Prayer (Salah)
“And establish prayer and give zakat. And bow with those who bow.” 20
(The Holy Qur’an)
Prayer is the first act of worship commanded by Islam after kalimah al-shahadah. Prayer is a special act of worship with specified moves and recitations, which starts with the takbir and ends with the taslim. Prayer is defined as standing in the presence of Allah with deep respect, love and awe, and faithfully begging and showing gratitude to Him (swt).
Showing gratitude for the blessings of Allah is our responsibility both as a Muslim and a human. The gratitude for every blessing is shown in its specific type. In other words, the gratitude for every material or spiritual thing we have is shown by dedicating it to Allah. Our body, mind, ability to speak and health are the most valuable blessings granted to us. So prayer, as an act of worship performed with body, is the gratitude people show for all of these blessings.
The Holy Qur’an states that all prophets commanded their societies to perform prayer throughout history. Indeed, the prayer commanded to every society has different qualities. The prayer commanded to Muslims are performed five-times a day by facing the qiblah as taught and shown by the Prophet Muhammad. One who deeply focuses on the worship in harmony with their body, mind and heart feels that prayer surrounds them from every aspect. They stand in the presence of Allah during qiyam, bow only in front of Allah (swt) in ruku, and show their submission to Allah in sajdah, which is the closest moment to Allah the Almighty.
The prayer is the pillar of Islam, protection system against evil, expiation for sins, and the most important act of worship that a person will first be accounted for on the Day of Judgment. It is frequently stated in the Holy Qur’an that establishing prayer without any delay, in awe and correctly are the characteristics of the Muslims. Going to mosques for prayer in congregation is insistently recommended by the Prophet Muhammad (saw) as it contributes Muslims to meet and interact with each other as well as strengthening the bonds and solidarity among them.
The responsibility of Muslims is to be sensitive about the salah by paying attention to the encouragement and recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad. In this way, humans will remember Allah and show their respect and devotion towards Him (swt) by taking a break from the busy pace of life five-times a day. Those who solely focus on Allah during the salah will tranquilize, be purified, be filled with serenity and reach happiness in the eternal world as well.
Those who perform wudu or ghusl if necessary before establishing salah are cleaned from physical and spiritual impurities. They tidy up their clothes. Because one must wear clean clothes and cover the required parts of their body (satr al-awrat). Then, they turn toward the qiblah: when their faces are toward the qiblah, their hearts are turned toward Allah the Almighty. The qiblah is the Ka’bah. The Ka’bah is the house of Allah. Muslims all over the world meet at a divine and magnificent point by turning toward the same direction.
Five-times prayer is a fardh (obligation) for Muslims, which means it is an act of worship commanded by Allah and cannot be abandoned. Daily fardh prayers are performed in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening and night, and each of them consists of different numbers of rakats (cycle). Additionally, there are “sunnah prayers” which the prophet Muhammad performed regularly and set an example to the believers. There are also “nafl prayers” (superorgatory) which can be performed whenever wanted.
A person ready for prayer utters intention with the consciousness of which prayer to be performed, then they raise their hands up and recite the takbir. They start establishing the prayer by saying “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the greatest) with the awareness of existence and unity of Allah, and that Allah is the most glorious, and no other being can be worshiped. They do not talk after starting to establish the prayer.
After the takbir, they stand in the presence of Allah in qiyam with their hands put on top of each other for a while. At first, they recite ‘’Subhanaka’’ du’a (prayer). They continue with “Surah al-Fatiha” which includes words meaning praying and devotion to Allah the Almighty. After that, they say “amin” and recite the surahs and verses from the Holy Qur’an which they know by heart.
After the qiyam, they pronounce takbir and perform ruku. Ruku is the state of weakness in front of the greatness and glory of Allah by bowing down before Him (swt). They say “Subhana Rabbiya’l-Azim” (Allah the Almighty is free of all deficiencies) for at least three times during ruku.
As they rise up, they say “Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him), and express their gratitude by saying “Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd” (O Allah, our Lord, to You be praise). Then, they pronounce takbir and go down to sajdah (prostration). Sajdah is performed by placing the hands, forehead, nose and face, knees and feet on to the ground. For each sajdah in a rak’ah, they say “Subhana Rabbiya’l-a’la” (Allah the Almighty is free of all imperfections) for at least three times, and wait sitting for a little while between the two sajdahs.
Each part of prayer performed in this order is called a “rak’ah.” After completing all rak’ahs, one sits for a little while to recite some du’as. During this sitting which is called Qa’dah al-Akhira (Last Sitting), the person recites the du’as of “Tashahhud, Allahumma salli, Allahumma barik, and Rabbana.” Finally, they end the prayer by giving salam first to the right and then left by saying “assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah” (Allah’s peace and mercy be upon you). Salam symbolizes humans’ wish for peace and serenity for the angels on the right and left, for people and universe. It also symbolizes the return of the person to the world who leave worldly affairs for a while.
It is not suitable for Muslims to abandon or delay the prayer due to laziness, neglect, or apathy. Because the prayer is among the fundamental provisions of Islam and most clear indicators of servitude.
20 Baqarah, 2/43.