‘Establish Salah to remember me (Allah).’ (20:12)
Salah is seen as the practical proof of the Islamic faith, and has been made compulsory (or fard) at certain fixed tunes:
‘Salah at fixed times has been enjoined on the believers.’ (4:103)
The Muslim would react to an Islamic quote like this from the Qur’an by making sure that all other distractions are forgotten, and their sole attention is towards Allah. The five daily prayers are:
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Fajr (from dawn until just before sunrise)
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Zuhr (after mid-day until afternoon)
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‘Asr (from late afternoon until just before sunset)
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Maghrib (after sunset until daylight ends
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Isha (night until midnight or dawn)
Here is the diagram to illustrate the timings of the five daily prayers:
(Note that Salah is not said at sunrise, noon or sunset as these times have pagan associations of sun worship).
The requirement to pray five times the day in the Mosque would have the great effect on the life of the Muslim. From the personal perspective, one has to set out the whole day, as times have to be specified to pray. If it is the particularly hot day and I have been playing football between prayers I would also have to consider washing many times in order to maintain the clean state to pray to Allah. The fact that there are no fixed times for prayer also makes it difficult, as, in summer Fajr prayers are extremely early in the morning (as the sun rises very early), and the Isha prayer is extremely late (as the sun sets very late). This makes sleeping patterns particularly irregular, and time for entertainment has to be sacrificed for example to ensure that enough sleep is gained. However, the Iman, or belief of the strong Muslim is expected to supersede any distractions, or even sleep. This is reflected in the Morning Prayer, where in the call to prayer (or Ad’haan) the following is stated:
‘Prayer is better than sleep (x2)’
In Muslim majority countries (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Senegal), the ad’haan is said from a minaret which is a raised tower incorporated into the main building of the mosque commonly through a loudspeaker so that this urgent message is heard throughout towns or cities. However, to say and perform salah, one has to be clean and pure, as it teaches self discipline, but also as it says so in the Qur’an which are the divine words of God:
‘Surely Allah loves those who turn to Him and those who care for cleanliness.’ (2:222)
Therefore, in order to be ready and start salah, a Muslim would make sure that he/she is clean. Cleanliness of the body is called Taharah or purification. You may be clean outwardly, but still not be pure- it is especially important to remove all traces of urine or excrement from the clothes worn for Salah. A shower may keep a Muslim clean, but there are special forms of ablution to ensure cleanliness during Salah, which all form part of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. The first type of wash is most common, and is performed before every prayer throughout the day- this is called Wudu (also known as the part wash). These are the steps to take:
- Make Niyyah (intention) to do the Wudu. Muslims would do this as it forms part of shutting out the rest of the world, and shows how Allah has their devoted attention.
- Wash both hands up to the wrists three times making sure that the water has reached the tips of the fingers. In many of the steps in Wudu, things are repeated three times in order to ensure cleanliness.
- Put a handful of water into the mouth and rinse it thoroughly, again three times.
- Sniff water into the nostrils three times to clean them and then wash the tip of the nose three times.
- Wash the face three times from forehead to throat and from left ear to right ear.
- Wash the right arm then the left arm thoroughly from wrist to elbow three times
- Move the palm of the wet hand over the head, starting from the top of the forehead to the back and pass both hands over the back of the head to the neck
- Rub wet fingers into the grooves of both ears and holes and also pass the wet thumbs behind the ears
- Pass the backs f the wet hands over the nape (back of neck)
- Wash both feet to the ankles starting from the right and making sure that water has reached between the toes and all other parts of the feet.
After completing Wudu, the Shahadah is said, again to put the Muslim in the right state of mind for praying. The whole process of Wudu may be performed in the Mosque where a wash room is usually provided. The washing will do for more than one prayer providing there is no breaking of it i.e. urination or the breaking of wind and even bleeding, or if the mind has lost conscious control i.e. falling asleep or being knocked unconscious. However, in special cases and before Friday prayer (Jum’uah) Ghusl is needed, which is more like a shower and is a full body wash. Jum’uah is certainly the most important prayer at the Mosque, and attendance to the Mosque is required more than any other prayer. This is because Muslims are required to meet up in Ummah (or as a community) to share and discuss Islamic matters. Ghusl is also required after a sexual act, or after a period. However, in the absence of water Tayammum (dry ablution) is performed, or even if the use of water is dangerous. In these cases Tayammum is done by:
- Placing both hands lightly on earth, sand, stone or any other object having dust on it
- Blow the dust off the hands and wipe the face with them once in the same way as done in Wudu
- Repeat as in (1) and wipe the right arm up to the elbow with the left hand and the left arm with the right hand
The fact that Allah also allows Muslims to be clean even the absence of water would be of great significance to a Muslim, as it shows how caring and understanding Allah is.
I have already established the importance of attending the Mosque, even if it just to perform the compulsory (fard prayers). To call Muslims to prayer, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) introduced the system Ad’haan. The person who gives the Ad’haan is called the Mu’adhdhin (caller) who stands in the minaret or in the courtyard of the mosque, faces the Quibla (the direction in which all Muslims face to pray; towards the Kaba in Mecca), raises his hands to his eats and calls out:
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Allahu-Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) [x4]
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Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah) [x2]
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Ashhadu anna muhammadar rasulullah (I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s messenger) [x2]
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Hayya ‘alas salah (Rush to prayer) [x2]
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Hayya ‘alal falah (rush to success) [x2]
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Allahu-Akbar (Allah is the greatest) [x2]
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La ilaha illal lah (There is no god but Allah)
At the call to prayer, Muslims are expected to be ready for the prayer in the Mosque. The call to prayer is extremely important to a Muslim as they are reminded through the beautiful words of the ad’haan, the greatness of Allah. The ad’haan is also another way to get a Muslim in the right frame of mind to pray due to this.
Once they are ready, Muslims are assembled in rows which all face the Quiblah. In most Mosques there is a special alcove in the qiblah wall called a mihrab which locates the direction. However if a Muslims is performing Salah at home, a small compass may be used to decipher the exact direction of Makkah (it is generally towards the South-East; the direction in which home satellite dishes point!). In a Mosque, the prayer mats are usually permanently settled so there is no worry as to where exactly one is praying in the Mosque. The rows are approximately the width of one grown sheep apart- a customary way (in the time of Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]) of working out how far the prayer rows are to be from each other. Prayer rows are very important, as, it not only establishes order within the Mosque but if someone is praying and someone else crosses the path of the person who is praying; their prayers are given to the person praying and multiplied by ten.
After all these preparations, Muslims are now ready to perform the act of Salah. Firstly, it is important to be standing upright in Jamaat (congregation), during a Fard prayer which is usually conducted by an Imam (the Muslim equivalent of a Priest). This standing is called Qiyam. During the whole process of Salah, the prayer is said in Arabic. This is because the letter of God is not changed in any way, and no meaning is lost or added to it. This means that many Western Muslims have to memorize the Arabic for prayer, but must also take into account what exactly it means. Here are the stages in Salah, after the initial Qiyam:
- Say Niyyah/intention of what you are going to pray. Niyyah is said here to shut out the rest of the outside world, and so that the sole attention of the believer is turned towards Allah.
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Muslims then raise their hands up to their ears, (women and girls however raise their hands up to their shoulders as a sign of respect and humility to Allah) and say Allahu-Akbar (Allah is greatest). This stage is called Takbiratul Ihram, and this symbolises shutting out the world and its distractions, delights and miseries. This also acknowledges the supreme majesty of God by simply referring to Him as the greatest.
- They then place their right hand on their left hand jus below the navel or on the chest (women and girls on their chest) and recite:
Subhanaka Allahuma wa bi hamdika wa tabara ksamuka wa ta ala jadduka wa la ilaha gairuka.
This means: O Allah, glory and praise are for You, and blessed is Your name, and exalted is You majesty; there is no god but you.
4. Ta’awuz and Tasmiyah are then said which are both sayings in Arabic to emphasise the sole concentration to prayer and the rejection of shaitan (Satan/devil).
5. Surah Fatihah is then recited, which is the first Surah of the Qur’an. The recitation of Surah Fatihah is a must in all prayers, as it reminds Muslims of the basic beliefs of Islam such as the fact that Allah is the Lord of the universe and He is the Master of the day of judgement.
6. Muslims then recite any other Surah from Holy Qur’an. The prophet insisted that these are kept short in Fard prayers which are led by the Imam in the Mosque, thinking of the difficulties faced by some of the congregation (i.e. they had to be back at work), and rebuked the imams who demanded too much of people.
7. Muslims now bow in a position called Ruku, and they place their hands on their knees. Their backs should be straight. This physical action is done to show that they respect as well as love God. Whilst in the Ruku position they repeat three times:
‘Glory be to my Great Lord, and praise be to him’
8. They then stand up in Qiyam and acknowledge their awareness of God with the words:
‘God always hears those who praise Him. O God, all praise be to Thee, O God greater than all else.’
9. The humblest position is called sujud or sajda. This is where Muslims prostrate themselves on the ground, demonstrating that they love God more than they love themselves. When kneeling they ensure that their forehead is touching the floor to show their humility in front of the Almighty Allah. They repeat this twice.
10. Steps one to nine form a Rakah. This is known as a unit of prayer, and this is often repeated to form two rakahs, three (salat’ul Witr) or even four rakahs. At the end of the rakah(s), Muslims then say a Du’a, which is explained in my introduction. The last action of the prayer is the action to turn ones head left and right to acknowledge the other worshipers and the guardian angels (who note ones bad and good deeds respectively) with the words:
‘Peace be with you, and the mercy of Allah.’
So in conclusion to this we can see that Salah forms a major part of a Muslims life. The additional aspect of praying at the Mosque is also important, and this is reinforced by the aforementioned Hadith. By praying Muslims also say the Shahadah which is another pillar of Islam, which shows how important these liturgical acts are to following Islam.
