User:Liquesce/sandbox/Salat

Ṣalāt (also salah and other spellings) (Arabic: صلاة‎ Classical Arabic: صلوة), (Turkish: Namaz) refers to the five daily ritual prayers that Muslims offer to Allah (God). It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Branches of Religion in Shi'a Islam. As such, it is compulsory (fard) upon every Muslim. It is quite commonly known as namaaz in south Asian languages such as Urdu, as well as in non south Asian languages such as Persian.

The word 'salat' is from the root Saad-Lam-Waw and has the following meanings, taken from Classical Arabic lexicons (e.g. E. W Lane): prayer, supplication, petition, oration, eulogy, benediction, commendation, blessing, honour, magnify, bring forth, follow closely, walk/follow behind closely, to remain attached, to contact or to be in contact. Its core underlying meaning relevant to all its usage in the Qur'an is to go/turn towards, as mentioned in Qur'an 75:31-2.

1 Overview
2 Times
- 2.1 Exceptional Circumstances
  - 2.1.1 Qada
  - 2.1.2 Qasr and Jama
3 Performing Salah
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Overview

In Islam praying 'salah' is the most compulsory act after the declaration of faith (the shahadah) -- its importance is repeatedly stressed in both the Qur'an and the hadith (sayings of the prophet of Islam).

"Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do." (Qur'an, 29:45)

"Those who keep up prayer and spend (benevolently) out of what We have given them. These are the believers in truth; they shall have from their Lord exalted grades and forgiveness and an honorable sustenance." (Qur'an, 8:3-4)

"I heard Allah's apostle saying, 'If there was a river at the door of any one of you and he took a bath in it five times a day would you notice any dirt on him?' They said, 'Not a trace of dirt would be left.' The Prophet added, 'That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out evil deeds.'" (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 10, Hadith 506)

The salah is to be performed in the Arabic language to the best of each worshipper's ability (although the du'a afterwards need not be in Arabic), and are to be recited by heart, although beginners may use written aids. The person performing salah is referred to as a musalleeh.

[edit] Times

Muslims are required to perform salah fives times a day. These prayers are obligatory for every Muslim above the age of puberty, with the exceptions of those who are mentally ill, too physically ill or injured for it to be possible, menstruating, or experiencing post-partum bleeding. Those who are ill or otherwise physically unable to offer their prayers in the traditional form are permitted to offer their prayers while either sitting or laying, as they are able.

All salah are conducted within their waqt (defined periods of time) and consist of specific numbers of raka'ah (units of prayer made up of a predefined series of movements and phrases). While salah may be offered at any point within their appointed times, it is ordinarily considered best to pray them at the beginning of their periods, when the call to prayer (adhan) is made. Worshippers unable to hear a call to prayer may also infer the time from the position of the sun in the sky.

Some Muslims offer supererogatory Sunnah prayers, performed immediately before or after the obligatory prayers, often referred to as nafl, or nawafil, prayers. The number of raka'ah (prayer units) for each of the five obligatory prayers (as well as the associated supererogatory prayers) are listed below:

Name	Time Period	Before Fard (Sunni)	Before Fard (Shi'a)	Fard	After Fard (Sunni)	After Fard (Shi'a)
Fajr (فجر)	Dawn to Sunrise	2 Raka'ah¹	2 Raka'ah	2 Raka'ah	-	-
Dhuhr (ظهر)	After true noon until Asr	4 Raka'ah¹	8 Raka'ah	4 Raka'ah²	2 Raka'ah¹	-
Asr (عصر)	See footnote³	4 Raka'ah	8 Raka'ah	4 Raka'ah	-	-
Maghrib (مغرب)	After sunset until Isha'a	-	-	3 Raka'ah	2 Raka'ah¹	4 Raka'ah
Isha'a (عشاء)	Dusk until Fajr⁴	4 Raka'ah	-	4 Raka'ah	2 Raka'ah¹, 3 Witr	2 Raka'ah

¹Prayed daily by the Prophet Muhammad

²Replaced by Jumu'ah on Fridays.

³According to Imam Abu Hanifa, 'Asr starts when the shadow of an object becomes twice its height (plus the length of its shadow at the time of Dhuhr). For the rest of Imams, 'Asr starts when the shadow of an object becomes equal to its length (plus the length of its shadow at the time of Dhuhr). 'Asr ends as the sun begins to set.

⁴According Shi'a Imams, it is valid at any time after the Maghrib prayer has been validly performed and ends at the time for the Fajr prayer.

[edit] Exceptional Circumstances

[edit] Qada

In certain circumstances one may be unable to perform one's prayer within the prescribed time period (waqt). In theses case the prayer must be performed as soon as one is able. These prayers performed after the prescribed waqt are called qada. It is not, however, considered permissible to deliberately miss performing the salah within its appointed time with the intention to perform it afterwards.

[edit] Qasr and Jama

When traveling over long distances, one may shorten some prayers, a practice known as qasr. Furthermore, several prayer times may be joined, which is referred to as jama. Qasr involves shortening the obligatory components of the Dhuhr, 'Asr and 'Isha prayers. Jama combines either the Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers into one prayer offered between noon and sunset or Maghrib and 'Isha and between sunset and Fajr. Neither qasr nor jama can be applied to the Fajr prayer.

[edit] Performing Salah

[edit] Prerequisites

[edit] Cleanliness and Dress

When a Muslim is praying, his clothes and the place where he or she is praying must be clean. Men and women each are directed to cover their bodies in reasonably loose-fitting garments, with women covering all but their faces, hands, and sometimes feet, and men covering at least from their navels to their knees, with preference given to covering their chests and to above their ankles. Many men, in accordance with tradition, also choose to wear a kufi cap or other headcovering for prayer.

[edit] Ritual Ablution

Prayers may only be performed after a Muslim has performed wudu (ritual ablution). In wudu, Sunni Muslims wash their hands, teeth, faces, noses, arms, hair, ears and feet three times in a particular order. Shi'a Muslims first wash their faces, then their arms, and then wipe their heads and feet with the moisture on their hands. If a Muslim has had sexual intercourse, ejected semen, or is new to the faith, he or she must perform ghusl -- a more complete full-body cleansing.

When no water is available for performing ablutions, clean sand may be used in its place. If the ablutions were performed using water, the Muslim is considered to have cleansed him or herself from the physical manifestations of sin in a lasting fashion that extends between prayers; unless the Muslim does something to remove this cleanliness, the cleansing would not need to be repeated before the next prayer. When sand is used, the cleansing is only temporary and regardless of whether or not the Muslim commits any physical acts of uncleanliness he or she will need to undergo the ceremonial cleansing immediately before the next prayer.)

[edit] Procedure

Muslims performing salah

The Muslim performing salat begins his prayer by standing and facing the direction of the Qibla and making niyyah (the -- typically non-verbal -- intention to pray). He raises his hands and speaks aloud a phrase called the takbir:

"God is the greatest"

الله اكبر

Allahu akbar

At the beginning of each raka'ah (unit of prayer), the first chapter of the Qur'an, Sura al-Fatiha, is recited:

"In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful:"	بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم	Bismillah ar-rahmaan ar-raheem
"Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds,"	ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِين	Al-hamdu lillahi rabb al-alameen
"The Beneficent, the Merciful,"	ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم	Ar-rahmaan ar-raheem'
"Master of the day of judgment"	مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّين	Ma[a]liki yawm ad-deen
"You (alone) do we worship, and you (alone) we ask for help;"	إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ	Iyyaaka naabudu wa iyyaaka nastaeen
"Show us the straight path"	ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَ ٰط ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ	Ihdina s-siraata l-mustaqeem
"The path of those You bestowed favor upon, not anger upon, and not of those who go astray."	صِرَ ٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ ٱلضَّاۤلِّينَ	Siraata l-latheena anamta alaihim ghair al-mughdoobi alaihim wa la daaleen

During the first two raka'ah, and following the recitation of al-Fatiha, any other chapter or several verses of the Qur'an are additionally recited. The Muslim then bows at the waist into ruk'u, repeating the takbir, and once in ruk'u says at least three times:

"Glory be to my Lord, the Supreme."

Subhaana rabbiy al-‘azheem

The Muslim then returns to a standing position while saying:

"May God hear the one who praises Him."	Sami‘a-llaahu liman hamidah
"Our Lord, for You is all praise"	Rabbanaa wa lakal-hamd.

... and subsequently postrates into sajdah, placing his forehead, nose, hands, knees, and toes on the floor, while once again repeating the takbir. Once in sajdah he says at least three times:

"Glory to my Lord the Most High"

Subhaana rabbiy al-alaa

After returning to a upright sitting position momentarily, he again repeats the act and words of going into sajadah, to complete one raka'ah.

After one raka'ah is complete, the worshipper returns to a standing position, again repeating the takbir, and begins another raka'ah. After every two raka'ah he returns to an upright sitting position and says the first portion of the tashahhud:

"All glorification is for God. All acts of good deeds and worship are for Him."	At-tahiyaatu lillaah wa sarlawaatu wa tayyibaat.
"Peace and the mercy and blessings of God be upon you, O Prophet."	As-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha nabiy wa rahmatu-llaahi wa barakaituh.
"Peace be upon us and all of God’s righteous servants."	As-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ibairdi llaahi-s-saaliheen.
"I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger."	Ash-hadu an laa ilaha illaa-llaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu.

After all raka'ah are completed, the worshipper completes the tashahud:

"O God, exalt Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You exalted Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are full of praise and majesty."	Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kamaa sallayta ‘ala Ibraheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraheem. Innaka hameedun majeed.
"O God, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are full of praise and majesty."	Allaahumma baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kamaa baarakta ‘ala Ibraheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraheem. Innaka hameedun majeed.

To conclude the prayer, the Muslim turns first toward his right and then toward his left, each time saying the taslim (salutation):

"Peace be on you and the mercy of God."

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله

As-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah.

Shi'a Muslims end the session by reciting the takbir an additional three times.

Muslims will often times offer a supplication (du'a) after the formal prayer. This supplication, which essentially gives Muslims an opportunity to ask God for forgiveness and blessings, may be offered in any language.

[edit] Prayer in a Congregation

Muslim men are suggested to perform the fard (compulsory) salah in congregation (jama'ah), behind an imam. Congregational prayer is considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than individual prayer. According to most Islamic scholars performing Salah in congregation is a confirmed sunnah, or obligation, for men, but is not required of or forbidden to women.

When the worshippers consist of men and women combined, one man is chosen as the imam. In this situation women are typically forbidden from performing this role. This point, though unanimously agreed on by the major schools of Islam, is disputed by some groups, based partly on a hadith whose interpretation is controversial; see Women as imams. When the worshippers are entirely women, one woman is chosen as the imam. When men, women, and children are performing, the children's rows have traditionally been between the men's and women's rows, with the men in front and the women in back. Another common configuration is to place men's and women's rows side by side, separated by a curtain or other barrier, with the primary intention being for there to be no direct line of sight between male and female worshippers, following a Qur'anic injunction toward men and women each lowering their gazes 24:30-31. However, in recent times, particularly in the West, the level of enforcment of such tradition has been widely varied.