Importance of Prayer in Islam

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Prayer in Islam, is worship of Allah the Almighty, Praising and Thanking 
Him, acknowledging His Sovereignty and committing oneself to obey and remember 
Him at all times. It is the central part of a way of life, which is based on 
submission to the Owner of all. 
The Muslim must seek to remember Allah 
at all times. He must be mindful that everything he is, everything he does, 
everything he knows and understands, is due to the Mercy of Allah. In 
acknowledging this, he remembers the fact that death lies in wait and he does 
not know when he will depart from this worldly life. 

Essential requisites for offering 
Prayer

The worshipper must be a Muslim 
The worshipper's clothes and body must be free 
from all impurities 
The place where the Prayer is to be offered should 
be pure and clean 
The part of the body between the navel and the 
knees of a male worshipper must be fully covered, and the whole body excepting 
the hands and face of a female worshipper. 
The worshipper must face the Kaba in the Great 
Mosque at Mecca and the direction of Ka'ba outside Mecca. 
The worshipper must form the Niyyat (i.e., 
intention) in his or her mind of the particular Prayer, Fard (Obligatory) or 
Sunnat or Nafl (Optional), he or she is about to offer. 
The worshipper must observe the times and rules 
prescribed for the respective Prayers. 
The worshipper must have performed the Wudu (i.e., 
ablution). 
The worshipper must have performed Ghusl (i.e., 
the washing of the whole body), if he or she was in a state of grave 
impurity. 

What is Wudu?
Wudu is the act of washing those 
parts of the body which are generally exposed.
How do you perform the Wudu?
I perform the Wudu in the following 
manner: 

I make myself sure that the water with which I am 
going to perform Wudu is pure, clean and fresh (not used before) and its color, 
taste and smell are unchanged 
I form and have the full intention of performing 
the Wudu for offering prayer 
I recite "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim" i.e., in the 
Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. 
I then wash my hands upto the wrists three times, 
passing the in between each other 
I cleanse my mouth with brush or finger, and 
gargle with water three times 
Then I rinse the nostrils thrice with water 

I wash the face from the forehead to the chin bone 
and from ear to ear three times 
I then wash the right hand arm followed by the 
left upto the elbows three times. 
I then brush up the whole head with wet hands, 
pass the wet tips of the index finger inside and the wet tips of the thumb 
outside the ears, and pass over the other surface of the hands over the nape and 
the sides of the neck. 
I then wash the feet upto the ankles, the right 
foot first and then the left, taking care to wash in between the toes, each 
three times.

The 
obligatory Acts in the performance of Wudu 

Washing the face 
Washing both the arms upto the elbows. 
Brushing over a quarter of the head with wet hands 

Washing both feet up to the ankles 

Notes: 

If the water to be used for Wudu be stagnant, one 
should make sure that the cistern measures ten yards by ten yards by one foot 
and is full of water 
If a person wears impermeable foot-gear after the 
performance of the Wudu, it is not necessary to remove it for a fresh Wudu. One 
may just pass over it wet fingers as if one were tracing lines on it. Travelers 
can take advantage of this concession for three days and three nights, others 
for one day and one night. 

Ghusl 
(Bath)

Ghusl should be made in a place of 
total privacy and one should not face towards the Kiblah while making Ghusl. 
Ghusl may be performed standing or seated, preferably seated. Use sufficient 
water, don't skimp nor be wasteful. One should abstain from speaking while 
performing Ghusl. It is better not to read any Kalimah or Aayah while bathing. 
Be aware of these rules whilst making Ghusl.

Ghusl 
becomes obligatory after: 

Sexual intercourse 
Discharge or effusion of semen 
Completion of menses and confinement 
The obligatory 
condition that must be fulfilled for a valid performance of an obligatory Ghusl 
are: 

To rinse the mouth thoroughly, so that all the 
parts are cleaned properly. 
To rinse the nose right upto the nasal bone 

To wash all parts of the body thoroughly, 
including the hair. 
The best way of performing in obligatory Ghusl is: 

The person should have the intention (Niyyat) to 
cleanse the body from grave impurity at the time of performing the bath 
He or she should wash the hands upto the wrists 
thrice 
Then the private parts must be washed thoroughly 
thrice 
Filth must be removed, if there be any, from any 
of the parts of the body. 
One should then perform an ablution 
One should lastly wash thrice all the parts of the 
body, including the hair thoroughly. 

Tayammum

When a person is sick or access 
cannot be had to water, one may perform what is called Tayammum in place of Wudu 
or Ghusl.

The 
essential requisites for the performance of a Tayammum are: 

To have the intention in mind to perform the 
Tayammum for the removal of impurities 
To strike pure earth lightly with the palms of 
both the hands 
To pass the palms of the hands over the face once 

To again strike lightly pure earth with the palms 
of both hands and rub alternately from the tips of the fingers to the elbows, 
the forearms and the hands. 
The acts or circumstances which make the Wudu void are: 

Answering the call of nature; discharge of semen 
or issue of worm or sandy stone or any impure matter from the front or the hind 
private parts 
The passage of wind from the hind private part 

The act of vomiting a mouthful of matter 
Emission of blood, puss or yellow matter from a 
wound, boil, pimple, etc., to such an extent that is passes the limits of the 
mouth of the wound, etc. 
Loss of consciousness through sleep, drowsiness, 
etc. 
Temporary insanity, fainting fit, hysteria or 
intoxication. 
Audible laughter during prayer 
Same 
occurrences nullify tayammum also? 
Yes; the same occurrences nullify 
Tayammum also, but in addition Tayammum is nullified as soon as the cause for 
performing it is removed i.e., if the sick person removers, or, if recourse has 
been taken to it for lack of water, and access to water becomes 
possible.
The 
following three acts are forbidden without the performance of Wudu or Tayammum 
as the case may be: 

Prayer 
Walking round the Holy Ka'ba in Mecca 
Carrying or touching the Holy Quran 

Note: Children who have not attained the age of 
discretion, i.e., about seven years, can carry the Holy Quran for the purpose of 
studying.
Does Wudu convey any inner meaning besides the cleanliness of the 
body? 
Yes, the primary object is 
cleanliness or purity, but spiritual cleanliness and purity, i.e., freedom from 
sins which is the main object of religion. It is preferable, therefore, to 
recite the following after Wudu:
Allahummaj'alni minattawwabeena waj'alni 
minal mutatahahhireen.
'O Allah! make me from among those who repent for 
their sins and from among those who keep themselves 
pure.

Azan is the first call to 
Prayer
When and why is the Azan uttered? 

The Azan is uttered in a loud voice 
to announce to the faithful that it is time for the Obligatory Prayer and to 
invite them to offer the same.
How is Azan recited? 
Azan is recited in a loud voice by 
the Muezzin (the crier) facing the direction of Ka'ba in the following words 
which are said in the order mentioned:
(1) Allahu Akbar
i.e. "Allah is 
Most Great" (four times).
(2) Ash-hadu an la ilaha 
ill-Allah
i.e., "I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshipped 
except Allah" (twice)
(3) Ash-hadu anna 
Muhammad-ar-rasoolullah
i.e., "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of 
Allah" (twice)
(4) Hayya 'alas-Salah
i.e., "Come 
to Prayer" (turning the face alone to the right and saying it twice)
(5) Hayya 'alal-falah
i.e., "come 
to Success" (turning the face alone to the left and saying it twice)
(6) Allahu Akbar
i.e., " Allah is 
Most Great" (twice)
(7) La illaha ill-Allah,
i.e., 
"There is no deity but Allah (once)
Note:- The following phrase is added after item 
(5) in the Azan of the early morning prayer:
As-salatu khairum 
minannaum
i.e., "Prayer is better than sleep" (to be said 
twice)

Obligatory (Fard) Factors in 
Prayer

The 
Obligatory Factors in a Prayer are seven in number: 

To say takbir-i-tahrimah 
Qiyam, i.e., standing erect and placing the right 
hand upon left below the navel 
To recite some verses from the Holy Quran 
Ruku', i.e., bowing down in such a way as to grasp 
the knees with the hands keeping the back in a straight line so as to for a 
right angle with the legs 
Sajdah, i.e., prostrating in such a way that both 
the palms of the hands, the forehead, the nasal bone, the knees and the toes of 
both feet touch the ground; there must be sufficient space between the arms and 
the chest and the legs and the belly so that they do not touch each other but 
remain separate. 
Qa'dah i.e., sitting down in a reverential 
posture, keeping the right foot erect on the toes and the left one in a 
reclining position under the rumps 
To signify the completion of prayer by work or 
action.
Courtesy www.islamicnet.com

Edited by islamicnet - 12 May 2010 at 3:52am

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