Perform Salaah correctly
INTRODUCTION
Salah
is a pillar of Din. Doing it just right in accordance with Sunnah is
the responsibility of every Muslim. Unfortunately, we go about performing the
cardinal dictates of Salah in a carefree manner following our whims,
hardly caring to see that those dictates have to be carried out in the manner
they were passed on to us by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). This is why
most of our Salah offerings remain deprived of the gleams and blessings
of Sunnah, although, following these dictates just right hardly takes
any more time or labour. What is needed is a touch of concern. If we give a
little time and some attention, learn the correct method and make a habit of
it, then the time that we spend in making our Salah today would remain
the same yet the Salah thus performed would have the advantage of
having been made in accordance with Sunnah and its rewards and merits
and its gleams and blessings would be much more then what you experienced
earlier.
The revered Companions, may Allah be
pleased with them all, took great care while performing each single unit of
the act of Salah, and while doing so, they continued learning about the
Sunnah of the Prophet from each other.
With this need in view, this humble
write had explained to a gathering the Sunnah method of Salah as
mentioned by the Hanafi jurists and had pointed out to incorrect practices
which seem to have gained currency. By the grace of Allah, the listeners found
it very beneficial. Some friends wished to make this discourse available as a
printed brochure so that a much larger number of people would be able to use
it to their advantage. So, in this brief write-up, the objective is to explain
the Masnun method of and the step-by-step way of putting it into
practice with due etiquette. May Allah Almighty make it beneficial for all of
us and give us the taufiq it. Amin
By the grace of Allah, there are a large
number of books, big and small, dealing with the precepts of Salah.
Hence, presenting a comprehensive account of Salah problems and rulings
is not the objective here, instead, the immediate concern is to relate a few
important points which would help synchronize the form of Salah with
the demands of Sunnah. Another aim is to sound a note of warning
against mistakes and shortcomings that seem to have gained a lot of currency
these days.
Acting in accordance with the brief
words of advice given here will, Inshallah, help make our Salah fall in
line with Sunnah, at least in it’s outward appearance when a Muslim
could humbly submit before his Lord.
Lord, here I am, bearing similarly to
Your beloved, through in form only, yet hoping---- You shall make it real.
And what get to do is by the help and
support of Allah, in Him I place my trust and towards Him I turn passionately.
Before you begin the Salah:
Check the following and be sure that you
are doing things the way they should be done:
1. It is necessary that you face the
Qiblah.
2. You should stand upright and your
eyes should be focused on the spot where you make your Sajdah. Bending
your neck and resting your chin on the chest is makruh (reprehensible).
Similarly, standing in Salah while your chest is bent down is also not
correct. Stand upright in a way that your ayes keep looking at the spot where
you make your Sajdah.
3. Note that the direction of the
fingers on your feet is towards the Qiblah and that your feet also have the
same straight stance facing Qiblah. (Placing feet tilting to the right or left
is contrary to Sunnah). Both feet should be in the direction of the
Qiblah.
4. In between both feet, there should be
a minimum span of four fingers of the hands as ready measure.
5. If you are making your Salah
with jama’ah (congregation), make sure the line you are standing in is
straight. The best method to make sure that the line is straight is that each
person position the farthest ends of both his heels at the farthest end of the
prayer-rug or at lines that mark out on rug from the other.
6. While in jama’ah, satisfy yourself
by making certain that your arms are close to the arms of those who are
standing on your right and left and that there is no gap in between.
7. It is impermissible, under all
conditions, to let the lower portion of your ankles. It is obvious that its
repugnance while standing for Salah increase much more. Therefore, be
sure that the dress you are wearing is higher then your ankles.
8. Sleeves should be full, covering the
whole arm. Only hands remain uncovered. Some people make their Salah with
sleeves rolled up. This method is not correct.
9. It is makruh to stand for Salah while
wearing clothes which one would not normally wear in public.
When you begin the Salah:
1. Make niyyah or intention in your
heart to the effect you are offering such and such Salah. It is not
necessary to say the words of the niyyah verbally.
2. Raise your hands upto your ears in a
way that palms face Qiblah and the end of the thumbs either touch the lobes of
the ears or come parallel to them. The rest o the fingers stay straight
pointing upwards. there are some who would tend to turn the direction of their
palms towards their ears rather then having them face the Qiblah. There are
some others who almost cover their ears with their hands. There are still
others who would make a faint symbolic gesture without raising their hands
fully upto the ears. Some others grip the lobes of their ears with their
hands. All these practices are incorrect and contrary to Sunnah. These
should be abandoned.
3. While raising your hands in the
manner stated above, say : Allahu-Akbar. Then, using the thumb and the little
finger of your right hand, make a circle round the wrist of your left hand and
hold it. You should then spread out the three remaining fingers of our right
hand on the back of your left hand so that these three fingers face the elbow.
4. Placing both hands slightly below the
navel, fold them as explained above.
When you are standing:
1. If you are making your Salah alone,
or leading it as Imam, you first recite Thana’ : then Surah al-Fatihah,
then some other Surah. If you are behind an Imam, you only recite Thana’
: and then stand silent listening attentively to the recitation of the Imam.
If the Imam’s recitation is not loud enough for you to hear, you should be
thinking of Surah al-Fatihah using you heart and mind without moving
your tongue.
2. When you are reciting yourself, it is
better that you, While reciting Surah al-Fatihah, stop at every verse
and break your breath. Recite the next verse with fresh breath. Do not recite
more then one verse in a single breath. For example, break your breath at
--------------- then on -----------------then on ----------.Recite the whole Surah
al-Fatihah in this manner. But, there is no harm if, during recitation that
follows, more then one verse has been recited in a single breath.
3. Do not move any part of your body
without the need. Stand in peace - the more, the better. If you have to
scratch or do something else like that, use only one hand and that too, under
very serious compulsion using the least time and effort.
4. Transferring all the weight of the
body on to one leg and leaving the other weightlessly loose to the limit that
it shows a certain bend is against the etiquette of Salah. Abstain from
it. Either you transfer your body weight equally on both legs or if you must
channel your body weight on one leg, you have to do it in a way that the other
leg shows no bend or curve.
5. If you feel like yawning, try your
best to stop it.
6. When standing for Salat, keep
you eyes looking at the spot where you make your Sajdah. Abstain from
looking to your right and left, or front.
When in Ruku’:
When you bend for Ruku’, watch out for
the following:
1. Bend the upper part of your body upto
a point where the neck and back nearly level up. Do not bend any more or less
then that.
2. While in Ruku’, do not bend
the neck to the limit that the chin starts touching the chest, nor raise it is
high that the neck goes higher than the waist level. Instead, the neck and the
waist should be in one level.
3. In Ruku’, keep feet
straight. Do not place them with an outward or inward slant.
4. Place both hands on your knees in a
way that fingers on both hands stay open. In other wards, there should be
space between every two fingers when you thus go on to hold the right knee
with your right hand and the left knee with your left hand.
5. In the state of Ruku’, wrists
and arms should remain stretched straight. They should not bend, curve or sag.
6. Stay in Ruku’, at least for
a time during which ------------------ could be said three times calmly and
comfortably.
7. In the state of Ruku’, the
ayes should be looking towards the feet. 8. Body weight should be evenly
distributed on both feet and both knees should be parallel to each other.
Returning to the standing position
from Ruku’
1. While returning from Ruku’,
back to the standing position, see that you stand straight leaving no sag or
droop in the body.
2. In this position as well, eyes should
be fixed on the spot where you do your Sajdah.
3. Three are those who simply make a
‘gesture’ of rising from the Ruku’ instead of rising fully and
standing upright when it is time to do so and who, in that every state, when
their body is still bent downwards, go on to do their Sajdah - for them
it becomes obligatory that they make their Salah all over again.
Therefore, abstain from it very firmly. Unless you make sure about having
become perfectly straight in your standing position, do not go for Sajdah.
When bowing down for Sajdah:
Remember the following method when
bowing down for Sajdah:
1. Bending the knees first of all, take
them towards the prayer floor in a way that the chest does not lean forward.
When the knees have already been rested on the floor, the chest should then be
lowered down.
2. Until such time that the knees have
come to rest against the floor, abstain, as far as possible, from bending or
lowering the upper part of the body. These days negligence in observing this
particular rule of etiquette while getting ready to go for Sajdah has become
very common. Many people would lower down their chest right from the start and
go on to do their Sajdah. But, the correct method is what has been
stated in #1 and #2 above. Unless it be for a valid reason, this method should
not be bypassed.
3. After having rested your knees on the
floor, place your hands first, then the tip of the nose, then the forehead.
In Sajdah
1. While in Sajdah, keep your
head in between your two hands in a way that the end of the two thumbs come
parallel to the ear-lobes.
2. In Sajdah, fingers on both
hands should remain close together, that is, the fingers should be adjacent to
each other leaving no space in between them.
3. The direction of the fingers should
be towards the Qiblah.
4. The elbows should stay raised off the
floor. It is not correct to rest the elbows on the floor.
5. Both arms should stay apart from
armpits and sides. Never keep them tucked in.
6. Do not, at the same time, poke your
elbows far out to your right and left causing discomfort to those making Salah
next to you.
7. The thighs should not come in contact
with the stomach-wall. The stomach and the thighs should stay apart.
8. During the entire Sajdah, the
nose-tip should continue to rest on the floor.
9. Both feet should be placed upright on
the floor with heels showing on top and all fingers turned flat on the floor
in the direction of the Qiblah. Those who cannot turn all their fingers
because of the physical formation of their feet, they will still do well to
turn them as much as they can. It is not correct to place the fingers
vertically on the floor just for no valid reason.
10. Be careful that your feet do not
lift off the floor during Sajdah. Some people would their Sajdah
while none of the fingers on their feet come to rest on the floor even for a
moment. This way the obligation of Sajdah is not liquidated at all, as a
result, the Salah too becomes invalid. Be very particular in abstaining
from this error.
11. In the state of Sajdah, the
least time you can give yourself should be sufficient enough to say
----------------- three times, calmly and comfortably. Raising the forehead
immediately after having rested it on the floor is prohibited.
In between the two Sajdahs
1. Rising from the first Sajdah,
sit up straight, on the hams, calmly and comfortably. Then go for the second Sajdah.
Doing the second Sajdah after raising the head just a little bit and
without becoming straight is a sin. If one does it like that, it becomes
obligatory that the Salah be made all over again.
2. Spared out the left foot (like the
blade of a hockey stick) and sit on it. Let the right foot stand vertically
with fingers turned towards the Qiblah. Some people let both feet remain in
upright position and sit on the heels. This method is not correct.
3. While sitting, both hands should be
placed on the things but fingers should not taper down onto the knees.,
instead, the far ends of the finger tips should reach only as far as the
beginning edge of the knee.
4. While sitting, let your eyes be on
the lap.
5. Sit for a time during which
----------- could be said at least once and if your can sit for a time during
-------------------- could be recited, it is better. But, reciting this during
Fard (obligatory) Salah is not necessary. It is better to do so in Nafl
Salah.
The second Sajdah and rising from it:
1. Go on to do your second Sajdah
in the same manner by first placing both hands on the floor, then the
nose-tip, then the forehead.
2. The complete from of Sajdah
should be the same as mentioned in connection with the first Sajdah.
3. When rising from Sajdah, first
raise the forehead off the floor, then the nose-tip, then the hands, and then
the knees.
4. While rising, it is better not to
learn for support off the floor, however, should it be difficult to get up
from the floor because of body-weight, sickness or old age, making use of the
floor for support is also permissible.
5. After you have risen back to your
standing position, recite --------------- before Surah al-Fatihah in
the begining of each raka’ah.
In Qa’dah:
1. The method of sitting in Qa’dah shall
be the same as mentioned in connection with the method of sitting between Sajdahs.
2. When you reach ------------ while
reciting ---- raise the shahadah finger (the fore-finger or the index finger)
with a pointing motion and let it fall back at -------
3. The method of making a pointing
motion is that you make a circle by joining your middle finger and the thumb,
close the little finger and the ringfinger (the one next to it), then raise
the shahadah finger in a way that it is tapered towards the Qiblah. It should
not be raised up straight in the direction of the sky.
4. However, lower the shahadah finger
while saying ------------------- but retain, right through the end, the
initial formation of the rest of the fingers you already had when making the
pointing motion.
When turning for Salam:
1. When turning for Salam on both
sides, you should turn your neck just enough that your cheeks become visible
to the person sitting behind you.
2. When turning for Salam, eyes
should be towards the shoulders.
3. When turning your neck to the right
to say ----------------- make an intention that you are offering your Salam
greetings to all human beings and angles on your right. Similarly, while
turning for Salam to the left, have the intention of offering your
Salam greeting to all human beings and angels present on your left.
The method of Du’a
1. The method of Du’a is that
both hands be raised high enough so that they come in front of the chest. Let
there be some space between the two hands. Do not bring the hands close
together nor keep them far apart.
2. When making Du’a, keep the
inner side of the hands turned towards your face.
SALAH FOR WOMEN
The method of Salah describe
earlier is for men. The Salah as offered by women differs from that of
men in the following aspects. Women should be careful about what is required
of them:
1. Before they begin their Salah,
women should make sure that their whole body, except the face, the hands and
the feet, is covered with clothes.
Some women offer their Salah with
the hair on their head remaining uncovered. Some have their wrists left
uncovered. Some women use scarfs so thin or small that their hair tresses are
visible dangling down underneath. If, during the Salah, any part of the
body, even if it be equal to one-fourth, remains uncovered for a time during
which one could say ----------------(Subhana Rabbi-al-Azim) three times, the
Salah itself would not be valid. However, should the uncovered portion be
less than that, Salah would take place but the sin shall stay.
2. For women, making Salah in the
room is better than doing it in the verandah and doing it in the verandah is
better than doing it in the courtyard.
3. While starting the Salah,
women should not raise their hands upto their ears, instead, they should raise
them upto their shoulders, and that too, from within the scarf or other outer
wrap being used. Hands should not be taken out of this cover.
4. When women fold their hands on the
chest, they should simply place the palm of their right hand on the back of
the left forehand. They should not fold their hands on the navel like men.
5. In Ruku’, women are not required to
straighten their backs fully like men. Women should bend less as compared to
men.
6. In the position of Ruku’,
men should open up their fingers while placing them on the knees, but women
are required that they place their hands on the knees with fingers close
together, that is, there be on space between fingers.
7. Women should not stand on legs
absolutely straight, instead, they should stand with knees slightly bent
forward.
8. In Ruku’, men are required
to keep their arms stretched, away from the sides. But, women should stand
with their arms close to their sides.
9. Women should stand with both feet
close together. Specially, both their knees should just about be joined
together. Let their be no separating distance between legs.
10. While doing Sajdah, the
method prescribed for men is that they should not lower their chest until such
time that their knees come to rest on the floor. But this method is not for
women. They can, right from the start, lower their chest and go for Sajdah.
11. Women should do their Salah in
a manner that the stomach-wall come to rest against the thighs and the arms
stay close to the sides. In addition to that, omen do have to position their
feet, upright, they should spread them on the floor sliding them out towards
the right.
12. Men are prohibited to place their
elbows on the floor while making Salah. But, women should place the
whole arm, including the elbows, on the floor.
13. When sitting between Sajdah and
when reciting ------------ (at-Tahiyyaat), sit on the left hip, side both feet
out to the side and let the left foot reset on the right calf of the leg.
14. Men are required that they be
careful about keeping their finger upon when bending for Ruku’, and
keeping then close together in Sajdah, and then, leave them as they are
during the rest of the Salah, when they make no effort either to close
or open them. But, it required of women, under all conditions, that they keep
fingers close together, that is leave no space between them. This is required
all along in Ruku’, in Sajdah, between two Sajdah and in the Qa’dahs.
15. It is makruh (reprehensible)
for women to make a jama’ah (congregation) The very act of offering their Salah
alone is better for them. However, should mahram-members of the family be
making their Salah with jama’ah within the house, there is no harm if
they join in with them in the jama’ah. But, in a situation like this, it is
necessary that they stand exactly behind men. They should never stand next to
them in the same row.
THE MASJID
Some essential rules of conduct
1. While entering the Masjid, recite the
following Du’a:
( I enter with the name of Allah and
with the prayer that Allah bless His Messenger and bestow upon him. O Allah,
open for me the doors of Thy mercy.)
2. Immediately on entering the Masjid,
make an intention that ‘I shall be in I’tikaf for whatever time I stay in
the Masjid: By doing so, Insha’-Allah, the spiritual reward of I’tikaf can
also be hoped for.
3. Following entry into the Masjid, it
is better to sit in the front row. But, in case space in the front has already
been taken up, sit wherever you find an opening. Advancing forward by leap-frogging
people’s necks is not permissible.
4. Salam greeting should not be offered
to those already sitting in the Masjid and busy in Dhikr or recitation of the
Qu’ran. However, should one of them be not so engaged and looking at you on
his own, there is no harm in offering such Salam greeting to him.
5. If you have to offer Sunnah or
Nafl Salah in the Masjid, select a spot where there is the least
likelihood of people crossing in front of you. Some people start up their Salah
in the back rows while ample space remains open in the front. Because of this
act of theirs, it becomes difficult for other to cross over and they have to
make a long detour to reach open sitting spots. Offering Salah in this
manner is a sin in itself, and should a person happen to cross in front of the
person making his Salah, then this sin of his crossing over in that
manner will also rest on the shoulders of the person making such a Salah.
6. After entering the Masjid, if you
find that you are there a little ahead of the Salah timing, then,
before you sit down, make two raka’ahs with the intention of Tahiyyah al-Masjid.
This has great merit. If there is not time for that, you can combine the
intention of Tahiyyah al-Masjid within the Sunnah Salah. And if, you do not
have the time even to make your Sunnah Salah and the jama’ah is
ready, this intention could also be combine with that of the Fard Salah.
7. As long as you sit in the Masjid,
keep doing Dhikr. Specially, keep reciting the following Kalimah devotedly:
Sanctified is Allah and for Allah is all
praise and there is no god but Allah is great.
8. Do not engage yourself in unnecessary
conversation while sitting in the nothing else that may disturb those devoting
to their ‘Ibadah of Salah or Dhikr.
9. If the jama’ah is ready, fill in
the front rows first. If space is open in the front row, it is not permissible
to stand in the back row.
10. From the time when the Iman takes
his place on the Mimber to deliver the Friday Khutbah right through the end of
the Salah, it is not permissible for anyone to talk, make Salah
or to offer Salam to anyone or to answer Salam offered. However, should
anyone start talking during this time, it is also not permissible that he be
asked to keep quiet.
11. Sit during the Khutbah as you sit in
Qa’dah when reciting at-Tahiyyat. Some people sit hand folded during
the first part of the Khutbah and then place their hands on the things during
the second. This method is baseless. One should sit with hands on the thighs
during both.
12. Abstain from everything that may
spread filth or smell in the Masjid or cause pain to anyone.
13. When you see anyone doing something
wrong, ask him not to do so, quietly and softly. Totally avoid insulting him
openly, or rebuking him, or quarrelling with him.