The Prayer (Salah in Arabic) is the second pillar of Islam. Performing Salah (prayer) is the first priority after belief in the Oneness of Allah and in the prophethood of Muhammad. It is such an important pillar, that Muslims are called upon to perform this act of worship in all circumstances without fail.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER
Salah (Prayer) is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam. It was the first act of worship that was made obligatory by Allah and it is the last thing to be taken away from the religion.
The importance of Salah is so great that one is ordered to observe it in all occasions, whether one is healthy or sick, whether one prays standing, sitting or lying down, whether one is traveling or residing and whether one is safe or in fear.
Salah is our key to success in this world and in the hereafter. Allah u says in His Glorious Book; “Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers” and in another verse “And who pay heed to their prayers. These are the heirs who will inherit Paradise. There will they abide ” (al-Mu’minun: 1-2, 9-11)
The main purpose of this section is to help you learn how to pray correctly as taught to us by the Prophet Muhammad. It provides a simplified, illustrated step-by-step guide to ‘Purification & Prayer’ which we hope will get you up and running quickly.
THE DEFINITION OF SALAH (PRAYER)
The Arabic word Salah originates from the word silah which means connection. It is a connection between the human and their Creator Allah.
The prayers are a type of purification for a human being. They turn and meet with their Lord five times a day. This repeated standing in front of Allah should keep the person from performing sins during the day. Furthermore, it should also be a time of remorse and repentance, such that they earnestly ask Allah for forgiveness for those sins that they committed. In addition, the prayer in itself is a good deed that wipes away some of the evil deeds that they performed.
These points can be noted in the following hadith of the Prophet s: “If a person had a stream outside their door and they bathed in it five times a day, do you think they would have any filth left on them?” The people said, “No filth would remain on them whatsoever.” The Prophet s then said, “That is like the five daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them.”
WHO MUST PRAY?
Prayer is obligatory upon every sane adult Muslim. A person is considered an adult upon reaching puberty. There are four signs of puberty (any one of these signs means the person has reached puberty)
Let’s get started
The Islamic prayer compromised of several actions that are repeat to make a single unit. These units are repeated during the prayer to complete one full cycle. You will lean, step by step, the actions and words required to complete a unit of prayer. A prerequisite to performing the prayer is the act of symbolic washing called Wudu.
Performing the act of washing oneself / ablution (Wudu in Arabic).
Performing the first unit (Rakah in Arabic) of prayer.
Performing the second (or final) unit (Rakah) of prayer.
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