How To Pray Salaat

HOW TO PRAY SALAAT

Muslims pray 5 times a day in 5 different times. Those 5 prayers are a must. On Judgment Day the first thing ALLAH (swt) will ask you about is your prayers.

Below I will teach you how to pray a salaat with 2 rak"a (one complete prayer step) and how to stand up and be prepared for it.

There are 5 prayers a Muslim should do every day. He/she must do wudhoo' (ritual washing) first before making a niyya (intention) for the salaat. All salaat must be done by reciting surahs and saying the supplications in Arabic.


The 5 prayers are in different times:

- Fajr (Dawn) - From dawn until sunrise. (2 rak"as)
- Zhuhr (Noon) - From noon until afternoon, or until your shadow becomes taller than you. (4 rak"as)
- "Asr (Afternoon) - From afternoon until sunset. (4 rak"as)
- Maghrib (Sunset) - From sunset until the disappearance of the twilight. (3 rak"as)
- Ishaa' (Night) - From the disappearance of the twilight until 12 midnight. (4 rak"as)

Steps for wudhoo' before praying:

Make sure you make niyya first (intention from heart) for wudhoo', and say "Bismillah" (In the name of ALLAH (swt)).
- Wash your hands thoroughly with water. (3 times)
- Rinse your mouse using your right hand. (3 times)
- Wash your nose by putting water in it using the right hand, and with the left hand extract the water from the nose. (3 times)
- Wash the face with both hands thoroughly. (3 times)
- Wash your right arm from your hand all the way to the elbow. (3 times), then repeat the same steps for your left arm. (3 times)
- Wipe the head with your hands starting from the hairline of your forehead all the way to the back end of your head and back to the front hairline. (1 time)
- Wipes your ears inside and from the back using the index and thumb of each hand. (1 time)
- Wash your feet thoroughly beginning with the right foot including in between the toes and above the ankle. (3 times)

When you are done, you will say:
"Ash-hadu Anna laa elaaha Ella ALLAH wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan "abdahoh wa rasoolahoh. ALLAHUMMA ij"alni min al tawwabeen wa min al motatahhireen".

The following will show you how to pray a 2-rak"a prayer:

1. First the Muslim begins by saying the niyya (intention) to pray the Fajr prayer for ALLAH (swt). For a woman she must wear clothes that will cover up her head where only her face, her hands and her feet are showing. Wearing socks for both males and females is not a problem only after performing the wodoo' (ritual washing).

2. Then he/she will start by saying Takbirat Al Iĥraam (ALLAHU AKBAR). It must be said before starting to pray or your prayer will not be accepted. Your hands should go behind your ears as you say Takbirat Al Iĥraam. Your eyes should be looking down on the carpet at the sujood place (prostration place where you place your head on the carpet), and your feet should be next to each other and facing front.
After you say "ALLAHU Akbar", you will say this duaa' before you begin any salaat:
"Subĥaanak ALLAHUMMA wa beĥamdic, wa tabaaraka esmok, wa ta"aala jaddok (your place), wa laa elaaha ghayrok".

3. Place your right hand on top of your left hand and your eyes are will remain looking down at the carpet then begin reciting surat Al Faatiĥa. Surat Al Faatiĥa shoud be recited in the beginning of every rak"a. Once you finish surat Al Faatiĥa, begin by reciting a short surah afterwards, like surat Al Ikhlaas or Surat Al Kawthar or any aayat (verses) from The Holy Qur'an, preferrably at least 3 verses. Remember after you finish surat Al Faatiha to say the word "Ameen" at all times, which means "My Lord accept my supplications".
Note: For Fajr, Maghrib and Ishaa' you can recite surat Al Faatiha and the other surah loud enough as if you are reciting it to people. But if you find that reading out loud will disturb the people around you, then you may recite them quietly.

4. Once you are done reciting both surahs, you will say "ALLAHU Akbar" with your hands behind your ears and then do the Rukoo", which you will be bending down in a 90 degree angle with the palms of your hands are on your knees with straight legs, not bent. Then begin saying "Subĥaana Rabbiyal "Azheem" 3 times.
Note: When saying "Subĥaana Rabbiyal "Azheem" 3 times, you should say it quietly.

5. Get back up to the starting position with your hands behind your ears and say "Same"a ALLAHU leman ĥamedah, Rabbana wa laka al ĥamd".
6. Then you say "ALLAHU Akbar" and you will go down to do the Sujood (prostration). Several parts of your body should touch the floor while in prostration position: Both of the palms of your hands, your forehead, your nose, both of your knees and both of your feet toes. Once you have done that begin by saying "Subĥaana Rabbiyal A"laa" 3 times.
Note: This also should be said quietly.

7. Once you say that you say "ALLAHU Akbar" and you sit up with your thighs on top of your lower parts of your legs, and your right foot toes stay in the same position while the back side of the left foot is on the floor. Both palms of your hands will stay on your thighs and knees. Then you say a Du"aa' (supplication), there are several of them, one of them is "Rabbi Eghfir lee, Rabbi Eghfir lee ".
Note: This also should be said quietly.

8. Then you say "ALLAHU Akbar" and do the sujood one more time repeating the same words "Subĥaana Rabbiyal A"laa" 3 times (step 6). Remember, during sujood not only your right foot but both feet must be in the same position with your toes only touching the floor.
Note: "Subĥaana Rabbiyal A"laa" 3 times should be said quietly.

9. Once you are done you say "ALLAHU Akbar" and you stand up to the starting position where you are standing up. This is 1 Rak"a.

10. Do the second rak"a as the first (steps 1 to 8).
11-a. Once you reach the second prostration, you will not stand up, instead you will sit up again and start saying Al Tashahhud (Testifying). And it is as follows:

"Attaĥiyyaatu lillahi wassalawaati wattayyibaat. Assalaamu "alayka Ayyuha Al Nabiy wa raĥmatullahi wa barakaatuh. Assalamu "alayna wa "ala "ebadillahi assaaliĥeen".
Note: Al Tashahhud is to be said quietly.

11-b. Then you continue Al Tashahhud by raising the index of your right hand and say the following line:
"Ash-hadu Anna laa elaaha Ella ALLAH wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan "abdahoh wa rasoolahoh".

11-c. "Allahumma Salli "ala Muhammad wa "ala Aaali Muhammad, kama sallayta "ala Ibrahim wa "ala Aali Ibrahim, wa baarik "ala Muhammad wa "ala Aali Muhammad, kama baarakta "ala Ibrahim wa "ala Aali Ibrahim, fil "aalameen, innaka ĥameedun Majeed".

12. Once you are done saying Al Tashahhud, turn your head to the right side above your right shoulder and say "Assalaamu "alaykum wa raĥmatullahi wa barakaatuh".

13. Then you turn your head to the left over your left shoulder and say "Assalaamu "alaykum wa raĥmatullah".
This is the completion of the salaat with 2 rak"as.

This also should be done with all prayers, but with few additions:

For Zhuhr, "Asr, Maghrib and Ishaa': Once you do 2 rak"as (steps 1-8 (two times)), you will say Al Tashahhud, until you reach:
"Ash-hadu Anna laa elaaha Ella ALLAH wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan "abdahoh wa rasoolahoh" (11-b).

Then you get up and do the other 2 rak"as with your hands behind your ears and you say "ALLAHU Akbar" (steps 1-8 (two times)), but this time for the other 2 rak"as or the 3rd and 4th (except Maghrib prayer) you only recite surat Al Faatiĥa, without any short surah with it, and it must be recited quietly in your heart.

At the end of the 4th rak"a (step 11) you will say the full Tashahhud (11-a,11-b and 11-c). And you follow it with steps 12 and 13.

For Maghrib: Since it has 3 rak"as, you will do the same as you are doing for the Zhuhr, "Asr and Ishaa', but instead of reaching the 4th rak"a, you will sit down and do Al Tashahhud on the 3rd rak"a.

Short steps while praying:

- Remember after you finish surat Al Faatiĥa to say the word "Ameen" at all times, which means "My Lord accept my supplications".

- All surahs reciting and other supplications must be said in Arabic or your salaat is not accepted.

- Do not move a lot during your salaat, or talk to others or laugh. If you happen to accidentally smile then that will not affect your salaat.

- Do not think about other things while you are praying, focus on the words of The Holy Qur'an.

- Don't close your eyes as you are recite The Holy Qur'an.

- You should keep your eyes down at all time while praying, because you are standing in front of ALLAH (swt) and you must show him the respect.

- Do not let anyone distract you, ignore what happens around you, unless it is an emergency. Examples of emergency: if you have a younger brother getting close to a window and the window is open, you should quickly close the window and continue where you left off in your salaat. Or if you are near the front door and one of your family member is knocking to get in, then you can use few seconds to open the door and get back to praying. All these should be done without talking to anyone, you should be silent.

- Non-emergency cases can be like: Someone is asking you about their car keys for example, you should not pay attention to them and continue praying, or if your cell phone is ringing, ignore it and you can pick it up after you finish your salaat.

- If you happen to forget what rak"a you are on or if you forgot whether you said one of the lines in the salaat or not, do not think, just continue your salaat. If you felt like you missed one rak"a while praying and not sure (example, you are on the 3rd rak"a and you think you are on 4th), then continue praying as if it is your 3rd rak"a. Once you are done with Al Tashahhud and before you say Al Salaam on both sides, you will do what is called "Sujood Al Sahoow", you will do 2 of the same sujood that you do during praying. It can be done in two ways: Before you turn your head to the right to finish your salaat, or after yoou turn to the left and finish your salaat. That depends on what you felt like you missed. For example, if you felt like you missed part of the salaat pillars, then you do it before turning your head to the right for saying tasleem. And if you felt like you did more of what should be done (like doing 3 sujoods instead of 2), then you do Sujood Al Sahoow after you finish tasleem on your left side. That will cover up for what you have accidentally forgotten.

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