Section : Prayer. The prayer is a type of worship consisting of specific statements and actions. It is begun by pronouncing the greatness of Allah, and is concluded with salutations of peace. As prayer is the essence of Islam, we…
Section : Allah explains how to pray during fear, safety or wartime. “And when you are among them and arrange their prayers for them, let only a party of them stand with you (to worship) and let them take their…
Section : Allah also strongly warns those who tamper with their prayers or are heedless. Says Allah in the Qur’an, “Now there has succeeded them a later generation who have ruined their prayers and have followed lusts. But they will…
Section : Prayer is one of the most important acts in Islam. Prayer is one of the most important acts in Islam, and thus it requires a special guidance Ibrahim asked his Lord to give him descendants who abided by…
Section : One Who Ignores His Prayers. Not praying and denying its obligation is seen as disbelief and places the person outside the religion of Islam. All scholars agree on this point. They base their opinion on several hadith, some…
Section : Who Must Pray. Prayer is obligatory upon every sane, adult Muslim. ‘Aishah related that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said, “The pen is raised for three (meaning: there is no obligation upon three): one who…
Section : The Number of Obligatory Prayers. The number of prayers prescribed by Allah is five. Ibn Mahyraiz narrated that al-Makhdaji, from the tribe of Kananah, heard Abu Muhammad–a man in ash-Shams–saying, “The witr prayer is obligatory.” He said he…
Section : The Times of the Prayers. Each prayer has its own particular time at which it must be performed. Says Allah, “Prayer at fixed hours has been enjoined upon the believers” (an-Nisa’ 103). The Qur’an itself points to these…
Section : The Time for the Noon Prayer (Zhuhr). The previous two hadith make it clear that the noon prayer begins when the sun passes its meridian and it continues until an object’s shadow is approximately the same length as…
Section : The Time for the Afternoon Prayer (‘Asr). This prayer begins in the afternoon when the shadow of an object is of the same length as the object itself, and continues until the sun sets. Abu Hurairah reported that…
Section : The Afternoon Prayer is the “Mid-most” Prayer. Says Allah in the Qur’an, “Observe and guard the prayers and the mid-most prayer, and stand with total submission to Allah. Authentic hadith have made it clear that the afternoon prayers…
Section : The Time for the Sunset Prayer (Maghrib). The time for the sunset prayer begins with the disappearance of the sun and lasts until the red twilight ends. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace,…
Section : The Time of the Night Prayer (‘Isha). This prayer begins when the red twilight disappears and continues up to half of the night. Reported ‘Aishah, “They used to pray the night prayer between the disappearance of the twilight…
Section : Delay is Preferred in the Isha Prayer. It is most virtuous to delay the night prayer until the end of the preferred time for it, which is half the night. Reported ‘Aishah, “One night the Prophet, upon whom…
Section : Sleeping Before the Night Prayer Is Forbidden. One should not sleep before the night prayer, nor have discussions after it. Abu Barza al-Aslami related that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, loved to delay the night prayer (which…