(Prayer) According to the Five Islamic Schools of Law

Key:

"wajib" means obligatory

"mustahabb" means recommended but not obligatory

"tasbih" means saying "subhanallah wal-hamdu lillah wala ilaha illallah wallahu akbar"

"takattuf" means holding one hand with the other while standing in salat.

"qunut" means rasing both hands toward the sky and holding them in front of the chest or face and then reciting a supplication, like asking for .

"rakat" is a complete cycle of prayer. One begins with the standing and ends with the final prostration. The second would thus begin with another standing.

All schools agree that the number of prayers is 5.

Fajr - Dawn (2 rakat); Thuhur - Immediately after noon (4 rakat); Asr - Midway afternoon(4 rakat); Maghrib - After sunset(3 rakat); Isha - Night(4 rakat)

The Prophet, upon whom be peace said, "Every action is based upon intention. For everyone is what he intended. Whoever made the migration to Allah and His Prophet, then his migration is to Allah and His Prophet. Whoever's migration was for something of this world or for the purpose of marriage, then his migration was to what he migrated to." (Related by Muslim).

• The intentions need not be spoken, as with other acts of worship, it is a matter of the heart.

1. Opening Takbir: Ali' (a.s.) related that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, "The key to prayer is purity. What puts one into its invioable state is the takbir, and the tasleem releases one from it."

Takbir = saying "Allahu Abkar" and raising one's hands at the beginning of prayer. Tasleem = saying "Assalaamu alaikum" or "Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatulla" at the end of prayer.

2. Stading (Qiyam): One must stand during prayers, if he/she is physical able to do so. "Guard and preserve the prayers and the mid-most prayer, and stand for Allah with devotion." (2:238)

* If one cannot stand, he may pray sitting and use head movements for the bowing and prostration. If he cannot sit, he may lay himself on his right side. If he cannot do this, he may lie on his back, and so on.

*For voluntary prayers, one can pray sitting even if he can stand.

Maliki Shafi ���I Hanbali Hanafi Imami

Al- reciting The Shafi'is The Hanbalis It is not Reciting Surat Fatiha Surat al- state: Surat consider al- compulsory to al-Fatihah is (Openin Fatihah is al-Fatihah is Fatihah to be recite only necessary in g necessary in wajib in every wajib in even Surat al-Fa- the first two Chapter every rak'ah, rak'ah, and to tihah in the rak'ahs of of the rak'ah, without there recite a surah daily every salat Qur ���an without being any after it in the obligatory and no other there being difference in first two salats, and surah can ) any this regard rak'ahs as anything replace it. difference in between the mustahabb. recited from this regard first two the Qur'an But it is not between the rak'ahs and may take its wajib in the earlier and the other place, because third rak'ah of later rak'ahs rak'ahs and God the maghrib and and between Exalted, says: the last two between wajib and 'Therefore rak'ahs of and mustahabb recite of the four-rak'ah mustahabb salats. The Qur'an so prayers; salats bismillah is a much as is rather, one part of the feasible' has an option surah and (73:20) It is between it cannot be valid to skip and tasbih, omitted in the bismillah though even any because it is once is circumstance. not a part of sufficient. It is any surah. wajib to recite another complete surah in the first two rak'ahs, and the bismillah is a part of the surahs which cannot be omitted in any circumstance.

Loudne Reciting The recitation The morning Neither It is wajib to ss of aloud is should be prayer and reciting aloud recite aloud Prayers mustahabb aloud in the the first two nor in a low only the in the morning rak'ahs of voice are surahs and morning prayer and maghrib and mustahabb, not the other prayer and the first two 'isha' prayers and a recitations in the first two rak'ahs of are to be performer the morning rak'ahs of maghrib and recited aloud. praying alone prayer and the maghrib and 'isha' is free to first two 'isha' prayers; the recite in a rak'ahs of prayers. remaining voice that he maghrib and recitals are to alone can hear 'isha' prayers. be in a low or in a voice except for the voice. hearable to bismillah, the others. recitation in zuhr and asr prayers is to be done in a low voice in their first two rak'ahs and also in the third rak'ah of maghrib and the last two rak'ahs of 'isha' prayers.

Qunut Qunut is to The qunut is Qunut is to be ? Qunut is be recited mustahabb recited in mustahabb in only in the only in the Salat al-watr the five daily morning morning and not in prayers and prayer. prayer, and is any other its place is the to be salat. second rak'ah performed after the after rising recital of the from the surahs and ruku � of the before ruku'. second rak �ah.

Takkatu Takattuf is Takattuf is Takattuf is a As to takattuf, takattuf f valid in their not wajib but for it is masnun (a (putting hands opinion, a sunnah for both men and sunnah) but it over each though it is both the women and is not wajib, other) renders mustahabb sexes, and its its preferable and its the salat to keep the preferable form is to preferable invalid () hands form is to place the form is for a because there hanging place the right hand man to place is no explicit freely in the right hand palm on the the palm of his text (nass) in fard palm on the back of the right hand on support of it. prayers. back of the left hand the back of his However, left hand below the left hand, and some of them between the navel. for a woman say: Takattuf chest and the to place her is and navel and hands on her the one who towards the chest. does it has left side. committed sin, though his salat is not invalid. A third group from among them observe: It is (discouraged) and not haram.

Ru ���ku It is not It is not Obligatoryt It is not Obligatoryt obligatory to obligatory to say tasbih obligatory to say tasbih (Bowin recite recite during ruku' recite anything during ruku' g) anything anything and its during ruku', and its during during ruku', formula in the though it is formula is ruku', though it is opinion of the sunnah that Subhana though it is sunnah that Hanbalis is the performer Rabbi al-'azim sunnah that the performer "Subhana say: "Sub- wa bi hamdih" the say: "Sub- Rabi al-'azim hana Rabbl al- or just performer hana Rabbl 'azim. SubhanAllah" say: "Sub- al-'azim. thrice. hana Rabbl al-'azim.

The Hanafis say: It is not obligatory to return to the standing position after ruku', and it is sufficient, though makruh (discouraged), to perform sajdah (prostration) straight-away. The other schools consider it obligatory to return to the standing position and mustahabb to recite the tasmi', which is to say: "Sami 'allahu li man hamidah" (God hears one who praises Him). According to the Imamis, it is obligatory to stay motionless in this standing (qiyyam) too. sujud It is It is It is It is It is (prostration) obligatory to obligatory to obligatory to obligatory to obligatory is obligatory lay only the lay only the lay on the lay only the to lay on twice in each forehead on forehead on ground all forehead on the ground rak'ah. the ground the ground the seven the ground in all the in sujud, and in sujud, and parts while sujud, and seven parts laying down laying down laying down while the other the other performing the other parts is parts is sujud. It has parts is performing encouraged encouraged been encouraged sujud. (mustahabb) (mustahabb) narrated (mustahabb). . . from the Hanbalis that they add the nose to these seven, thus making them eight. Tashahhud Attahiyyatu "Attahiyyatu "Attahiyyatu "attahiyyatu "Ash-hadu is at most lillah, almubarakat lillahi wa- lillahi anna la recited twice azzakiyyatu u assalawatu assalawatu wassalawatu ilaha illa in salat; the lillah, attayyibatu wa- wattayyibatu Allah, first, after attayyibatu lillah, attayyibatu. wassalamu wahdahu la the second assalawatu assalamu assalamu 'alayka shareeka rak'ah of lillah. 'alayka 'alayka ayyuha lah, wa ash- zuhr, 'asr. Assalamu ayyuha ayyuha annabiyyu hadu anna maghrib and alayka annabiyyu annabiyyu warahmatulla muhammad 'isha' ayyuha warahmatu warahmatu hi an 'abduhu prayers, annabiyyu allahi allahi wabarakatuhu wa- which is not warahmatu wabarakatuh wabarakatuh , assalamu rasuluhu. followed by allahi u, assalamu u, assalamu 'alayna wa Allahumma taslim; the wabarakatuh alayna wa alayna wa 'ala salli ala second in the u, assalamu 'ala 'abadi 'ala 'abadi `abadillahi Muhammadi last rak'ah of alayna wa allahi allahi assaliheena, n wa 'ali the two-, 'ala 'abadi assalaiheena assalaiheena ash-hadu Muhammed. three-, and Allahi . Ash-hadu . Ash-hadu anna la ilaha " four- rak'ah assaliheena, anna la ilaha anna la ilaha illa Allah, prayers, ash-hadu illa Allah, wa illa Allah, waAsh-hadu which is anna la ilaha ash-hadu wahdahu la anna followed by illa Allah, wa anna shareekalah, Mohammmed taslim. The ash-hadu sayyidana wa ash-hadu an 'abduhu Imamis and anna muhammada anna warasuluhu." the Hanbalis muhammada n rasulu sayyidana state: The n 'abduhu Allah." muhammada first warasuluhu. n 'abduhu tashahhud is wa- obligatory. rasuluhu. The Allahumma remaining salli ala schools Muhammadi consider it n." mustahabb and not obligatory. The second tashahhud is considered obligatory by the Shafi'is, Imamis and Hanbalis, and mustahabb by the Malikis and Hanafis Tasleem Tasleem is Tasleem is Tasleem is The Hanafis The Imamis (Farewell) obligatory. obligatory. obligatory. do not differ consider it among obligatory themselves, a group considers it obligatory, while others regard it as mustahabb

Formula for Assalamu Assalamu Assalamu Assalamu Tasleem Tasleem alaikum alaikum alaikum alaikum (farewell) warahmatu warahmatu warahmatu warahmatu consists of allah allah allah allah two formulas; (obligatory the first is: twice) "Assalamu alaina wa 'ala 'abadi allahi assaliheen".

The second: "Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatu allahi wa barakatuh". One of them is obligatory. Hence if a person recites the former, the latter will be mustahabb, and if he recites the latter, he will stop at it

Sequence:

Proper Sequence (tartib) is obligatory between the different parts of salat. Hence the takbirat al-'ihram (opening takbir) must precede reciting (qira'ah), the qira'ah (recitation of Qur'an) must precede ruku' (bowing), the ruku' must come before the sujud (prostration), and so on. Continuity :

Continuity (muwalat and tatabu', i.e. to occur one after another) is obligatory between the parts of salat and between the different portions of a part. Therefore, the reciting (qira'ah) must begin immediately after the takbirah and ruku' must similarly follow the qira'ah, and so on. The verses, words and letters must not be recited in a manner breaking continuity.

Sources:

1. us-Sunnah: at-Tahara and as-Salah by As- Sabiq. 1412/1991 American Trust Publications.

ISBN No. 0-89259-060-2

2. Prayer (Salat), According to Five Islamic Schools of Law By: ' Muhammad Jawad Maghniyyah - Translated from the Arabic by Mujahid Husayn