In the light of the Qur’an and Hadith, we know that there are certain conditions for any worship to be accepted in order to please Allah.  One of them is that the worship should be performed according to the Sunnah or teachings and methods of the Prophet.  Worshiping outside of his teachings will not be accepted.  So we have to pray in the manner taught by Rasoolullah.  He said: “You shall pray as you see me praying. “14.  In the light of Hadith, the wise Imams and Faqihs of the Muslim Ummah have recorded the rules of prayer in detail.  The jurists have differed on a few issues due to the different types of narrations in the hadith.  Here we are briefly discussing the essentials.

1. Purify yourself by performing ablution, bath or tayammum, wearing holy cloth and covering yourself with satar, standing in prayer facing the Qiblah with a humble and calm mind. For men, the body is always different from the navel to the knees It is obligatory to

keep it covered from people’s eyes.  It is fard to keep this part covered during prayer.  Whether someone sees it or not, if any part of the body is uncovered, the prayer will be invalid.  However, if there is no clothes at all, the prayer must be performed in the naked state.  It is also Sunnah to cover the shoulders and the upper part of the body.  A believer should wear the clean and neat clothes preferred by Allah and His Messenger to stand before the Almighty.

It is fard for women to cover their head and entire body, including their hair, except for the face and wrists, during Salat.  If a woman’s ears, hair, head, neck, shoulders, stomach, legs, etc. are completely or partially uncovered during the prayer, then the prayer will be nullified.  In general, saree is an inconvenient garment for a Muslim woman.  Loose full sleeve salwar-kameez or maxi is the best and ideal dress for Muslim women.  In all cases one should perform Salat by covering oneself well with an extra large sheet over normal clothes.  Care should be taken to keep the head hair, ears, throat etc. well covered.

2. Put thread or hide in front. Place a wall, pole, pillar or anything in front as cover.  If not, at least one or half a hand long narrow stick, wood, etc. is placed in front of the Sunnah of the Sutra.  One should stand as close to the Sutra as possible, so that when prostrating, one should be near the Sutra.  The Messenger of Allah used to stand between three hands of Sutra.

 The Messenger of Allah said: “When you pray, put the veil in front of you and stand close to the veil”, “Do not pray without the veil or the Sutra, and do not allow anyone to pass in front of you (through the Sutra).  If he insists, fight with him (strongly resist), because Satan is with him.

In the early days of Islam, sutras were given such importance that, if necessary, prayer was performed by removing the head cap and making sutras.  In a hadith narrated by Ibnu Abbas, it is said, “The Messenger of Allah used to take off his cap from his head for prayer many times and use the cap as a thread or cover in front of him.” 16.  The famous Tabe-Tabayi Sufyan Ibn Uwaynah [198 AH] said, “I saw Sharik Ibn Abd Allah Ibn

Abi Namir [140 AH], he attended a funeral and when it was time for Asr, he led us in the Asr prayer. Then he said his  He placed the hat in front of him (making the hat a thread) and prayed.”17]

3. Make the intention to pray for the pleasure and reward of Allah.  Saying nawaituan… etc. in the mouth is khilaf of the sunnah.

4. Takbeer (Allahu Akbar) is raised both hands up to shoulders or ears.  At this time the fingers will be straight.  It will not be completely united, nor will it be separated.  The palms of the hands will be towards the Qibla.

5. Place the right hand on the back, wrist and forearm of the left hand, or hold the left hand with the right hand.  In this way, keep both hands on the navel or stomach.

6. Keep your eyes on the place of sajdah while praying.  Don’t look around, don’t look up.  The hadith states,”Those who look up while praying must refrain from doing so, otherwise their eyesight may be impaired.

7. Recite Sanaa or the opening Dua after Tahrima in Takbeer.

8. Then say softly (in mind): (A’uwu billah-hi minash shaytwa-nir rajim) I seek refuge in Allah from the banished Satan. Or say: “A’wuzu billah-his sami’yal ‘alimi minash shaytwa-nir rajim, min hammmyahi, wa nakhihi wa naxhi: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from the banished Satan, his delusions, his knowledge-destroying and pride-inducing temptations.  .”  Abu Sa’eed Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah used to say after reciting the ‘Sana’ of the Salat: “A’wudoo… Min Hammyahi, Wa Nahi Wa Nahi.”  The hadith is authentic.

9. Then say in a low voice (in mind): “Bismilla-hir Rahma-nir Rahim.” That is (beginning in the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Merciful).

10. Then recite Surah Fatiha, pausing at each verse, in the spirit of prayer, paying attention to the meaning.Reciting Surah Fatiha is essential for Salat.  But if one does not know Surah Fatiha, then keep learning it.  As long as it is not learned, instead of reciting the Surah, recite Tasbeeh Tahlil: (Sub’ha-nalla-h), (Al Hamdu Lillah-h), (La-ila-ha illallah-h), (Allah-hu Akbar), (La  – ‘Hawla wala kuwata illa billa-h).

11. Say “Ameen” after reciting Surah Fatiha. The word “Ameen” means “O Allah, accept our prayers.”  Then recite any other surah or some verses of the Quran.  Pause a little at the end of the recitation.  Then bow and say “Allahu Akbar”.  Place both hands firmly on the knees in Ruku position, grasping the knees with fingers apart.  Keep both arms and elbows away from the body.  In this situation, the back should be lengthened, the back, waist and head should be straight and parallel in such a way that if water is poured on the back, it will not roll down.  In this way one should be completely calm and still in Ruku.  Recite Tasbeeh of Ruku.

12. Rise from ruku and stand fully upright and stand for a few moments. Standing upright for a few moments after standing up from Ruku and Sajdah is one of the Wajibs of Salat.  If you get up from ruku and go to sajdah

without standing completely straight, the prayer will be invalidated.  In this condition observe the Masnoon zikrs.

13. Then say Allahu Akbar and prostrate calmly.  While prostrating, placing the first two knees then the hands or the first two hands then the knees on the ground – both types are mentioned in the hadith.  In Sajdah, the feet, knees, hands, forehead and nose should be firmly attached to the ground.  Fingers of both hands should be facing straight Qibla.  The palms of both hands will be under the ears or under the shoulders.  Arms and elbows will be off the ground and away from the waist.  During Sajda, the nose should not rise from the ground.  It is said in the hadith: “As long as the forehead remains on the ground, so long as the nose is also on the ground, the prayer will not be purified without it.”

 During Sajdah, the toe should be facing Qibla.  Many jurists have expressed the opinion that just as there are 4 toes or one gap between the two feet while standing, the feet should be separated during prostration.  Other jurists have said that the ankles of both feet should be together during Sajdah.  The famous Hanafi jurist Allama Ibnu Abidin Shami said about the rule of Ruku:

“The Sunnah is that the Muslim should keep his ankles together. Syed Abu Saud said: It is Sunnah to keep his ankles together in Sajdah as well.

 This opinion is supported by Sahih Hadith.  In a hadith, Ayesha said: I raised the Messenger of Allah, he was performing Tahajjud.  I’m a hand in the dark, “I touched and saw him in Sajdah, with his ankles together and the ends of his toes facing the Qiblah.

14. Sajda should be steady and calm.  The Messenger of Allah said: “Prostrate and become calm in prostration in such a way that all your bones and joints become calm and relaxed.”    He said, “Keep your forehead, nose and hands firmly on the ground and remain in Sajdah so that all the bones of your body are in their respective places.  In this state of Sajdar recite Tasbeeh and make Dua.

15. Saying “Allahu Akbar” one should rise from sajdah and sit completely still so that all the bones of the body are fixed in their respective places.  Rasoolullah said, if the prayer is pure, one must sit firmly between two prostrations Rasulullah used to spend almost as much

time standing up from bowing and sitting between two prostrations as he spent in ruku and sajdah.

16. At this time, you should spread your left leg and sit calmly on it. The toes of the right foot should be facing the Qibla and the legs should be kept straight.  Both hands will be on both thighs and knees.  The fingers will be facing the Qibla in a normal slightly spaced position.  Recite Masnoon Zikr at this time.

17. Then say “Allah-hu Akbar” to prostrate a second time will be  In the second sajdah, stay calm and steady like the first sajdah should be done and recite the dhikr and dua mentioned above.

Note that ruku, sajda, standing up from ruku and sitting between the two sajdas to be calm and unhurried are very important for the prayer and neglecting this will invalidate the prayer.  Nothing can be more sad than that if the prayer is not accepted by Allah because of the opposition to the Prophet’s teaching, even if one prays with difficulty.  The Messenger of Allah said, “Allah does not look at the prayer of a Muslim who does not perform Ruku Sajdah completely calmly. He saw a person bowing Sajdah incompletely in haste and said: “If he dies in this state, he will not die on the religion of Muhammad.  As the crow pecks at the prayer, the person who does not bow down and prostrates is like a person who eats one or two dates when he is very hungry.

He said, “The worst thief is the one who steals his own prayer.”  The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how does one steal one’s own prayer?”  He said, “The ruku and sajdah of the prayer are not performed completely. 

He observed one day while performing the prayer that the timing of one person’s bowing and sajdah was not fixed.  He said at the end of the prayer, “O Muslims, whoever does not remain completely steady and calm in ruku and sajdah, his prayer will not be performed.

18. Then stand for the second rak’at saying “Allah Akbar”. While standing up from sajdah, one should calmly raise first both hands and then both knees from the ground with full respect and reverence.  The second rak’at must be performed according to the above rule.

19. When the second rak’at is completed, one should sit for Tashahhud. two In the same way as to sit in Sajda, the left leg should be spread and the right leg should be raised and the fingers should be facing the Qibla.  The left hand will naturally rest on the left thigh or knee.  The right hand will be on the right thigh, the fingers of the right hand clenched into a fist and the Shahadat finger or forefinger pointing towards the Qibla during Tashahhud and Du’ar is Sunnah.  Eye gaze will be on the pointing index finger.  If Duraka’at is Salat then Darood and Du’a should be recited after Tashahhud.  After three or four rak’at salats, one should stand up after falling tashahhud.  Tashahhud, Darood and Dua should be recited in the last meeting.

20. Salat must end with salam.  Turn your face to the right side and say “Assala-mu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah-ha” then turn your face to the left and say “Assala-mu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah-ha”.

21. The salat ends with the salam.  After the salam, there is no other act of prayer – obligatory, wajib, sunnah, mustahab.  Salam is followed by Masnoon Zikr and Dua separate acts of worship, which we will discuss later, Insha Allah.