The Basics of Muslim Namaz
Salah (salat) is the Arabic term for the ritual prayer that is obligatory for Muslims to perform five times a day. It forms one of the five pillars of Islam
What is salah?
Salah is the Arabic term for the ritual prayer that is obligatory for Muslims to perform five times a day. It forms one of the five pillars of Islam.
The word salah means ‘pray’ and it is derived from the word salu which means ‘to write’.
Muslims are required to make salah after performing their dawn prayer (Fajr) and it is the same with the afternoon prayer (Isha), after midday prayers (Zuhr), before the mid-day meal (Iftar) and before sunset prayers (Duhr).
Salah is also the same as the regular prayer called Maghrib prayer. The only difference being that the two prayers are slightly different.
Salah is performed by standing up, facing north, with your palms facing towards Mecca, closing your eyes and moving towards Mecca while making supplication.
Why do Muslims pray?
The purpose of prayer is to ease the pain of the worshipper by focusing his or her mind on Allah and feeling his (or her) presence and trying to make him/her aware of him/herself and all that Allah wants him/her to do.
More than just trying to do good and perfect one’s deeds and moral conduct, it is an act of worship. Indeed, worshipping Allah is like worshipping one’s Creator, and worshipping all of His creations, too.
In the words of the Prophet ﷺ:
“This is the whole reason for the creation of man: that he may worship his Lord, who has made everything for man.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
The prophet also said:
“If you were not created to worship, you would not have been created. You would have been animals.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
How to Pray Salah: Salah Steps
- Salah is performed in congregation.
How do I perform salah?
According to the Rumi-based Hanafi school, salah begins with the Muslim reciting a certain prayer called ‘subhanallah’.
The first salah (noon prayers) begins with the recitation of the first line of the sacred poem Thumma Salaam
As the sun rises, the Muslim is required to raise his palms to the sun. According to Wahhabi Islam, if the palms are in the prayer position when the first ray of sunlight hits them, it is considered as an abomination.
The next few lines of the prayer are then said, followed by the Rumi (prayer) and then the khutbah or sermon.
Afterwards, the ritual prayer called taraweeh is said, followed by nafl prayers and then the salah concludes.
From start to finish, it lasts just three to four minutes.
There are two ways to perform salah: with the right or left hand.
Should you pray standing or sitting?
Always sit, unless you are a certain age or mobility is an issue.
Always pray facing east, because this is the direction of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Before salat, prostrate yourself on the ground for about three minutes. You can change your position as you feel comfortable.
Once seated, prostrate yourself for about three minutes. If you feel like you can do it without prostrating, this is fine.
Salat is performed by standing with your head, palms and knees touching the ground and then rising to the centre of the prayer mat. You can also perform salat while seated in a mosque or on a prayer mat on the floor.
Prayer Differences
When it comes to prayer, there are three essential rules to remember:
Prayer must be performed in a quiet place.
What should you say during prayer?
The Salah or prayer is a series of steps that Muslims must recite in order to achieve certain religious goals, such as submitting to God’s will, worshipping and repenting, or repenting from sins and asking for forgiveness.
The formula for the prayer is found in the Quran (‘a’ is for acknowledging Allah as a creator, and shakran is to greet Him) which Muslims should reciting as a community of believers.
The opening to the Salah is called the Incompletes, where Muslim prayers are performed so that the words of the first one are acknowledged as complete (sala). At the end of every sala the prayers are repeated to make sure that every word is finished and the prayer is considered to be over.
Conclusion
Prayer is a long held traditional practice of Islam. Pious Muslims today consider prayer to be a way of worshiping Allah. In Islam prayer is the cornerstone of faith and it is said that there is no deed that is good unless you mention Allah while performing it. What we are going to discuss in this post is the basic Islamic prayer practices and how Muslims should practice Salah in a way that makes it easy for them to stay connected with Allah. The thing is simple, if we are not sincere with what we are doing then nothing will make us feel closer to Allah. This makes it necessary for Muslims to choose to learn Islam properly so that they can get a clearer understanding of the practice of Salah. visit here
