Lecture 8March 16, 2014

Fundamentals of Purity and Prayer

Introduction to Salah

Introduction to Salah• Salah was the first act of worship to be made obligatory• The 5 daily prayers were made obligatory during the Isra and

Mi’raj• “The first thing which will be judged among a man’s deeds on

the Day of Resurrection is the Salah. If this is in good order then he will succeed and prosper, but if it is defective then he will fail and will be a loser.” [Tirmidhi]

Who Is Required to Pray• Conditions for salah to be fard for an individual:• Islam• Sanity• Maturity

• Should be commanded to pray at age 7• Disciplined if neglectful after age 10

Fard Salah• There are 5 fard salah• Fajr (2 rakats)• Dhuhr (4 rakats)• Asr (4 rakats)• Maghrib (3 rakats)• Isha (4 rakats)

Prayer Times

Prayer Times• “Verily the salah is an obligation upon the believers at fixed

times.” (Qur’an 4:103)

Fajr• Time for Fajr is from the entrance of true dawn until right

before the sun begins to rise on the horizon• “True dawn” – horizontal white light spreads across the horizon

• Recommended for men to pray Fajr when light begins to appear• Leaving enough time where one could perform ghusl and repeat

prayer if necessary• For men – congregational prayer takes precedence• Recommended for women to prayer earlier when it is dark

Dhuhr• Time for Dhuhr is from immediately after zawal (midday) until

the time when the shadow of an object is twice its length• Zawal – when the sun is directly overhead • Opinion of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad

• Recommended to pray Dhuhr in its early time• Except during extreme heat

Asr• Time for Asr is from the end of Dhuhr until the sun has set

below the horizon

• Recommended to delay Asr as long as the sun has not lost its brightness• To delay beyond this is makruh tahrim

Maghrib• Time for Maghrib is from once the sun has set below the

horizon until the disappearance of the evening twilight• Abu Yusuf and Muhammad – “evening twilight” refers to the

redness on the horizon• Abu Hanifah – “evening twilight” refers to the whiteness that

occurs after the redness

• Recommended to hasten Maghrib• Becomes makruh tahrim once the stars come out

Isha• Time for Isha is from the end of Maghrib until the beginning of Fajr• Witr cannot be prayer before Isha

• Recommended to pray Isha just before 1/3 of the night has passed• “Night” – from beginning of Maghrib until beginning of Fajr• Makruh tahrim to delay Isha past ½ the night

• All prayer times may be adjusted out of recommended times in order to increase congregation in the masjid

Prohibited Prayer Times• Not permitted to pray or prostate:• While the sun is rising until it has risen the length of a spear

• Approx. 15-20 minutes after sunrise• While the sun is directly overhead (zawal)

• Approx. 5-7 minutes before Dhuhr• When the sun loses its brightness until it fully sets

• Approx. 15-20 minutes before sunset• Exception is the Asr prayer of that day• Still obligatory, despite being sinful

Disliked Prayer Times• Makruh to pray any nafl prayer• Before or after the fard of Fajr, except the 2 sunnah of Fajr• After the Asr prayer• Once the khateeb comes out for Jumu’ah khutbah until the end

of the Jumu’ah prayer• At the time of iqamah

• Except for sunnah of Fajr• Before Eid prayers, even if at home• After Eid prayers at the place of prayer

Combining Prayers• Not valid to combine any two or more obligatory prayers in

one prayer time• Except during Hajj:

• Dhuhr and Asr at Arafat• Maghrib and Isha at Muzdalifa

Missed Prayers• Necessary to make up any missed fard or wajib prayers• Sunnah prayers cannot be made up after prayer time has

passed• Except for sunnah of Fajr

• Until before Dhuhr of same day

• Maintaining order of missed prayers is wajib if 5 or less• Intention is necessary• Can make up missed prayers during makruh times

Questions?