wa laikum salaam,

I can email you a copy of the prayer sheet I learned from and typed myself personally.  Insha' Allah (if Allah wills) it will be easy for you to understand.  What is your email address.?

Es_Selam'un Aleykum ve Rahmetullahi ve Berakatuh,

Here is an very sweet site answering ur question,please take a look at this:

http://www.jannah.com/learn/flashprayer1.html - http://www.jannah.com/learn/flashprayer1.html

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

I observed this thread for the first time today,

 How magnificent our Lord, for guiding us on the right way!

With regards to the prayer, I do have something more to say,

However I�d better wait until my Lord gives me the OK!

Or maybe I just forgot, while busy in play  

Assalam-alaikum Br/Sr Lebanese

AlhamdulIllah, it is a most beautiful request and I hope you are doing well with the assistance you have received from all the brothers and sisters here. Please let us know how you are doing or what progress you have made. If you have any questions please post them and  InshaAllah you will receive help here.

postamble(); Assalamu alaikum,

Lebanese, I'm so glad you asked this question so that others like myself can benefit from the responses of those who has so kindly tried to help you. 

Brothers and Sisters, here is my situation.  I had already seen the flash player version (which Suleyman so kindly shared with Sister Lebanese) of learning to do salat and I must say it was quite helpful; however, even after I watched it, I have two problems which need to be solved.  First, although I know how to say some of the words in Arabic, some of them simply baffle me as to how they should be properly pronounced and I would rather learn to say them correctly the first time than to learn them incorrectly and then have to relearn them.  As we all know, learning a new habit is much easier than forgetting a wrong one that is already instilled in us.  I know that it will take practice to say the salat in Arabic correctly; however, if I have the proper pronunciation, then I feel I would be more confident in practicing.  As it is now, I feel as if my salat sound like gibberish to Allah .  I know that the flash player has sound but the quality of the sound is so poor that I simply cannot use it to help me learn the verbal part of salat.  Second, I have read that salat is made of up of 2, 3 or 4 Rakaat depending on the time of day it is being said; however, what does that actually mean with respect to praying?  What parts get repeated with respect to what is said and how one positions oneself during salat?  The flash player does not explain that...or maybe it does and I just don't understand .

I would greatly appreciate any help I receive regarding this matter.  Right now I feel as if I am only a Mu�min  and not a Muslim since I cannot do this most important thing for Allah (swt).  I am only in Islam two months tomorrow and I have no Muslim friends where I live to help guide me.  I know that Allah (swt) is most merciful but I feel so bad not knowing how to do salat like I should.  I do have this wonderful software on my computer that actually does adhan for me when it is time to pray and I love to hear it and I feel Allah (swt) calling to me to make salat for Him�it is truly the sweetest sound my soul has ever heard.  I do wu�du and I do have prayer beads and us them to help me count when I pray Subhan Allah, Alhamdullilah, Allahu Akbar, but I need to do more.  So�

May Allah (swt) bless greatly all of those that help us new Muslims on our path to Him.  

Sister Lebanese, once again I thank you for bringing up this topic.  I hope that you are doing well on your path to Allah (swt) and that He gives you many blessings for heeding to His call to Islam.

Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatu.

PAZ

Assalam-alaikum Sr Khadija

May Allah Help you and guide you in your intentions to learn Salat as perfectly as possible. InshaAllah I will try to help you by giving you small bits of information at a time. I am glad you have learnt to perform wudu as it is a prerequiste for salat so we will not discuss it now. I will also assume you are aware of purity during salat ie of body & mind and what nullifies your wudu, if you are not aware please ask and InshaAllah I shall help.

When we perform Salat we stand in a clean place facing the Kaaba. A woman must keep her entire body covered except for her face, hands (covered upto the wrists) and feet (covered upto the ankles). The worshipper must then make the intention (Niyya) for prayer in her mind ie whether she is performing the fard (compulsory), sunna or Nafl (optional). The Niyya or intention is generally "I have intended to offer this prayer to Allah with a sincere heart facing the Kaaba".

After the intention we raise our open hands with the thumb touching the ear lobes and say "Allahu-Akbar". This is called "Takbir". Then continuing in the standing position we bring our hands down and place our right hand over our left hand just above the navel (for a woman). At this time we recite "Sana" then "Al-Fatiha" (first sura of the Qur'an) and any verse of the Qur'an after that. Then we bow down holding the knees with the hands like in a right angle. This is called "ruku". During the "ruku" we glorify Allah by saying "Subh'ana Rabbi Yal Azim" three times. Then we stand in the erect position before going down to do the prostration also called "sajda". Whilst standing up after bowing and going down to do the sajda we recite "Sami Allahu Liman Hamida" (Allah listens to him who glorifies Him) "Rabbana lakal hamd" (our Creator and sustainer all praise is for thee). When we do the sajda (prostration) we do it in such a way that both palms of the hand, the forehead, the knees and the toes of both feet are touching the ground. The elbows should be raised.

Whilst doing the sajda we say "Subbhana Rabbi Yal A'LA " three times, then you sit up and again perform another sajda repeating "Subbhana Rabbi Yal A'la" three times, then stand up to do the next rakat.

The explanation I have provided above constitutes one rakat. To be able to perform salat I suggest you first try to memorise sura fatiha ie the first sura in the Qur'an. Because this is the most important sura and without it no salat is complete.

If you have any questions or would like to move forward please let me know and InshaAllah I shall respond soon.

assalam allikum thank u so much for all you responses they helped me out. why is it every website i go to says something different than what im doing.so i get worried that allah wont accept my prayer even though i was taught that allah will accept salat even if u just say the fatiha in english just that the nayia is in your heart.

i still feel obligated to get the perfect way and actually it would be wonderful if some one could explain the wudu it would not do any harm.

thanks so much for your help

Wa-alaikum-Salaam Lebanese

Whilst you are in the process of learning you may falter here and there and you can pray as best as you can and seek Allah's acceptance of your prayers and forgiveness. But you must work towards learning to do your salat in Arabic by reciting the verses from the Qur'an, in the manner our beloved Prophet Mohammed (SAW) has taught us. You will have to learn to say Sura Fatiha in Arabic the language in which the Qur'an was revealed. It may seem like a formidable task at first but InshaAllah if you spend even just 10 minutes every day reciting the sura you will memorise it soon. I have been trying to get on to this website which has very good Qur'an reciters so that anyone wanting to learn the correct pronuciation can listen to it and learn, but it is not opening for me today. I'm not sure why. I will still give you the link and you can try:

http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=erecitorslist - http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=erecitorslist

Before saying salat it is necessary to wash, in a prescribed manner those parts of the body which are generally exposed to dust and uncleanliness. This washing is called "wudu" and it has been prescribed by Allah in the Holy Qur'an.

Wudu has to be performed with clean water. You first wash your hands upto the wrists three time by saying Bismillahi-rahmanir -raheem (In the name of Allah the Most compassionate and Merciful). You then gargle thrice by taking water into the mouth and rinsing out. Then the nose must be cleansed properly by taking water into the nostrils and snuffing out thrice. Then wash the face from one ear to the other and from forehead to the chin three times. Then wash the right arm upto the elbow three times. Wash the left arm in the same way three times. Then take water in both your hands and with your wet hands wipe over the head and the back of your neck and the inner side of the ears This is called Masah. Then wash the right foot upto the ankle and then the left foot upto the ankle three times each. While this is the prescribed way ie the way Mohammed (SAW) did it, we've got to remember that the whole idea is to cleanse oneself in preparation to stand before Allah the Almighty. So even if we are told to cleanse each part of our body three times it does not mean that if it is not clean enough you can wash further.

The following nullifies ablution - wudu:

1 Discharge of gases

2. Discharge of any bodily fluid (urine, stool, vomiting, blood etc)

3. sexual intercourse

4. Falling asleep, fainting or losing cosciousness

5. Loud laughter during prayer.

Assalamu Alaikum

Tasneem, may Allah give you many blessing for helping us.  Thank you for taking the time to help Labenese and myself.  I did know how to do wu'du and the things that nullify ablution and have been trying to keep myself in a state of wu'du.  The instructions you gave for completing the first raakat was very helpful.  I have used the website you sited for Qur'an audio.  In fact, that was the first place I went to learn from the Qur'an (may Allah bless those at IslamWay for making this available).  However, I have been unable to use it to help me with learning to speak Arabic.  I have dyslexia and although some people think that only affects the way a person reads, it actually affects the way they hear sounds as well.  Although I have learned how to minimize my visual dyslexia, the only way to minimize the audio part in learning a new language is by listening to the words slowly, clearly and repeatedly.  So, the only way I am going to learn from an audio device is if I find one that says the Arabic slowly and clearly.  I did have someone that was giving me lessons on line with a mic and audio waves; however, that person is no longer available for me to practice with.  I think it's time for me to venture away from my home and see if I can find an Imam in my area to help with this.  Inshallah an Imam can hook me up with a sister that can help me with this.  Once again, Tasneem, may Allah bless you greatly for helping us.  I look forward to having you help us more in the furture, inshallah.

PAZ

abuabdullah wrote: assalamu alaikum if you need detail help on you salat just email me ..

why e-mail?,why?...

Brother Suleyman/Islamicity Investigation Center(IIC)

Wa-alaikum-Salaam Sr Khadija

JazakakAllah Khair. About wudu I set out the info in response to Lebanese request, also it may be helpful to anyone who is in the process of learning. I have come across a book called "Qur'an Reader", An introduction to Qur'an Recitation, by Mahmud A Kurkcu, published by Young Muslims of Australia. This book comes along with 2 audio casettes. This might be of good use to you as you can refer to the book and listen to the cassettes. May be you could write to them and request/purchase it from them. May Allah make it easy for you, Ameen!

Assalamu Alaikum,

Tasneem, thank you so much for that reference.  May Allah reward you for your kindness and help.  I will try to find out if I can do that.  It would be such a great help.

PAZ

Wa-alaikum-Salaam Lebanese

The salat if you miss a salat is exactly the same however there are differences in what you make up and when you can make up for the missed salats. First of all let me tell you that the most we have been reminded of in the Qur'an by Allah is our prayer. So we have to be diligent and mindful of our prayer at all times, but there are times when we are in a situation where we may not be able to do our salat on time. May Allah forgive us for our lapses. Allah has made it easy for us in such circumstances by allowing us to combine certain prayers.

Fajr: Let me start with the Fajr salat (morning, before sunsrise). If for some reason you slept in and missed your Fajr, you should do it as soon as possible after you wake up. In case of the Fajr prayer you must do 2 rakat sunnah and 2 rakat farz (compulsory). The 2 rakat sunna of the Fajr prayer have greater importance than all our other sunna salats.

Zuhr & Asr: If you are unable to perform your Zuhr (noon prayers) you are permitted to combine it with your Asr (middle - late afternoon prayer). In such circumstances you would first do your 4 rakat farz (compulsory) of Zuhr and then do the 4 rakat of Asr. Be highly mindful of your Asr prayer because Allah has said in the Qur'an to be mindful of your prayers especially you middle one. Most scholars are of the opinion that the middle one refers to Asr. Also there is no prayer after the Asr prayer ie you cannot do the Asr first and any other next. Once you have completed your Asr you don't do any salat until Maghrib. This is what I have learnt and I may not be able to give you an answer if you ask me why.

Maghrib & Isha:  In exceptional circumstances it is also permitted to combine these two salats. You would first do the 3 rakat of maghrib and then do the Isha prayer.

It is forbidden to offer salat when the sun is rising, when the sun is setting and when the sun is at its zenith.

I don't think anyone will be annoyed with your questions. In Islam we are supposed to share whatever knowledge we have with each other. Each one of us is endowed with varying amounts of knowledge and by sharing we enrich ourselves.

assalamualaikum if you want to learn your salat shayk albani called the prophets prayer descibed.you open up the prayer with the open takbeer(by saying allahu akbar

then you say the duaa then the fatiha the you say allahu akbar and go in ruku(bowing posion) and you say subhanna allah atheem 3 times then stand and say simi allahu hamidan then say the duaa then say allahu akbar.then go in to sajda postion in the saja postion say subhana rubil alla 3 times raise you head saying allahu akbar say the duaa and say allahu akbar and say subhana rabil atheem 3 times (glory be to allah the great)..than stand and say allahu akbar and you repeat every thing over now when you get to the sadja postion after you say subhana allahthe second time you say the tashaahoodafter you say the tashahood you salam out and this is for two rakats.. and i hope i benefitted you may allah reward you ameen..

http://english.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=prayer - http://english.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=prayer

this is a very good site to learn the proper way to pray. the flash is clean and easy to understand. jazzakullah khair

lebanese wrote: assalam allikum thank u so much for all you responses they helped me out. why is it every website i go to says something different than what im doing.so i get worried that allah wont accept my prayer even though i was taught that allah will accept salat even if u just say the fatiha in english just that the nayia is in your heart. i still feel obligated to get the perfect way and actually it would be wonderful if some one could explain the wudu it would not do any harm. thanks so much for your help

How many times have you asked GOD for something?.

Did GOD answer your prayer every time?.

Did GOD answer your prayers at all!.

"When My servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided." (2:186)

How can this be!. If GOD is telling us in His holy book that He answers prayers...Then WHY is He ignoring mine!!!.

This is really the dilemma that most of us go through on a regular basis, and which eventually works at eroding our faith, belief, and contact with GOD.

If GOD is hearing us, why doesn't He answer?.

Is it because I am bad?.

Or is it because I am not praying the way He wants, or fasting the way He told us, or doing all the commands that He has sent?.

We tear ourselves apart trying to work out where the 'mistakes' are and why we are being ignored...

But, is GOD really ignoring us?. Can the words of the Lord be 'untruthful'?.

"GOD's promise- and GOD never breaks His promise- but most people do not know." (30:6)

Let us tackle this issue using GOD's own words for guidance:

"This Quran guides to the best path, and brings good news to the believers who lead a righteous life, that they have deserved a great recompense." (17:9)

1. Can we ask GOD for 'worldly' items?.

This is really the 'million $' question!. Many people have been able to convince themselves that GOD hears all prayers, but that the rewards are all attained in the next life...not this Earthly one.

Let us see if that is true:

"He said, "My Lord, forgive me, and grant me a KINGSHIP never attained by anyone else. You are the Grantor. We committed the wind at his disposal, pouring rain wherever he wanted." (38:35-36)

It appears that Solomon request for a pure 'Earthly' Kingship was answered!.

"...Whenever Zachariah entered her sanctuary he found provisions with her. He would ask, "Mary, where did you get this from?" She would say, "It is from GOD. GOD provides for whomever He chooses, without limits." (3:37)

Here we find GOD providing 'Earthly' sustenance for Mary!.

"That is when Zachariah implored his Lord: "My Lord, grant me such a good child; You are the Hearer of the prayers. The angels called him when he was praying in the sanctuary: "GOD gives you good news of John; a believer in the word of GOD, honorable, moral, and a righteous prophet." (3:38-39)

And Zachariah asking for an "Earthly" son!.

Now that we have seen that asking for worldly items is a 'Reality'...Let us see what else we can ask for.

2. Can we ask GOD for things in the Hereafter?.

"And GOD cites as an example of those who believed the wife of Pharaoh. She said, "My Lord, build a home for me at You in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his works; save me from the transgressing people." (66:11)

Pharaoh's wife seeks a 'Heavenly' reward from GOD.

"My Lord, forgive me and my parents, and anyone who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women..." (71:28)

Noah seeks 'forgiveness' from the Lord (a heavenly reward).

"Anyone who commits evil, or wrongs his soul, then implores GOD for forgiveness, will find GOD Forgiving, Most Merciful." (4:110)

GOD's 'forgiveness' is (of course) Heavenly!.

Thus, we can ask for things in this life as well as the after-life!.

Now, if the Quran establishes both of the above facts, then WHY is it our prayers go unanswered!!!.

Pre-conditions:

The Quran tells us that GOD answers the calls that implore Him with 'conditions':

Condition # 1: GOD Alone is Implored.

"If you are afflicted in the middle of the sea, you forget your idols, EXCEPT HIM. But as soon as He saves you to the shore, you revert. Indeed, the human being is unappreciative." (17:67)

"When they ride on a ship, they implore GOD, devoting their prayers to ONLY HIM. But as soon as He saves them to the shore, they revert to idolatry." (29:65)

"When violent waves surround them, they implore GOD, sincerely devoting their prayers to ONLY HIM. But as soon as He saves them to the shore, some of them revert. None discards our revelations except those who are betrayers, unappreciative." (31:32)

"Who is the One who rescues those who become DESPERATE and call upon Him, relieves adversity, and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is it another god with GOD? Rarely do you take heed." (27:62)

This condition is of a 'general' nature for those people who from time to time, especially when in great distress, implore on Him Alone from the heart...

Many people who believe in 'Special Abilities' for Jesus, Mohammed, the Saints, the Scholars, etc... will go-through life without having GOD answer their prayers or needs (GOD will however show every human being the way- Let him who wills believe, and he who wills reject).

However, in EXTREME cases, these very same people will unknowingly and unwittingly implore on 'GOD Alone' from the heart to save or help them...Yet, as soon as their crisis is over, they go back to having idols in their hearts and forget that it was Him 'Alone' that saved them (29:65).

Condition # 1: makes it clear why most of us go-through life without having GOD answer our calls and prayers...We all have many 'idols' in our lives (money, children, ego, power, prophets, saints, wise-men, etc..) which DISQUALIFIES us from having GOD answer our prayer.

Even the Prophets were not answered when they let something 'other' than GOD Alone get in the way:

"And Zan-Noon (Jonah), abandoned his mission in protest, thinking that we could not control him. He ended up imploring from the darkness: 'There is no god other than YOU. Be You glorified. I have committed a gross sin. We responded to him, and saved him from the crisis; we thus save the believers." (21:87-88)

Condition # 2: GOD Alone is Followed.

The real secret for knowing how to have your prayers ALWAYS answered (not just in times of distress) is to 'Live The Life' that is the path of 'GOD Alone':

"Those who proclaim: "1. Our Lord is GOD," then * 2. lead a righteous life (Istaqamu), the angels descend upon them: 'You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve. Rejoice in the good news that Paradise has been reserved for you. We are your allies in THIS LIFE, and in the Hereafter. You will have IN IT anything you desire for; you will have anything you ask." (41:30-31)

* The 'Straigh-Path' (Siraat Mustaqeem) can be found in the following verses: 6:151-153.

You see, many people say and believe that the 'Lord is GOD'...Yet their prayers go unanswered.

Many people 'lead a righteous life'...Yet their prayers go unanswered.

It is only when these 2 elements are put TOGETHER that the 'Special Formula' for having your prayers answered can come to work!.

The Angels become 'assigned' to these people as their 'Allies' and they carry the responsibility (from GOD) of meeting the needs and desires of these people (in this worldly life).

These TWO conditions are further enforced in the next verses:

"Who can utter better words than one who: 1. invites to GOD, 2. works righteousness, and says: 'I am one of the Submitters?" (41:33)

Thus, a Submitter is defined by these two terms (believes in GOD, works righteousness).

Condition # 2 : To have your prayers ALWAYS answered, you should be a Submitter (Believe in GOD & Lead a Righteous Life).

Being a Submitter, is also the surest way to enter Paradise:

"Surely, those who say: 1. Our Lord is GOD, then 2. lead a righteous life (Istaqamu), will have no fear, nor will they grieve. They have deserved Paradise, where they abide forever; a reward for their works." (46:13-14)

Condition # 3: What you ask is what you Get.

When speaking to GOD, we will ask for many things, and we will think of what to say and whether we want this or that thing...GOD does NOT respond to your 'words', but He will respond to what is asked from the 'Heart'.

Sometimes, a person may express a particular need or wish in his prayer directly, while thinking something to himself that expresses a different desire. GOD responds to the innermost desire.

Remember what the Angels have been committed to in Condition # 2?

"We are your allies in this life, and in the Hereafter. You will have in it anything you desire (tashtahoon); you will have anything you ask." (41:30-31)

The verse makes clear that what you 'Desire' will take PRECEDENCE over what you 'Ask for'.

So, if you are asking for a 'New House', but really desire a 'Child'...Then do not get upset if you are granted the 'Child' and not the 'House'.

Condition # 4: Only what is Good for you is given!.

While you may have truly asked for certain things (like change of job), GOD may not respond to your prayer since in it will be more harm than good.

GOD (in His ultimate Mercy for mankind) will only give you what is better (not worse).

"Fighting may be imposed on you, even though you dislike it. But you may dislike something which is good for you, and you may like something which is bad for you. GOD knows while you do not know." (2:216)

If a child asks a parent for a 'snake', then the parent out of 'Love' for his/her child can never meet such a request...The Lord is more Merciful and Loving than any human being can EVER be, thus only the good things will be given (even-though we may not see that).

"Proclaim: 'If you possessed my Lord's treasures of mercy, you would have withheld them, fearing that you might exhaust them. The human being is indeed stingy." (17:100)

Condition # 5: Patience in Observed.

Now that we understand how to have our prayers answered, we must also understand that GOD responds 'As' and 'When' He sees fit:

"He is not questioned about anything He does, while all others are questioned." (21:23)

The Lord is our creator, GOD, and Master...He would never do anything to 'Harm' us or inflict 'Pain' or 'Suffering' to His servants...Thus, we must allow GOD to answer our calls in the 'Best Manor' that He deems rather than in our own 'Selfish' manor, which may cause more harm than good.

"Moses said to his people, "Seek GOD's help, and be patient. The earth belongs to GOD, and He grants it to whomever He chooses from among His servants. The ultimate victory belongs to the righteous." (7:128)

"But if We give him a taste of (Our) favors after adversity hath touched him, he is sure to say, "All evil has departed from me:" Behold! he falls into exultation and pride. Not so do those who show patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward." (11:10-11)

"I have rewarded them this Day for their patience and constancy: they are indeed the ones that have achieved Bliss..." (23:111)

"We did not send any messengers before you who did not eat food and walk in the markets. We thus test you by each other; will you steadfastly persevere? Your Lord is Seer." (25:20)

A Submitter doesn't keep asking "why wasn't this or that prayer answered?" or "why do these bad things happen to me, while I'm a good person?", etc., but rather looks to see how GOD is always responding to and giving him and how He never fails to answer prayers on terms far better than what we like to impose.

Condition # 6: GOD Alone is Remembered.

Once we ask GOD Alone for help or for 'something', we must NOT turn our backs to Him and expect that He will still be there to help us.

"He (Joseph) then said to the one to be saved: 'Remember me at your lord.' Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years." (12:42)

In the story of Joseph, we see how a 'righteous' man, a Messenger, was left to spend years in-prison because he did not 'Remember' to implore GOD Alone!.

Always keep GOD is your heart and in your mind...Without Him, we are all absolutely NOTHING.

WARNING!!!

Although the above tells us how to have our prayers answered, we should heed the advise of GOD who tells us:

"...Some people would say: 'Our Lord, give us of this world,' while having no share in the Hereafter." (2:200)

Do not be fooled by this world alone...For it is but an illusion.

"The life of this world is no more than illusion and vanity, while the abode of the Hereafter is far better for the righteous. Do you not understand?!" (6:32)

"Anyone who seeks the materials of this world should know that GOD possesses both the materials of this world and the Hereafter. GOD is Hearer, Seer." (4:134)

What your prayers should encompass is:

"Others would say: 'Our Lord, grant us good things in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and spare us the retribution of Hell. These will receive the share they have earned. GOD is most efficient in reckoning." (2:201-202)

There is no crime in being greedy for both this world AND the next, as long as the one being asked is GOD Alone!.

Conclusion:

Now that we have shown how GOD's system is at work, you should ask yourself: 'Are ALL my prayers being answered?'.

If the answer is 'No'...then you need to examine 2 elements in your life:

Do you believe in GOD Alone (no power or place for anything or anyone else)?;
Do you lead a 'Righteous' life? (as drawn-out by the 'Straight Path' 6:151-153).

Peace
Noah