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Salah (The Prayer - practical)

Introduction

Salah (Prayer):

– Is a structured form of worship in Islam, consisting of a set sequence of physical movements and recitations (in Arabic).

– It is obligatory for Muslims to perform salah five times a day at prescribed time windows, serving as a direct means of communication with Allah.

The 5 prayers are:

Fajr
Dhuhr
Asr
Maghrib
Isha

Step by Step Video guide – 14 minutes

IERA guide with transliteration & full details – 1 hour

Learning The Prayer (iera.ca)

In-depth Prayer guide by Sheikh Al-Albaani

The Prophet’s Prayer Described (1993) by Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani.pdf (islamicbooks.website )

Salah Timings & Direction

Timings

The five daily prayers are to be carried out in a state of purity, at set time windows and

facing a certain direction (Mecca) as described previously. Please note that menstruating

women do not perform the 5 daily prayers.

Prayer time windows:

The following are the prayer time windows for each prayer:

Fajr (dawn prayer):

This prayer can be performed from the time Fajr time starts until sunrise.

Dhuhr (noon prayer):

This prayer can be performed from the time Dhuhr starts until the next prayer time (Asr)

Asr (afternoon prayer):

This prayer can be performed from the time Asr starts until the Sun starts turns yellow. The

time for this prayer can extend until sunset in necessity.

Maghreb (sunset prayer):

This prayer can be performed form the Maghreb (sunset) time enters until the twilight or red

afterglow has faded.

Isha (night prayer):

This prayer can be performed from the start of the Isha time until the midnight (half way

between sunset and Fajr of the next day begins, that halfway point is the end of the time for

praying ‘Isha’ (and that is midnight)).

Direction

The following application (free) is recommended for determining the Qibla direction:

Muslim Assistant Android & IOS App – Muslim Assistant

It is recommended to use the map option as it is the most accurate way of determining the Qibla.

Wudhu (Ablution)

Introduction to Wudhu

In Islam, impurities are categorised into two main types:

Minor impurities (Hadath Asghar) and Major impurities (Hadath Akbar).

Wudhu is needed fo Minor Impurities (Hadath Asghar): These include impurities that occur due to minor bodily functions such as passing gas, urinating, defecating, losing consciousness, sleeping and touching the private parts with sexual desire.

To purify from minor impurities, one must perform “Wudu” (ablution), which involves washing certain parts of the body in a specific order, including the face, hands, arms, and feet, while intending to purify oneself for prayer or other acts of worship.

Step by Step Video guide – 6 minutes

What invalidates Wudhu

Does changing clothes break wudu?

Changing clothes does not break one’s wudu if the person is in a state of purity and does not do any of the things that break wudu. Men and women are the same in this regard.

What breaks wudu

The things that break wudu are:

Any discharge from the front or back passage (urine, stools, wind, etc.), except for wind emitted from a woman’s front passage – that does not break wudu.

Emission of urine or stools from anywhere other than the urethra or anus.

Losing one’s mind, which may mean losing it altogether by losing one’s mental faculties, which is insanity, or by losing it temporarily for a certain length of time for some reason such as sleep, unconsciousness, intoxication, etc.

Touching one’s penis , because of the hadith of Basrah bint Safwan, who heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever touches his penis, let him do wudu.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud, al-Taharah, 154. al-Albani said in Sahih Sunan Abi Dawud, no. 166, it is sahih)

Eating camel meat , because of the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah, who said that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “Should we do wudu after eating camel meat?” He said, “Yes.” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Hayd, 539).

It should be noted that touching a woman’s body does not break one’s wudu , whether that is done with feelings of desire or otherwise, unless anything is emitted as a result of that touching.” (See al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymin, vol. 1, p. 219-250) (Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daimah, vol. 5, p. 264)

Wiping over socks

In Islam, wiping over socks (or any footwear that covers the ankles) during Wudu (ablution) instead of washing the feet is permitted under certain conditions. This practice, known as “Masah,” has specific conditions outlined below:

Purity of the Socks: The socks or footwear must be pure, meaning they should not have any impurities on them.

Covering the Ankle: The socks or footwear must cover the ankles. If they do not cover the ankles, wiping over them is not valid.

State of Wudu: The person must have worn the socks while in a state of purity (following a Wudu or shower (Ghusul).

Time Limit: Wiping over socks is valid for a certain period of time:

– For a resident (someone not traveling), the validity period is 24 hours from the moment the wiping over socks is initiated. – For a traveller, the validity period is extended to 72 hours (three days). If at any point after wiping over the socks, the socks are removed, then the wudu is broken and washing the feet must be done with the next wudu

Ghusl (Body Purification)

Introduction to Ghusl

In Islam, impurities are categorised into two main types:

Minor impurities (Hadath Asghar) and Major impurities (Hadath Akbar).

Ghusl is required for Major impurities –

These include impurities that require a full-body ritual purification known as “Ghusl.”

Major impurities occur due to sexual intercourse, ejaculation, menstruation, postpartum bleeding (Nifas), and other reasons that necessitate a complete cleansing of the body. Ghusl involves washing the entire body with water while intending to remove the impurity and purify oneself.

It’s Important for Muslims to perform both Wudu and Ghusl as prescribed in Islamic teachings to maintain physical and spiritual purity before engaging in acts of worship.

It is worth noting that it is recommended to perform a new wudu (ablution) for every prayer, however, this is not necessary if your purity is maintained from the previous time wudu was done. E.g. if morning prayer is prayed and ablution is maintained without sleep or any of the other things that nullify purity (minor or major) then the afternoon prayer can be prayed with the same wudu as the morning prayer. This can be done for all five prayers in one day with the same wudu if it is not broken.

Step by Step Video guide – 3 minutes

How to perform - explanation

There are two forms of ghusul:

Acceptable form: in the sense that if a person sufficed with doing ghusl in this manner, his ghusl is valid and he becomes purified from major impurity. But if a person misses to perform this ghusul completely, his Ghusul is not valid.

Complete and preferred form: this is the type which it is recommended to do but is not obligatory.

How to make the acceptable form of shower (Ghusul) As for the obligatory and acceptable form it is as follows:

1- Form the intention to purify oneself from impurity: impurity following sexual discharge, menses or postpartum bleeding.

2- Wash the entire body with water once, making sure that the water reaches the roots of the hair and the places that it cannot reach easily, such as the armpits and backs of the knees, as well as rinsing the mouth and nose, according to the correct scholarly opinion.

How to make the complete form of ghusl As for the complete form, it is as follows

1.Form the intention in the heart to purify oneself from major impurity: impurity following sexual discharge, menses or postpartum bleeding.

2.Then say Bismillah (in the name of Allah) and wash the hands three times, then wash any dirt from the private part. NOTE: the name of Allah is not to be said in the toilet, so this step can be missed out if the shower is in the same room as the toilet.

3.Then do wudu as for prayer, a complete wudu.

4.Then pour water over the head three times, and rub the hair so that the water reaches the roots of the hair.

5.Then wash the body, making sure that the water reaches all parts, starting with the right side of the body and then the left, and rubbing it with the hands so that the water reaches the entire body.

When is Ghusl required (general)?

“The things that make Ghusl obligatory are six things. If one of them happens then the Muslim has to do Ghusl .

Emission of Maniy (semen) from its exit in the male or female, which happens either when one is awake or when one is asleep. If it is emitted when one is awake, there is the condition that one feels pleasure when it is emitted. If it is emitted without pleasure, then Ghusl is not required, such as if it is emitted as the result of sickness. If it is emitted when one is asleep, this is what is called Ihtilam (erotic dream) and Ghusl is required in all cases because he was not aware (of whether there were feelings of pleasure or not) and he may not experience feelings of pleasure. If a sleeper wakes up and finds traces of Maniy, then he must do Ghusl. If he has an erotic dream but no Maniy comes out of him, and he does not find any trace of it, then he does not have to do Ghusl .

Penetration of the penis into the vagina, even if no ejaculation takes place, because of the Hadith narrated by Muslim and others from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “When a man sits between the four parts (arms and legs of his wife) and has intercourse with her, then Ghusl is obligatory.” So Ghusl is required of both parties involved by mere virtue of penetration having taken place, even if no ejaculation takes place, because of this Hadith and because there is scholarly consensus on this point.

According to some scholars, Ghusl is required when a non-Muslim becomes Muslim, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told some of those who became Muslim to do Ghusl. Many scholars think that it is recommended, not obligatory, for a non-Muslim who becomes Muslim to do Ghusl because it is not narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told everyone who became Muslim to do that. So it may be understood that it is recommended, so as to reconcile the evidence.

Death – the deceased person must be washed, except for the martyr who falls in battle, who is not to be washed.

Menses and postpartum bleeding, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When your menses ends , then do Ghusl and pray.” And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And when they have purified themselves” [Al-Baqarah 2:222], referring to menses – they should purify themselves by doing Ghusl after their menses ends .” (Al-Mulakhkhas Al-Fiqhi by Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan (may Allah preserve him)

When is Ghusl required for a woman (specific)?

When Is Ghusl Required for a Woman? – Islam Question & Answer (islamqa.info)