allahu Akbar (God is Great) - four times and each of the following phrases twice:
• Ashhadu Alla Illaha Illal Lah (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah).
• Ashhadu Anna Mohammadar Rasoulul Lah (I bear witness that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah).
• Hayya Alas Salah (Hasten to prayer)
• Hayya Alal Falah (Hasten to success)
• Hayya Ala Khairil Amal (Hasten to the best of good deeds)
• Allahu Akar
• La Illaha Illal Lah (There is no god but Allah)

Iqamah

You should say each of the following phrases twice:

• Allahu Akbar
• Ashhadu Alla Illaha Illal Lah
• Ashhadu Anna Mohammadar Rasoulul Lah
• Hayya Alas Salah
• Hayya Alal Falah
• Hayya Ala Khairil Amal
• Qad Qametis Salah (prayer is being offered)
• Allahu Akbar
• La Illaha Illal Lah (once)

Note: Ash hadu anna Amiral Mu'minina 'Aliyyan Waliyyullah ( I testify that the Commander of the faithful, Imam Ali (AS) is the vicegerent of Allah) is not a part of either Athan or Iqamah. But it is preferable that it is pronounced after Ash hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulul lah with the niyyat of Qurbat.

Things which invalidate prayers

Twelve things make prayers void, and they are called mubtilat:

• If any of the pre-requisites of prayers ceases to exist while one is in namaz, like, if he comes to know that the dress with which he has covered himself is a usurped one.
• If a person, intentionally or by mistake, or uncontrollably, commits an act which makes his Wudhu or Ghusl void, like, when urine comes out, even if it is discharged forgetfully, or involuntarily, after the last Sajdah of the prayers.
  But if a person is incontinent, unable to control urine or excretion, his prayers will not be void if he acts according to the rules explained early in the Chapter of Wudhu. Similarly, if a woman sees blood of Istihaza during prayers, her namaz is not invalidated if she has acted according to the rules of Istihaza.
• If a person folds his hands as a mark of humility and reverence, his prayers will be void, but this is based on precautionary rule. However, there is no doubt about it being haraam, if it is done believing that it is ordained by Shariah.
• The fourth thing which invalidates prayers is to say 'Amin' after Surah al-Hamd. This rule, when applied to one praying individually, is based on Ihtiyat, but if someone utters it believing that it has been ordained by Shariah, it is haraam. There is no harm if someone utters it erroneously or under taqayya
• The fifth thing which invalidates prayers is to turn away from Qibla without any excuse. But if there is an excuse, like, forgetting or an external force, like a strong wind blowing, which turns him away from Qibla, his namaz will be valid if he has not deviated towards his right or his left.
  But it is necessary that he returns to the direction of Qibla as soon as the excuse disappears. And if he turned away towards right or left side - regardless of whether his back is towards Qibla or not - due to forgetting, he should pray again towards Qibla as soon as he remembers, if there is time left even for one Rak'at. But if there is no time for even one Rak'at at his disposal, then he should continue with the same namaz towards Qibla, and he will not have to give any qadha for that. Similar rule applies to the one who has deviated because of the external force.
• The sixth thing which invalidates prayers is to talk, even by uttering a single word consisting of one, single letter which has a meaning or denotes something. For example, one letter "Qi" in Arabic means "protect yourself". Or if someone asked a person who is praying, as to which is the second letter of Arabic alphabet, and he said simply "Ba". But if the utterance is meaningless, then, if it constitutes two or more letters, his prayers will be void, based on precaution.
• The seventh thing which makes namaz void is an intentional loud laugh. And if the laugh is uncontrollable, or involuntary, if what prompted it in the first place was intentional, or for that matter, inadvertant, the namaz will be void. But if one laughs loudly unintentionally, or if he purposely laughs without emitting any voice, there is no harm.
• As an obligatory precaution, if one intentionally weeps, silently or loudly, over some worldly matters, his namaz will be void. But, if he weeps silently or loudly due to fear of Allah, or for the Hereafter, there is no harm in it. In fact, it is among the best acts.
• Any act which changes the form of namaz like, clapping or jumping, invalidates the namaz, regardless of whether that act is done intentionally or forgetfully. However, there is no harm in actions which do not change the form of namaz, like, making a brief sign with one's hand
• Eating or drinking. If a person offering prayers eats or drinks in such a manner that people would not say that he was in namaz, his prayers would be void, regardless of whether he does it intentionally or forgetfully.
  However, if a person who wants to keep a fast is offering a Mustahab namaz before the Athan of Fajr, and being thirsty, fears that by the time he completes the prayers it will be Fajr, he can drink water during that Mustahab prayers, provided water is not more than two to three steps away from him, and he should be careful not to commit acts which invalidate namaz, like turning his face away from Qibla.
• Any doubt concerning the number of Rak'ats in those prayers which consist of two or three Rak'ats, will render the namaz void. Also, if one doubts about the number of the first two Rak'ats, of namaz having four Rak'ats, (like, Zuhr, Asr and Isha), his namaz will be void if he continues to be in doubt.
• If a person omits or adds the Rukn (elemental parts) of the namaz, either intentionally or forgetfully, his namaz is void. Similarly, if he does an extra Rukn forgetfully, like adding a Ruku or two Sajdah in one Rak'at, his namaz, as an obligatory precaution, will be void.
  And if one omits purposely acts which are not Rukn, or makes an addition, namaz will be void. But if one forgetfully adds one more Takbiratul Ihram, namaz will not be void.

Conditions for dress worn during prayer

There are six conditions for the dress used in namaz:

• It should be Pak.
• It should be mubah (permissible for him to use).
• It should not be made of the parts of a dead body.
• It should not be made of the carcass, whose meat is haraam.
• If a person who offers prayers is a male, his dress must not be made of pure silk.
• If a person who offers prayers is a male, his dress must not be embroidered with gold. The details of these will follow later.

Place where Namaz should be prayed

There are seven conditions for the place where one should offer prayers:

• The place where the prayers are offered should be Mubah. If a person prays on a usurped property, then as an obligatory precaution, his prayers are void, even it he prays on a carpet, or a couch, or similarly objects. However, there is no harm in offering prayers under a usurped roof or a usurped tent.
• The place for prayers should not have such a vigorous movement which would make normal standing, Ruku or Sajdah impossible.
• A person should offer prayers at a place where he sees the possibility of completing the prayers. To pray at a place where one cannot complete the prayers, because of strong winds, or heavy rains or a teeming crowd, will render namaz void, even if one somehow manages to finish the prayers.
• The ceiling of the place where one prays should not be so low, that one may not be able to stand erect, nor should the place be so small, that there may be no room for performing Ruku or Sajdah.
• If the place where one wishes to pray is najis, it should not be so wet that its moisture would reach the body or the dress of the person praying. But, if the place where one places one's forehead while performing Sajdah, is najis, the prayers will be void, even if that place is dry. And the recommended precaution is that the place where one offers prayers should not be najis at all.
• As an obligatory precaution, women should stand behind men while praying. At least, her place of Sajdah should be in line with his thighs, when in Sajdah.
• The place where a person places his forehead while in Sajdah, should not be higher or lower than a span of four fingers, when compared to the place of thighs or toes of his feet. The details of this rule will be given in the rules relating to Sajdah.

Prayer Times

For each of the five prayers there is an appointed time that must not be taken lightly.

• The time for Subh prayer is from the start of dawn till sunrise
• The time for Dhuhr and Asr prayers is from zawal to sunset. The first portion is confined to Dhuhr prayer and the second to Asr prayer in as long as each of which takes.
• The time of Maghrib and Isha starts from sunset and lasts till midnight. The first part is confined to Maghrib and the latter part to Isha in as long as each of which takes. You should not start Maghrib prayer until the dusk, appearing in the East, disappears from the sky.

Note: Zawal is the midway between sunrise and sunset.
Note: Eastern dusk is a reddish colour that appears in the East, opposite the direction of sunset, that disappears once the whole disc of the sun descends below the horizon.
Note: Midnight that heralds the end of time for Isha prayer is the mid point between sunset and dawn.

The Qiblah

set your face towards the qiblah, which is the place where the Holy Qa’ba, in Mekkah.

How to perform Prayer

Subh prayer

Attention, Intention and Takbira: Face the Qiblah and intend to pray the morning! prayer (salat) , and if one wanted to pray another prayer other than the morning prayer so change the morning with the other prayer and it is (Al - donor, Al- asr, Al-Magreb, Al- Esha'a).

(Ussali fardh al ... qurbatan illa allah ta'ala)

Takbirat Al - Ehram: After the intention arise hands up and say (Allahu Akbar) and it is Takbirat Al - Ehram

Recite sourat Al - Fateha and another soura: Then begin bu reciting sourat Al-Fatiha then another compete soura from the holy qur'an

Ruku (Bowing): Then bow and say (Subhana rabbiyal -adheemi wa behamdeh), then it is preferable to say (Allahuma salli ala mohammed wa ale mohaamed)

Stand up sfter Ruku: Then stand up erect with stability second s and say (same'a allaho leman hamedah) and go to Sujoud

The first Sajdah: Then put your forehead, palms, big toes of both feet and both knees on the ground and say (Subhana rabbiyal a'la wa bihamdeh Allahuma salli ala mohammed wa ale mohaamed)

Sit after first Sajdah: Sit at ease for seconds and say (Allaho akbar)

The second Sajdah: Then kneel for the second Sajdah and say (Subhana rabbiyal a'la wa bihamdeh) and it is preferable to say (Allahuma salli ala mohammed wa ale mohaamed)

Sit up after the second Sajdah: Then sit up for seconds saying (Allaho akbar). In this way, first Rakaa is done, so stand up

Stand up for the decond Rakaa: After standing up steadily read Sourat Al-Fatiha and another soura (same as you did in the first Rakaa)

Qunut: After reciting sourat Al-Fatiha and onother soura and befor Ruku, it is preferable to recite a short Du'aa

Ruku (Bowing): Then bow and say (Subhana rabbiyal -adheemi wa behamdeh), then it is preferable to say (Allahuma salli ala mohammed wa ale mohaamed)

Stand up after Ruku: Then stand up erect with stability second s and say (same'a allaho leman hamedah) and go to Sujoud

The first Sajdah of the second Rakaa: Then put your forehead, palms, big toes of both feet and both knees on the ground and say (Subhana rabbiyal a'la wa bihamdeh Allahuma salli ala mohammed wa ale mohaamed)

Sit after first Sajdah: Sit at ease for seconds and say (Allaho akbar)

The second Sajdah: Then kneel for the second Sajdah and say (Subhana rabbiyal a'la wa bihamdeh) and it is preferable to say (Allahuma salli ala mohammed wa ale mohaamed)

Sit up after the second Sajdah: Then sit up and recite the Tashahod and add to it the Tasleem by saying (Allahu akbar), (ash-hado an-la-illaha ilia allah, wah-dahu la sharrika lah, wa-ash-hadu anna mohammadan abdahu wa rasuloh, allahuma salli ala mohammad wa ale mohammad). the last line was Tashahud. In Tasleem, add (As-salamo alayka ayohal nabio wa - rahmatollahe wa barakatoh As- salamo alayna wa ala e'bade - llahe as- saleheen. As- salamo alaykum wa - rahmatollahe wa barakatoh). In this way morning prayer is over.


Note: As for Al- Magreb prayer; being three Rakaats, after the second Rakaa and Tashahud don't read the Tasleem, instead get up for the third Rikaa, stand still and say three times (Subhan allahe wal -hamdo lelahe wa la -elaha ellaallho wa-allaho akbar). Then bed for Rukuu and kneel for two Sjouds (as mentioned before) then read the last Tashahud and Tasleem.
As for Al-Dohor, Al- asr and Al- Isha prayers, because each one of them consists of four Rakaats, so after the middle Tashahud perform two Tasbeehat Rakaats (as mentioned above). Then perform the second & last Tashahud and Tasleem.

Intention	Takbirat Al - Ehram	Reciting sourat Al - Fateha and another soura	Ruku (Bowing)
Stand up after Ruku	Sujoud	Sitting up after Sujoud (Repeat one more Sojoud)	Stand up after Sujoud Reciting sourat Al - Fateha and another soura
Qunut	Ruku (Bowing)	Stand up after Ruku	Sujoud
	Sitting up after Sujoud (Repeat one more Sojoud)	Tashahod and Tasleem

 

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The material for this page are from the Imam Ali Foundation.