Islamic Blog for New Muslims: Support for New Muslim Converts

Prophet Muhammad PBUH stated, 'Pray as you have seen me praying' So we should pray the way Prophet Muhammad PBUH instructed us to pray through narrations of Hadith that were passed down to us. Hadith about prayer teaches us the pillars of Prayer, the mandatory movements and sayings, the Sunnah acts, and the acts and sayings that nullify the prayer.

It's also important to note while Muslims agree with each other in almost all aspects of religion, there are a few minor disagreements when it comes to the finer, minor details of our faith; there are differences of opinions among scholars based on their interpretations and evidence they extrapolate from the Sunnah. For example, some scholars or schools of thought might place their hands a little lower or higher than other scholars and schools of thought do in prayer. But at the end of the day, as long as you follow reputable scholars or a school of thought, your prayer is valid. 

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During Prayer, Muslims are directed to disconnect themselves and clear their minds of worldly matters as they converse with God. They pray to a God who is near, All-Loving, All-Hearing, All-Caring, and All-Powerful. Muslims are to concentrate on their words and humble themselves only to the Almighty. A Muslim affirms that God is the Master and that they are the servant and slave of God who needs the Almighty's direction, help, and guidance to the straight path. The Islamic Prayer is so sacred that it is prohibited to eat, drink, or converse as they pray.

"And establish Prayer and give Zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience]" (Quran 2:43) 

While not mandated, it is highly encouraged for one to awaken in the middle of the night to pray to God, as this is a common practice of righteous people.

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Prayers can either be performed individually or in a congregation with others. One can pray individually or in congregation at home, work, Mosque, or anywhere indoors or outdoors except in bathrooms and graveyards. You are also allowed to pray outdoors, as the whole Earth has been permissible as a place of worship, including sand, grass, etc. unless there are signs of impurity. Males are highly recommended to pray in congregation with others in one of God's Houses called Mosques. Friday prayers are required to be prayed in the Mosque for all males and not required for females. While not required, many Muslims use a prayer mat to pray on. 

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the Opening Chapter of the Holy Quran and the Verses of your choice after it out loud instead of silently. As for the rest of the units for Majrib (one unit) and Isha Prayer (two units), you read silently to yourself. For Thur and Asr prayers, all four units are read silently.

May Allah accept your Prayers and reward you abundantly & may your prayers be a means that connects you closer to your Creator!

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Tayammum (dry ablution) is a gift Allah has given us to make things earlier for us. If you are sick or wounded and cannot use water or traveling and do not have water, you may perform Tayammum instead of wudu or ghusl. Tayammum is a symbolic ritual, and all you must do is strike both your hands lightly into any clean Earth surface, for instance, sand or stone, blow your hands to blow the dust off, and then wipe your face and hands.

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What we just performed was a 2-unit prayer. The five daily prayers you are required to pray have different numbers of units needed to pray. Only the Fajr prayer (from dawn to the right before sunrise) is a two-unit prayer. As for Thur, Asr, and Isha, prayers are four-unit prayers, and Majrib is a three-unit prayer. For these four prayers, after completing the second prostration of your second unit of prayer, you place both your hands on your knees with your back and head lined up straight. It's Sunnah to raise your right foot vertically with your toes pointing to the direction of the Qibla (Mecca). Your left leg will be underneath your thigh with the weight of your body on your left thigh and buttock—so you'll be sitting on the left side of your body, and you say the same first half of the Tashahhud we spoke about earlier.

التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

 At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat, as-salamu ‘alaika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu ‘alaina wa ‘ala ‘ibad illahis-salihin, ashahdu an la illaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluhu

All compliments, prayers, and beautiful expressions are for God. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings are on you. And peace be on us and on the good (pious) worshipers of Allah. I bear that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Apostle.

Then you would get up while saying 'Allah Akhbar' (God is Greater) and perform your 3rd unit of prayer.

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The Islamic Prayer is a ritual that has been unchanged for more than 1400 years and is repeated five times a day by hundreds of millions of people all around the globe. Earlier Prophets and Messengers also performed the Salah prayer, in which the act of prostration was involved. According to the Gospel of Mathew, Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, fell with his face to the ground and prayed: 'Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed: 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Not as I will, but as you will" (Mathew 26:39)

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It's important to note that God is transcendent, free of all needs, and independent. He does not need human worship or reverence, as He gains nothing from it. Muslims do not pray or worship God for God's sake; instead, they praise and worship God for their own sake. God made worship and the remembrance of Him beneficial to humanity, both in this world and the next.

"And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds" (Quran 29:6)

 The benefits of praying to the Almighty are vast, and the blessings of Prayer are beyond our imagination. Prayer motivates one to do good and strive for the best, so one can live a good life in this world--and in the next world, eternally.

"Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish Prayer for My remembrance" (Quran 20:14)

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Much like the pillars of a building, where one cannot move them and need to walk around them physically, a Muslim's life revolves around their five daily prayers; instead of casually trying to fit their prayers into their life. A Muslim's prayers are always their top priority; everything else comes secondary.

Muslims pray to Allah five times a day. These five prayers are obligatory. There are also optional prayers in which Muslims can pray throughout the day to strengthen their connection with Allah. Here are a list of the five mandatory prayers and how many units each consists of. We will talk about what movements and sayings consist in a unit of prayer in the section on how to pray Salat.                           

 • The first is the Fajr Prayer, prayed from dawn to the right before sunrise. The Fajr prayer has two units to be prayed.

• The second is the Zhuhr Prayer, prayed just after noon (mid-day, when the sun passes the median point in the sky). The Zhur prayer has four units to be prayed.

 • The third is the Asr Prayer, prayed during the afternoon (halfway between noon and sunset). The Asr prayer has four units to be prayed.

• The fourth is the Maghrib Prayer, prayed directly after sunset. The Maghrib prayer has three units to be prayed.

 • The fifth is the Isha Prayer, prayed late evening, during the dark of the night (approximately an hour and a half after sunset).' The Isha prayer has four units to be prayed.

The five daily Prayers set the rhythm of a Muslim's day. Prayers must be performed at their appointed due times unless a reasonable excuse exists to delay them. Prayers are prohibited from being postponed to where they overlap with the following Prayer's timeframe.      

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The Salah Prayer has six pre-conditions that Muslims must follow for their prayer to be valid unless one has a valid excuse. The first pre-condition is that one must be in a state of spiritual purity by cleansing themself with ghusl (washing the whole body) or wudu (ablution). If water is unavailable, one can perform Tayammum instead (dry ablution using purified sand, stone, or mud). The second pre-condition is the timing of the prayer—one must pray during its set time. The third pre-condition is that a Muslim must cover his awrah where his skin is not shown. One's cloth cannot be transparent or skin-tight. For men, the awrah is their body parts from their navel to their knees. Women's awrah includes their whole body except their face and hands. The fourth pre-condition is to purify oneself from the impurity of one's physical body, clothes, and where one is praying. The fifth condition is that a Muslim must face the direction of Qibla (towards Mecca) when praying. The sixth pre-condition is that one must set an intention in their heart for the prayer they are about to perform—they must know which prayer they are praying.

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