I.
QUOTATIONS ON SALAAT (NAMAAZ)/PRAYERS
SALAAT (PRAYERS)
PREVENT OBSCENE AND SINFUL ACTS.
THE QURAN,
29:45
PRAYER IS (THE
CRAFT) FOR ASCENSION OF THE PIOUS (TO HEAVENLY STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS).
MUHAMMAD (S)
THE PROPHET
OF ALLAH
EVERY TIME YOU PRAY,
CONSIDER THAT YOU ARE HAVING A BATH.
JUST AS BATHING CLEANSES ONE’S BODY, SO DOES PRAYING WASH A PERSON’S
SINS AWAY AND PURIFIES ONE’S SPIRIT AND SOUL.
MUHAMMAD (S)
SALAAT/PRAYER IS THE
SYMBOL OF SUBMISSION TO ALLAAH/GOD. WHILE THE AVOIDANCE OF SALAAT/PRAYER,
INTENTIONALLY OR DUE TO LAZINESS, IS A SIGN OF LACK, OR WEAKNESS OF ONE’S
FAITH, IN GOD.
“PROCRASTINATION IS
THE THIEF OF TIME: THIS SAYING
APPLIES APPROPRIATELY, AS LONG AS
PRACTICABLE AND POSSIBLE, TO THE TIMELY PERFORMANCE OF SALAAT, WITHOUT
INVOLVING DELIBERATE DELAYS. IN THIS
CONNECTION THE PROPHET SAYS, “TIMELY PERFORMANCE OF PRAYER PLEASES ALLAAH; LATE
PERFORMANCE NECESSITATES PARDONING A SIN”
(i.e. OF PROCRASTINATION).
II.
PREFACE
The
new generations of Muslims around the world, and especially in the United
States and Europe, do not always find it comfortable and easy to learn prayers
in the manner and the language of their
parents. Non-Arab Muslims
should, of course, try and understand the meaning of their daily prayers. At the same time it is important that they
recite the prayer in the original language, which is Arabic.
For
those children and adults, who have not had the benefit of learning and reading
Islamic prayers in the Arabic language, I therefore happily offer, as exact a
transliteration (i.e. phonetic recitation) of the same in English as I possibly
can. Furthermore, English translations
of these daily prayers also appear, separately, at the end of the transliterated
text.
With
a little effort, I am certain that the reader will, if he has not already
learned to say his prayers in the original language, find this transliterated
text very easy to read, understand and follow.
However, the most important part of saying prayers is to recite them
with the presence of mind and heart, and as gently, slowly and unhurriedly as
one possibly can.
Complete
details of the rules and rituals of daily prayers have also been included. Even so, it is important for those
interested in learning how to pray, to initially seek the guidance and
assistance of parents and Islamic Community teachers.
In
this prayer manual, however, the essential requirements of Salaat (Namaaz),
have been supplemented with actual prayer pictures, so that after some initial
assistance from elders, it would assist the English-speaking Muslim to learn
and to perform his duties independently.
The
Publishers and I would like to take this opportunity of expressing sincere
gratitude to Dr. Abdullah Gilani for his valuable comments and guidance. Furthermore, all those who use this Prayer
Manual should be grateful to the Islamic Center of Beverly Hills for publishing
it, and support its religious and social activities in any way they can.
I
pray for easy learning, serene meditation and happy communion with the Almighty
Allah, to all those who shall attempt to learn their daily prayers, in spite of
the lack of knowledge of reading the Arabic language.
Yours in prayer,
November 1999 Hamid Zavosh
III.
INTRODUCTION - A PSALM TO ALMIGHTY GOD
Is it possible
to compute them all?
God’s Graces that abound in one and
all?
Or do
justice to His boundless blessings?
And offer gratitude without any
misgivings?
On the
expanse of this Boundless Universe,
Abound arts, forms and faces, so
diverse.
It’s that
charming Architect’s handsome images,
So you may see his beauteous
countless traces.
From shore
to shore oceans abound,
And, earth, and trees and
human-kind.
The sun,
the moon, the planets and nights and days,
He created them all, evolving in
various ways.
The clouds
irrigated the roots of withered trees,
Naked branches covered with fresh
spring sleeves.
Fresh
fruits He brought out from woods that were dead,
In a mere cane such sweetness He
placed.
From a mere
drop, a tiny water drop,
So shiny, so smooth a brilliant
pearl He made.
The dead
elements that make up the dust,
By the light and power of the sun
encrust.
Green
pastures, and orchards with luscious fruits,
Flower gardens, and tulips sprouting
from dust.
Thousands
upon thousands of beauteous sceneries,
Mind boggling sights of nature’s
ministries.
Alas how
many eyes do see but miss,
To give credit to His Wisdom, with
devotional kiss.
O’ Adam’s
child you hold no monopoly,
In singing Psalms of His Unity.
All
nightingales that chirp with blowing breeze,
Sing praises on branches of so many
trees. Poem by Sa’di,
Translation by H. Zavosh
So said, and so
beautifully the great and world-renowned Persian Poet, Sheikh Moslehud-din
Saadi of Shiraz: (may Allah rest his soul in joy and peace), in his prayer
song, or psalm, to the Great Architect of the Universe, The Lord Almighty
Allah.
Indeed, the truth is
that praying to Allah, the Almighty God, is not a monopoly of human beings, for
even animals sing his praises from dawn until dusk.
Every human being
has a need for God, the All-powerful, Ever-present, All-knowing Creator,
manifested by a love and attachment to this unseen entity, which one may call
every being's Faith In God.
To establish a
connection between human beings and Himself on a regular basis, Allah has,
through past millennia spoken through His Angel Gabriel with Prophets and
Messengers such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Last Messenger:
Muhammad, (peace be upon them), by means of special revelations. Through these revelations He has laid down
special rules and rituals of prayers during different times of the day and night.
Prophet Muhammad (s)
has said that Prayer is the Pillar of Faith.
One of the most important guidance of Islam is the performance of Salaat
(Namaaz), which is the best of prayers, and is a means of creating proximity
with our One and Only Creator. Every building requires strong foundations. A weak foundation may cause the building not
to remain erect for long. It is for
this reason that it is a binding requirement for every Muslim to strengthen the
foundation of his Faith via the regular performance of Salaat.
IV.
BENEFITS OF SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
Salaat (Namaaz) has
many benefits. Some of these can
clearly be experienced. While the other
attributes of prayer, such as peacefulness, heartfelt satisfaction, spiritual
joy, can only be felt if one performs prayers with good intentions, with
pleasure, with sincerity and satisfaction.
The obvious benefits
of Salaat is that it keeps one away from ugly and sinful actions. One who performs Salaat does not lie; keeps
body and mind clean; a strong faith; trusting God in all activites; does not
have an eye on nor confiscates other people's belongings and properties; tries
to earn a clean living; avoids back-biting, abusiveness, allegations,
accusations, or being a wrongful witness to someone's deed. Such a person carries out his or her affairs
with reason and reflection to ensure avoidance of deviation from religious
instructions and ethical duties and commitments. One who prays also performs charitable works and helps the
poor.
In short, the person
who dutifully prays makes an effort to avoid indecent, irreligious and
unethical acts, no matter how insignificant.
On the contrary such a person always tries to perform good deeds thereby
earning a respectable and reputable religious as well as a social personality,
in a manner that invites the trust of the people. Carrying out the Commands of the Divine Allah by performing
Salaat, one does also accumulate other-worldly spiritual rewards, achieving
salvation and the Satisfaction and Blessings of Allah, while enjoying peace,
calm, health, happiness and His protection in this world.
With Allah's
Blessings, and for the guidance of those uninitiated in the ways of regular
daily Salaat, its manner of performance will be explained in this booklet. Before explaining its details, it is
important to remind the reader that Salaat has certain important spiritual,
mental and
physical
prerequisites. When one stands up to
perform Salaat one should do so respectfully and have mental peace, i.e. to
think about nothing except Allah and the act of worshipping Him, to do so
calmly and according to religious instructions.
V.
SPECIAL EXPLANATIONS
A. Each Salaat
(Namaaz) requires attention to twelve important points:
1.
Intention (Niyyat)
2.
Knowledge of the direction of
Qiblah
3. Standing
Up for Namaaz (Qiyaam).
4. Raising
hands and saying: Allah is Great (Takbir-atol-Ehraam)
5.
Genuflexion or Bending (Rokoo').
6.
Prostration (Sojood)
7. Recitation
of Fatiha Chapter, and another Chapter of the Quran (Qaraa-at)
8. Invocation
of God (Zekr-e-Allah)
9. Affirmation
or Confirmation of Faith (Tashah-hod)
10. A
Call to Peace (Salaam)
11. Serialness
(Tarteeb)
12. Honoring the Sequence of Acts of Prayer
(Mowaalaat)
B. The Fatiha
Chapter and another Chapter of the Quran are read in the first and second units
of Salaat (each unit comprises of 3 postures: Standing, or bending and
prostration).
C. Foursome
praises of Allah (or Zekr) are recited in the third and fourth units of those
Salaats which are made up of three and four units.
D. Raising
the hands for Doa (in supplication) or asking, are recited in all the five
daily Salaat.
E. Affirmation
and Confirmation of Faith is recited at the end of the second and the final
stage of each Salaat.
F. A Call to
Peace (Salaam) follows item E, above, in every Salaat.
VI.
HOURS OF SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
Muslims pray 5 times
a day. The hours of prayer vary from
season to season. The Table of Hours
may be obtained from Islamic centers in your area or the nearest astronomical observatory. One Rak’at is one unit of prayer. The configuration of Salaat is given in the
next section.
To perform Salaat
at, or if not possible during established hours brings excellent spiritual
benefits and virtues. Postponing or
procrastinating the specified hours of Salaat, on the other hand, is like going
late to office, or not honoring the time of an appointment!! Nerves get rattled and one becomes stressed
out if late for an appointment with an earthly being or to satisfy an earthly
assignment!! Praying essentially
involves: keeping appointment for spiritual connection with the Lord of All the
Worlds: whether Spiritual, earthly, conscious or sub-conscious, WHO THOUGH
SILENT IS ALL-SEEING, ALL-PRESENT, AND ALL-KNOWING.
Allaah says in the
Quran: “I do not obligate a soul to
tasks beyond its capabilities.” Applied
to praying on time, this would mean:
one need not go out of one’s way and disturb everything to keep prayer
time. On the other hand, given
reasonable opportunities to pray, one should not, due to laziness, intentional
designs or silly excuses postpone praying on time! PRAYING ON TIME IS AN IMPORTANT RITUAL, AS WELL AS A SYMBOL FOR
DISCIPLINE IN LIFE AND OF HONORING ONE’S COMMITMENTS, WHETHER EARTHLY OR
SPIRITUAL, IN A TIMELY MANNER.
VII.
THE FIVE DAILY SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
Prayers are offered
to Almighty ALLAAH 5 times a day, as follows:
A.
FAJR (SOBH)
(Dawn until Before Sunrise)
2
Rak'ats - Steps 1 to12
(Explained
on pages 16 to 22)
B.
ZOHR
(Noon-time upto close to sunset)
4
Rak'ats - Steps 1 to14
(Explained
on pages 16 to 23)
C. 'ASR (Afternoon upto early sunset )
4
Rak'ats - Steps 1 to14
(Explained
on pages 16 to 23)
D. MAGHREB (After Sunset up to midnight)
3 Rak'ats - Steps 1 to13
(Explained on pages 16 to 23)
E.
'ESHAA
(Evening upto midnight)
4 Rak'ats
- Steps1 to14
(Explained
on pages 16 to 23)
Items B &
C, as well as items D & E may be
performed one after the other.
VIII.
ETIQUETTES OF SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
From beginning to
end, the steps involved in Salaat should be carried out with care, concentration,
earnestness and pleasure, and as follows:
1. The steps
involved in Salaat need to be carried out in the order explained without any
deviation.
2. The steps
involved should follow one after the other without any pause; this is called
Mowaalaat or sequence of prayer.
3. Salaat
should be performed without haste or hurry, and the words need to be pronounced
clearly and distinctly (Toma-nee-neh)
4. Men should
recite the Fatiha Chapter and the Towheed or Ekhlaas Chapter during the
Morning, Sunset and Night Salaat, in a manner that enables them to
clearly hear their own voice. (Jahr)
In
other Salaat these two Chapters are to be recited in a low voice. (Ekhfaat)
All Salaat should be recited in a low
voice by women.
IX. QIBLAH OR THE
DIRECTION OF SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
One must stand for
Salaat looking towards the Qiblah, that is facing in the direction of Ka'aba
(The House of Allah in the City of Mecca). Therefore no matter where you are,
it is important to know the direction of Qiblah. In the United States, it is now
agreed that the least distance can be achieved by standing in the
North-East direction, no matter which city you might be praying in.
X.
CLEANLINESS (TAHAARAT)
TO
BE CLEAN IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF FAITH
(UN-NEZAA-FA-TO
MEN AL-IMAAN)
Considerable
importance is given to cleanliness in Islam.
As is said in the Quran:
"God
loves people who are clean"
Generally speaking,
people do give great attention to cleanliness during prayers. While physical cleanliness is important,
mental and spiritual cleanliness are of much greater significance. One's thought processes must be unpolluted
and pure while performing prayers.
Physical cleanliness
involves also taking a Wadhu (ablution) which will be explained below.
The clothes one
wears and the place of prayers must be uncontaminated, clean, and not on
wrongfully possessed property of others.
XI.
ABLUTION (WADHU)
Ablution involves
the washing of the face, hands and arms, and wetting the head and toes as
follows:
1. Ablution
begins with the intention that you are getting ready to perform Salaat. Make up and other covering should be removed
from the skin surface prior to ablution.
2. Fill the
cusp of your right hand with water and use it for washing your entire face.
3. Fill your
left hand’s cusp with water and wash your right arm from elbow to the tips of
fingers. Repeat this with your right
hand to wash your left arm and hand.
4. Anoint (streak wet) the top of the head,
with your wet right fingers.
5. Then anoint (streak wet) the right foot
with the wetness of your right fingers, from the tip of the toes to the hump of the ankle. Then repeat the same wetting process with the left fingers on the
left foot.
6. It is important that these steps be carried
out one after the other, i.e. sequentially in above stated order (Mowaalaat).
XII.
FACTORS THAT INVALIDATE ABLUTION
1. Urination.
2. Defecation.
3. Passing
of gas.
4. Sleeping.
5. Sexual
intercourse or ejaculation.
6. Being under
the influence of alcoholic drinks or
any drug, or any substance that may alter full awareness.
7. Menstruation.
XIII.
FACTORS THAT INVALIDATE SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
Factors that cancel
out Ablution also cancel Salaat. In
addition to the above mentioned items,
the following 9 factors make Salaat void:
1. Eating
and drinking.
2. Talking.
3. Turning
away from the Qiblah.
4. Loud
Laughter.
5. Crying
aloud.
6. Any act that
disturbs the spirit of prayer, such as moving the head to sides, jumping, etc.
7. Excess mental
or physical activity or excessive interruptions.
8. Increasing
or reducing the steps necessary in the prayer.
9. Praying in a
place without the permission of the owner or on confiscated property.
XIV.
SOME
INSIGHTS REGARDING
MOHR (CLAY TABLET)
(USED DURING SOJOOD)
Quotations from the Quran
15:26 “We
created the human being from aged mud, like the potter’s clay”.
15:27 “And
the Jinn race, We had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind.”
15:28 Behold!
Your Lord said to the angels: “I am
about to create man, from sounding clay,
from mud moulded into shape;”
15:29 “When
I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit,
fall ye down in obeisance unto him.”
15:30 “So
the angels prostrated themselves all of them together...”
17:61 Behold! We said to the angels: “Bow down for Adam”: they bowed down except Iblis. He said:
“Shall I bow down for Adam, one whom Thou didst create from clay?”
18:50 He
was one of the Jinns and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as
protectors rather than Me? And they are
enemies to you! Evil would be the
exchange for the wrongdoers!
36:60 Did I
not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the
devil? That he is your most ardent
enemy?
36:61 That
you shall worship Me alone? That this
is the Straight Path?
36:77 “Does
the human being not see that We created him from a tiny drop, then he turns into
a profound enemy?”
Since I was a child
this requirement of placing the forehead on Mohr (i.e. Torbat, Clay Tablet)
always intrigued me, and to my questions on the matter I was told that this is
holy clay from around the tomb of Imam Hossein in Kerbala or from those of Imam
Reza in Mashhad. But there was never a
satisfactory answer as to why one should place one’s forehead on a clay tablet
even if it be a holy one!!
The explanation I
now offer is my own and I have not read nor received any satisfactory explanation
even to this day! To make life easy for
you, and in order that you may understand and appreciate my personal
explanations on the matter, I have selected appropriate verses from the Quran. Please read them carefully. If the justification for the use of Mohr has
still not dawned on you, I provide the same here for your further reflection:
Iblis (Satan)
refused to prostrate itself when Allah Commanded it to do so after Adam was
created out of clay. Satan boasted that
it was made of fire while Adam was fashioned out of mere mud. Therefore, for us human beings, the placing
of the forehead, during 5 sets of prayers each day, on a clay tablet has the
following symbolic significance:
That
we do not follow the devil’s lead, reject its defiance of the Lord’s Command,
and in order to please Allah, humbly accept his Command, by placing our
forehead in Sejdeh on a piece of clay;
That
we continuously affirm by such prostration (Sejdeh) that we shall not renege or
revolt against Allah’s Commands;
That
we renounce the origin of evil in arrogance and jealousy demonstrated by Satan,
who saw only the lower side of man (his clay) and failed to see his higher
side: i.e. the spiritual faculty
brought in from the Creative Power of Allah blown into Man;
And
finally, by doing so, we seek to please Allah and be purified by His Grace.
PHONETIC GUIDELINES
Please note the
following rules of transliteration used in this text, in order that you may
pronounce the words as close to the original Quranic sound as possible:
a = as
in Bat, Sat, That
aa = as in Baba (The spelling of the word
"ALLAH" is a universally accepted
one. But to keep it consistent with the guidance here given, i.e. denoting the upward sound "aa" as
in Baba, the spelling used here
of the said word is
"ALLAAH".
'a = ('ayn) a
Guttural sound preceding or succeeding the letter "a" or "e", (proceeding from
the depth of the throat), as in 'ayd, or ba'eed.
ai = as in aye
gh= ghain, as in gholam
q = qaaf,
as in qowm
k = kaaf,
as in kam; kh= as in Khorram/khair
When you find that a
consonant such as b, k, etc. is followed by a vowel such as "a' or
'o" in the next word, connect them together, for example: Allaah-o Akbar;
or Ell Allaah
Quite a few words
have been purposely hyphenated to reduce their length, facilitate their sound
connection, as well as for easier pronunciation and reading.
Finally the words
and sentences that appear in bold
type, are the actual words used
during the process of Salaat (Namaaz), while the rest are explanations and
guidelines.
1. AZAAN
(CALL
TO PRAYER)
ALLAAH-O AKBAR (4
TIMES)
ASH-HADO AN LA ELAA-HA ELL-ALLAAH (2 TIMES)
ASH-HADO ANNA MUHAMMAD-AN RASUL-
OL-LAAH (2
TIMES)
ASH-HADO ANNA ALI-YAN WALI-OL-LAAH (2 TIMES)
HAYYA 'ALAS-SALAAH (2
TIMES)
HAYYA 'ALAL-FALAAH (2
TIMES)
HAYYA 'ALAA KHAIREL 'AMAL (2
TIMES)
ALLAAH-O AKBAR (2
TIMES)
LA ELAA-HA ELL-ALLAAH (2 TIMES)
2. EQAAMEYE SALAAT (NAMAAZ)
(STANDING-UP
IN PREPARATION FOR THE SALAAT)
ALLAAH-O AKBAR (2
TIMES)
ASH-HADO AN LA ELAA-HA ELL-ALLAAH (2 TIMES)
ASH-HADO ANNA MUHAMMAD-AN RASUL- (2 TIMES)
OL-LAAH
HAYYA 'ALAS-SALAAH (2
TIMES)
HAYYA 'ALAL-FALAAH (2
TIMES)
HAYYA 'ALAA KHAIREL 'AMAL (2
TIMES)
QAD QAA MATES-SALAAH (2 TIMES)
ALLAAH-O AKBAR (2
TIMES)
LA ELAA-HA ELL-ALLAAH (ONCE)
3. NIYYAT
DECLARATION OF
INTENTION, BY RAISING THUMBS TO YOUR EARS, AND SILENTLY BUT VOCALLY DECLARING
THAT YOU INTEND TO PERFORM 2, 3 OR 4 RAK'AT SALAAT (NAMAAZ) OF FAJR (SOBH, MORNING),
ZOHR (NOON), 'ASR (AFTERNOON), MAGHREB (SUNSET), 'ESHAA (EVENING). THEN ADDING
TO YOUR NIYYAT, THE WORDS:
"QORBATAN EL-ALLAAH"
4.
TAKBIR-ATOL EHRAAM
RAISING YOUR HANDS
TO YOUR EARS, SAY:
ALLAAH-O AKBAR
5.
QARAA-'AT
FIRST
RAK'AT:
RECITE THE FOLLOWING
TWO SURAHS FROM THE QURAN: (Surah
Fatiha)
BISMELLAAH-ER RAHMAN-ER RAHEEM
AL HAMDO LEL-LAAHE RABB-EL
'AALAMEEN. AR-
RAHMAAN-ER RAHEEM. MAALEK-E
YAOW-MED-DEEN,
EY-YAAK-A NA'BODO WA EY-YAAKA
NASTA'EEN.