Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Ablution (al-Wudhu)

First Section: Method of Wudhu

Wudhu is washing of the face and the hands, and wiping of the head and feet. And this should be one with the intention of performing which and not with the intention of cleaning.

First: Washing the Face:

From the hairline of the forehead to the furthest part of the chin, and in width its breadth should be washed to the extent of the maximum distance between the tips of the thumb and the middle finger. This much of the face is compulsory to be washed.

Washing of the face must be from top to bottom, and during the washing your hand must go from the beginning of your face to the end and not vice versa. Also, your face cannot be washed from right to left or left to right.

Note: You may find difficulty in washing your face from top to bottom in sequence, as unforeseen circumstances or forgetfulness may cause a person to move his hand upwards or to the right or left. So it is enough for you to make an intention at the beginning of the wudhu to wash from top to bottom, in which case if your hand slips sometimes it will not make your wudhu void. Simply return your hand back from where it slipped and then continue to the end of the face and complete your wudhu in sequence.

Issue 28: It is not necessary to wash inside of the lips, eyes, mouth or nose, but it is sufficient to wash the outer surface of them.

Issue 29: Everything that prevents water reaching the skin, such as discharge from the eye during sleep, kuhl (any preparation used for colouring the eye lids), and sine types if makeup must be removed when doing wudhu so that the water can reach every part of the face.

Issue 30: If the hairs of the moustache and beard are think it is enough to wash the outside and it is not necessary to wash underneath it.

Second: Washing of the Arms:

From the elbow to the fingertips, going from top to bottom. Moving the hand in any other direction, if it is not intended as part of the wudhu, is not a problem, as we explained in the previous not. The right arm must be washed before the left arm.

Issue 31: Some people wash their hands before washing their face, and when they come to wash their arms for wudhu they do not wash their hands, thinking that their previously having been washed is sufficient. This type of thinking is incorrect, so when you wash your arm complete the washing on the end of the fingers.

Issue 32: If there is dirt, or something on the arm which prevents the water reaching the skin, then it must be removed.

Issue 33: When you have finished washing your left arm then protect the wetness on the palm of your hand from mixing with new water until you have wiped your head and your right foot with the wetness of the palm of your right hand and you have wiped the left foot with wetness on the palm of the left hand, as we will explain.

Third: Wiping of the Front Head:

With the palm of the right hand (obligatory precaution), from the uppermost part of the head to just before the hairline. And in breadth, what equals the width of the forehead, although it is not necessary to wipe all of that – even the width of a single finger is enough.

What is wiped should be the hair directly growing from the part being wiped. As for long hair which is originating from the outside the wiping area, it is not sufficient to wipe this. Such as when a woman gathers her long hair on her head.

Issue 34: When wiping the head put your hand or your fingers on the middle of your head and move it such that it goes towards the face, or inverted, or slantingly, or width-wise.

Be careful (my beloved) that your hand does not come as far as your face, so that the wetness of the two do not mix, and protect the wetness of the hand until you have wiped your right foot with it.

Issue 35: Avoid having the hair on your head wet before wiping the head; it should be dry at the time of wiping. It is no problem if it has slight wetness.

Fourth: Wiping of the top of the feet:

From the tips of the toes to the ankle join of the foot in length, and a little in width such as the breadth of a finger. It is preferable to wipe with the whole palm of the hand.

The top of the right foot is wiped first – with the wetness on the palm of the right hand, and then he top of the left foot is wiped with the wetness on the palm of the left hand

Issue 36: There should not be, on the top of the foot, any dirt preventing water reaching the skin of the foot or the hair growing on it.

Issue 37: The foot should not be wet at the time of wiping and should be dried before the wiping.

Issue 38: It is sufficient for the hand with which one wipes the head and foot to be wet when wiping, and it is not necessary that the top of the foot looks wet after wiping.

Second Section: Conditions of Wudhu’

These are the things which if realized make the wudhu correct and if any one of them is missed the wudhu is void. There are many conditions but the most important of them are six.

First: The water must be pure, not made impure with one of the ten intrinsic impurities.

Second: The water must not be usurped.

Third: The parts of the body upon which wudhu is performed must be pure, so that the water with which wudhu is done does not become impure. For it did become impure, the wudhu would not have been realized with it.

Fourth: The place where wudhu is performed should not be usurped as this will comprise he intention of nearness to Allah.

Fifth: The intention of nearness to Allah, in the sense that the wudhu should be for obedience of Allah the Most High and not for any other purpose.

Be careful my dear reader that you don’t perform wudhu because of fear of your family, as such a wudhu is not correct. Your fear of disobeying Allah should be greater, because the punishment of Allah and the fire of hell are much greater than the punishment of your family. So let your wudhu be for the sake of obeying your Lord and avoiding His disobedience, so that Allah may accept it.

Sixth: Continuity, in the meaning that during the wudhu there is not a long break between washing the various parts. For example, one washes ones arm, then becomes busy in some work or play until the arm ad face dries, and then completes the wudhu. Such a wudhu is incorrect.

Third Section: Things Which Nullify Wudhu

The most important are four: urine, stool, breaking of wind, sleep.

If one is on wudhu and one of these things takes place then his previous wudhu will become void and he must do another wudhu for praying, for example.

Issue 39: If one doesn’t know whether one is on wudhu or not then one must do wudhu in order to pray for example.

Issue 40: If a person is on wudhu and he doubts – i.e he doesn’t know – if anyone of the above four things have taken place or not, then his previous wudhu is correct and he does not need a new wudhu.

Issue 41: It is preferable that a person always be in wudhu even when it is not time to pray and also that he does wudhu before going to sleep. There is a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (as): ‘One who sleeps the night while in wudhu is as one who has stayed awake the whole night.’

Issue 42: There are things which are not compulsory, but are recommended to be carried out for the sake of extra reward, such as rinsing of the mouth and taking water in the nose three times, and saying “Bismillahi-rrahmani-rrahim” when doing wudhu.

When washing the face one says what Imam Ali (as) used to say, as it is narrated form him: “O Allah! Make my face bright on the day which faces become black and do not make my face black on the day when faces become white.”

When one washes one’s right hand one says: “O Allah! Give me my book in my right hand, everlasting life in Paradise in my left, and take my account swiftly.”

When one washes ones left hand one should say: “O Allah! Do not give me my book from my left and do not make it chained to my neck. And I seek refuge in you from the flaming strips of fire.”

When wiping one’s head one says: O Allah! Cover me with your mercy, your blessings and your forgiveness.”

When wiping one’s feet one says: “O Allah! Fortify me on the bridge on the day in which feet will falter, and make my efforts towards which will gain your pleasure.”

Issue 43: The one who is not on wudhu is not permitted to touch the writing of the Quran, and it is an obligatory precaution to avoid touching verses of the Quran written in other books. It is also not permissible to touch the name ‘Allah’ and other names of Allah specific to Him, such as ‘Al-Rahman’, ‘Al-Bari’, ‘Al-Quddus’, etc.

Tayammum

First Section: Reasons for Its Performance

It is necessary for one who is unable to perform wudhu for one of a number of reasons, the most important of which are three:

First: If a person cannot find water then he performs tayammum in order not to miss his prayer (salaat). And his prayer remains correct as long as there is no water available until the end of the time for prayer.

Second: If the water harms him then Allah (swt) does not wish harm for people, so He made an easy option for the sick person for whom water is harmful, which is Tayammum. If water is harmful for the person until the end of the time for prayer, then he should do tayammum and pray and the prayer he thus performs is correct.

Third: If a person has a little quantity of water such that if he uses it in wudhu he fears that he will suffer severe thirst and may die or collapse as a result, then Allah (swt) is not happy that he is inflicting a believer with harm – so he has made tayammum a replacement for wudhu.

Also, if you see another believer suffering from intense thirst then do not do wudhu with the little water you had, but give it to your brother in faith to drink. To fulfil the essential need of a believer is more important and that is dear to Allah (swt).

Issue 44: If the time remaining for doing wudhu and prayer is running out, as happens when one gets up for morning prayer near the time for sunrise, such that you know that if you do wudhu and then pray your prayer will have missed its time, then if you are quicker at doing the tayammum and prayer before the rising of the sun, it is preferable that you perform the tayammum and pray. However, you must performance wudhu and repeat the prayer afterwards.

Second Section: On What is Used for Doing Tayammum

The reader may ask on what the tayammum is done. The answer is that it is permissible to do tayammum on common dry earth, like soil (turaab), sand (raml), pebbles, rock, natural marble. It is also permissible to do tayammum on concrete, brick, cement, gypsum, mosaic.

Issue 45: Tayammum is not permissible on glass, plants, ashes, iron and fabric.

Issue 46: Tayammum is not permissible on impure earth even if it is dry. It is also not permissible on usurped earth whose owner is not happy that tayammum be done on it, as if the person is aware that free utilization of usurped property is forbidden then the intention of nearness to Allah (swt) is not achieved and thus the tayammum is not correct.

Third Section: Method of Performing Tayammum

I request attention my dear and honourable believer towards the method of performing tayammum, so that you don’t fall into error. The method is as follows:

First make intention for doing Tayammum (Translator’s addition).

Strike the earth with the palms of your hands once. Then it is preferable to wipe off the excess earth from both palms by smacking one against the other.

Then wipe the whole of the forehead, from the hairline to the end of the forehead, the whole of both the eyebrows, and to the tip of the nose. All that must be wiped in sequences from top to bottom, not moving the hands from right to left, such that the whole area is covered.

Then wipe the top of the right hand from above the wrist to the tip of the fingers, with the palm of the left hand. Then wipe the whole of the left hand from above the wrist to the tip of the fingrs, with the palm of the right hand. And the wiping should be in sequence, not veering to the right or left. And this method is obligatory.

And it is preferable to hit the earth a second time, shake the hands as above, and to wipe the right and left hands again in the above manner.

Issue 47: It is not permissible for one upon whom tayammum is obligatory, because he is unable to do wudhu, to do tayammum before the time of the salaat has started, according to obligatory precaution. Rather he should wait until the time of prayer starts, and then do the tayammum for that prayer. If performing wudhu is harmful to you and you wish to do tayammum for the dhuhr (noon) prayer for example, then you do not do tayammum before dhuhr but you should wait until it is dhuhr time and then do the tayammum.

Note: If some of the area of the body upon which wudhu is performed are either broken or injured, and it is not possible to make them pure, then there are detailed rules for wudhu in that instance. These are mentioned in more elaborate books on Islamic rulings.

Prayer (al-Salaat)

This is one of the most important things made compulsory for a human being to do. And it is preferable to perform it at the beginning of its time along with all of its conditions. One should also perform it with humility. There is a narration: “Prayer is the pillar of religion, if it is accepted then other deeds are accepted, and if it is rejected, then other deeds are rejected.” Thus, if it is not accepted from a person due to a lack in fulfillment of some of its conditions or making light of it, then all his other deeds are not accepted. If a person performs it in its correct form, seeking nearness to Allah (swt), then his deeds are accepted and his reward is great.

In a narration from the Messenger of Allah (saws): “Know that Allah (swt) has mentioned it, swearing by His Honour, that He will not punish the ones who pray and prostrate and that He will not frighten them with fire on the day on which people stand before the Lord of the Worlds.”

In a narration from Imam al-Baqir (as), he said: “Do not be negligent towards your prayer, because the Prophet (saws) said at the time of his death that ‘The one makes little of his prayer is not from me and will not be united with me at the Spring (Hawd) – no by God!’”

And from Imam al-Sadiq (as) at the time of his death: “Our intercession will not be available for the one who takes prayer lightly.”

So imagine, my dear reader, if Allah (swt) does not accept our deeds, and the Prophet (saws) and the Imams (as) refuse to intercede for us on the Day of Judgment, then to whom can we turn and who will rescue us?

Do we turn to Satan and his evil group who will be in the severest punishment, their faces scorching in the fire?! Then are we happy with ourselves that we are Muslims and we associate with Iblis after Allah (swt) has banished us and our Prophet (saws) and the Imams (as) have rejected us?

If this is the outcome of the one who takes prayer lightly, then what is the condition of the one who leaves prayer?! And how will be his punishment?! So let us cooperate with each other in order to be safe from the Wrath of Allah (swt) and His Punishment, to win the intercession of the Prophet (saws) and the Imams (as), and to drink from the Spring (Hawd) of the Prophet (saws) on the day of great thirst.

The first step is that we rely on Allah (swt) and we comply with and pay attention to our prayer and perform it at the beginning of its time, and that we do not pay attention to the speech of the evil people who do not perform their prayer and commit forbidden and evil deeds.

Also, let us consider the difference between those who offer prayers and those who do not on the Day of Judgment, according to what the Holy Qur’an says: “And those who keep a guard on their prayer, those shall be in the Gardens honoured.” (70:34-35). “In gardens, they shall ask each other about the guilty: ‘What had brought you into Hell?’ They shall say: ‘We were not of those who prayed.’” (74:40-43)

So, you can choose between being one of those who pay attention to their prayer or one of those who don’t, and between heaven or hell, which are waiting for their inmates.

First and Second Sections: On Its Timing and Number

Five prayers are obligatory upon you, which are:

1. The Dawn Prayer:

It consists of two units, and its time is from the breaking of dawn – appearance of light on the horizon in the East – to the rising of the Sun.

2. The Noon (Dhuhr) Prayer:

It consists of four units, and its time is from the beginning of the second half of the day, which is called the declining of the sun, until the setting of the sun. The Dhuhr Prayer precedes the ‘Asr prayer. If we say, for example, that the sun rises at 7 AM and sets at 6 PM, then the length of the day is 11 hours. Thus, the declining of the sun will be at the end of the first half, which is 12:30 PM.

3. The Afternoon (Asr) Prayer:

(See Dhuhr Prayer)

4. The Maghrib Prayer:

It consists of three units.

5. The Isha’ Prayer:

It is 4 units. The time of Maghrib and Isha’ prayers is from the setting of the disc of the sun – and it is preferable to delay it until the redness in the East disappear – until midnight. And the Maghrib prayer precedes the Isha’ prayer. And if, by chance, one forgets them, then he should pray them before dawn break. Midnight is the halfway point from the setting of the sun to dawn break.

Third Section: On the Clothes of the Performer of Prayer

It is not permissible for a person to pray without any clothes, even if he is alone in the room and nobody can see him. It is obligatory for a man to cover his private parts, and for a woman to cover her whole body, except face and hands, during prayer. It is permissible for a woman to leave her feet uncovered during prayer if a non-mahram cannot see them. It is obligatory that the clothes of the one offering prayer fulfill six conditions:

First: They should be legally owned (not usurped). Thus, if a woman knows that her cloak or clothes are usurped, or a man knows that his clothes are usurped, then their prayer in them is void. But if a person doesn’t know that what he uses as a cover in praying is usurped, and if he finds out after the prayer, then the previous prayers are correct, but he cannot say prayers in them anymore.

Second: His clothes should not be made of the skin of a dead animal. This includes leather imported from non-Islamic countries, such as a watchstrap. If it is from the skin of an animal, then the prayer is not correct while wearing it. This is also applicable to other leather products, such as a belt or a small piece of leather sown on clothes.

Third: They should not be made from any parts of animals that are forbidden to eat, such as made from their skin, hair, etc. So, prayer is not permitted in clothes or a jacket made from fox skin, for example. Even if it is next to your body or clothes, or the hair of a cat is next to your body or clothes, then it is an obligatory precaution to remove them at the time of salaat.

Issue 49: If there is a skin which one doesn’t know whether it is real or artificial leather, then prayer is allowed in it because you do not know that it is the skin of an animal.

Fourth and Fifth: It is not permissible for men to wear gold or real silk during prayer, however it is permissible for women.

Sixth: The clothes of the one offering prayer should be pure and it is not permissible to pray in clothes which are impure. Also, it is not permissible for the body to be impure, though there are several exceptions to this rule – in which it is permissible to pray with impure clothes and/or body. The most important of them are three:

1. The blood of a wound and pus mixed with blood on the body and the clothes, and also the medicine placed on it. So long as the wound has not healed, then the prayer is allowed with these and it is not necessary to purify this place.

2. A little blood on the clothes, except the blood of nifas or menses (hayd) according to obligatory precaution, so long as its diameter does not exceed 2.3 cm according to obligatory precaution. And the little blood on the body, other than the blood of wound and pus, should be made pure, according to obligatory precaution.

3. Clothes and small articles of clothing with which it is not possible to cover the private parts of a man, such as socks and sings – it is allowed to pray in these if they are impure. However, it is not allowed if they have been taken from a corpse or an intrinsically impure thing, such as a pig. The obligatory precaution is that if the impurity if from an animal whose meat cannot be eaten, then it is also not allowed.

Fourth Section: Place of the One Who Prays

The prayer is not allowed in a usurped place and space if the one offering the prayer is aware of it being forbidden, because a prayer is a worship in which seeking nearness to Allah (swt) is a condition, and nearness is not possible with an action in a usurped place.

Issue 50: Prisoners in a usurped place are allowed to pray in that place, if the prayer does not necessitate damaging the place.

Issue 51: In public places like mosques, Husseiniyyas, courtyards, and parks, if a person has gone there to stay or to pray, then he cannot be thrown out by force. But, if he is not present there and he has put a sign or mattress or prayer mat there for a long time, then someone else is allowed to be there or pray there. However, he should not use the bedding or the prayer mat.

Issue 52: It is not permissible to occupy the public path of Muslims, which is intended for passing by on, or for any other purpose such as praying, selling, etc. - if it necessitates obstruction of the passersby or harming them.

Issue 53: A man and a woman are allowed to pray in places close together, whether the man is in front or the woman is in front, or they are both in the same line. And it is better for the man to be in front if there is no curtain between them or the distance is large.

Issue 54: A person praying in the shrines of the Prophet (saws) or the Imams (as) should not pray in front of the grave, such that their back is to the grave.

Fifth Section: The Qibla (Direction of Prayer)

One must face the Holy Ka’ba, because it is the qibla of the Muslims, and the same is the case above the Ka’ba for those in an airplane.

Issue 55: If someone doesn’t know the qibla in a particular place, then he can rely on the witness of two just people for the direction of the qibla. It is also permissible for him to pray in the direction in which he finds the Muslims of that region praying or in the direction in which the prayer niche (mihrab) of the Masjid is built, for example.

The Method of Prayer

First Section: Adhan & Iqama

Adhan and Iqama are recommended before the five daily obligatory prayers.

Issue 56: In the congregational (jama’ah) prayer, one adhan and iqama suffice, whether the one doing the adhan and iqama is the Imam or one of the believers.

Issue 57: For a woman, doing a takbir and shahadatayn (Ashhadu an la ilaaha illal-Allah wa Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulul-Allah) suffice in place of adhan. And even the shahadatayn alone is enough. In addition, doing a takbir and the shahadah (Ashhadu an la ilaaha illal-Allah wa anna Muhammadan abduhu warasuluh). And if she hears adhan, then the shahadatayn suffice in place of the iqama.

How to Perform Adhan and Iqama

1. The adhan has 18 parts: Allahu akbar (4 times) Ashhadu an la ilaaha illal-Allah (2 times)Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulul-Allah (2 times)Hayya ‘alas-Salaah (2 times) Hayya ‘alal-falaah (2 times)Hayya ‘ala-khayril-‘amal (2 times)Allahu akbar (2 times)La ilaaha ilal-Allah (2 times)

2. The Iqama has 17 parts:Allahu akbar (2 times)Ashhadu an la ilaaha illal-Allah (2 times)Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulul-Allah (2 times)Hayya ‘alas-Salaah (2 times)Hayya ‘alal-falaah (2 times) Hayya ‘ala-khayril-‘amal (2 times)Qad qaamat-tus-salaah (2 times)Allahu akbar (2 times)La ilaaha ilal-Allah (1 time)

Issue 58: It is recommended to send salutations on the Holy Prophet (saws) when his blessed name is mentioned in the adhan and at other places, for both the one reciting and the listener.

Issue 59: It is better to add the bearing witness of Imam Ali (as)’s guardianship, without intending it to be a part of the adhan and iqama, as some of the narrations include it. A case in point of this is what the Muslims used to do at the time of the Holy Prophet (saws), when they killed Aylaha - was was al-Aswad al-Ansi (the is a name of a person, so we just call him al-Aswad al-Ansi), who claimed prophethood to be a lie; the prayer caller used to say: ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and that Aylaha is a liar’, without intending it to be a part of the adhan.

Issue 60: There are a number of conditions in the Adhan and the Iqama, among which are:

1. That the adhan precedes the iqama and not vice-versa.

2. They should both be in the correct Arabic language. Their translation into any other language than Arabic is not sufficient, nor their being recited in the colloquial language.

3. They should be recited after the commencement of the time for prayer, and this is the case even for the one who recites the morning prayer on his own, according to obligatory precaution.

4. It is a condition for iqama that the one reciting it should be standing facing the qibla and should be in a state of ritual purity.

Issue 61: It is abominable (makruh) for the one reciting adhan and iqama to speak ordinary words during them, especially after the recitation of ‘Qad qaamat-tus-salaah’.

Second Section: On the Obligatory Acts of Prayer

1. Intention (Niyah).

2. Saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ while commencing the prayer (Takbirat al-Ehraam).

3. Standing erect (Qiyaam).

4. Calmness - on obligatory precaution.

5. Recitation of Surah al-Hamd and other Surahs (Qira’ah).

6. Prescribed recitation while bowing and prostrating (Thikr).

7. Bowing (Ruku’).

8. Prostration (Sujud).

9. Bearing witness (Tashahhud).

10. Salutation (Tasleem).

11. Sequence (Tartib).

12. Continuity (Muwaalah).

First: Intention

This means that the person performs the prayer with the intention of seeking nearness to Allah (swt), as is similar to what has been previously mentioned with respect to wudhu’.

Issue 62: The prayer of one who prays with the aim of being praised by people or from fear of his family is void. Therefore, it is necessary that the teenagers and youths pay attention to this point. And, their prayer should be with intention of seeking nearness to Allah (swt) and not for the sake of any other matter.

Issue 63: The person must know the identity of the prayer which he is praying, such as the morning prayer or the zohr prayer etc.

Second: Takbirat-ul-Ehram

The prayer stars with it and it is void without it, whether forgetting accidentally or deliberately. It is also void if it is repeated deliberately. If it has been recited correctly then it is not permissible to repeat it a second time because this increase would make the prayer void, in which case one should recite a third one to commence the prayer.

Issue 64: One must recite the Takbir in Arabic and it is not correct to recite its translation in another language. It must also be recited correctly. Some people recite it in this form: (Allah Wa Akbar) – Which is a common mistake that one must pay attention to avoiding.

Issue 65: The one praying can choose to recite it loudly or quietly in all the prayers.

Issue 66: According to obligatory precaution, the one offering the prayer should remain quiet a little before & after doing the Takbir, and not to connect it to what is before & after it, such as recitation.

Issue 67: It is recommended that the one performing the prayer raises his hands to near the face or to the ears, and that when the Takbir is finished he should allow his hands to drop.

Third: Standing (Qiyaam)

The one performing the obligatory prayer must stand while doing the Takbiratul Ehram, during Qiraat, before the bowing, and after the bowing before going down to prostration. And as an obligatory precaution he should stand on both his feet and not just on one of them.

Issue 68: The one who cannot perorm prayer standing, because of illness or another reason should pray sitting down.

Fourth: Calmness (on obligatory precaution)

This means that the one performing the prayer should be stationary and not moving during the Takbir, Qiraat, and Dhikr. So prayer is not allowed in a car while it is moving, on obligatory precaution, nor in an airplane if it shakes because of airpockets, as the body will then shake and stillness is lost.

Fifth & Sixth: Qiraat & Dhikr

In the first and second rakkat (unit of prayer) sura al-Fateha is read followed by another sura from the Quran. In the third rakkat of the Maghrib prayer and the last two units of the Zohr, Asr and Isha prayers, the one praying can choose between reciting sura al-Fateha alone and reciting the Tasbihat - which is known as dhikr – in which it is sufficient to say: ‘Subhaanal-laahi wal-hamdu lil-laahi wa laa illaha illal-laahu wal-laahu Akbar’. It is sufficient to say this once but it is preferred to repeat it three times.

Issue 69: The Qiraat must be correct, so the prayer performer must refer to the Quran and master the recitation of the sura which he chooses, according to the rules of correct Arabic.

Issue 70: The sura’s al-Fil and al-Ilaf are considered as one sura. So if sura Fil is chosen after sura al-Fateha, then the sura al-Ilaf must also be recited after it. The same is the case for the suras al-Dhuha and al-Inshira, so if sura al-Dhuha is chosen then sura al-Inshira must also be recited after it.

Issue 71: If the words whose endings have vowel marks and not sukoon are joined to the next word, then it is preferred to utter the vowel mark at the end of them. And if one stops at the word then it is better to put a sukoon on the last letter of the word, for example the ‘mim” in al-Rahim is vowels with a kasra, so if you join it to the word ‘Maalik’, for example, then you read it like this: “Al-Rahmani-Rahimi Maaliki”. But if you stopped at the word al-Rahim then you would read it like this: “Al-Rahmani-Rahim” with a sukoon on the ‘mim’. And this applies to all the words.

Issue 72: If one doesn’t know how to recite correctly then he must make sure of it before he prays.

Issue 73: It is obligatory to men to recite the Qiraat audibly (loudly) in the morning prayer, and the first and second units of the Maghrib & Isha prayers. Women can choose between praying audibly and quietly.

Issue 74: It is obligatory on men to do the recitation (Qiraat), with the exception of ‘Bismillah hir Rahmaanir Raheem’, of Zohr & Asir prayers quietly, as well as the third unit of the Maghrib prayer and he third & fourth units of the Isha prayer. It is recommended for men to recite ‘Bismillah hir Rahmaanir Raheem’ in the first two units of the Zohr & Asr prayers loudly.

Issue 75: What is meant by audibly (loud) and quietly is the following:

Have you ever come across a situation where you secretly speak in to your friend’s ear such that another cannot hear you? Similar to this is the quiet recitation, which is not just a mere movement of the lips. As for the audible recitation, it is sufficient to say it as one would speak in a gathering of one’s friends, but not shouting.

Issue 76: It is permissible for the one performing the prayer to open the Quran and read the sura from the Quran so that he does not make a mistake.

Seventh: The bowing

It is permissible to say in it ‘Subhanna Rabbiyal Azheemi wa bi-hamdih’ or to say three times ‘Subhaanal-laahe’. And according to obligatory precaution the reciter should be still and his body should not be moving during the recitation, as it was previously mentioned for Takbir & Qiraat.

Eighth: Prostration

Eighth: Prostration on the two palms, the two knees, the two big toes of the feet, and the forehead which is placed on the earth or plant (except the edible one or that which is worn, as will be explained). It is permissible to say in the prostration ‘Subhanna Rabbiyal ‘Alaa wa bihamdih’ or three times ‘Subhaanal-laahe’. And according to obligatory precaution one should be still when reciting the tasbih.

Issue 77: In every unit there are two prostrations, one after standing from bowing, then after sitting up from the first prostration.

Issue 78: It is not permissible for the ground upon which one prays to be sloping a lot – there should be no more than a distance of four fingers in height between the forehead and the toes.

Issue 79: It is permissible to put the forehead in prostration on earth such as pebbles, soil, brick, cement, plants (as long as not edible, such as apple, nor used for clothing, such as cotton). And the place of prostration should be pure, so that you do not place your forehead on something impure. It has been narrated that there is a lot of preference for prostrating on soil from the grave of Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (as) and the earth of Kerbala surrounding it.

Ninth: Tasleem

It is the last part of the prayer and it is sufficient to say: ‘As-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘alaa ‘Ibaadil-laahis Saaliheen’, or to say: ‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum’ – to which it is more preferable to add: ‘wa rahmatul-laahi wa barakaatuh.’ And it is preferable to combine the two together. It is also recommended to say before both of them: ‘As-salaamu ‘alayka ayyauhan Nabiyyu wa Rahmatul-laahi wa barakaatuh.’

Issue 80: It is permissible to say the tasbih of ruku and sujood, the tashhud, and the tasleem, audibly or quietly, for men and women, in all prayers.

Eleventh: sequence

One should begin with Takbiratul Ehram, then Qiraat, then ruku, then raise the head from ruku, then go in to prostration, and so on. It is not permissible to bring forward a later action over the previous actions nor vice versa. For example, prostration cannot preceeede the ruku.

Twelfth: Continuity

On obligatory precaution one must not separate between the parts of prayer such that one comes out of the form of prayer, such as if one eats during prayer (according to the common understanding of what it means to be eating), then the prayer is invalid according to obligatory precaution. But there is no harm in swallowing small bits of food left in the mouth.

Note:

Qunoot is recommended (mustahab) in the second rakat after completing the Qiraat, in every prayer. So one raises one’s hands and supplicates to Allah (swt) for oneself, one’s family, and the Muslims.

Issue 81: It is recommended to do a prostration after completing the prayer and say ‘Shukran Lillahi’ at least three times. And it is recommended to do the tasbih of al-Zahra (as) as follows: ‘Allahu Akbar’ 34 times, ‘Alhamdulillh’ 33 times and ‘subhanallah’ 33 times.