Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Lesson 28: Clothes of Prayer

There are certain rules laid down concerning the clothes for prayer:

1. It must betahir (clean): The Salat innajis clothes is invalid (batil ).

Details will be given afterwards.

2. It must bemubah , notghasbi . Salat inghasbi clothes isbatil . Clothes purchased by money from whichzakat orkhums (whenwajib ) was not given isghasbi ; and prayer with such clothes isbatil.

3. It should not be a part of an animal whose meat is not halal. Therefore, the hide of an elephant and such things are not allowed in Salat.

4. It should not be a part of any dead animal. Meat, hide and fat are not to be taken from a dead animal unless it is known that it was azabiha (lawfully killed animal). Therefore, leather belts or similar items are not allowed in Salat unless they are known to have been taken from azabiha , or have been purchased from a Muslim (provided it is known, or at least probable, that that Muslim had purchased it after due scrutiny).

5. It is not allowed to pray in clothes which have sweat that exuded during or after becoming unlawfullyjunub .

6. It is not allowed to pray in clothes which have the sweat of an animal which eats refuse of human beings.

7. For men only: The clothes should not be made from gold, whether it is pure gold or mixed. But there is no harm in keeping gold in pocket.

8. Likewise men are not allowed to wear pure silk.

Note: Wearing gold and pure silk areharaam for men even at other times.

Other Rules

1. If a person did not know that his body or clothes werenajis , and came to know after Salat, the Salat is correct.

2. If he knew that his body or clothes werenajis , and forgot and prayed in those clothes, he would have to pray again, if the time is still there, or prayqadha if there is no time.

3. If the clothes becamenajis during prayer, and it was possible to change the clothes or to clean them without disturbing the prayer, he should do it, and the prayer would be correct. If it was not possible to change or clean the clothes as mentioned above, and there was enough time, he should break the prayer, clean or change the clothes and pray afresh. If there was not enough time, as mentioned above, and it was not possible to take away that clothes, he would proceed in the prayer in that clothes, and the prayer would be correct. The same rules apply if any part of his body becomesnajis during prayer. If he could take away the clothes, but had no other clothes, he would complete the prayer in that same clothes.

4. The followingnajasah are excused in the prayer:

(a) The blood which comes out of wound or tumor provided it is difficult to clean it or, at least change the bandage once a day. But if that blood reaches another part of the body which is far from that tumor or wound it is not excused; it must be cleansed.

(b) The blood, (other than the blood ofhaiz ,Nifas , oristihaza , or of a dead body, orkafir , or an animal whose meat is not halal) on the clothes or body of the person praying, which is less than'dirham baghalli ' in the area.

Note:dirham baghalli is equivalent to the tip of the fore-finger.

(c) Those small wearing apparels which cannot be used to hide the ‘auratayn (private organs of a human being) owing to their smallness, like small handkerchief, button, ring, etc. provided they are not made fromnajasah like dead body, dog, etc. It is not allowed to keep these things in prayer even without wearing them.

(d) The clothes of the woman, who rears up an infant boy, provided that:

1. The clothes have becomenajis with his urine;

2. And she has no other clothes to change into. In this case, she is allowed to clean the clothes once a day and then ignore thenajasah of his urine afterwards. This rule cannot be extended from urine to othernajasah , or from the woman to man, nor from that woman who does not have another set of clothes to that one who has got other clothes to change into.

Note: The above mentioned exceptions are fornajis clothes. It does not mean that other rules relating to clothes made from dead body or from a part of an animal whose meat is not halal are also relaxed.

5. The rules about clothes concerning the prayer, also apply inwajib tawaf .

6. When there is no other clothes exceptghasbi , or golden, or silk, and he is obliged to wear it, owing to cold or because there are other persons, he may pray in it; but if he may take it out, he should pray in a closed room, without clothes.

The same is the rule if there are no clothes other thanghasbi or made from a dead animal or from aharaam animal. If there are no clothes except anajis one and it is not possible to cleanse it, he should pray wearing that same clothes. After finishing the prayer it is better to close the room, take out that najis clothes and repeat the prayer without the clothes.

Lesson 29: Place of Prayer

1. Prayer is not allowed in aghasbi place. The permission from the owner may be either explicit or implied.

Further Explanation of Rule No. 1:

If someone lives in a rented house and, for one reason or other, is prevented from paying the rent to the owner, then he should seek the owner's permission to live in that house without paying him any rent.

If the owner is not known, or his whereabouts are not known, then the property comes under the category'mal majhul al-malik' (a thing the owner of which is not known). Such things become the property of the Imam (A.S.), and in his ghaybah, the Mujtahid has authority upon such things.

Therefore, such cases should be referred to the Mujtahid for his decision.

2. The place ofsajdah must betahir . Standing and sitting places may be non-tahir , provided there is no possibility of thenajasah extending to the body or the clothes of the prayer.

3. It is not allowed to pray in a place where the prayer cannot be finished properly, or where there is danger to the life, for example on a busy road during rush hour.

4. The place of prayer should not be unstable, like a spring mattress, etc.

5. There should be space sufficient enough to stand properly and to doruku’ andsajdah properly.

6. If a man and a woman are praying in the same place, woman must stand at least one span (better, 15 feet) behind the man, or there should be a curtain or wall between them.

7. The place where forehead is put insajdah should not be more than four fingers (about 2 ½ inches) lower or higher than the place where the toes and knees are put.

Masjid

It is stressed that the prayer should be performed in a Masjid. Masjids in order of preference are:

(a) Masjid al-Haram (around the Ka’ba) - one prayer there = 1,00,000 prayers.

(b) Masjid al-Nabi (Madina) - one Prayer there = 10,000 prayers.

(c) Masjid al-Kufa and Bayt al-Maqdis - one prayer there = 1,000 prayers.

(d) Masjid al-Jami’ - one prayer there = 100 prayers elsewhere.

(e) Masjid of the market- one prayer there = 12 prayers elsewhere.

For women, their home is better than the Masjid.

The Prophet has said: Three things will complain before Allah:

1. The Masjid which is neglected and nobody comes to pray there;

2. An ‘Alim, among the people who do not know the religion; and - .

3. A Qur’an put in a place, from which nobody recites ever, and which remains covered with dust. Also, the Prophet has said: "There is no prayer for a neighbour of the Masjid, but in a Masjid."

Places where praying is makruh

It is not liked to pray in a dirty place, or butchery, or in a place where fire is burning, or when there is fire before a person, or where there are photos

of human beings or animals, or with open Quran before him or any open book. It is alsomakruh to pray in burial ground, or on a grave, or behind a grave, or between two graves, or where there is a human being facing him. It ismakruh to pray in a bath-house (hammam ), or on roads, or facing an open door, or in a salty place, or in a room wherein someone isjunub .

Lesson 30: Adhan and Iqamah

The saying ofAdhan andIqamah before starting daily prayers is greatly rewardable. These are given below.

Adhan

Allahu Akbar (4 times) (Allah is the Greatest).

Ash-hadu an la ilaaha illal Laah (twice) (I bear witness that there is no God but Allah).

Ash-hadu anna Muham-madan Rasoolul-Laah (twice) (I bear witness that Muhammad is

the Apostle of Allah) .

Ash-hadu anna Ameeral Mu’mineen Ali-yan hujjatul-Lah (twice) (I bear witness that the

Commander of the Faithful, Ali is the hujjat of Allah).

These words should be said not as a part of adhan but for barakat only.

Hayya ‘alas-Salaah (twice) (Hasten to prayer).

Hayya ‘alal falaah (twice) (Hasten to success).

Hayya ‘ala khayril ‘amal (twice) (Hasten to the best deed).

Al-lahu Akbar (twice) (Allah is the Greatest}.

Laa ilaaha illal-Lah (twice)

(There is no god but Allah).

Iqamah

There is a little difference betweenAdhaan andIqamah . While sayingIqamah , the words

"Allahu Akbar " at the beginning are to be repeated twice. The words "Qad Qamatis salah'

(Indeed the prayer has begun) are to be added after the words "hayya ‘ala khayril ‘amal "

and repeated twice and "laa ilaaha illal Laah " at the end is to be said only once.

Lesson 31: Wajibat (obligatory acts) of prayer

There are 11 thingswajib in the prayers:

1.Niyyah : Intention to pray for being near to God.

2.Takbirat-ul-Ihram (Allahu Akbar afterniyyah ).

3.Qiyam : To stand.

4.Ruku’ .

5. TwoSajdahs .

6.Qira'at : to recite Surah al-Hamd and another Surah in first tworak’ats andTasbihat al-Arba’ah.

(Subhanallahi wal-hamdu lillahi wa la ilaha illal-lahu wallahu Akbar ) or Surah al-Hamd in

the 3rd and 4thrak’ats .

7.Dhikr : to recite tasbih inruku’ andsajdah , as will be explained later.

8.Tashahhud .

9.Salaam .

10.Tartib : To pray in the sequence prescribed by theshari’ah .

11.Muwalaat : To pray without interruption or gap.

Rukn and Ghayr Rukn

Out of the above mentionedwajib acts of prayer, 5 are rukn and the others are ghayr rukn .

Rukn means such actions which invalidate the prayer if they are left out or added, though unintentionally.

These are (1)Niyyah , (2) Takbiratul-Ihram (3) Qiyam at the time of Takbiratul-Ihram and just before going to Ruku , (4) Ruku and (5) Both sajdahs together. If any of these are left out, or added whether intentionally or unintentionally, the Salat will become batil (void).

Ghayr rukn means suchwajib acts which invalidate the prayer if they are left out, or added, intentionally. But they do not invalidate the prayer if they are left or added unintentionally. These are the remainingwajib acts of prayer.

Lesson 32: Niyyah, Takbir and Qiyam

1. Niyyah

The person starting prayer must have, just before starting, a clear 'intention' that the specific prayer is‘qurbatan ilal-Laah' , i.e. in obedience to Allah. Thus three things are wajib in niyyah :-

(a) The prayer must be specified;

(b) It must be for the sake of God only, not for any other motive;

(c) That intention must remain unaltered up to the end.

Note: It is not necessary to say these things in words. The intention and attention of mind is enough.

2. Takbiratul-Ihram

The phrase'Allahu Akbar' is calledtakbir .'Ihram' means 'imposition of limits'. Thus the'takbir' just afterniyyah is called'Takbiratul-Ihram' , because it limits the man in his actions; now he cannot do any work except prayer. There are 4 conditions in it:

(a) It must be in the approved form, i.e.'Allahu Akbar ' without any addition or change and without joining it with other wordings.

(b) It must be in correct Arabic.

(c) It must be said while standing (details will come afterwards).

(d) Body must be in'tama’ninat' (not moving, but still).

(e)Muwalaat : The letters and words should be recited one after another without gap.

3. Qiyam (standing)

It is'rukn’ while reciting'Takbiratul-Ihram ' and before going to'ruku' : and iswajib (but notrukn ) at the time of reciting Surahs orTasbihat Arba’ah . Inqiyam , it iswajib that:

(a) Themusalli (person praying) should stand erect and facing qibla;

(b) He should be motionless (tama’ninat ).

(c) Also he should not lean against anything unless he is unable to stand without support.

Substitutes of Qiyam

1. If a man cannot stand without support he should or may stand with support;

2. If he cannot stand, even with support, he should sit without support;

3. If he cannot sit without support, he may sit with support,

4. If he cannot sit even with support, he must lie on his right side, facing qibla;

5. If it is not possible, he must lie on his left side facing qibla:

6. If even that is not possible, he should lie down on his back, his feet towards the qibla.

In the last three alternatives, he should bow down forruku andsajdah ; the bowing forsajdah should be more than that for theruku . If he cannot bow down, he should performruku andsajdah with his eyelids.

If he can stand for a part of the prayer, he should stand up to that time, and then should sit down.

This rule applies to the alternatives also.

Sunnat (mustahab) differences between the qiyam of a man and of a woman

Man stands with his feet apart from 4 to 8 inches; woman stands with her feet close to each other.

Man stretches his hands downwards resting on thighs; woman keeps her hands on her breasts.

Man and woman both should keep their eyes (duringqiyam ) on the place ofsajdah (muhr).

Ruku’

4.Ruku’ (bowing): It iswajib in eachrak’at once; exceptSalat al-Ayaat which has 5rukus in each rak’at.

There are 5wajibs in ruku’ :-

(a) To bend so low that the palms rest on the knees;

(b) To recite'dhikr' ofruku’ after bending up to the approved position.Dhikr ofRuku’ :

'Subhanallah ' (Glory be to Allah) 3 times, or 'Subhana Rabbiyal ‘Azeemi wa bi hamdih'

(Glory and Praise be to my Lord Cherisher, the Great) once.

(c) While reciting thedhikr , one should remain motionless as far as possible;

(d) Standing again afterruku’ , raising the head first;

(e)'Tama’ninat' in the qiyam afterruku’ .

These things are sunnat inruku’ ;-

(a) Sayingtakbir before kneeling down;

(b) Keeping the eyes fixed between the feet duringruku’ ;

(c) Recitingdhikr 3, or 5, or 7 or more times;

(d) Recitingsalawat afterdhikr ;

(e) Reciting'Sami’allahu liman hamidah' after standing erect after ruku’ .

Sunnat (mustahab) differences between ruku’ of a man and of a woman:

(a) A man must keep his palms on his knees; a woman on her thighs above the knees;

(b) A man should keep his fingers stretched on his knees; a woman should keep them joined together;

(c) A man should keep his arms and elbows away from the body, a woman should keep them joined to her body;

(d) A man should keep the knees stretched backwards, a woman should keep them not so tight;

(e) A man should keep his back in such a horizontal level that even if a drop of water is dropped on the back it does not move down; a woman should keep her back in an arch fashion.

Lesson 33: Sajdah (I)

5.Sajdah : Each rak'at has twosajdah , both taken together are onerukn . Seven things arewajib in asajdah :

1. One should prostrate so low that his forehead and feet are in one level.

2. Seven parts of the body must be resting on the ground. These are the forehead, the two palms, the two knees and the toes of both feet.

3. There are some special rules about the place ofsajdah ;-

4. It must be either earth; or

5. Anything growing from earth, provided it is from those things which are not eaten nor worn.

Therefore,sajdah is not allowed on clothes or fruits or edible vegetables, or on such a thing which does not come under the term 'earth' viz., diamond or gold etc., or does not come under the term vegetation viz., ash or coal.

Also,sajdah is not correct on hide or skin, because it does not grow from the earth; nor is it allowed on carpets made of wool, cotton, jute or silk, because wool and silk do not grow from earth and cotton and jute are used in clothes.

Sajdah on paper is allowed.

Highest preference has been given for performingsajdah on the earth from a specified area in Karbala. That earth is called'khak al-shifa' , readymade tablets of which are available and are called'muhr , or'turbat' or 'sajdah-gah : in different languages.

Themuhr must be clean. Dirty tablets are not allowed in prayers. Also, the size ofmuhr should not be less than your own thumb.

Bibi Fatimah al-Zahra’ had made'tasbih' from the earth taken from the grave of Hazrat Hamza (A.S..)

I am sorry to note that in many mosques very few'tasbihs' contain correct number of beads. Before using atasbih you should count the beads to make sure that it is correct.

The arrangement of the beads should be: 33 round beads + one marker + 32 round beads + one marker + 33 round beads.

If there is nothing upon whichsajdah is allowed, or there is so much cold or heat that a person cannot put his forehead upon the earth, then, he may performsajdah upon his clothes. If there are no clothes then, as a last resort, it is allowed to performsajdah upon the back of his hand. Normally, this condition is not common, and the person praying should not dosajdah upon his clothes or the back of his palm. Sometimes it is seen that people do theirsajdah upon their hands or nails, even while praying in the Masjid.

Their prayer is invalid (batil ), without any doubt. Remember that the mats are made from a fiber which is neither eaten nor worn and it is quite in order to dosajdah on them, especially if your forehead rests upon an uncolored portion. Likewise, you may dosajdah on any stone (not precious stones); so you can dosajdah on real (but not on artificial) marble. Cement and lime are made from burnt stones; therefore a cemented floor or floor covered with lime cannot be used forsajdah . Likewise,sajdah is not allowed on earthenware, after it has been treated by fire.

4. To recitedhikr ofsajdah , i.e.Subhanallah (three times) orSubhana Rabbiyal A’ala wa bihamdih (Glory and Praise be to my Lord Cherisher, the High) (once).

5. To remain motionless-duringDhikr ofsajdah .

6. Not to raise any of the seven parts (mentioned in No.2) till the recitation ofdhikr is over.

7. To raise the head first and sit down after first (and even second)sajdah .

Important Reminder

"It isharaam in Islamic shari’ah to do sajdah to anyone except Allah. Some ignorant people put their forehead in front of the graves of Imams (A.S.). If they have a clear intention to do sajdah of thanks ( sajdah al-shukr ) for Allah, it is alright. Otherwise, it is haraam ."

Lesson 34: Sajdah (II)

Mustahabbat (recommended acts) in sajdah

The following aremustahab (recommended) insajdah :-

1. Keeping the nose also on earth.

2. Duringsajdah , the hands must be in level with the ears and should point towards qibla. Fingers should be close to each other.

3. Eyes should see towards the nose.

4. Recitation ofdhikr more than once, as already explained in case ofRuku’ .

5. Recitation ofsalawat after dhikr.

6. After rising from the firstsajdah , to say, firsttakbir and thenAstaghfirullah Rabbi wa atubu ilayh . (I seek pardon from Allah, my Lord and I turn towards Him).Then sayingtakbir again before the 2ndsajdah .

7. To saytakbir after rising from secondsajdah while sitting.

8. Hands should rest, after rising from everysajdah , on the thighs.

9. Recitation ofBi hawlillahi wa quwatihi aqumu wa aq'ud , during the process of rising for the nextrak'at . Remember that it is the only place in the prayer when recitation of adhikr is prescribed during the motion of the body. All the other Surahs anddhikr must be recited when your body is motionless. (Meaning of thisdhikr : Due to the power given by Allah, and because of the strength given from Him, I stand and sit).

Makruhat (disapproved acts) in Sajdah

1. Sitting on heels (for men).

2. Keeping the arms on the ground duringsajdah .

3. Recitation of portions from the Qur'an insajdah .

Sunnat (recommened) differences between sajdah of a man and a woman

1. While bendiing down forsajdah , a man should lower his hands first but a woman should lower her legs first.

2. On arising fromsajdah , a man should sit on crossed feet, the back of right foot resting on the sole of the left, both feet turned out towards one side of the body. But a woman should sit on her hams with the soles of the feet resting on the ground.

3. While rising for the nextrak'at , a man should keep first his hands on the ground, then rising the legs (before the hands) should stand. A woman should keep her hands on her knees while sitting and should stand up straight from that position.

4. A man, while insajdah , should keep his arms apart from his body. A woman should keep her arms close to her body.

These fivewajib acts ( Niyyah , Takbiratul-Ihram , Qiyam , Ruku’ and Sajdah ) were rukn . It means that if anyone of them is left out or added in prayer, though by mistake or unintentionally, the prayer is batil (void).

Lesson 35: Wajib (obligatory) Sajdahs of the Qur’an

In four Surahs of the Qur'an (Alif Lam Meem Sajdah .Ha Meem Sajdah ,Najm and.’Alaq ) there is one verse which is called verse ofsajdah . Anybody who recites that verse or listens to it must dosajdah at the end of that verse. If while listening to it he was reciting it also, he should do twosajdah s.

The place where he does thesajdah must bemubah (notghasbi ) and the place of forehead should not be more than 3" lower or higher than the place of knees or toes. The rules about the things upon whichsajdah of prayer is allowed must be followed in thisSajdah also.

It is notwajib to say anydhikr in thissajdah . Still it is sunnat to recite the followingdhikr :

La ilaha illal-lah haqqan haqqa; la-ilaha-illal-lahu Imaanan wa Tasdiqa; La ilaha illal-lah ‘ubudiyatan wa riqqa; Sajadtu laka ya Rabbi ta’abbudan wa riqqan; La mustankifan wa la Mustakbiran; bal ana ‘abdun dhalilun da’ifun kha’ifun mustajir.

It is not necessary to dowudhu etc., or to face towards qibla in thissajdah .

Lesson 36: Qir'at

Now we come to those 6 wajib acts which areghayr rukn . i.e.. if anyone of them is added or left out intentionally, the prayer would be invalid (batil ); but if it is added or left out by mistake or unintentionally, no harm will come to the prayer (except that some remedial actions are prescribed in certain cases).

6. Qira'at

It is obligatory to recite Surah al-Hamd and then any other Surah (with certain conditions) in the first tworak'ats of every prayer (exceptSalat al-mayyit ), and to recite eitherTasbihat al-‘Arba’ah (Subhanallahi wal-hamdu lillahi wa la ilaha illal-lahu, wallahu akbar ) or Surah al-Hamd in the third and fourthrak'ats .

Certain things arewajib in the qir'at ;-

1. Correct pronouncement of the words and letters, so as the similar letters may be distinguished from each other in a correct way. This needs practice and training.

2.Fatha .kasra ,damma ,tashdid, madd , andjazm should be pronounced correctly ..

3. When stopping on a word, its lastI’rab should be replaced byjazm , compulsorily. Likewise, when two words are joined, the first word'sI’rab should not be omitted.

4.Bismillahir-Rahmanir Rahim should be recited before every Surah except Surah al-Bara'ah, because it.is part of every Surah (except al-Bara'ah).

5. The four Surahs in whichwajib sajadahs occur, should not be recited in obligatory Salat. But it is allowed inmustahab prayer. If he recited that Surah in amustahab prayer, he must dosajdah , just after reciting the verse ofsajdah , then stand up and finish the Surah and prayer as usual. If he recited that Surah inwajib prayer by mistake, or if he heard someone else reciting the verse ofsajdah (when the hearer is prayingwajib prayer), he should do thesajdah after prayer. It is better to dosajdah , by gesture of head only during prayer itself, and then to dosajdah after finishing the prayer.

6. Reciting the Surahs andTasbihat al-‘Arba’ah withtama’ninat .

7. A man should recite al-Hamd and Surah loudly in the first tworak'ats of Subh, Maghrib and ‘Isha; and in a whisper in the first tworak'ats of Zuhr and ‘Asr. 'Loudly' does not mean shouting, which many people resort to behind the prayer leader. If someone prays so loudly that it may be said that he is 'shouting' his prayer isbatil (invalid). The whisper should be audible to the person himself. Theqir'at in the 3rd and 4thrak'ats of every prayer should be in a whisper.

A woman should recite her prayers in a whisper, though she is allowed to pray loudly (where a man should pray loudly) when there is no danger that anyghayr mahram is nearby who may hear her voice. If someone intentionally prays loudly in place of "whispering", or vice-versa, his prayer isbatil (invalid).

8. Reciting the Surah al-Hamd and Surah withtartib (in the sequence which is prescribed).

9.Muwalaat in theqir'at .

10. Surah al-Duha' and Surah Alam Nashrah are one Surah.

Likewise, Surah al-Fil and Surah al-Qur’aysh are one Surah. If one of the Surahs is recited, the other one also should be recited.

11. A man who has started reciting any Surah after al-Hamd, may change to another Surah so long as he has not reached to the exact middle of that Surah. If he has, on the other hand, recited half that Surah, he is not allowed to change it. But he cannot leave Surah al-Ikhlas or Surah al-Kafirun even if he has just recitedBismillahir Rahmanir-Rahim with the intention of these Surahs.

If he forgets any word or verse from the Surah which he is reciting, he may leave the Surah and start another one, even if he has already recited more than half, or even if it is Surah al-Ikhlas or Surah al-Kafirun.

12. It is allowed to recite the Surah by looking into the Qur’an in Prayer; but it is not good and one should not resort to it except in emergency when there is no time to learn by heart, nor is there anySalat al-jama’ah (congregational prayer) to join.

Lesson 37: Translation of 3 Surahs and Qunut

(1) Surah al-Fatihah

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim:

I begin in the name, of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Alhamdu lil-Lahi Rabbil ‘aalameen :

(All) praise is God's, the Lord Cherisher of the worlds.

Ar-Rahmanir-Rahim :

The Beneficient, the Merciful.

Maliki yawmiddin :

The Master of the Day of Judgment.

Iyyaka na'budu wa Iyyaka nasta’in :

Thee (alone) do we worship, of Thee only do we seek help.

Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqim :

Guide us on the Right Path.

Siraatal-ladhina an'amta ‘alayhim ghayr’il maghdubi ‘alayhim waladhdhalliin

The Path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed (Thy) bounties; not (the path of) those on whom fell (Thy) wrath nor (of) those gone astray,

(2) Surah al-Qadr

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim:

I begin in the name of God; the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Inna anzalnahu fi laylatil Qadr :

Verily, We sent it (the Holy Qur'an) down in the Night of Qadr.

Wa ma adraaka ma laylatul Qadr ?

And what dost thou knew what is the Night of Qadr?

Laylatul Qadri khairum min alfi shahr :

The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months.

Tanazzalul malaaikatu war-ruh fiha bi idhni rabbihim min kulli amr; salamun, hiya hatta

matla’il fajr :

Descend down in it the angels and the spirit with the permission of their Cherisher Lord with all Ordinances. Peace is this (night) until the break of dawn.

(3) Surah al-Ikhlas

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim:

I begin in the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Qul Huwa’llahu Ahad:

Say He God is One, Alone.

Allahus-Samad :

God is Perfect, (nothing He needs to be added to Him nor to be taken out of Him).

Lam yalid :

He did not beget (any son or daughter).

Wa lam yulad :

Nor was He begotten.

Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad :

Nor is there anyone like unto Him.

Qunut

It ismustahab to recitequnut in the second rak'at beforeRuku’ . A shortQunut (with translation is given here :

Rabbanaghfir lana :

O Our Lord, Forgive us,

War-hamna :

And be Merciful unto us,

Wa ‘Afina Wa’fu ‘anna :

And give us tranquility; and pass over our sins.

Fid-dunya wal-aakhirah :

In this world and the hereafter.

Innaka ’ala kulli shay’in Qadeer :

Verily Thou hast power upon everything.