After all I have heard about salāh from the Qur’ān and Sunnah, my heart is now eager to proceed.  Please could you show me the method of salāh? 

Masha’Allāh, that is an excellent sentiment. May Allāh سبحانه وتعالىٰ reward you and make it easy for you. I will teach you how to perform salāh, but before doing that, it is important that you know the conditions of salāh, certain factors that must be in place before it can even begin.  Tell me, to get a driving license, you need to show that you can actually drive a car. However, what else do they test you on?

Well, there is a theory test. You need to know the Highway Code.

Yes. You may be a competent, sincere driver, but you are still required to know about the laws and codes that govern driving on the highway. Salāh also has its crucial prerequisites. The main ones are as follows:

1.      You must have an acceptance in your heart of the Islāmic faith;

2.      You must carry a firm niyyah (intention) in your heart about the salāh you are about to pray;

3.      Your body must be free of both major and minor impurity;

4.      Your clothes must be free from that which is najas (impure);

5.      Your clothes must be covering the, so-called, aurah;

6.      You must be in a place that is suitable for salāh;

7.      You must be facing the Qibla;

8.      You must be sure that the particular salāh being done, is being done within its prescribed time. 

ONE

You must have an acceptance in your heart of Islam

 So, you must be a Muslim then?

 Yes. It’s a simple as that. You must be in complete acceptance of the shahādah, in your heart, on your tongue and in your actions.

TWO

You must carry a firm niyyah (intention) in your heart about the salāh you are about to pray

Extract of hadīth from Omar bin Al Khattāb, رضي الله عنه, "I heard the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم, saying 'Actions are only by intentions, and every man has only that which he intended.’ ”

Bukhāri and Muslim

 It must be clear in your heart which salāh you are doing and why you are doing it?

‘Which’ and ‘why’?  What do you mean ‘why’ you are doing salāh? Does it not go without saying that you do your salāh to obey Allāh?

Be careful. It is so easy for Shaytān (Satan) to distract us. When you stand for salāh, are you really doing so for the reason you mentioned, or is there some other motive? Are your thoughts purely focused on seeking the Face of Allāh, or are you doing this perfect salāh because aunty and uncle have just walked into the room and are bound to be impressed?

Yes, I understand. May Allāh keep our intentions pure. Okay, what do you mean when you say you must know ‘which’ salāh you are doing?

We will discuss the names of the five daily salāh shortly, Insha’Allāh, but suffice it to say, you should know, for example:

·       Are you doing the sunset prayer or the night one?;

·       Are you doing the compulsory [fard] prayer or any of the voluntary ones?;

·       Are you going to perform two or four rak’āh [units of prayer].

These kinds of facts should be clear in your heart before you start.

You say ‘in your heart.’ Don’t you have to say the niyyah on your lips?

No. You need not say any words of niyyah before you perform your salāh, either out loud, or under your breath. Neither do you have to think of any specific words of niyyah in your mind. As long as you are clear about the salāh you are about to perform, you may simply proceed. 

But I have heard elders actually utter niyyah before starting, for example, “I am doing fard salāh, I am doing the four rakāh of the midday salāh…” 

Yes, yes, yes…...and I am facing the Ka’āba, I am behind the imām, I am standing under the roof of the mosque, I am standing in Chingford and so on and so forth! All those kinds of words of intention are ‘spoken’ by many Muslims. However, they are without foundation. There is no evidence of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم uttering any words of intention before salāh. This is a bid’ah (innovation into religion).

THREE

Your body must be free from both major and minor impurity

What is major impurity?

There are certain actions, events and conditions that make a person impure in a major way. Such events require the affected person to take a bath known as ghusl before he or she can do salāh.

What are those actions, events and conditions?[1]

·       The discharge of seminal fluid linked to erotic thoughts;

·       Sexual relations;

·       For women, the onset of their monthly period;

·       For women, bleeding after childbirth;

What is minor impurity?

Even if a Muslim is not in need of ghusl, he is still required to maintain minor purity with a simple wash called wudhu. Again, this is in a prescribed manner and is necessary for salāh.

Ibn Omar رضي الله عنه said: Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم say: Allāh does not accept Prayer without purification, nor sadaqah (voluntary charity) from illegally attained wealth.

Muslim and others

For how long does wudhu cover you against minor impurity?

It lasts until it is broken. The main things that break the wudhu are:

·       Passing urine or excrement;

·       Passing wind (without doubt)[2]

·       Deep sleep

·       Loss of senses for example by by fainting or being sedated.

·       For men, the seeping of madhyi or wadyi[3]

My friend told me that swearing can cancel wudhu. Is this true?

No, that is not true. Be careful. People can tell you about a thousand and one things that break wudhu. If they do tell you such things, they must provide evidence to support what they are saying. The events that nullify wudhu are well defined. Let us rely on what is clear and proven.

I play rugby at school and often get very muddy. Can I do salāh covered in sweat and mud?

It is better that you have a bath, but, yes, you can, so long as your wudhu is not broken.

Does that bath have to be a ghusl?

No. The rugby did not make you majorly impure, it just made you muddy. A regular bath to get the sweat and mud off is sufficient.

At school, the bathroom is busy and the basins are not too clean.  It is difficult to wash my feet there when doing wudhu.

Actually, you can do something called masah. Do wudhu before you leave home, put on your socks and then, if wudhu is needed again at school, college or work, instead of washing your feet, you can simply pass your wet fingertips over the top of each foot.

FOUR

Your clothes must be free from that which is najas (impure)

Back to my favourite topic, MUD!  Is mud najas?

No. By najas we mean specific impure items including urine, faeces, blood and vomit.

FIVE

Your clothes must be covering your aurah.

 What is the aurah?

This is the part of the body that Muslim men and women are required to cover. This covering is mandatory not just for salāh, but for all times when out and about. 

Is the aurah different for men and women?

Yes. For men the aurah is at least from the bellybutton to the knees.

That’s a lot! If you were going swimming, your swim gear would need to be pretty big. Wouldn’t it look silly?

You may look ridiculous to others, but the eyes and opinions of such people are irrelevant in matters relating to obedience to Allāh.

So, football shorts, halfway down the thighs, can’t be worn for salāh?

They can’t be worn for salāh or at any time in public. Any clothes worn should at the very least cover the aurah. For salāh there is the additional requirement that the garment must also cover the shoulders.

What is the aurah for women?

A woman must cover all parts of her body except face, hands and feet.[4] 

As well as the above discussion of the aurah, clothes for men and women:

·       should not be for the purposes of attractive display or fame;

·       should not be transparent, thereby revealing the aurah;

·       should be loose and not tight fitting, revealing the figure;

·       (in the case of women) should not be perfumed.

SIX

You must be in a place suitable for salāh

 Alhamdulillāh we are permitted to prayer anywhere!  However, the place of salāh must be clean and be one that is acceptable according to the statements of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, for example, not facing a grave, or likely to obstruct others or break your concentration. He said,

“All the earth is a mosque except for graveyards and bathrooms.” Tirmidhi

SEVEN

You must be facing the Qibla

Muslims all around the world face the Kā’ba, five times a day, in prayer. The Kā’ba is cube-shaped structure in Makkah acting as a directional marker of prayer and built by the Prophet Ibrāhim, عليه السلام. That is the direction set by Allāh and known in Arabic as al Qibla. Allāh سبحانه وتعالىٰ tells us,

قَد نَرىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجهِكَ فِي السَّماءِ ۖ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبلَةً تَرضاها ۚ فَوَلِّ وَجهَكَ شَطرَ المَسجِدِ الحَرامِ ۚ وَحَيثُ ما كُنتُم فَوَلّوا وُجوهَكُم شَطرَهُ

So turn your face towards Masjid Al Haram[5]. And wherever you (believers) are, turn your faces toward it (in prayer)

Sūrāh al Baqarah; The Qur’ān, 2:144

What if we are away from home and do not know which way Makkah is?

Do whatever you can to ascertain the Qibla. Ask people around you if they know, or look at the shadows made by the sun. Whatever you do, try your very best. If you still can’t work it out at all, you may pray in any direction.

I was walking on the White Cliffs of Dover with my cousin. At prayer time we were unsure of the Qibla.  It was cloudy and we didn’t have a compass. 

So what did you do?

I knew that the ferries arriving from Calais in France, were doing so in the same south-easterly line as Makkah. So, we watched them and determined our Qibla.  

Well done. You tried your best.

EIGHT

You must be sure that the particular salāh being done is being done within its prescribed time

 You must know the permissible time periods for praying the five daily prayers and make sure you catch them within those ‘windows.’ The five daily compulsory prayers are:

1.     Fajr (dawn)

2.     Dhuhr (midday)

3.     Asr (mid-afternoon)

4.     Magrib (dusk)

5.     Isha (night)

The following graphic depicts those ‘windows’.