How To Perform Salah
First thing - Ablution (Ritual Purification) With Video
“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The key to the prayer is purification.”
Here are some things that require ritual purification (wudu or ghusl)
1. Urine
2. Stool
3. Semen from ejaculation
4. Pre-seminal fluid
5: Passing wind
6. Loosing consciousness by way of deep sleep
7. Being intoxicated
8. Insanity
9. Touching the private part with sexual desire
10. Eating camel’s meat
11. Apostasy from Islam
(summarized from chapter 17 Comprehensive Guide for the New Muslim)
Things that require a Ghusl
That a man or a woman ejaculates because of sexual desire (whether awake or asleep i.e. wet dream)
Sexual intercourse (if a man penetrates the woman to the extent that the tip of the penis disappears into the vagina, then ghusl is obligatory upon both of them, even if they don’t ejaculate).
The mense (woman’s period), once she becomes pure (by the exiting of white discharge or inserting cotton & it coming out dry)
Death (when a Muslim dies, they must be given a ghusl)
If a disbeliever embraces Islam then they should make a ghusl.
Recommended Times To Make Ghusl
1. Before the Eid Salah
2. Before Jummah (for the men)
(Summarized from The Comprehensive Guide For The New Muslim chapter 18)
*Reminder, this is only made with pure water. I.e. water from the sink, a stream of water, bottled water, etc etc. not tea, soda, soapy water, or anything that changes the color, smell, or taste of the water. “The water may change color slightly, but it changes with something which is pure in itself, so that water can still be used. If it changes with something pure up until the point that it can no longer be called water, it cannot be used for ritual purification. An example is if one places tea bags in water until it changes the color and taste. It is still pure in the sense that it is not considered to be an impurity, but it looses the property of being purifying. This would be then called tea. Although it can be drank and is not considered to be impure, it cannot be used for Wudū, or ghusl, because it no longer retains the name of water.” (Comprehensive Guide for the New Muslim pg. 61)
Conditions of Salah
These are things that must be fulfilled before the Salah
1. Being a Muslim
2. Having sound intellect (the pen is lifted from the insane one)
3. One must be of the age of discernment (9 years old)
4. One must be in the state of Wūdu
5. Impurities must be lifted from the body, clothing & place of prayer
6: One’s awrah (private areas) must be covered. For men it is between navel & knee and for women it is their whole body (addition by me: minus hands & face)
7. One must face the Qiblah
8. The time of Prayer must have entered, one cannot pray before it’s prescribed time
9. One must have an intention. (addition by me, it is not to be said out-loud)
Summarized from the Comprehensive Guide For The New Muslim chapter 22
Brief Description of the Prophets Prayer (along with video)
“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Pray as you have seen me pray.” Collected by Bukhari and Muslim. As you have already learned, the prayer has a major status in the Religion of Islam. It is the second most important pillar of Islam, it distinguishes the believer from the disbeliever, and it is the first thing that the servant will be asked about on the Day of Resurrection.”
“The Prophet (ﷺ ) would stand for the prayer (pillar 1), facing the direction of the qiblah and raise his two hands to the level of the two shoulders or earlobes, with the inner side of his fingers facing the qiblah and would say Allahu Akbar (pillar 2).
He would then place his right hand over his left hand or left arm and put them on his chest.
He would then mention the opening glorification and then seek refuge with Allah from the shayan (i.e. the devil), and then say
Bismillahir Rahmānir Rahim.
Then he would recite the Fātihah (pillar 3), and when he was finished reciting it he would say "Amīn"
After that he would recite a surah from the Quran.
Afterwards he would raise his hands just has he did in the very beginning and say Allahu Akbar (obligation 1), and then he would go into the bowing position [Rukū] (pillar 4).
He would place his two hands on his two knees with the fingers spread out.
He would make his back straight and line his head with his back. He wouldn't raise his head too much, nor droop his head. In this position he would say Subhāna Rabbiyal Azim' (obligation 2).
He then would raise his head from bowing (pillar 5) saying: Sami’ Allahu Liman Hamidah (obligation 3), raising his two hands as he did going into bowing.
When he stood up straight he said: Rabanā Laka al-Hamd (obligation 4).
Then he would say Allahu Akbar and fall into prostration '[Sujud] (pillar 6).
He would prostrate on seven limbs which are the forehead including the nose, the two hands, the two knees, and the tips of the toes of the two feet. The toes of the feet should face the direction of the qiblah. One's elbows should not be spread flat on the ground as an animal lays. He would say during this prostration Subhanā Rabbiyal A'la (obligation 5).
He then would raise his head from prostration (pillar 7) and say Allāhu Akbar.
He would spread out his left foot and sit his bottom on it and prop up his righe foot and place his two hands on his two thighs (pillar 8)
Then he would say Rabbi ighfirli, Rabbi ighfirli (obligation 6).
Then he would say Allah Akbar and prostrate for a second time in the manner he did in the first.
Then he raised his head again saying Allah Akbar and returned back to the standing position, taking a brief sitting before he stood back up.
With this one has completed one rakah, and does in the second rakah exactly what he did in the first.
When one rises from the second prostration in the second rakah, he sits (obligation 7) for the first tashahhud. He sits just as he sat between the two prostrations, spreading out his left foot and sitting his bottom on it, and propping up the right foot and placing the two hands on the thighs.
After that he makes a fist with his right hand on his thigh and chen extends his pointer finger while looking at it and recites the tashahhud (obligation 8).
When he finishes reciting the tashahhud, he stands for the third and fourth rakah. In these rakah's one only recites the Fātihah and does not recite a surah after it.
During the final sitting, one sits (pillar 9) for the last tashahhud in the tawwarul position and recites the final tashahhud (pilar 10).
After that he sends salutations upon the Prophet (ﷺ) (pillar 11)
Afterwards one seeks refuge from the punishment of the grave, the punishment of the Hellfire, from the trials of living and death, and from the trials of the dajjal (i.e. anti-christ).
Lastly one turns his head to the right and says Al-Salamu 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah (pillar 12) and does the same to the left.
There are two more important pillars in the prayer which is that one must keep the sequential order of the prayer (pillar 13), and that one must have tranquility in all the positions of the prayer (pillar 14).
That means that all limbs must come to a rest in each position before going to the next position.
These make the pillars of the prayer 14 and the obligations 8. There are many recommended Sunnah acts of the prayer which you will learn as you further your studies, if Allah wills.”
[Taken Directly From Chapter 22 Comprehension Guide For The New Muslim by Ustaadh Anwar Wright]
