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The Bare Essentials of a Valid Prayer

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Answered by Sidi Mostafa Azzam

The bare essentials of a valid prayer

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

THE BARE ESSENTIALS

Of a Valid Prayer

Mostafa Azzam

1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The validity of prayer (salah) depends on fulfilling the essentials (furud, sing.fard) and avoiding the invalidators (mubtilat, sing. mubtil). Some essentials must be fulfilled before beginning the prayer and remain throughout it, called conditions (shurut, sing. shart), and others are necessary elements within it, called integrals (arkan, sing.rukn).

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CONDITIONS

Conditions (Shurut)

2.1 The main conditions of prayer are five: (1) removal of filth (najasah), (2) ritual purity (taharah), (3) entrance of the time, (4) covering the shameful parts (`awrah), and (5) facing the prayer direction (qiblah).

Removal of Filth (Najasah)

2.2 The following must be free of unexcused filth: one’s body, what one is supporting, anything these touch, and anything connected to what one is supporting.

2.3 Filth includes the following bodies: (1) dog and pig and what comes from them, (2) excreta from the private parts, (3) blood and pus, (4) vomit, (5) liquid intoxicant, and (6) every part of any dead animal, except the corpse of human, locust, aquatic life, or slaughtered edible animals. Any part severed from a live animal is like its unslaughtered dead, except hair and the like from edible animals.

2.4 All the above are filth in themselves, and if any of them touches a solid that is pure in itself, with dampness between them, the filth is transferred and that solid is filthified.

2.5 If filth touches a volume of liquid, the entire volume is filthified, except if a large volume of water, which is only filthified if the filth changes one of its characteristics..

2.6 A filthified solid is purified by removing the filth’s traces—its body, taste, color, and smell–and then flowing unfilthified, unused water over it, or if the filth is from dog or pig then flowing muddied water over it once and plain water over it six times.

The above applies to removing filth from oneself after using the toilet (istinja’), though one may merely wipe, instead of using water, if one fulfills the conditions of wiping.

2.7 The water that flows over the filthified part is filthified upon contact, unless all traces were already gone

Ritual Purity (Taharah)

2.8 One must not be in a state of ritual impurity (hadath), minor or major. Minor ritual purity is lifted by ablution (wudu’) and major ritual impurity is lifted by bathing (ghusl).

2.9 The integrals of ablution are six: (1) intending permission for the obligatory prayer, when first washing the face; (2) washing the face, its limits being from where the hairline normally is to the end of the jawbone and from ear to ear; then (3) washing both arms from the fingertips to past the elbows; then (4) wetting some of the head; then (5) washing both feet to past the ankles, though one may wipe one’s footwear (khuff), instead of washing one’s feet, if one fulfills the conditions of wiping; and (6) the sequence mentioned.

2.10 Four things nullify ablution: (1) anything exiting the private parts; (2) directly touching any person’s genitals or anus with the inside of the hand; (3) skin-to-skin contact with a mature, marriageable person of the opposite sex; and (4) losing awareness.

2.11 The necessitators of bathing are five: (1) ejaculate exiting, (2) sexual intercourse, (3) menstruation, (4) childbed (nifas), and (5) childbirth.

2.12 The integrals of bathing are two: (1) intending permission for the obligatory prayer, when beginning to wash the body, and (2) washing the whole body.

2.13 It is necessary for ablution and bathing that unfilthified, unused water flow over all that must be washed.

One must also know that the ablution and bath and their essentials mentioned in this text are obligatory.

Start of the Time

2.14 One must believe that the prayer’s time has started, by determining it with certainty or confidence through estimation, but not by merely following someone else’s estimate when able to estimate it oneself.

2.15 The time of the dawn prayer (fajr) starts at dawn, of the afternoon prayer (zuhr) when the sun passes its peak, of the late afternoon prayer (`asr) when any object’s shadow exceeds its length plus its shadow’s length at midday, of the sunset prayer (maghrib) at sunset, and of the nightfall prayer (`isha’) when the red twilight disappears.

Covering the Shameful Parts (`Awrah)

2.16 One must wear a barrier that conceals the color of the shameful parts from all sides but the bottom. The shameful parts of a man are between the navel and knees and of the woman all but the face and hands. One must make sure to cover the entire part by covering slightly beyond it.

Facing the Prayer Direction (Qiblah)

2.17 One must face the practically exact prayer direction, by determining it with certainty, near certainty, or confidence through estimation, but not by merely following someone else’s estimate when able to estimate it oneself.

Other Conditions

2.18 One must also know that the five daily prayers and their essentials mentioned in this text are obligatory.

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INTEGRALS

Integrals (Arkan)

3.l The integrals of prayer are thirteen: (1) standing, (2) intending, (3) saying Allahu akbar, (4) reciting the Fatihah, (5) bowing (ruku`), (6) straightening up, (7) prostrating (sujud) twice, (8) sitting back between prostrations, (9) the last sitting, (10) reciting the Greetings (tahiyyat), (11) praying for the Prophet (Allah favor and salute him), (12) saying the Salaam, and (13) the sequence.

3.2 One must stand straight.

3.3 One must intend to pray the specific obligatory prayer.

3.4 One must open by saying Allahu akbarwith the intention, while standing, loud enough to hear oneself in the absence of a hindrance, pronouncing every letter correctly.

3.5 One must then recite the Fatihah loud enough to hear oneself, pronouncing every letter correctly, and without interruption except for a breath.

The Fatihah is: Bismi Llahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim. al-Hamdu li Llahi Rabbi l-`Alamin. ar-Rahmani r-Rahim. Maliki Yawmi d-Din. Iyyaka na`budu wa iyyaka nasta`in. Ihdina s-sirata l-mustaqim. Sirata lladhina an`amta `alayhim ghayri l-maghdubi `alayhim wa la d-dallin.

One must recite the whole Fatihah in the standing of every cycle (rak`ah) of every prayer, whether praying alone or in a group, unless in that cycle there was insufficient time to recite the whole Fatihah behind the imam, because of his quick recital or because of one’s coming late, in which case one recites as much as can be recited at a medium pace, then bows.

3.6 One must then bow deep enough for the hands to reach the knees, remaining motionless for a second.

3.7 One must then straighten back up, remaining motionless for a second.

3.8 One must then prostrate by pressing some bare part of one’s forehead to one’s prostration place, placing some part of the inside of each hand, some part of each knee, and some part of the bottom of each foot’s toes, remaining motionless for a second.

3.9 One must then sit straight, remaining motionless for a second.

3.10 One must then prostrate exactly as before.

3.11 After completing the final cycle, one must then sit straight for the final sitting.

3.12 One must recite during it the Greetings (Tahiyyat), loud enough to hear oneself, pronouncing every letter correctly, without interruption.

One says at least, At-tahiyyatu liLlah. As-salamu `alayka ayyuha n-nabiyyu wa rahmatu Llahi wa barakatuh. As-salamu `alayna wa `ala `ibadi Llahi s-salihin. Ashhadu al la ilaha illa Llah(u), wa anna Muhammadar rasulu Llah.

3.13 One must then pray for the Prophet (Allah favor and salute him), saying at least Allahumma salli `ala Muhammad, loud enough to hear oneself, pronouncing every letter correctly.

3.14 One must then say the Salaam loud enough to hear oneself, pronouncing every letter correctly. Its minimum isAs-salamu `alaykum.

The Sequence

3.15 One must fulfill all the above integrals in their proper sequence by starting the prayer with standing (3.2), intending (3.3), and saying Allahu akbar (3.4), then continuing through to the second prostration (3.10). Upon completing the second prostration, one has completed a cycle (rak`ah). For each remaining cycle, one repeats the standing through to the second prostration exactly as before, without repeating the intention or the opening Allahu akbar. Upon completing the second prostration of the final cycle, one performs the final sitting (3.11), the Greetings (3.12), the Prayer for the Prophet (Allah favor and salute him) (3.13), and the Salaam (3.14), after which the prayer is complete.

3.16 If one deliberately violates the proper sequence, one invalidates one’s prayer; if one absentmindedly violates it one must return to it as soon as one realizes, and anything one had done out of sequence does not count.

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INVALIDATORS

Invalidators (Mubtilat)

4.1 The main invalidators or prayer are three: (1) ingestion, (2) utterance, and (3) movement.

Ingestion

4.2 The prayer is invalidated by deliberate ingestion, even if just a speck between one’s teeth.

Utterance

4.3 The prayer is invalidated by deliberate extraneous utterance, even if just a little.

Movement

4.4 The prayer is invalidated by extraneous movement, even if done absentmindedly, by doing (a) three continuous large movements, or (b) one gross movement, or (c) one movement in play, even if small.

Other Invalidators

4.5 It also invalidates one’s prayer to lack conviction in one’s intention, by for example, considering cutting short one’s prayer, changing one’s intention, or forgetting what it was.

Praise Allah, through Whom all good is achieved. My success is only through Allah. May Allah favor and salute our master Muhammad, and his folk, companions, and followers.

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