Some notes about prayer

Some notes about prayer

For performing prayer perfectly and increasing its reward:

❶A praying person should put a widthwise barrier in front of him, in his prostration position, so as not to allow people to pass in the spot in which he is praying, thus he prevents embarrassment of the others who want to pass in the remaining area.

●Ibn ᶦUmar reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah went out on the festival day (ᶦId day), he ordered to carry a bayonet and it was fixed in front of him, and he prayed towards its direction, with the people behind him. He used to do it in the journey. [AL-Bukhari].

❷It is prohibited for a Muslim to pass in front of a praying person in his prostration spot.

●It was narrated from Abi-Juhaim that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said: “If the one who passes in front of a person who is praying knew what (burden of sin) there is on him, it would be better for him to stand for forty than to pass in front of him.” [AL-Bukhari].

❸It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said: “When one of you finishes the last testification, he should seek refuge in Allah from four things: the punishment in Hell, the punishment in the grave, the afflictions of life and death, and the evil of the false Christ.” And in the narration of ᶦAᶦishah: “from the punishment in the grave, from the affliction of the false Christ, from the afflictions of life and death, and from sin and debt.” [Muslim].

●ᶦAᶦishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) gave salutation, he would not remain seated except long enough to say: “O Allah, You are Peace, and peace comes from You, blessed are You, O Possessor of Glory and Honor.” [Muslim].

●Muᶦadh ibn Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah held my hand and said, “O Muᶦadh, By Allah, I love you and advise you not to miss invocation after every prayer saying: O Allah, help me in remembering You, in giving You thanks, and worshipping You well.” [Abu-Daoud].

●AL-Mughirah ibn Shuᶦbah reported: The Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) used to say at the conclusion of prayer: “There is no god but Allah. He is alone, Who has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him praise is due and He is Potent over everything. O Allah! No one can withhold what You have given, and no one can give what You have withheld, and no wealth or fortune can benefit anyone, for from You comes all wealth and fortune.” [Muslim].

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah said, “If anyone exalts Allah after every prayer thirty-three times, praises Allah thirty-three times, declares His Greatness thirty-three times, ninety-nine times in all and says to complete a hundred: ‘There is no god but Allah, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs dominion and to Him is praise due, and He is Potent over everything.’, his sins will be forgiven even if these are abundant as the foam of the sea.” [Muslim].

❹Severe hunger prevents humbleness in prayer. Also who resists urination or defecation can not be humble in his prayer.

●ᶦAᶦishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say, “No prayer can be (rightly said) when the food is there (before the worshipper), or when he is prompted by the call of nature (urination or defecation).” [The Two Scholars].

❺When you are standing in your prayer, you should point your eyes to the spot of your prostration. And in your bowing, make your body as a 90-degree angle and do not raise your head, but point your eyes to your feet.

●It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said: “How is it that some people raise their eyes towards the sky during the prayer?!” He stressed (this point) and added, “People must refrain from raising their eyes towards the sky in prayer; otherwise, they will lose their eyesight.” [AL-Bukhari and Muslim].

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●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet said, “The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are night prayers and morning prayers. And if they knew their merits, they would come to them even if they had to crawl.” [The Two Scholars].

To overcome this impasse, you should get out of bed immediately after waking up, remember Allah using any form, and seek refuge in Allah from the Devil. If you got up lazily, you would give the Devil an opportunity to sneak to you and arouse laziness and sickness in yourself.

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said, “When anyone of you sleeps, the Devil (Shaytan) ties three knots at the back of his neck, and he seals the place of each knot with ‘You have a long night, so sleep.’ If he wakes up and remembers Allah, a knot is untied. If he performs ablution, a knot is untied. If he prays, a knot is untied. He begins his morning in a happy and refreshed mood; otherwise, he gets up in bad spirits and lazy.” [The Two Scholars].

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Making up for the missed prayer

A menstruating woman, a woman in confinement period, and crazy persons, do not make up for the missed prayer.

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Times in which prayer is disliked

●ᶦUqbah ibn ᶦAmir reported: there were three times at which Allah’s Messenger forbade us to pray, or bury our dead: when the sun begins to rise till it is fully up, when it is directly overhead at noon till it passes its zenith, and when it draws near to setting till it sets. [Muslim].

●And in another tradition, the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “The sun rises and with it the horn of the Devil, then when it gets higher the horn leaves it. When the sun is in the middle of the sky the horn joins it, and when the sun declines the horn leaves it, when it is closer to setting it joins it. And when it has set it leaves it.”

The following are excluded from this dislike:

①The missed obligatory prayer. It must be performed at any time.

②When it is time of eclipse prayer, rain-invoking prayer, funeral prayer, circumambulation prayer, mosque greeting prayer, ablution prayer, a prostration of recitation, or a prostration of thankfulness.

③Prayer in the Sacred House.

The Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, “O Banu ᶦAba Manaf, do not prevent anyone from circumambulating this House and praying at  any time he wants of night or day.” [AL-Tirmidhi].

Things in which a woman differs from a man in prayer

Things in which a woman differs from a man in prayer

As for a man:

1) His private parts (that must be covered) in prayer are between his umbilicus and knee.

2) He speaks loudly in loudness situations in prayer.

3) He raises his belly above his thighs and his elbows above his sides in prostration.

4) If something happens to him during prayer, he says “Exalted is God.” to remember Allah.

As for a woman:

1) She makes her body parts near each other and uncovers only her face and hands in prayer.

2) She speaks loudly in loudness situations, only, if she prays alone, with her unmaritable relations (Mahaarim), or with other women. She lowers her voice when she prays in presence of strangers.

3) If something happens to her during prayer, she claps by striking her right palm on the back of her left hand.

●Sahl ibn Saᶦd AL Saᶦidi reported: The Messenger of Allah came back from visiting ᶦAmr ibn ᶦAwf tribe and found that Abu-Bakr had led people (in the prayer). When the praying persons realized the Prophet’s coming, they started to clap. Abu-Bakr turned, and moved back to the row. The Prophet stepped forward and led the prayer. When the Prophet had finished his prayer, he said, “Why did I see you clapping so much?! If something happens to one of you in prayer, he should say: ‘Exalted is God (Subhan Allah).’ When he says, ‘Exalted is God’, he will be heard. Clapping is only for women.” [Muslim].

Prayer validity conditions, pillars,and sunan

Prayer validity conditions, pillars,and sunan

Prayer Validity Conditions:

1) Purity of organs from uncleanness and impurity.
        
2) Ablution before prayer.

3) Being certain that it is time to pray.

4) Heading to Kaᶦbah direction (AL Qiblah), except in war.

5) Covering private parts with clean clothes.

The private parts of a man are between his umbilicus and knees; the private parts of a woman include all of her body, except her face and hands. There is a debate about covering her feet. In summary, she should wear a pair of socks when she prays outside her home.

6) Standing on a clean place. In the schools of Shafii, Malik, and Abu-Hanifah, prayer is disliked in graveyards, slaughterhouses, dumps, barns, public baths, on the road, and on the roof of AL-Kaᶦbah.

But Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal considered prayer in these places is invalid.

Note: There is an exemption from heading to AL-Kaᶦbah direction in fear prayer, and in voluntary prayer during travel.

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Pillars of Prayer

The Pillar of Prayer: Validity of prayer depends on it, and prostration of forgetfulness does not deputize for it.

1)Standing up: If a praying person is able to do it. Sitting is not permissible in obligatory prayer if  a praying person is able to stand up. If he was unable to stand up, he would pray sitting. If he was unable to sit, he would pray lying on his side. If he was unable to lie on his side, he would pray lying on his back with his face towards AL-Kaᶦbah direction and make gestures using his hands, head, and eyes referring to bowing down (Rukuᶦ) and prostration (Sujuud). For voluntary prayer, it is permissible to pray sitting, but Allah decreases its reward.

●Imran ibn Husain (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: “I asked the Prophet about who prays sitting down. He said, ‘Whoever prays standing up is better, and one who prays sitting down will have half the reward of one who prays standing up. And whoever prays lying down will have half the reward of one who prays sitting down.’” [AL-Bukhari].

2)Intention.

3)Saying “God is the Greatest”, as in case of consecration (Takbeerat AL-Ihraam). 

 When you say it, with your face towards AL-Kaᶦbah direction and raising your palms just in front of your shoulders, you already start prayer.

4)Reciting Chapter of the Opening: (In the name of Beneficent, Merciful God) is a verse of it.

It is seven verses.

●It was narrated from Ibadah ibn AL-Samit that the Prophet said, “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening Chapter (Fatihat AL Kitab).” [The Two Scholars].

●It was narrated from Abi- Hurairah that the Prophet said, “If you recited ‘All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe’, you should recite ‘In the name of Beneficent, Merciful God.’ It is the epitome or basis of the Qurᶦan, and epitome or basis of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses.”

5)Bowing down. 

6)Rising from bowing down. 

7)Standing up straight.

8)Prostration.

9)Rising from prostration. 

10)Sitting between the two prostrations. 

11)The last sitting, including testification and saying prayers for the Prophet in the last testification.

12)The first prayer-end greeting.

13)Performing pillars in the previously mentioned order.

14)Feeling at ease in bowing down, in the two prostrations, and in the sitting between them.

●Abu-Hurairah reported: “Allah’s Apostle entered the mosque and a person followed him. The man prayed and went to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet returned the greeting and said to him, ‘Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.’ The man went back and prayed in the same way as before, returned and greeted the Prophet who said, ‘Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.’ This happened thrice. 
The man said, ‘By Him Who sent you with the Truth, I cannot offer the prayer in a better way than this. Please, teach me how to pray.’ 
The Prophet said, ‘When you stand for prayer say AL-Takbeer (God is the Greatest) and then recite from the Holy Qurᶦan (of what you know by heart) and then bow till you feel at ease. Then raise your head and stand up straight, then prostrate till you feel at ease during your prostration, then sit with calmness till you feel at ease (do not hurry) and do the same in all your prayers.’” [AL-Bukhari and Muslim].

Note: The previous tradition is called “The tradition of the man who performed his prayer badly”.

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The Sunnah Practices of Prayer (Sunan AL-Salah)

a) Before beginning of prayer:

1) Call to prayer (Adhan).            
2) Second call to prayer (Iqamah).

And both of them are for obligatory prayer only.

In the call to morning prayer, the caller says, “Prayer is better than sleep.” twice.

The caller to prayer must be a rational male Muslim.

●It was narrated from Malik ibn AL-Huwairith that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said, “When the time for prayer comes, one of you should pronounce the call for it, and the oldest of you  should lead the prayer.” [The Two Scholars].

●Anas reported: “Bilal was commanded to say the phrases of the call to pray twice and the phrases of the second call once.” [AL-Bukhari].

b) After prayer entering:

1) The first testification (Tashahhud) after two prayer units.

2) Humility invocation (Qunut):

a) In morning prayer, after bowing down in the second prayer unit.

b) In separate prayer (Salat AL-Witr) in the second half of Ramadan.

●Malik ibn AL-Huwayrith reported: We came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, being young men of a similar age. We spent twenty nights with him. 
He thought that we desired our own people and he asked us about those of our family we had left behind, and we told him. 
He was merciful and kind, and said,“Go back to your family. Instruct and command them. Pray as you have seen me praying. When it is time for the prayer, then let one of you pronounce its call and let the oldest of you lead you in prayer.” [AL-Bukhari and Muslim].

*An Educational Mission.

The Prophet was the first to apply the educational missions approach. If a tribe converted to Islam, they would send a delegation to AL-Madinah to experience Muslims’ life with the Prophet and his companions. 
Then the members of the delegation return to their home to disseminate what they have learnt, according to God’s saying ﴾And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group[remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious﴿ Chapter of Repentance. Verse NO 122

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Non-Emphasized Sunnah Practices of Prayer

❶Raising palms in saying “God is the Greatest” as in case of consecration.

●It was narrated from Salim, from his father, that: The Messenger of Allah used to raise his hands until they were in level with his shoulders when he started to pray, when he 
said “God is the Greatest” for bowing, and when he raised his head from bowing. And he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostration.  [AL-Bukhari].

❷Saying “I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth, as a monotheist, and I am not of the polytheists.” after saying “God is the Greatest.”

❸Putting the right hand on the left hand under the chest.

❹Seeking refuge, then (Basmallah) which means saying “In the name of Beneficent, Merciful God” in reading Chapter of the Opening.

❺Saying “Ameen” in the end of the Opening Chapter.

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that Allah’s Apostle (P.P.B.U.H) said: “When the reciter (AL-Imam) says ‘Ameen’, say ‘Ameen’, for if a person’s Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [The Two Scholars].

❻Reciting a Chapter or verses after reciting the Opening Chapter according to a person’s ability.

Imam Shafii allowed reading from Qurᶦan (i.e. putting it in front of the praying person), but Abu-Hanifah objected to that. Ibn Hanbal allowed it in voluntary prayer only.

❼Loudness in the first two prayer units of sunset and night prayers, and in the two prayer units of morning, Friday, and the Two Festivals prayers.

❽Saying “God is the Greatest” between acts of prayer.

❾Glorification of Allah in bowing down and prostration.

❿Saying “Allah hears the one who praises Him.” after raising from bowing down.

●It was narrated from Ibn ᶦAbbas that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “I have been forbidden to recite the Qurᶦan in the state of bowing and prostration. As for bowing down, honor the Lord in it, and as for prostration, do your best in invocation, that is worthy of being accepted.” [Muslim].

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: “The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is in prostration. So increase invocation in prostrations.” [Muslim].

True Prostration:

Make your hands away from your face, and raise your elbows above the earth. As for a woman, she makes her body parts near each other.

●Maimunah bint AL-Harith, the mother of believers, reported: When the Messenger of Allah prostrated, he kept his hands so much apart from each other that when it was seen from behind, the armpits became visible.

●It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Be moderate in prostration and do not rest your forearms along the ground like a dog.” [AL-Bukhari]. 

●Ibn Abbas reported from the Apostle of Allah: “I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: forehead, and then pointed with his hands towards his nose, hands, knees, and the extremities of the feet. And we were forbidden to fold back clothing and hair.” [The Two Scholars].

●Rifaa ibn Rafi (May God be pleased with him) reported: “One day we were praying 
behind the Messenger of Allah, when the Messenger of Allah raised his head from 
bowing down and said, ‘Allah hears the one who praises Him (Samiᶦ Allahu Liman hamidah).’ 
A man behind him said, ‘Our Lord, praise belongs to You- blessed, pure and abundant  praise (Rabbana wa laka AL-Hamd, Hamdan Kathiran Tayiban  Mubarakan fihi).’ When the Messenger of Allah had finished, he said, ‘Who was it who spoke just now?’ The 
man said, ‘I did, Messenger of Allah.’ And the Messenger of Allah said, ‘I saw more 
than  thirty angels rushing to it to see which one of them would record it first.’” 
[AL-Bukhari and Muslim].

⓫Putting hands on knees in the sitting for testification.          

 ۞Stretch the left hand.
 ۞Do not extend the right hand.
۞ Raise the right index finger.

●Ibn ᶦUmar reported: When the Messenger of Allah sat for testification, he placed his left hand on his left knee, his right hand on his right knee, and raised his right finger which    was next to his thumb, making invocation in this way, and he stretched his left hand on    his left knee. [Muslim].

⓬The second prayer-end greeting.

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 Humility (Qunut) in Morning Prayer

Imam Shafii allowed it, but Abu-Hanifah did not approve it. Ibn Hanbal sees that AL-   Qunut is a Sunnah which is performed in serious events or wars by humility to Allah and invocation against an enemy, as the Prophet has done.

I testify that our chief (Sayedona) Muhammad……

Scholars have disliked saying “I testify that our chief Muhammad….” in testification, according to the Prophet’s saying “Do not make me your chief in prayer.” and his 
saying in his traditions: “And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Apostle.” 
And his saying “Say: ‘O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family.’”

On the other hand, Imam Shafii considered the tradition “Do not make me your chief in prayer.” a weak tradition, therefore he allowed to say “Our chief Muhammad.”
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Invalidators of Prayer

1) Change of intention: When a praying person decides, during the prayer, to change the type of the prayer, (for example: changing it from an obligatory prayer to a voluntary   prayer), or the number of prayer units.

2) When AL Kaᶦbah direction (AL-Qiblah) is at the back of the praying person.

3) When private parts are uncovered.     

4) Invalidation of ablution.

5) When there is an apparent uncleanness on the praying person or on his clothes.

6) Sudden menses or confinement.

7) A lot of action during prayer. For example: walking three steps in any direction, or when his movements are more than three in one prayer unit.

8) Eating, drinking, laughing in prayer, or saying words other than those of prayer.

*Abu-Hanifah sees that giggling in prayer invalidates prayer and ablution also.

*In all cases mentioned previously, a praying person has to give salutation and end his 

prayer.