I'm 15 - I was born Muslim but not in a very practicing family. I was never taught how to pray and it makes me feel terrible. how can I change this
Assalam Alaikom love,
You can change this by starting to pray!
How to Pray in Islam
The Prayers
There are 5 daily prayers
Fajr - at dawn
Dhuhr - at noon
Asr - at afternoon
Maghrib - at sunset
Isha - at night
The times of the prayers change every day as the timing of the sun’s ‘movement’s change. I suggest downloading an app such as this one (there are many more, just search ‘athan’ in your app store). There are also charts you can print off to use. This is an example, but you will need to find one specific to your area. Islamic Finder is a great resource for this, and you can set up an athan app on your computer with it.
Each prayer has a certain number of rakat, which is a particular sequence of movements. The obligatory (fardh in Arabic) number of rakat are as followed:
Fajr - 2
Dhuhr - 4
Asr - 4
Maghrib - 3
Isha - 4
Salah is easy to fit in, because there is an allocated time for it. The best time is immediately when the athan goes off, but it is ok to pray it during it’s period of time
Fajr can be prayed from the start of the sunrise until the sun has risen (your athan app or chart will tell you when sunrise is)
Dhuhr can be prayed between the start of dhuhr until right before Asr
Asr can be prayed between the start of asr until right before Maghrib
Maghrib can be prayed between the start of maghrib until right before Isha
Isha can be prayed between the start of Isha until midnight
The Movements & Rakat
Make wudu (or have it from your last prayer). I’m not going to go into details on that here, if you want message me again.
Wear appropriate clothes, if you’re a girl your awrah must be covered. Only face and hands showing - modest loose clothing
Find a clean, serene space. You may want to use a prayer rug
Make intention of your prayer in your heart (not out loud). This is called niyyah
Stand facing the qiblah (direction of the kaaba). There are compasses and apps for this
Raise both hands to your ears and say “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great)
Place your hands right under your chest, your right hand over your left hand. At this point eventually you will make dua, for now, focus on the rest
Recite Surah Al-Fatihah, say ameen
Recite another surah of your choice (Ikhlas, Nas, Falaq, Masad, Asr, are all very easy and short to begin with)
Raise your hands to your ears again and say “Allahu Akbar”
Go down into Ruku - bowing position where your hands are on your knees and your back is parallel with the ground. Say, “Subhana Rabbiyal Atheem” (Glory be to my Lord, the Almighty). Say this THREE times
While returning back to the standing position before (with your arms to your side) say, “Sami'Allahu liman hamidah" (Allah hears those who praise Him) and then “Rabbana wa lakal hamd” (Our Lord, praise be to You)
Now you will go into sujood after saying “Allahu Akbar” again. Sujood is bowing with your face on the ground. Your knees, hands, forehead, nose, and toes will be touching the ground). Say THREE times, “Subhana Rabbiyal A'la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Highest).
Next, sit on your feet with your bottom touching your heels. Place your hands on your knees
Now repeat the sujood once again (step 13)
YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED ONE RAKAT!
Let’s pretend we are going to pray fajr, we need one more rakat, ok!
So we stand up from sujood by staying “Allahu Akbar” & bringing our hands to our ears
Now repeat steps 7-13.
AT EVERY 2ND RAKAT, we sit and say tashahhud. When you begin to say the shahada (ash hadu an la ilaha..) point and move your finger
IF we are ending the prayer (fajr is 2 rakat so we are done) we finish the tashahhud with a dua for the prophet (peace be upon him)
ONLY say the second part of tashahhud in the second sitting of every salat, when you are ending the prayer. You will say the first half of tashahhud twice in some prayers, but every prayer will ONLY say the second half of tashahhud once. Do not say the second half by itself ever, you must always begin with the first half.
If we are praying fajr, we prayed 2 rakat, so we are done.
***TO END: Turn your head to the right and say “Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah” (peace and the mercy of Allah be on you), then to left and repeat that.
Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha are 4 rakat prayers
Pray 2 rakats and at the second make the first half of tashahhud
Then pray 2 more rakats the SAME WAY except - only recite fatiha (not a second surah)
Then at the end of the 4th rakat, say ALL of tashahhud
End it how you would with all, by saying salam***
Maghrib is 3 rakat
Pray 2 rakat as you would and at the second make the first half of tashahhud
Then pray 1 more rakat the SAME WAY except, only recite fatiha
Then at the 3rd rakat, say ALL of tashahhud
End it with salam***
WOW THAT WAS A LOT :D
But it’s okay, reading it isn’t easy - seeing it is soooo easy
WATCH THESE VIDEOS FOR TUTORIALS
A picture tutorial 1
Another picture tutorial
Some random details
A youtube video I like
Praying at a mosque
MY PRAYER BOOKLET - THIS IS SO GOOD - READ IT - PRINT IT OUT - IT’S A PDF
MY TIPS FOR LEARNING HOW TO PRAY
Go to your masjid. Pray with people. Mess up. Let them correct you. It’s ok to mess up, don’t feel shameful. Going to the masjid allows you to watch others pray. Follow the imam, not everyone prays correctly.
Pray alongside videos
Print out or write out the surahs & tashahhud until you have them memorized
Dedicate yourself to memorization of Fatihah, 2 other surahs (fajr & nas are good to start), the things to say in ruku & sujood, and tashahhud.
Keep in mind if your pronunciation sucks that’s ok, it still counts
Don’t miss salah. It’s very important. I could write a 200 page thesis on why salah is the most important thing ever ever ever. The only way to learn is to do it
Continue to learn, but take it slow. It’s going to take some time to perfect your salah. I’m still perfecting mine. My old old grandma is still perfecting hers. Be patient with yourself. Slow & steady wins the race
Pray with friends (or family?) if you can. Even tumblr friends and video chat at watch you pray and correct you :D
Ask questions. I’m here, and there are plenty of others here for you
Find “How to Pray” booklets/websites made for kids. It’s ok to start from scratch
Have a knowledgeable person watch you pray. Let them correct you.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU NEED, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU HAVE, ETC.
We all had to learn to pray once, and it’s a very important obligation. You got this :D
