Salat, The Prayer

The human being is the only creature who has been distinguished from other creatures with the instinct of knowing right from wrong. He is, therefore, the only one who is expected to be the perfect image of his Creator. That is why the objective of his life is to know his Creator and become a perfect image of his attributes, as Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "I have not created jins and humans but, for my worship" SALAT or the method of worship is the main media through which a human can establish a relationship with his Creator and it is one of the main doors which leads to his complete submission to Allah's will. Salat also prevents him from wrongdoings. Allah says: "Surely prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil." Which shows that Salat or prayer is a guarantee from Allah that if a worshipper observes prayer with all its conditions, he will be safe from evils, manifest or hidden, small or great. The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) asked to the companions, "if one of you had a stream running by his door and he takes a bath in it five times a day, would any dirt be left on him?." They replied! "No dirt would be left on him". The Holy Prophet said: "This is the case with Salat (the five daily prayers) Allah makes the Salat wipe out his sins". When we reflect on the creation of the universe and the law that governs it and the design and variety that pleases our eyes, we naturally are convinced of existence and greatness of Allah. Allah says in the Holy Quran: "In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed signs for men of understanding;" Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth: "Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain; nay, Holy art Thou; save us, then, from the punishment of the Fire." (Aal-e-Imran, v19l-192) This verse beautifully tells us that when a worshipper reflects upon the structure of the Universe he becomes overwhelmed with the greatness of its Creator. The ENTITY Who created such an awe-inspiring structure with such detailed arrangement and accuracy. He is alone to be worshipped and so right for protection. There are five daily prayer services participation in which is obligatory. This may seem a little too much, but it is all a matter of comparative values. Those who realize the true value of prayer through experience are convinced that time spent in it is occupied much more beneficially than that spent in other pursuits. There is no ordained priesthood in Islam. Every Muslim can be Imam (who leads congregational prayer) and can deliver a sermon. The members of the congregation may select, and for this purpose, they should choose one from among themselves who knows the Holy Quran better than the others. No vestment is prescribed for the Imam nor any special dress for the congregation. All that needed is the body and the head should be decently and cleanly covered.

Wudhu (Ablution for Prayer)

The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) said, "WUDHU is the key to prayer as prayer is the key to Paradise. ISLAM lays extreme stress on cleanliness and "TAHARAT". As external actions have deep impact upon internal feelings, such as artificial crying makes a person sad as well as artificial laughter makes one happy so is cleanliness and ablution. Purified body lends to purity of mind, however, cleanliness which is ablution, or wudhu, has been made compulsory before each prayer and in certain cases even a full bath has been made obligatory before prayer.   PHILOSOPHY OF WUDHU A Muslim is required to perform ablution (Wudhu) before Salat. Ablution prepares one mentally for Salat and it also helps concentration in prayer. It is essential to wash or moisturize these parts of the body to generate concentration because the dispersion of thoughts is due to the keenness of the body's five senses. The centers of the five senses are the eyes, ears, nose mouth, hands and feet. It has been proven from the expertise of neurologists that the chain of thought can be rerouted by cooling fingers of the hands and feet. They also say that concentration of thoughts can be achieved by cooling the nerv-ends. That is the Philosophy of Wudhu. A Mulim stands before his Creator by cooling nerve-ends of his body with Wudhu water and concentrating all his thoughts for the worship of the All-Mighty. In Wudhu, we wash or moisturize the nerve-ends of the hands, feet, hair, mouth, nose and ears. All the main nerve-ends of the body are touched in Wudhu in one way or another. Perfect concentration of thoughts to create the proper worshipping atmosphere is thus attained. As we learn from everyday experience that a person who has fainted can be brought back to his consc iousness by sprinkling water on his face, hands and feet which clearly proves our theory. That is why a Muslim is expected to achieve his external as well as internal consciousness by performing Wudhu. Cleanliness and dirt are not compatible. Allah is clean and whosoever loves Him must be clean, externally as well as internally. Prayer, which is contact with Allah, is therefore unacceptable unless the person, who wants to contact his Lord, is clean. The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) said, "The prayer of a person who does "HADATH" (passes urine, stool or wind) is not accepted till he performs or repeats Wudhu, the ablution." Because the Muslim Ummah is expected to be the cleanest by performing ablution at least five times a day, the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) therefore, gave glad tidings that "On the day of Resurrection, my followers will be called "Ghurrul Muhajjaleen" the bright armed and bright faced, from the traces of ablution on them. Therefore, whosoever can increase the area of his radiance should try to do so by always performing ablution before the prayers. (Bukhari, Kitabul Wudhu). PERFORMANCE OF WUDHU Washing the hands three times up to the wrist; the right hand first and then the left and wash them in such a way that no spot is left dry; Rinsing and gargling the mouth three times; Washing the nose into three times; Washing the face beginning from the forehead to the bottom of the chin, three times; Washing the forearms including the elbows three times; Wiping wet hands over the head from front down to the neck, then running the thumbs around the ears and wiping the inside; Wiping the neck with the back of wet hands; Washing the feet including the ankles three times. The right foot first and then the left unless socks are worn. In case if the socks are put on after an ABLUTION (WUDHU) is made, then during the next 24 hours, it is enough to pass wet fingers over them in making an ABLUTION instead of having to wash the feet each time, provided these have not been taken off during this period of time. If someone on journey, the traveler can make MASSAH i.e. passing wet fingers over socks up to three days. The following things lapse or brake the Wudhu Answering the call of nature Passing the water Passing the wind Sleeping or dozing off while leaning against a support Unconsciousness Injury Drawing blood Vomiting

Types of Prayers

There are four types of Prayers:   Fardh Sunnah Wajib Nawafil   1. Fardh Fardh is an Arabic world, which means compulsory or obligatory. The Five daily prayer i.e., Fajr, Dhuhr, 'Asr, Magrhib and 'Isha are obligatory prayers. It is a sin to intentionally skip a Fardh Prayer. If a prayer is missed because of forgetfulness or due to some unavoidable circumstances, then offering the missed Prayer as soon as possible will rectify this mistake.   2. Sunnah The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, offered extra Raka'at of Prayer in addition to those of Fardh Prayers. These are called Sunnah Prayers. It is considered necessary by all jurists to offer these prayers. The willful neglect of Sunnah Prayers is censurable in the sight of Allah. Following are the Sunnah Prayers: a. Two Rak'at of Sunnah Prayer should be offered before the Fardh Prayer of Fajr. However, if a person joins the congregation without having offered Sunnah due to circumstances beyond his control, he can offer these after the Fardh prayer. b. Four Rak'at of Sunnah Prayer before Fardh and two Rak'at after the Fardh in Dhuhr Prayer. In case one is unable to perform four Rak'at Sunnah before the Fardh in Dhuhr Prayer, one should offer these after the congregational Fardh Prayer. (Note: Followers of Hanfi school of thought offer two Sunnat while some other Muslims offer four Sunnat after Fardh in Dhuhr Prayer.) c. Two Rak'at of Sunnah after the Fardh of Maghrib Prayer. d. Two Rak'at of Sunnah after the Fardh of 'Isha Prayer.   3. Wajib Wajib prayers are necessary and willful neglect is considered sinful. However, if someone misses any of these due to unavoidable circumstances, Qadha (make-up of missed prayer) is not required. The following are Wajib Prayers: a. Three Rak'at of Vitr after 'Isha b. Two Rak'at of Eidul-Fitr and Two Rak'at of Eidul-Adha c. Two Rak'at are offered while performing the Tawaaf of K'aba.   4. Nawafil Nawafil plural form of an Arabic word Nafl which means voluntary or optional prayer. Following are some of the Nawafil Prayers: a. Eight Rak'at of Tahajjud b. Two Rak'at after the four/two Rak'at of Sunnah at the end of Dhuhr Prayer c. Four Rak'at before Fardh of 'Asr Prayer d. Two Rak'at after the two Rak'at at the end of Maghrib Prayer e. Four Rak'at of Ishraaq Prayer f. Two Rak'at offered when one enters a mosque g. Two Rak'at offered when seeking blessing fro God Almighty h. Two Rak'at offered as Salat-ul-Hajaat i. Two Rak'at offered as Thanksgiving Prayer One may offer as many Nawafil Prayers as one wish. However, Nawafil should not be offered during the forbidden times for Prayers. Nawafil should not be offered between 'Asr and Maghrib Prayer. It is preferable to offer Nawafil Prayers at home rather than in a mosque. However, it is matter of personal choice and there is no compulsion in this matter.

Prayers Timings

Timings for Fardh Prayers Times when it is forbidden to offer prayer    Timings for Fardh Prayers Five daily prayers must be offered during their prescribed time periods. Allah (SWT) has made religion easy to follow and has made it convenient for Muslims to offer obligatory Prayers during a time period that is somewhat flexible. However, it is desirable and one should strive to offer Salat in its early part of time period. Following are the time periods that are prescribed for five daily prayers: 1. FAJR (DAWN) The time of the Dawn prayer starts one quarter hours before sunrise and ends before sunrise. It is strictly forbidden to pray while the sun is still rising. 2. ZUHR (NOON) The time for Zuhr prayer starts with the decline of the sun and continues until the start of the time of ASR prayer. 3. ASR (AFTERNON) The time of the ASR prayer starts at mid afternoon and ends before sunset. 4. MAGHRIB (SUNSET) The time of Maghrib prayer starts after sunset and continues till it is dark. 5. ISHA (EVENING) The time of ISHA starts at night-fall and continues up to midnight.   Times when it is forbidden to offer prayer It is strictly forbidden to offer prayer: a.  When sun is rising b. When sun is at its zenith (exactly overhead) c. When sun is setting d. Offering voluntary prayer between 'Asr and Maghrib Prayer

Mosque its Significance

The Masjid or Mosque is the base and the foundation stone for Muslim society. It is the place where believers congregate to get to know each other and share their pleasures and their problems. It is the center from where the voice of the Oneness of Allah is raised and devotion to His Oneness is practiced. It is the place where the remembrance of Allah takes place continuously. It is the center from where the light of knowledge and wisdom emanate and enlighten the surroundings. A MOSQUE is a place dedicated to the worship of God. Muslims are enjoined to observe Salat in congregation. If one is unable to reach a Mosque conveniently, or the journey to the mosque is unsafe, the Salat may be observed wherever convenient. The Holy prophet, (Peace be on him) has said that the whole earth has been sanctified and made a Mosque for Muslims. The Mosque plays an extremely important role in a Muslim's life. Islam emphasizes that congregational prayers should be said in the Mosque. In the early state of Islam, when the Muslims were still unable to build a Mosque of their own, the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) chose Arqam's house who was a companion of the Holy Prophet as the gathering place for the believers to say their congregational prayers. This house was also used by the Holy Prophet as the center for the preaching and propagating of Islam. When the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) migrated to Madina, the first action he took was to build a Mosque there, which is now known as the Prophet's Mosque or (Masjid-e-Nabwi). This Mosque became the center of all Muslim activities. Deputations coming from other countries were received there and were generally put up in this Mosque such as the group of Christians from Naijran. This Mosque also served as the center for education, learning, and training. Muslim Mosques or houses of worship are therefore, not only for the purpose of worship alone but, also serve as the center for all social, cultural, political and various activities. There is no special design or structure for a Mosque. Any building erected or used for congregational prayers is a Mosque. Mosques in Islam are not only centers for worship but are also the reflection of the characteristics of Muslim society and its civilization. Due to this fact, the Muslims have been asked to follow certain rules which can be considered to be the earliest state for the development of Muslim character and to form true Muslim social structure. The Mosques are centers of Islamic social development, therefore, there are quite a few instructions for a Muslim to follow when he comes to the Mosque. From the very beginning of his development, it starts according to the Islamic teachings. These are some of them: When a Muslim enters a Mosque he/she should say: "I begin in the name of Allah. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. O my Lord forgive my sins and open for me the doors of your mercy." When he/she leaves the Mosque, he/she should say: "I begin in the name of Allah. Peace and blessing upon the messenger of Allah. O my Lord forgive my sins and open for me the doors of your bounty." When a Muslim goes to the Mosque, he/she should wear clean, modest, and dignified cloths. There is no special dress prescribed for the Muslims when the prayer is being offered, do not run to join, but come at a dignified pace. A Muslim should not eat any odorous foods such as onions, garlic or raw radish before coming to the Mosque. Worshippers should not enter the Mosque with their shoes on. Making noise is also disapproved of the Mosque. Punishments are not allowed to be carried out in the Mosque. Mosques, being the places of worship, are expected to be kept absolutely clean. As prayer demands concentration and full attention, it is therefore forbidden to jump over the shoulders or pass in front of the worshippers.   Mosques are centers for the worship of Allah, therefore, no body should be forbidden access to the Mosque. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an; "All Mosques belong to Allah, so call not on anyone besides Allah." (72:19) This verse of the Holy Quran clearly dictates that Mosques are the property of Allah and Allah Alone. Therefore, no one is allowed to prevent anybody from entering the Mosques for the purpose of worship. The Holy Prophet (PBOH) himself set the best example in this regard.