Mustafa Umar - How to Pray: A Step-by-Step Guide to Prayer in Islam

How to Pray

A Step-by-Step Guide to Prayer in Islam

MUSTAFA UMAR

HOW TO PRAY

Copyright 2011 by Mustafa Umar

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.

First Edition

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-1463578909

ISBN-10: 1463578903

www.welcometoislam.co

In the Name of God
The Most Kind and Merciful

Contents

Introduction

There has been an urgent need for a simple and concise guide which teaches the basics of prayer for Muslims. This book has been designed for people who dont know how to pray yet or those who arent sure whether they learned correctly.

Since you have chosen Islam as your way of life, you probably are eager to start learning as much as you can. Islam is not only theory but practice as well. There can be no true belief without action. Prayer is the first and most important step in the path of Islam. A Muslim must pray to God five times a day. Its the Islamic spiritual diet. Just like we eat several times throughout the day to keep our body healthy, we must connect with our Lord throughout the day to keep our soul healthy. Prayer cleans our sins, as if we are taking a bath five times a day to clean our body. But in Islam, the soul is more important than the body. The prayer removes any arrogance from our ego and puts us in our true place as servants of God. Each prayer usually takes only about 5 to 10 minutes, so its not really difficult, although it can take some getting used to.

Prayer should be taken very seriously because it is the first thing a Muslim will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment. After belief in the unity of God, nothing is more important than prayer. All the prophets, throughout history, performed some form of prayer. It was the foundation from which they drew their strength to call others to the way of God. The prayer, if learned and practiced correctly, can be an infinite source of strength and relief for you as well in your life.

In this book you will learn the prayers by reading and observing the diagrams with clear and simple descriptions of what to do. Please note that there are slight variations in the way different Muslims pray: both in words and actions of the prayer. This is due to different ways of interpreting the primary texts of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. If you notice these differences or if someone points them out to you dont pay much attention to them for now. In time, you will learn to appreciate these differences of opinion as you increase in knowledge.

Remember, prayer takes some time to learn, so take it slow and steady.

Chapter 1: Before You Pray

There are some prerequisites that must be done before prayer, so you will learn them before learning how to pray.

Wud

Before praying, you must wash certain parts of your body so you are in a state of purity before you stand in front of God. This is called wud, or ablution. This is how its done:

Hands

Go to a sink, turn on the water, and wash both of your hands up to your wrists.

Mouth

Then, cup your right hand and fill it with water. Take that water into your mouth, swirl it around, and then spit it out. Do this three times.

Nose

Then, cup your right hand again, fill it with water, and sniff it into your nose. Be careful not to hurt yourself by sniffing too quickly. Clean the inside of your nose and blow the water out. Do this three times.

Face

Now cup both of your hands and fill them with water. Close your eyes, bring the water to your face, and wash your entire face. Do this three times.

Arms

Now wash your right arm from your fingertips all the way up to the elbow. Do this three times. Now do the same for your left arm three times.

Head

Now, wet both your hands and wipe over your head.

Ears

With the water left on your hands, insert your index fingers into your ears and clean the inside with the index fingers and the back of your ears with the thumbs.

Feet

Lastly, remove your shoes and socks, and put your foot in the sink. Wash your right foot up to the ankle three times. Then wash your left foot three times. You have now completed your wud and are ready to pray.

It is not necessary to perform wud for every prayer. If anything comes out of your private parts [like urine, excrement, or gas] or if you go to sleep, you must renew your wu again.

If you have intercourse, or even a wet dream, you must shower and wash your entire body in order to get into a state of purity for prayer.

Menstruating women should not perform the five daily prayers during their period. The same applies to women during their post-natal bleeding period after giving birth. This is a mercy from God because of their condition and they dont even need to make up the prayers later. However, they should remember God in their heart throughout the day and continue to learn more about Islam.

Cleanliness

Before praying, you must make sure that your clothes, your body, and the place where you will pray are clean. If there is some dirt on the floor or sweat on your clothes, it is ok, as long as there are no impurities. The following things are impure in Islam and you should make sure to clean them off before starting your prayer: blood, vomit, urine, and feces. You only need to wash this impurity off with water if you dont have soap available.

Dress Code

Before praying, you must make sure that you are dressed properly, just like you dress properly before meeting a dignitary or person of authority. The dress code for prayer is the same as the Islamic dress code when in public. Even if you are praying where no one else can see you, you still cover out of respect for God. Since men and women are created physically different, their dress code differs.

Men are required to cover from their navel to their knees, at minimum. They should not pray in their underwear or in extremely revealing shorts. Women are required to cover their entire body with the exception of their face, hands, and feet. To do this, a woman will usually wear any type of loose fitting clothing like a long skirt and a top and then cover her hair and neck with a headscarf. These clothes should not be tight and revealing.