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Salat (contact or link prayers) is the name for the obligatory prayers
which are performed five times a day, and are a direct contact or link between
the worshipper and God with no earthly intermediaries.
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The five-time prayers become obligatory from the moment a person embraces
Islam. This is an extremely important tenet of Islam and has been enjoined
with great emphasis in the Holy Quran. It is a form of worship which establishes
the link between man and his Creator and Benefactor, GOD. Through 'Salat'
a person communes with his Lord, the Creator and the Sustainer of the
Universe.
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Just as performing 'Salat' is obligatory, learning to perform it in the
prescribed way is also obligatory so that one should know what he/she is
saying to his/her Lord, and enjoy the full blessings and benefits of praying.
In the performance of Salat , reciting the Ftiha (Sura 1 of the Quran) have
to be said in Arabic.
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The best way of learning is from a Muslim teacher or a Muslim friend or
a family member, which is a time-honored Islamic tradition. But for those
who might find themselves in a non-Muslim environment where a Muslim teacher
is not readily available, this page has been prepared. All the necessary
recitations and the verses of Sura1 have been put in the Roman script along
with the translation of their meanings into English and can be found
here..(How to perform
Salat). It might be a good idea to have your
pronunciation of the prayers checked by other Muslims the first available
opportunity.
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We attempt to supply the very basic information to a new Muslim to enable
him to start praying in Arabic as early as possible. Further information
is necessary to perform 'Salat ' under abnormal conditions i.e. sickness,
war,... etc. Some concessions have been granted by Almighty God in
these conditions in the Holy Quran. The Quran alone is the good source
of finding information regarding the conditions and meaning of SALAT. Please
only refer to Quran for any conditions. There is no difference in prayer
performance for Men and Women. GOD has created both sexes equal and places
no gender based conditions for SALAT. The man-made conditions such as
"menstruating woman are not allowed to pray" is not Quranic and should be
discarded as such. GOD will not, by his infinite grace, take away woman's
right to pray due to some natural bodily function put in place by GOD himself.
Again, all conditions not found in the Quran should be and must be
discarded.
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Before starting the prayer, a person is required to perform ablution (wash).
It consists of washing his or her hands, face, head and feet. The complete
detail of Ablution can be found in the Quran. Again, all conditions not
found in the Quran should be and must be discarded.
Check our ablution
file.
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There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the prayers
are led by a learned person (Imam) who knows the Quran, chosen by the
congregation. These five prayers contain Sura (Chapter) 1, from the Quran,
and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication
can be offered in one's own language.
Each prayer is practically an audience with God. Facing in the direction
of the Ka'ba (the first mosque ever, built by patriarch Abraham and his son
Ismail for the worship of the One God, at the site which long later became
the city of Makkah in Arabia), the prayer is opened by saying "Allah Akbar",
i.e.. God is Greater (than all else), and practically you are turning your
back to all the universe and are addressing God. One of the constant readings
during prayer is the Opening Chapter of the Quran that reads
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"In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to GOD, Lord of the universe.
Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
You alone we worship; You alone we ask for help.
Guide us in the right path;
the path of those whom You blessed; not of those who have
deserved wrath, nor of the strayers. " (1:1-7)
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Bowing down and prostrating oneself (to God) interjecting "Glory to my
Lord the Great", "Glory to my Lord the Highest", "God listens to those who
thank Him" , the prayer is concluded in the sitting position by reiterating
the affirmation of the faith, the Shahada. The correct Shahada which is;
"I bear witness that there is no god but GOD". This is the correct Shahada
and nothing else should be added to it. Mentioning
Mohammed or any other name besides GOD will nullify your Salat and brings
grave consequences.
Salat (Contact Prayers) are obligatory at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,
sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although
it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost
anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors
to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.
Performing daily prayers is an act of communication between humans and God.
The prayers are considered a duty for all Muslims, and on these occasions
preparations in ritual purity are required.
Contact prayer (Salat) is a distinct entity from worship in its wider sense,
that is communicating your feelings to God at any time in any place and asking
for His guidance, help and forgiveness, an ingredient of life which is highly
commendable whether in Islam or other religions. Salat takes a special form
and content, where both body and soul are harmoniously involved.
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By speaking certain words in Salat, we in turn are opening a gateway to
our LORD. Interestingly, Al-Fateha, the sura that we recite during our Salat
means "the opening or the key". It is like making "contact (Salat)" with
GOD through a "key (Al-Fateha)" or an "opening". Also these words have been
so numerically structured that brings about that "opening" to "contact" our
creator. For example, number "19" being the mathematical foundation or guide
of the numerical structure of the Quran, when we recite "Al-Fateha" our
lips will touch each other exactly "19" times. For more information about
Al-Fateha and the Mathematical structure of Quran, click
here.
In Salat (Contact prayers), every muscle of the body joins the soul and the
mind in the worship and glory of Allah. Prayer is an act of worship. It is
a matchless and unprecedented formula of intellectual meditation and spiritual
devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined.
Although Salat can be performed alone, it is meritorious to perform it with
another or with a group. The word mosque comes from the Arabic Masjid, meaning
"place of prostration." Although it is permissible to pray at home, at work,
or even outdoors, it is recommended that Muslims perform Salat in a mosque
if is conveniently possible.
How is it performed?
Requirements of prayer: performing of ablution (Wudu), purity of the
whole body, clothes and ground used for prayer, dressing properly and having
the intention and facing the Qiblah (the direction of the Ka'ba at Mecca).
Only around the Ka'ba mosque in Makkah do Muslims stand in circles for their
prayers (quite an impressive scene). All the world over they are in straight
lines, leaving no gaps, and facing Makkah.
Praying to the Creator on a daily basis is the best way to cultivate in a
man a sound personality and to actualize his aspiration. God does not need
man's prayer because He is free of all needs. Prayer is for our immeasurable
benefit, and the blessings are beyond imagination.
Friday Prayers
The noon congregational prayer of Friday afternoon is mandated to be
a collective and must be said in a Mosque whenever possible, and is preceded
by a sermon (Khutba). The Imam (prayer leader) is not a priest nor need be
the same person every time, but considerations of scholarship and knowledge
of the Quran and the religion are exercised in choosing him.
Prayer, obligatory and spontaneous, is an immense spiritual treasure to be
tapped. It inspires peace, purity and tranquility and instills companionship
with God. It amazingly reduces the hustle and bustle of life to tame proportions.
By their spacing to five times a day, including its beginning, prayers tend
to maintain a therapeutic level and practically leave no room for mischievous
thought or deed.
info@submission.org
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