Chapter 1-The daily prayers

Chapter One

The Daily Prayers

(A) The times of the obligatory prayers and their additional prayers

324. The times and numbers of the fara’id (obligatory) prayers, their number of rak‘ah (from roku’, i.e. bowing) and their newafil (additional prayers) are as follows:

1- Assobh /Fajr (morning/dawn) prayer: two rak‘ah. Its time stretches from true dawn to sunrise; true dawn is the light that starts to rise horizontally, forming like a white thread stretching along the horizon then continues to stretch in length and breadth. The best time to offer this prayer is when it is still dark and continues until the sky is lit with morning light.

Its nafileh (additional prayer) is two rak‘ah, to be offered before the obligatory prayer; its time is between the start of the false dawn – which is the light that takes the shape of a rectangle stretching upwards like a white pole and surrounded by darkness, before the true dawn – and continues till the beginning of the eastern redness (homrah mashriqiyyah) just before the appearance of the sun's disc. It is allowed for anyone praying the night prayer (salat al-Layl) to make it part of the additional prayer before dawn, or to offer it separately, after finishing the night prayer and its acts.

2- Adh-Dhohr (noon) prayer: four rak‘ah. Its time is from zewal until before sunset as long as there is enough time to offer the four rak‘ah. Zewal means the zenith of the sun, which is the moment the sun starts moving towards sunset, at the time that is exactly in the middle between sunrise and sunset. But the best time to offer it is between zewal and the time when the shadow reaches four-sevenths (4/7) of the shakhis [1].

Noon’s additional prayer is eight rak‘ah, to be offered before it as twos (like any dawn prayer), and its time continues until the end of the noon time for as long as there is enough time to offer it and the obligatory prayer.

This applies to all days other than Friday, when there is an alternative to the noon prayer which is Friday prayer. Friday prayer is two rak‘ah, preceded by two sermons, and its time is between the rak‘ah of the sun until the time of the astronomical afternoon, which is when an object casts a shadow the length of its size. The rulings of this prayer will be detailed later.

3- Al-‘Asr (afternoon) prayer: four rak‘ah. Its time starts after the elapse of the time for offering the noon prayer, after zewal, and continues until sunset when the sun's disc drops completely below the horizon; its best time lies between the time when the shakhis makes a shadow of two-sevenths (2/7) of its length until the time when it makes a shadow of six-sevenths (6/7) of its length. Al-‘Asr prayer must be offered after ad-Dhohr prayer.

The afternoon additional prayer is eight rak‘ah, to be offered before it, i.e. like noon’s additional prayers; its time coincides with that of the afternoon prayer.The additional prayer of Friday is twenty rak‘ah, four to be offered before zewal, then eight after it, before Friday prayer, or before noon prayer if one has missed the Friday prayer, then eight rak‘ah before the afternoon prayer. It is allowed to offer all of these before zewal if one thinks one might miss them.

4- Al-Maghrib (sunset) prayer: three rak‘ah. Its time is from sunset until before midnight as long as there is time enough to offer the ‘isha’ (evening) prayer. Sunset takes place when the sun's disc drops completely below the horizon, although it is better to delay performing it until the eastern redness has disappeared. As for identifying midnight, it is the time that lies exactly in the middle between sunset and dawn. The best time to offer the sunset prayer stretches until the disappearance of shafaq, which is the redness that colours the horizon from the west; this is for non-travellers. For travellers, its best time continues until the quarter of the way into the night.

Sunset additional prayer is four rak‘ah, to be offered after it as twos, and its time coincides with that of the obligatory prayer.

5- Al-’ish a’ (evening) prayer: four rak‘ah. Its time is after sunset and after the period for the maghrib prayer and continues until midnight (defined just above). Its best time is from the disappearance of shefeq until a third of the night has passed. It must be performed after the maghrib prayer.

The evening additional prayer is two rak‘ah, to be offered, sitting, after it, and its time coincides with that of the obligatory prayer.

That said, the time for the sunset and evening prayers for someone facing conditions beyond their control - such as sleep, forgetfulness, the menses etc - stretches until dawn, in which case it is to be offered as ada’ (i.e. at its normal time, or not qada’, i.e. after the elapse of the allocated time). Anyone who has delayed their prayers intentionally must – as an obligatory precaution –offer them without delay after midnight and before dawn, without appeal to either ada’ or qada’.

325. The first part of the time allocated for the noon (dhohr) and afternoon (’asr) prayers is a specified time for the noon prayer and the last part is a specified time for the afternoon prayer; (likewise) the first part of the time allocated for the sunset (maghrib) and evening (’isha’) prayers is a specifed time for the sunset prayer and the last part is a specified time for the evening prayer; and what is between the two times specified for the noon and afternoon iscommon to both; and what is between the two times specifed for the sunset and evening is common to both. The advantage of this becomes apparent when a woman sees the blood of her period after the elapse of just enough time to pray the four rak‘ah of the noon prayer: if she did not pray, she only has to offer the noon prayer as qada’. The same applies if she becomes pure when there is just enough time to offer the afternoon prayer; in this case she only has to perform this (afternoon) prayer.

326. If a person offers afternoon prayer in the time specified for the noon prayer, or if he offers it in the common time but before performing the noon prayer, in this case there are two possibilities:

1- If he did this intentionally, his prayer is void and he has to repeat it after the noon prayer.

2- If he did this through lack of awareness or out of ignorance regarding the order of the two prayers, then there are two further possibilities:

a- If he realises this during the prayer, he should regard what he is doing as the noon prayer, finish it, then pray the afternoon prayer after it.

b- If he realises this after finishing the afternoon prayer, it is valid as an afternoon prayer and he only has to offer the noon prayer.

327. It is allowed to offer the noon and afternoon prayers together and the sunset and evening prayers together, i.e. the latter immediately after the former (whether offering the additional nawafil or not), although separating them is better, in which case one may follow the best times explained above (no. 324).

328. It is obligatory to make sure that the time of prayer has arrived before starting it, something which can be ascertained by knowledge and being satisfied as to the validity of that, such as by looking at the sky etc. Also, it is acceptable to resort to reasonable (not absolute) knowledge; here information from a trusted person who knows the time is sufficient, as is what is provided by the astronomical calendars published by knowledgeable and expert parties.

329. If a person checked the time and thought that it had arrived, but after praying he finds that he was mistaken, then if the whole of his prayer fell outside the time, it becomes void and he has either to repeat it in the time or as qada’ outside it. However, if he has managed one rak‘ah within its specified time, then his prayer is valid.

330. If a person who has not prayed yet doubts whether there is still time, he should decide that the time has not yet elapsed, and does not need to check this, even if he is capable of checking and asking. His prayer in these circumstances would be valid, even if some or all of it fell outside the time.

331. It is not allowed for the person to delay offering the prayer until there is no time to offer it complete in all its parts and conditions; so if someone delays it intentionally or out of compelling reasons, he must hasten to offer it as long he has time for one rak‘ah with purity even if by tayammom. It must be noted that when the time of the noon and afternoon prayers does not allow for more than one prayer with all or some of its rak‘ahs, then this will be identified as the afternoon prayer; the same applies for the sunset and evening prayers. In any case, if making things faster depends on using summaries in some of the acts, it is permitted to recite the Fatihah chapter without a chapter after it and to say ‘Sobhan Allah’, for example, once in the roku‘ and sojud (prostration), in addition to leaving out the recommended acts.

332. In countries where the night or the day becomes shorter or longer than normal, even as short as half an hour, Muslims who live in these countries must follow the times of the country itself as long as times for dawn, noon and sunset can actually be specified, even if the differences are very small.

(B) The dress code for praying

There are certain dress requirements concerning what people should wear when offering prayers:

First: Their clothing must cover the’awrah

333. It is obligatory on both men and women to cover their ‘awrah during prayer. The ‘awrah is the genitals and the anus in the man and the whole of the body except the face, hands and feet in the woman.

334. All things that can cover the ‘awrah may be used, even if they are not made of textiles or sewn; however this excludes things such as tree leaves or mud, except when other suitable materials are not available.

335. The minimum requirement for the cover is that the material should not be so thin that the skin beneath it is clearly visible to an onlooker.

336. If the ‘awrah is uncovered during praying - as a result of wind, or being unaware or ignorant of the fact - from the beginning of the prayer, or if the person praying knows this but forgets to cover up, then if he/she becomes aware of this or remembers it after finishing the prayer, their prayer is valid; and if he/she becomes aware of this or remembers it during the prayer, he/she must hasten to cover up and their prayer is valid. It is not obligatory on others to inform the person praying regarding this.

337. If the person praying fails to find something to cover the ‘awrah, even if it is just mud or paint, there are various alternatives:

a- If he can pray in a pit or a dark place, that prevents others from seeing him, he should do so.

b- Failing the above, then he must pray in a place where he is sure no one can see him, even if at a place where people do not normally go.

c- Failing the above, he must pray in a seated position, so that his ‘awrah is not visible, bowing for roku‘ and sojud to a degree that renders these acts valid; but if he is not sure that his ‘awrah will not show when doing this, he should perform them by nodding.

338. The prayer offered by a girl that has not reached bolugh (Islamic prayer age) with her head, hair and neck - but not other parts of her body - uncovered is valid.

Second: Their clothing must be pure

339. Dress for prayer must be pure and free from any khabathiyyah impurity, as explained in the chapter on purity. This only applies to any form of dress that is suitable, in terms of its size, for covering the ‘awrah, and includes the actual covering area of the clothing or whatever is joined or attached to it; however, purity is not a condition for things that are not suitable as a cover, such as head caps or socks, as will be explained.

340. If only two sets of clothing are available as a cover but it is not known which one is pure and which is impure, the prayer must be repeated, wearing the first for one and the second when repeating the prayer.

341. If an impurity fell on the dress and the person prayed without knowing this, and if he remained ignorant of it until he finished his prayer, his prayer is valid; but if he comes to know about it during the prayer, and if there is time, it is an obligatory precaution to stop the prayer, purify the dress or change it, then start the prayer again. However, if there is no time even to offering one rak‘ah, the person must hasten to take it off and change it or purify it in a way that is not considered to invalidate the prayer, then continue his prayer. But if changing or purifying is not possible, then he should continue his prayer with the impurity on his dress and his prayer is valid.

342. If a person prayed with an impurity due to forgetfulness, his prayer is void and he must repeat it within the time or after it; the same applies if he remembers this during the prayer.

343. The purity of the dress and body is a condition in the case of every impurity apart from things whose impure state does not affect the prayer or its validity. These are:

1- Blood from wounds and abscesses of a size and intensity that make purifying for the majority of people quite difficult. This includes the edges of the wounds and abscesses, or areas where blood normally spreads to, as well as the areas in the dress that are next to the wound or abscess, but not the distant areas. The same applies to the blood or wounds and abscesses when it is mixed with things like pus, medicine etc.

2- Small amounts of blood, spread over an area of less than the size of a dirham (it is a precaution to regard this as the size of the bone of the first finger), whether on the body or dress, and whether it is the blood of the person himself or someone else’s. However, not included are the three specific kinds of blood: the menses, nifas and istihadah, as well as the blood of any inherently-impure thing or a dead animal, or blood that is mixed with another; also not included are the things that have become impure by blood, and the blood of animals whose meat it is forbidden to eat, as an obligatory precaution.

3- Any clothing that is not sufficient to cover the ‘awrah on its own, such as socks, head caps, neck ties, belts etc, provided that it is not taken from a dead animal or an inherently-impure thing; also, it should not be taken from parts of an animal whose meat it is forbidden to eat, or from its remains, even if this is very small, such as the hair of a cat attached to the dress.

4- Carried inherently-impure or impure things, whether these are what are needed for prayer or not, and whether it is a dead animal, an inherently-impure thing or otherwise, although one should observe the precaution of not carrying an inherently-impure thing.

344. If it is unavoidable to pray with impurity on the body or clothes, the person should pray with it instead of praying naked, on the condition that the reason that this is unavoidable is certain to remain until the end of the time allocated for that given prayer; but if this is not the case, and the reason disappears before the end of the time of that prayer, it is not obligatory to repeat the prayer, nor to offer it as qada’ after the time.

Third: The clothing must be free (to use)

345. It is a condition that the clothing covering the ‘awrah must be free (to use) as an obligatory precaution.

346. Praying wearing misappropriated clothing occurs in many instances:

1- The person knows and is intentionally wearing such clothing; in this case the prayer becomes void. The same applies if he forgot, and if he was the one who misappropriated the clothing.

2- The person is ignorant and has not made the necessary effort to know about it; it is better to render the prayer void, and to act accordingly.

3- The person is ignorant but has an excuse, or does not know that the thing has actually been misappropriated, or forgot, but he is not the one who misappropriated the clothing; in all these cases the prayer is valid.

347. The prayer wearing misappropriated clothing is accepted when there is a compelling reason that remains in force for the whole of the time allocated for the given prayer; otherwise it is precautionary to delay performing the prayer until it is possible to find clothing that is free.

Fourth: Their clothing must be free from parts of the dead

348. It is a condition that the clothing of the person praying is not made from formerly living parts of a dead animal that has a ‘fluid’ soul, or even a dead animal that has no ‘fluid’ soul, as an obligatory precaution, whether the dead animal was one whose meat it is allowed to eat or not. This does not include animals allowed to be eaten, the tathkiyah (being slaughtered in the Islamic way) of which is doubtful, about which we spoke in the chapter on impurities that it is allowed to pray with.

Fifth: Their clothing must be free from parts of animals not allowed to be eaten

349. It is a condition that the clothing is not made from the skin or hair of animals that are not allowed to be eaten but were slaughtered in the Islamic way. However, the presence, for example, of a cat's hair on the clothing of the person praying will not invalidate the prayer nor will his carrying some of the animal's parts, such as an ivory rosary and the like.

350. Excluded from what is mentioned above is the skin and fur of martens, squirrels, beavers, qemaqim and fennec foxes; praying with these is allowed, provided that, for the skin, the animal was slaughtered in the Islamic way.

351. It seems that the ruling regarding animals whose meat is not allowed to be eaten does not apply to animals which have no ‘fluid’ soul, although their inclusion with the ruling is better. Also, the ruling does not include animals whose meat became forbidden for external reasons.

Sixth: Their clothing must be free of gold

352. It is not allowed for men to wear gold in prayer and at other times; the ‘wearing’ includes all that the word commonly means, such as dresses and jewellery, even pocket watches that hang from the dress and eye glasses with golden frame, as an obligatory precaution for both. Things that are not commonly regarded as part of ‘wearing’, however, such as gold teeth, gold tooth crowns, are not included (in this ruling); the same applies to things that are carried/held, or plated in a way in which the plating is regarded as colouring. As for women, they are allowed to wear gold at all times.

353. If a man prays wearing gold intentionally, he has sinned and his prayer becomes void, but it does not become void if this occurs as a result of forgetfulness, being unaware, or ignorance.

Seventh: Their clothing must be free from pure silk, if such clothing is of the kind that is sufficient on its own as clothing to offer prayers, and this concerns what is commonly regarded as clothing (see no. 352 for the distinction between what is regarded as clothing and what is not.)

354. It is forbidden for men to wear clothing made from pure silk, except for compelling reasons, and if a person wears such clothing intentionally, knowing the ruling, and prays wearing it, his prayer is void. As for women, they are allowed to wear silk at all times.

355. It is acceptable for buttons, hems etc of clothing to be made of silk, though it is better that any silk hem or sleeve is not longer than (the width of) four fingers.

356. It is allowed to wear silk mixed with other textiles if the other substance/material is a greater proportion than the silk.

(C) The place of prayer

357. It is a condition for valid prayer that the place of sojud (prostration), on which the person praying places his seven prostration spots, is free and not misappropriated, if the person is touching the actual ground, but if he prays over a free table placed over misappropriated land, his prayer is not void.

358. A prayer offered in a misappropriated place becomes void if the person knew of its misappropriation and the prohibition and he (nonetheless) went ahead (intentional); but if he was ignorant regarding the misappropriation or the prohibition ruling, or forgot the misappropriation but he was not the one who did the misappropriation, the prayer is valid.

359. It is more probable that a woman may pray in front of a man or to his side without a partition, although it is better to separate them by the measure of a handspan (shibr), an arm's length (thira‘) or ten arms' lengths, or by a partition such a wall, with no distinction here between ‘foreign’ women (i.e. not his wife or unmarriageable women) or otherwise.

360. It is a condition for the validity of a prayer that the place is stable, not like a place where there is disturbance which prevents standing, bowing or prostration, such as would be the case if one prays while riding a walking animal or sailing in a ship that is moving sideways violently in high waves. If stability is lost in this manner, the prayer is void except in compelling circumstances. That said, stability meaning complete stillness is not important, although it is better to abstain from praying in transport vehicles in which stability is not possible, except in compelling circumstances.

(D) The direction

361. It is obligatory to face the qiblah, where possible, in all obligatory prayers, including their auxiliary, forgotten parts. The same applies to the additional prayers (nawafil) when stability is secured, as an obligatory precaution, but not if they are offered when walking or riding. It is better to face the qiblah when performing the sahw sojud (unawareness prostration).

The qiblah is the place where the sacred Ka’bah, in Mecca, is; for a person praying near to it, facing it is secured by facing the actual Ka’bah, while a distant person needs only to face himself/herself in its direction.

362. In identifying the direction of the qiblah, it is sufficient to have belief based on the witness of two just individuals, or one just person, or one truthful, trustworthy person, or by relying on the qiblah to which Muslims face in their prayers, graves and praying niches; the compass is also something that can be satisfactorily relied upon in this regard.

363. If such belief is not secured, then belief arising from some related evidence is sufficient, but if this is not secured either, in this case a person can pray in the direction he thinks most probable, although it is safer then to pray in four directions.

364. If one intentionally prays in a direction other than that of the qiblah, and does so knowingly (that it is not the correct direction), the prayer is void and must be repeated in the time allocated for the prayer or after it as qada’, even if the direction in which prayer is offered falls with in the permitted angles to the left and right. But if someone prays in a direction which he believes to be that of the qiblah then finds out that it is wrong, in this case if the difference is less than 90° to the right of the qiblah or to its left, he does not have to repeat it, even if he realises this during the prayer; but he has to correct his direction to continue praying. However, if the difference was 90° or more, it is obligatory to repeat the prayer if its allocated time has not elapsed, even if his realisation of his wrong direction takes place during the prayer; in that case he must stop and repeat it after correcting his direction, but he does not have to repeat if he realises this error after the end of the allocated time.

There is no difference in this ruling between the case of certainty or probable belief, nor between probable belief that has weight and any other; also, there is no difference between one who was forgetful and one who was unaware; indeed, this ruling applies even in the case of lack of knowledge or probable belief regarding the qiblah and praying to the probable direction or any direction. However, a person who is ignorant of the ruling has to repeat it inside the allocated time, or offer the prayer as qada’   outside it, if the error was to a point to the left of the qiblah or its right of 90° or more, and also if the error was between those extremes to the right and left (i.e. less than the 90°) as an obligatory precaution.

365. For the sick perosn who cannot stand, when praying sitting he must face the qiblah with his face and body as if he is praying standing; when he prays lying on his back, he should make his feet face the qiblah so that if he sits up his face would be facing it; when he prays lying on his side, he must make his front facing the qiblah, lying on his right side, otherwise on his left.

366. If it is compelling that one must pray in places like a ship or an aeroplane and cannot face the qiblah during the whole of the prayer, even ifone turns to its direction when the ship turns away from it, then it is sufficient to turn in that direction when reciting the tekbirah of ihram (‘Allaho Akbar’ at the start of the prayer) and the parts during which one is able to face the qiblah, and the prayer is valid.

(E) Athan and iqamah

367. It is recommended to recite the athan (call to prayer) and iqamah (shorter call) before starting the prayer, especially for the obligatory daily prayers, when offering them in the time or afterwards as qada’  , when travelling and otherwise, whether in a congregation or alone, men and women, but these are not recited in the additional prayers, nor in the obligatory non-daily prayers.

368. There are eighteen parts to the athan, in their order:

Allaho akbar (4 times)

Ashhado an la ilaha illa-Allah (twice)

Ashhado anna Mohammadan resulo-Allah (twice)

hayya ‘alas-salat (i.e. hasten to prayer) (twice)

hayya ‘alel-Falah  (i.e. hasten to salvation) (twice)

hayya ‘ala khayril-‘Amal (i.e. hasten to the best of actions) (twice)

Allaho akbar (twice)

La ilaha illa-Allah (twice)

The iqamah is seventeen parts long, and like the athan but with a small difference:

1- The tekbir (Allaho akbar) is uttered twice not four times.

2- After reciting ‘hayya ‘ala khayril-‘Amal’, ‘Qed qamiti as-salat’ is to be recited twice.

3- The tehlil (La ilaha illa-Allah) at the end is uttered once not twice.

369. The sentence ‘Ashhado anna ‘Aliyyan waliyyo-Allah’ is not part of the athan or iqamah, nor an obligatory or recommended part; it is better to abstain from it in the iqamah.

370. Reciting the athan and the iqamah is strongly recommended (istihbab mo’ekked) when offering prayer in its correct time, especially the sunset and dawn prayers. Also this is stronger for men, especially the iqamah; in fact recital of these by men is a precaution that should not be ignored.

371. The recital of athan and iqamah does not apply in the following situations:

a- For a person who is joining congregational prayer for which the athan and the iqamah have already been recited, even if he did not hear them, whether the congregation has already started or is about to start, and for the latter the case there is no difference in this ruling between the leader of the prayer or the others.

b- For the person entering the mosque before the congregation has left, whether he intended to pray as leader or otherwise; this is if the congregation did have the athan and iqamah recited, or if they did not recite them because they were preceded by another congregation, in this case the recital applies for the entering person.

c- For the person who listens to the athan and iqamah recited by another person, provided that he hears all the parts and there is no gap between the recital he hears and his prayer, regardless of whether the person reciting is a leader, or someone praying behind a leader, or someone who is praying on his own, and the same applies for the listener. However, if there is a problem in being satisfied about hearing the leader only or the followers only, the way to relieve such problem is to hear both the leader and the followers of the congregation.

372. It is a condition for the validity of the iqamah to have purity from hadath, and to be standing and facing the qiblah; this is not a condition for the athan, although it is recommended.

(F) The intention for prayer

Intention (niyyeh) is obligatory for both obligatory and recommended prayers, as well as in all acts of worship; it was mentioned earlier, but let’s explain two things:

373. Since it is part of man’s nature to carry out acts after awareness has impinged and the act has been initiated, it is difficult to imagine an act of worship taking place without it passing through the conscious mind of the person, especially after starting the pre-requirements of the act. Therefore, the intention matter is not something difficult that needs long explanations. That said, it is conceivable that acts may take place without intention, such as if performed by a sleeping person or one who is completely unaware, but this is obviously not valid and most acts are not like this.

374. A person at prayer has to continue in his intention until the end of the prayer. If he has started the prayer then wants to interrupt it, there may be several reasons:

a- That he commits something that invalidates the prayer (listed below); in this case the prayer definitely becomes void.

b- That he performs some or all parts while he is intending to stop the prayer or while he is pondering about it; in this case it becomes void as well.

c- That he abandons the intention to stop the prayer or his hesitation before performing any part, or before committing any invalidating act, so he resets his intention to continue the prayer; in this case his prayer will be valid.

(G) The tekbirah of ihram

375. The tekbirah of ihram is the first act of the prayer; it is the reciting of ‘Allaho akbar’. The moment the person recites it, he has started the prayer, making it forbidden, then, to do anything that is not allowed, which invalidate the prayer. The tekbirah is not one of the pillars of prayer, so the prayer becomes void when it is left out intentionally, but not if it is forgotten out of absent-mindedness; likewise if it is added (i.e. one more time) intentionally, but not if added out of absent-mindedness; so if someone adds another one intentionally, the prayer becomes void and he must recite a third tekbirah, and if he adds a fourth one, he must recite a fifth one, and so on; it is valid in odd numbers and void in even numbers.

376. The tekbirah of ihram must be performed standing and in Arabic, and there must be no other speech attached to it, neither before nor after.

377. It is recommended to add six tekbirah in addition to the tekbirah of ihram , after it, or before it; it is better to set the intention to make the last one the tekbirah of ihram . Also, it is recommended that when someone is performing tekbīr, to do this when his hands are brought up to the level of his ears, or in front of the face, or the nahr (the upper part of the chest), with the fingers of both hands touching, including the thumb and the first finger, with the palms facing the qiblah.

378. If someone recites tekbir then doubts whether this was the tekbirah of ihram  or if it is for the roku‘, he should regard it as the former; and if the doubt of its validity assails him after finishing it, he should regard it as correct; and if he has doubts that he performed it at all and he has already started the recital act that follows, he should regard it as having been performed.

(H) The Recital and thikr

By recital is meant: the Fatihah and (another) chapter (sureh of the Qur’an) in the first two rak‘ahs. By thikr (literally mentioning) is meant: the four tesbirahs (see no. 385) in the other, third and fourth, rak‘ahs.

First: The recital of the Fatihah and (another) chapter

379. It is obligatory to recite the Fatihah chapter in every obligatory or recommended prayer, except the prayer for the dead. As for the recital of another chapter, it is better to recite a complete chapter after the Fatihah, although it is sufficient to read part of the chapter; for the nafileh (additional prayer), reading another chapter is not obligatory.

380. The besmeleh, i.e. saying ‘Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim’ (In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful), is part of every chapter (of the Qur’an) and so it must be recited with it, except the chapter of Bara’ah, which is known as the Tawbeh (Repentance) chapter. It is not obligatory to choose the chapter (you are going to recite) before reciting the besmeleh so that the besmeleh is the one at the beginning of that specific, chosen chapter, so it is acceptable that one recites the besmeleh then chooses any chapter.

381. It seems that it is not forbidden to recite the (four) ‘aza’im chapters in which prostration (sajdah) is obligatory upon reciting the prostration verse in each of them (these chapters); so it is acceptable to recite them in the obligatory prayers. But if the person praying does this, he only needs to nod as a sign of prostration, and it is better to carry out one recital prostration (sajdah of tilawah) after the prayer. The same applies if one listens to a prostration verse while praying.

382. It has not been proven to us that the two chapters of Fil (Elephant) and Qoraish are one chapter, nor the two chapters of Doha (Mid Morning) and Inshirah (Comfort), so it is allowed to recite only one of the two chapters, even the recital of part of the chapter according to our ruling allowing the recital of part of a chapter.

383. It is allowed to recite two complete chapters in one rak‘ah in obligatory prayers, although makruh (recommended not to do), but it is not makruh in nawafil.

384. It is allowed to choose to recite another chapter while reciting a chapter, as long as the person has not reached the middle, except in the two chapters of Tawheed (Oneness) and Kafirun (The Non-believers) in which it is an obligatory precaution not to do so. In any case, if the person has already passed the middle, it is not allowed to choose another chapter, whatever it is.

Second: The tesbihahs

385. It is up to the praying person, in the third rak‘ah of the sunset prayer and the third and fourth rak‘ahs of the evening, noon and afternoon prayers, to choose to recite the Fatihah chapter on its own (i.e. without another chapter after it) or to recite the thikr – the four tesbīhahs - which are: ‘Sobhan Allah, wel-hamdo Lillah, wa la Ilaha ill-Allah, wa-Llaho akbar’ (Praise be to God, and Gratitude to God, and There is no God but Allah, and God is Greatest) - without there being any distinction between the leader of prayers or the followers, although it is better for them, as well as for the person praying on his own, to choose the tesbī over the Fatihah. It is sufficient to recite the tesbihas once; it is better to repeat them three times, however. In addition, it is better to add istighfar (asking for forgiveness) by saying after completing them: ‘Asteghfiro-Llaha Rabbi wa atubo ilayh’ (I ask God, my Lord, forgiveness.) It is obligatory to recite thikr whispering, as is the case in the besmeleh of the Fatihah chapter, if the person chooses to recite it instead; this is in all prayers.

386. It is not obligatory to do the same thing in the last two rak‘ahs regarding recital or thikr, so it is up to the person to choose reciting in one and thikr in the other.

387. If he chooses to recite but his tongue goes for thikr, or the reverse, what his tongue utters is valid and there is no need to repeat it.

(I) The Roku‘ (bowing)

Roku‘ means bowing to the extent that the fingers reach the two knees; its place (in the order of prayer acts) is after the recital and the thikr of tesdihas and is obligatory in every rak‘ah once, in both obligatory and other prayers, except for the ayat (signs) prayers; it is a rokn (i.e. one of the pillars of prayer), and any shortfall in it, intentionally or otherwise (sahw), or addition to it, intentionally but not as a result of inattentiveness (sahw), renders the prayer void.

388. In roku‘, there are two things:

1- Standing, which is obligatory in two situations:

a- The person praying is standing when he bows for roku‘; this is a rokn (pillar) without which, whether intentionally or through lack of attention, the prayers becomes void.

b- The person praying lifts up his head after roku‘, to stand upright and stable, then goes down for sojud (prostration); this is an obligatory act, but not a rokn, so the prayer becomes void if it is ignored intentionally only, but not if ignored through lack of awareness.

2- Thikr, the best of which is: ‘Subhana Rabbiyel-’Adh īm(i) wa bihamdih’ (Praise be to my Glorious Lord and (mentioning his worthiness of offering) gratitude to Him); saying ‘Subhan-Allah’ three times is also sufficient, even any thikr – tahmid (al-hamdo Li-Llah), tekbir (Allaho akbar), or tehlil (La ilaha illa-Llah) - if it is repeated three times. It is allowed to combine the first form and any other, also for the sick, or anyone who finds himself short of time short, to recite ‘Subhan-Allah’ once.

389. It is obligatory that the thikr is recited in Arabic; it is also obligatory to be stable when reciting the thikr; so if the person intentionally does not keep stable when reciting it, and he intends to recite it to perform his prayer, the prayer becomes void; however, the prayer is valid if the lack of stability was unintentional.

It should be noted that one is not allowed to start reciting the thikr before reaching the bowing position and becoming stable in it; also not allowed to rise up to the standing position until after completing it (thikr) in the bowing position (with stability).

390. The person who is not able to bow standing should lean on something in order to do this, but if he fails in this also, he should, as an obligatory precaution, perform what he is able to do and, while standing, nod with his head instead of bowing,; this is if he is able to stand. However, a person who is unable to stand must bow sitting, in which case it is sufficient to bow so that his face is in line with his knees.

391. If a person doubts while standing whether this standing position is before or after bowing, i.e. doubts whether he has performed roku‘ or not, he should regard it as before roku‘, (so should perform it).

392. If he doubts his performance of roku‘ while prostrating, he should regard it as done and should continue his prayer.

393. If he doubts the correctness of roku‘ after he has lifted up his head from it, he should regard it as correct; the same applies if he doubts the correctness of the thikr after finishing it (the thikr).

394. It is not obligatory to place the palms over the knees when bowing; it is recommended only.

(J) The Sojud (prostration)

Sojud is obligatory in every rak‘ah twice (i.e. two sajdahs); the two sajdahs together are a rokn (pillar), and any shortfall in it, intentionally or otherwise (sahw), or addition to it, intentionally but not as a result of inattentiveness (sahw), renders the prayer void.

First: The rulings of the two sajdahs (prostrations)

395. There are several obligatory things in prostrating:

First: Placing the seven prostrating spots on the ground; they are:

1- The forehead, in which any part of it – as an area – is sufficient to secure prostrating, although it is better to place larger area on the ground. It is obligatory for the forehead specifically to be placed on something that is valid for prostrating over, as shall be explained below.

2- The two hands, on which prostrating must be performed, on their palms, and they must be placed stretched out; but if it is not possible to use the palms, the exterior parts of the hand are to be used, otherwise the person places the part of his hand that is nearest to the hand, such as the interior part of the arms, otherwise their exterior parts, and so on.

3- The two knees, it is sufficient to place the minimum, since it is not obligatory to put one's weight on them.

4- The two big toes, the tips of which must be placed on the ground; so the interior or exterior parts of the feet are not sufficient.

Second: Thikr, which is obligatory in prostrating as in bowing, however if the greater tasbihah is chosen, the person must recite: ‘Subhana Rabbiyel-A‘la wa bihamdih’ (Praise be to my Most High Lord and (mentioning his worthiness of offering gratitude to Him).

Third: Stability of the prostrating limbs when reciting the thikr, especially the forehead which must not be lifted up then placed because would result in a second, additional prostration.

Fourth: Lifting the head from the first prostration, sitting upright and stable, then going down for prostrating again; but this is not a rokn. The sitting after the second prostration and before standing up, known as rest prostration, is not obligatory, although it is better to perform it.

Fifth: Having the forehead place and the place he stands on at one level, so it is not acceptable if one of them is higher than the other by a distance of more than (the width of) four fingers, regardless to whether the difference is gradual or sharp; this is not a condition in the other prostrating spots unless that nullifies the prostrating form.

Second: What is allowed to prostrate over

396. It is obligatory when prostrating to place the forehead on one of two things:

First: Earth, which is of two kinds:

a- Natural: such as soil, rock, sand etc; these are allowed for prostrating without any problem.

b- The baked earth provided that the baking has not change its nature into something else, such as cement and limestone, in which case it is better not to prostrate over these; however if by this process it has become something that, its nature is other than earth, such as glass and the like, it is not allowed to use this.

Second: Plants, in which two conditions are to be observed:

a- It should not be suitable for wearing as clothes, i.e. what man has used and made for his needs, whether clothing or bedding, rugs or curtains, this includes clothes, bedlinen, carpets and other textiles. In other words, it is a condition that the plant is not a raw material for making textiles, whether it has been made into textiles or not.

b- It should not be suitable for eating, i.e. what man uses as food and nutrition taken from plants such as wheat, barley, fruits and vegetables, even tree leaves if they are eaten, whether cooked or in need of cooking; however, other leaves that are not eaten and wood are valid to use for prostrating.

397. It is sufficient to regard something as edible if a group of people, or a certain nation, eats it, i.e. it is not a condition to regard it as suitable for eating to be actually consumed by all people, unless eating it is considered odd and rare, in which case prostrating over it is allowed.

398. Prostrating is allowed on writing paper even if it has been manufactured from materials that are not allowed to be used in prostrating.

399. It is not a condition that what is allowed for prostrating, whether the earth or plant matter, should be dry. That said, dryness is a condition if the forehead cannot be placed stably without it, for instance on mud, to the extent needed for stability.

400. It is a condition that there is no partition between the forehead and the thing it is placed on when prostrating, so one must be cautious regarding any soil that might have become attached to the forehead in the first prostration, in which case it must be removed so that the second prostration is valid.

401. It is a condition that the thing used to prostrate over is pure from any khabathiyyah impurity, whether it was one that can spread to other things or not.

402. If the person praying is praying then loses whatever is suitable to prostrate on and there is still time, he must stop the prayer, lay down something suitable for prostrating, then start the prayer afresh. However, if time is short, he is allowed to prostrate on things that are made of textiles such as the edges of his dress, a prayer mat or any other such thing.

Third: Shortcomings in prostrating

403. As mentioned earlier, the two prostrations together are a rokn in prayer, but a single prostration is not, hence the prayer does not become void by an addition to it or shortfall in it, whether intentionally or as a result of inattentiveness.

404. If the forehead is lifted from the prostrating place unintentionally, such as if the person praying goes down forcefully and his forehead is lifted because of the force of the collision, or if he fears something so he lifts his head as a reflex, in these cases if he is able to stop his head from going down again to prostrate, it would be counted as one prostration even if he did not perform thikr; if he cannot hold his head up and it goes down to prostrate, it would (also) be counted as one prostration, but he has to perform thikr if he has not done so before.

405. There are many situations in which sojud is forgotten:

First: If one prostration is forgotten, here there are two possible scenarios:

a- That he remembers this before the roku‘ of the following rak‘ah; in this case he has to go down to the sitting position and perform the prostration, then continue his prayer as appropriate; after he finishes the prayer, he must perform the two sahw (unawareness/inattentiveness) prostrations since he added one standing.

b- That he remembers it after starting the roku‘of the following rak‘ah; here he should continue in his prayer, perform the (forgotten) prostration after the prayer as qada’   and perform the two sahw prostrations after it.

Second: If he forgets two prostrations from one rak‘ah, here are two possible scenarios:

1- That he remembers them before the roku‘ of the following rak‘ah; in this case, he has to sit to perform them as in (a) above, in addition to performing the two sahw prostrations after finishing the prayer.

2- That he remembers them after starting the roku‘; here the prayer becomes void.

Third: If he forgets one or two prostrations from the last rak‘ah, then he remembers them after Taslim (last part of a prayer), here:

1- If no long gap has elapsed and he has not done anything that invalidates the prayer, in this case he should perform the forgotten part, then repeat the tashahhod and Taslim.

2- If no long gap has elapsed but he did do things that invalidate the prayer, intentionally, such as speaking, the same ruling (in 1) applies.

3- If a long gap has elapsed, or if he did something that invalidates the prayer, whether intentionally or out of inattentiveness, such as al-hadath al-Asghar, in this case if the forgotten part was one prostration, he should perform it as qada’  and his prayer is valid; but if the forgotten part was two prostrations, his prayer becomes void.

406. If he doubts whether he did perform the prostrating or not, then if this doubt occurs after leaving the prostrating state, i.e. if he has already started the tashahhod or while rising to stand up, he should regard the prostrations as having been performed, but if the doubt occurred before that, he should regard it as unperformed and should, therefore, perform it.

407. If he doubts, after he has lifted his head from prostrating, that what he has just performed was the first or the second prostration, he should regard it as the first and, therefore, perform a second one.

408. If he doubts the correctness of the prostrating after he has lifted his head, he should regard it as correct; the same if he doubts the correctness of the thikr after finishing it.

409. If he is unable to prostrate completely, he has to bow in a way that can commonly be regarded as sojud, in which case he has to lift what he is prostrating on to his forehead; but if he is completely unable, he has to nod with his head, lifting what he is prostrating on to a height at which he can prostrate with stability; but if he cannot do that as well, he has to use his eyes: closing them to represent prostrating and opening them to represent rising up from it; and if he cannot do even that, he can set the intention in his heart and move his tongue with the prostration thikr. As for the rest of the prostrating spots, it is obligatory to place what he can in these places, otherwise not.

Finaly: The ruling regarding sejdeh of tilaweh (the recital prostration)

410. It is obligatory to prostrate when reciting or listening to the recital of the following sajdah verses: as-Sajdah:15, Fossilat:37, an-Najm:62 and al-‘alaq:19. In addition to prostrating when listening to a person reciting any of them, it is obligatory to prostrate when listening to them from machines (i.e. radio, cassette recorders, VCRs, CDs and the computer). The prostration must be repeated when the recital is repeated from its source time after time. This one must hasten to do where possible, otherwise it can be delayed until it is possible. The way it is done is the same as in prayers, but without the conditions of prayers, including the thikr; it is recommended however.

(K) The Tashahhod

Tashahhod is an obligatory part of the prayer and its form, as an obligatory precaution, is: ‘Ashhado an la ilaha illa-Allah, wahdahu la sherīka leh, wa ashhado anna Mohammadan ‘abdohu wa resuloh; allahomma selli ‘ala Mohammadin wa ali Mohammad.’

(I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, the one only without any other God with Him, and I bear witness that Mohammad is His servant and messenger. O God, bring Your prayers (i.e. blessings) on Mohammad and the progeny of Mohammed.) The rulings regarding this part are as follows:

411. It is obligatory to recite tashahhod once after the last prostration of the second rak‘ah in every prayer that consists of two rak‘ahs, twice in every prayer that consists of three or four rak‘ahs, once after the last prostration of the second rak‘ah and once after the last prostration of the last rak‘ah.

412. There are conditions for tashahhod:

1- It must be in Arabic.

2- The person must be sitting stable for the length of time needed to recite the obligatory thikr; there is no specific way of sitting. The person who is unable to sit should perform tashahhod standing if he is praying like that.

3- Order and mowalat (succession) must be observed in the parts and words of the tashahhod.

413. If the person praying intentionally does not perform the tashahhod, the prayer becomes void, but if he omits it that out of a lack of awareness and the unperformed tashahhod was the one in the middle, here are two possible scenarios:

a- That he remembers it before the roku‘ of the following rak‘ah; in this case he must go down, sit and perform tashahhod, then stand up and continue the prayer; after finishing the prayer, he performs the two sahw prostrations since he has added another standing.

b- That he remembers it after starting the following roku‘; in this case he should continue his prayer then perform the tashahhod as qada’   after finishing the Taslim.

The way to perform tashahhod as qada’   is: after finishing the taslim, he stays facing the qiblah without doing anything that would invalidate a prayer, as a recommended precaution, and sets his intention to perform tashahhod in qorbeh to Allah, then he starts reciting it, and when he finishes it he performs the two sahw prostrations for forgetting the tashahhod.

414. If he doubts whether he has performed the tashahhod or not, then if he is sitting or about to rise up to stand, but before he becomes actually in the standing state, he must perform it (i.e. tashahhod).

But if he has already reached a complete standing position, even if before starting the tasbih, he should disregard his doubt regarding tashahhod performed.

(L) The Taslim

415. Taslim is obligatory in every prayer. It is the last part and reciting it brings the person out of the prayer, allowing him to do the things which, before it, would have invalidated the prayer. It has two forms:

First: ‘As-Salamo ’alayna we’la ’ibadi-Llahi-saaliheen’ (peace be upon us and upon the good servant of God.)

Second: ‘As-Salamo ’alaykom’ (peace be upon you), and it is better to add to it: ‘Wa rahmato-Llahi wa barakatoh’ (and the mercy of God and His blessings).

It is for the individual to opt to recite only one of the two forms; however, if chooses the first, the second becomes recommended, and vice versa. It is also recommended to say before them: ‘As-Salamo’alayka ayyohan-Nabiyyo wa rahmato-Llahi wa barakatoh’ (peace be upon you O Prophet and the mercy of God and His blessings).

416. All requirements of tashahhod (no. 412) apply for Taslim, including the ruling regarding being unable to do it in the normal way.

417. If hadath takes place to the person praying before the obligatory Taslim, the prayer becomes void as an obligatory precaution.

418. If the person forgets Taslim, here are two possible solutions:

1- If he remembers it before the succession is lost and before he does anything that would invalidate the prayer, whether intentionally or out of lack of awareness, such as turning his back to the qiblah or al-hadath al-Asghar, in this case it is obligatory to perform Taslim.

2- If he remembers after the succession is lost or after he did something that invalidates the prayer, whether intentionally or out of lack of awareness, the prayer is valid, but it is better to repeat it (the prayer).

Epilogue

(A) Tartib (order, sequence)

419. It is not enough to carry out the above acts of prayer haphazardly; rather, they have to be performed in precise sequence which gives the prayer a specific shape. The order of the obligatory acts is the order in which they were explained above, i.e. the person, after reciting (the recommended) call to prayer (athan) then the shorter call (iqamah), sets the intention (niyyah), then performs the takbirah of ihram, followed by reciting (qira’ah), then bowing (roku‘), then prostration (sojud), then tashahhod and the last thing is Taslim.

420. If he violates the order, here are two outcomes:

First: If he does this intentionally, knowing that it is obligatory, in this case the prayer becomes void.

Second: If he does this out of lack of awareness, in this case if this did not involve a rokn (pillar) performed outside its designated place, then his prayer will still be valid, otherwise it becomes void. The details regarding this will be explained in the chapters explaining shortcomings in prayer.

(B) Mowalat (succession)

421. To secure succession is to perform the parts of a prayer in a way that makes the prayer one continuous act, as would commonly be accepted. Therefore, it would not violate the succession if there is a short gap between each two successive acts, such as if the person praying lifts his head from roku‘ but does not go down to sojud immediately because he is waiting for someone to bring him something to prostrate on, until one minute or so has elapsed; also, the succession is not invalidated by performing a long roku‘ or sojud or the like.

However, if long time elapses between an act and the one that follows so that the prayer can no longer be commonly regarded as a one continuous act, in this case the prayer becomes void, regardless of whether this was a result of intentional violation or simple lack of awareness.

(C) Qonut (special supplication)

422. Qonut is a supplication in which God the Most High is praised, glorified and beseeched in a certain way in prayer; its place in most obligatory and recommended prayers is after finishing the recital before bowing in the second rak‘ah in every prayer except Friday, ayat (signs) and Eid prayers where it is different both in number and place, as will be explained later.

423. Qonut is a recommended part in every obligatory prayer, especially the ones offered in an audible voice, and more so in the dawn, sunset and Friday prayers; it is recommended in every recommended prayer, except in the two shef‘ rak‘ahs in the night prayer, in which case if the person wants to perform it, it is a precaution to do so with the intention of matlubiyyah (requirement).

424. It is not conditional to recite certain things in qonut, as any thikr or supplication that the person chooses is acceptable; it is better to recite what is narrated from the infallibles (ma‘sumeen) (as).

425. If qonut was intentionally not performed, there are no consequences to this, but if this was due to absentmidedness and then it is remembered before reaching the bowing level, the person may stand up and perform qonut, and if this occurs after reaching the bowing level, the person should continue the bowing and may perform qonut after standing up, before going down for prostrating. If qonut is remembered after going down for prostrating, the person may offer it as qada’ after finishing the prayer whilst sitting facing the qiblah.

426. It seems that there is no objection to performing qonut using words that are incorrect as far as Arabic grammar is concerned if it can commonly be regarded as supplication; there is no objection to offering it even in languages other than Arabic.

(D) Ta‘qīb (thikr and recitals after prayer)

427. Ta‘qib is performing thikr and supplication after finishing the prayer. The scholars have mentioned that it is recommended to recite tekbīr three times after finishing the Taslim, to perform the tesbih of Fatimah (as), which is ‘Allaho akbar’ 34 times, then ‘Al-hamdo lil-Llah’ 33 times, then ‘Subhan-Allah’ 33 times, to recite the Fatihah chapter and the verse of Korsy and other recitals as mentioned in the books of supplications and hadīth.