Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 1: Prerequisites of the Prayer

Volume 1, Page 109a: Knowledge that the time for prayer has begun

If one is certain or fairly certain that the time has begun, he maypray. How he reached his decision is not important.

Volume 1, Page 109b: Purity From Major and MinorImpurities

Says Allah in the Qur’an, “O you who believe, when you rise for theprayer, wash your faces, your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rubyour hands and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are unclean,purify yourselves.” Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet said, “Allahdoes not accept any prayer that was not performed while in a state ofpurity, nor does he accept charity from what has been stolen frombooty.” (Related by “the group.”)

Volume 1, Page 109c: Purity of the Body, Clothes andPlace

Such objects should be clean of physical impurities as much aspossible. If one can not remove them, he may pray with the impuritiespresent and does not have to repeat the prayer later. Concerning bodilypurity, Anas related that the Prophet upon whom be peace, said, “Stayclean of urine, as the majority of punishment in the grave is due toit.” This is related by ad-Daraqutni, who said it is hassan.

Reported ‘Ali, I used to have a great deal of prostatic fluid flowing,so I asked a man to ask the Prophet about it (as I was shy to ask him,due to my relationship with him through his daughter). He asked him andthe Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Make ablution and wash yourpenis.” (Related by al-Bukhari and others.)

‘Aishah also related that the Messenger of Allah said to women with aprolonged flow of blood, “Wash the blood from yourself and pray . ”

Concerning purity of clothing, we have the following: Says Allah, “Andpurify your raiment” (al-Muddathir 4). Jabir ibn Sumrah reported thathe heard a man ask the Prophet, “May I pray in the same clothes that Ihad on during intercourse with my wife?” He said, “Yes, but if you seesome stains on it, you must wash it.” This hadith is related by Ahmadand Ibn Majah. Its narrators are trustworthy. Reported Mu’awiyyah, “Iasked Umm Habibah, ‘Did the Prophet pray in the same clothes that hewore when he had intercourse?’ She said, ‘Yes, if there were no stainson it.”‘(Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah.) AbuSa’eed reported that the Prophet removed his shoes and the peoplebehind him did likewise. When he finished the prayer, he asked, “Whydid you remove your shoes?” They said, “We saw you remove yours.” Hesaid, “Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was some filth onthem. Therefore, when one of you comes to the mosque, he should turnhis shoes over and examine them. If one finds any dirt on them, heshould rub them against the ground and pray with them on.” The hadithis related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Hakim, Ibn Hibban and Ibn Khuzaimah.The latter grades it as sahih.

This hadith shows that if one enters the mosque (with his shoes on) andis unaware of some impurity or has forgotten it, and he suddenlyremembers it during the prayer, he must try to remove it and proceedwith the prayer. He does not have to repeat it later on.

Concerning the purity of the place where one is praying, Abu Hurairahsaid, “A bedouin stood and urinated in the mosque. The people got up tograb him. The Prophet said, ‘Leave him and pour a container full ofwater over his urine. You have been raised to be easy on the people,not to be hard on them.” (Related by “the group,” except for Muslim.)

Commenting on this subject, ash-Shaukani says, “If what has beenproduced of proof is firmly established, then one would know that it isobligatory to have one’s clothes free of impurities. Whoever prays andhas impurities on his clothing has left one of the obligations of theprayer. But his prayer would not be voided.” In ar-Rauzhat an-Nabiyyahit states, “The majority of scholars are of the opinion that it isobligatory to purify three things: the body, the clothes, and the placeof prayer. Some are of the opinion that this is a condition for thesoundness of the prayer, and others say that it is just a sunnah. Thetruth of the matter is that it is obligatory. Whoever intentionallyprays with impurities on his clothing has left one of the obligations(of the prayer), but the prayer is still valid.”

Volume 1, Page 111: Covering the ‘Aurah

Says Allah in the Qur’an, “O Children of Adam, take your adornment(by wearing proper clothing) for every mosque” ( al-A’raf 31). Themeaning of “adornment” here is the covering of the ‘aurah. The meaningof “mosque” is “prayer.” Therefore, it means “Cover your ‘aurah forevery prayer.” Salamah ibn al-Aku’ said to the Prophet, “O Messenger ofAllah, may I pray in a long shirt?” He said, “Yes, but button it, evenwith just a thorn.” (Related by al-Bukhari in his Tareekh.)

Volume 1, Page 111a: A man must cover the front andback of his pubic region

There is disagreement about the navel, thighs and knees. The reportsseem to contradict each other. The following hadith are used to provethat such parts are not part of the man’s ‘aurah:

Volume 1, Page 111b: Exposing a man’s thigh

Says ‘Aishah, “The Prophet was sitting with his thigh exposed whenAbu Bakr asked, and received, permission to enter. The same thinghappened with ‘Umar. However, when ‘Uthman sought permission to enter,the Prophet covered himself with his clothes. When they left, I said,’O Messenger of Allah, you permitted Abu Bakr and ‘Umar to enter whileyour thigh was exposed. When ‘Uthman asked permission to enter, youcovered yourself with your clothes.’ He said, ‘O ‘Aishah, should I notbe shy of a man who, by Allah, even the angels are shy of’?” (Relatedby Ahmad and al-Bukhari in mu’allaq form.)

Says Anas, “During the battle of Khaibar, the Prophet’s gown waswithdrawn from his thigh until I could see its whiteness.” (Related byAhmad and al-Bukhari.)

Says Ibn Hazm, “It is correct to say that the thigh is not part of the’aurah. If it were so, why would Allah allow His Prophet, who isprotected (from sin), to uncover his so that Anas and others could seeit? Allah would have kept him from doing this. According to Jabir asrecorded in the two Sahihs, when the Prophet was young (before hisprophethood), he was one time carrying the stones of the Ka’bah,wearing only a loincloth. His uncle al-‘Abbas said to him, ‘O nephew,why don’t you untie your waistcloth and put it on your shoulder forpadding?’ The Prophet did so and fell unconscious. He was never seennaked again after that.”‘

Muslim records from Abu al-‘Aliya that ‘Abdullah ibn as-Samit struckhis thigh and said, “I asked Abu Zharr, and he struck my thigh as Istruck yours, and he said, ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah, upon whombe peace, and he struck my thigh as I have struck yours and said,’Perform the prayer in its time…” Ibn Hazm said, “If the thigh was’aurah, why would the Messenger of Allah touch it?” If the thigh was’aurah according to Abu Zharr, why would he have struck it with hishand? The same can be asked for ‘Abdullah ibn as-Samit and Abual-‘Aliya. It is not allowed for a Muslim to strike with his handanother man’s pubic area, or the clothes over the pubic area. Nor can aman touch the clothing over a woman’s ‘a urah .

Ibn Hazm mentions that Hubair ibn al-Huwairith looked at Abu Bakr’sthigh when it was uncovered, and that Anas ibn Malik came to Qas ibnShamas when his thigh was uncovered.

However, the following hadith are used to show that the thighs and soon are part of the ‘aurah:

Reported Muhammad Jahsh, “The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace,passed by Ma’mar while his thighs were uncovered. He said, to him, ‘OMa’mar, cover your thighs, for they are (part of the) ‘aurah.” This isrelated by Ahmad, al-Hakim and al-Bukhari in Tareekh and in mu’allaqform in his Sahih.

Reported Jurhad, “The Messenger of Allah passed by me when the cloak Iwas wearing did not cover my thigh. He said, ‘Cover your thigh, for it(is part of the) ‘aurah.” This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud andat-Tirmizhi, who called it hassan, and by al-Bukhari in mu’allaq formin the Sahih.

Volume 1, Page 113: Woman’s aurah & hijab

There is no such dispute over what constitutes a woman’s ‘aurah. Itis stated that her entire body is ‘aurah and must be covered, excepther hands and face. Says Allah in the Qur’an, “And to display of theiradornment only that which is apparent (do not expose any adornment orbeauty save the hands and face).” It has been authentically relatedfrom Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar and ‘Aishah that the Prophet said, “Allahdoes not accept the prayer of an adult woman unless she is wearing aheadcovering (khimar, hijab).” This is related by “the five,” exceptfor an-Nasa’i, and by Ibn Khuzaimah and al-Hakim. At-Tirmizhi grades itas hassan.

It is related from Umm Salamah that she asked the Prophet, “Can a womanpray in a long shirt (like a night shirt) and headcovering without aloincloth?” He said, “If the shirt is long and flowing and covers thetop of her feet.” This is related by Abu Dawud. The scholars say it issahih in mauqoof form (as a statement of Umm Salamah and not that ofthe Prophet.)

It is also related that ‘Aishah was asked, “In how many garments is awoman to pray?” She answered, “Ask ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib and then returnto me and tell me what he said.” ‘Ali’s answer was, “In a headcover anda long flowing shirt.” This was told to ‘Aishah and she said, “He hastold the truth.”

The clothes worn must cover the ‘aurah, even if they are tight enoughto highlight those features. If the clothes are so thin that one’s skincolor can be seen, they are not suitable for prayer.

Volume 1, Page 113a: Preferred to wear two garments insalat

It is preferred for a person to wear at leat two garments, but hecan wear just one if that is all he has. Ibn ‘Umar reported that theProphet, upon whom be peace, said, “If one of you is going to pray, heshould wear two garments, for Allah has the most right that you shouldlook good for Him. If one does not have two garments, he shoud coverhimself with a cloak when he prays, but not like the Jews do.” (Relatedby at-Tabarani and al-Baihaqi.)

‘Abdurazaq related that Ubayy ibn Ka’b and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud had anargument. Ubayy thought it was permissible to pray in one garment,while Ibn Mas’ud said that that was allowed only if one had no otherclothes. ‘Umar mounted the pulpit and said, “The correct position is:If Allah gives you more provisions, you should wear more clothes. A mancan gather his clothes about him, or pray in a waist cloth and a cloak,or in a waist cloth and a shirt, or in a waist cloth and a caftan, orin trousers and a cloak, or in trousers and a shirt, or in trousers anda caftan, or in leather trousers and a caftan, or in leather trousersand a shirt.’ And I (a narrator) think he said, ‘Leather trousers and acloak.”

Buraida reported that the Prophet forbade one to pray using animproperly-affixed sheet to cover his ‘aurah, and to pray in trouserswhile not wearing a cloak. (Related by Abu Dawud and al-Baihaqi.) It isrelated that when al-Hassan ibn ‘Ali prayed, he would wear his bestclothes. He was asked about that and he said, “Verily, Allah isbeautiful and He loves beauty, so I beautify myself for my Lord.” Sucha view is in accord with Allah’s words, “And wear your adornment forevery prayer.”

Volume 1, Page 114: Uncovering the Head During thePrayer

Ibn ‘Asakir related that the Prophet would sometimes remove his capand place it in front of him as a sutrah. According to the Hanifiyyah,one can pray with his head uncovered. In fact, they prefer this if itis done out of a sense of humility and awe.’ø There is noevidence whatsoever that it is preferred to cover one’s head whilepraying.

Volume 1, Page 114a: Facing the Qiblah

All scholars agree that one must face the Masjid al-Haram (inMakkah) during every prayer. Says Allah in the Qur’an, “Direct yourface to the Masjid al-Haram. Wherever you may be, turn your faces toit” ( al-Baqarah 144).

Reported al-Barra’, “We prayed with the Messenger of Allah, upon whombe peace, for about sixteen or seventeen months towards Jerusalem,after which time he turned towards the Ka ‘bah.” (Related by Muslim.)

Volume 1, Page 114b: If one can see the Ka’bah, hemust face that particular direction

If he can not see it, he must turn in its direction, as this is allthat he is able to do. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said,”The qiblah is between the East and the West.” This is related by IbnMajah and at-Tirmizhi. The latter considers it hassan sahih. Thishadith refers to the people of Madinah and whoever has a positionsimilar to them (i.e., the people of Syria, the Arabian Peninsula andIraq. For the people of Egypt, the qiblah is between the East and theSouth.)

Volume 1, Page 115: If one can not determine thedirection of the qiblah

He should ask one who knows. If he finds no one to ask, he shouldtry his best to determine it. In such a case, his prayer will be valid,and he need not repeat it even though he discovers later on that he hadfaced in the wrong direction. If it is made clear to him while he ispraying that he is facing the wrong direction, he need only turn in theproper direction without stopping his prayer. This is based on thefollowing incident: Ibn ‘Umar reported that the people were praying themorning prayer in the Quba’ mosque when a person came to them and said,”Allah has revealed some of the Qur’an to the Prophet in which we havebeen ordered to face the Ka’bah, so face it.” They immedately turnedtheir faces from Syria to the Ka’bah.” (Related by al-Bukhari andMuslim.)

If one prays according to what he determined and then wants to makeanother prayer, he should again try to determine the qiblah’sdirection. If it turns out to be different from what he had determinedearlier, he should pray in the new direction without repeating hisearlier prayer.

Volume 1, Page 115a: Two cases in which one doesn’thave to face the Ka’bah

The first one is performing voluntary prayers while riding (ananimal, car and so on). The rider may bend his head slightly for thebowings and prostrations of the prayer, but he should bend a little bitlower for the prostrations. He may face in whatever direction his rideis going.

Reported ‘Amr ibn Rabi’ah, “I saw the Messenger of Allah, upon whom bepeace, pray while riding, and he faced the direction in which he wasgoing.” This hadith is related by Muslim, at-Tirmizhi and al-Bukhari.The latter added that “he bent his head slighty.”

He did not, however, do this for the obligatory prayers. Ahmad, Muslimand at-Tirmizhi recorded that he would pray on his mount whiletravelling from Makkah to Madinah, facing away from Makkah. Upon this,Allah revealed, “Wherever you turn, you will find Allah’s face.” SaysIbrahim an-Nakha’i, “They would pray on their mounts and animals in thedirection in which they were facing.” Ibn Hazm comments, “This has beenrelated from the companions and those of the following generation,during travel and residence. ”

The second case is praying while having to deal with forced conditions,illness and fear. Under such circumstances, it is allowed to praywithout facing the qiblah. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “If Iorder you to do something, do what you are capable of doing.” SaysAllah, “If you go in fear, then (pray) standing or on your mounts…”(al-Baqarah 239). Ibn ‘Umar added, “Facing the qiblah or not facingit.” (Related by al-Bukhari.)

Volume 1, Page 116: The state of prayer, salah

There are many prophetic hadith on this topic. Here, we will mentionjust two of them, one describing his actions and other quoting hisstatements.

‘Abdullah ibn Ghanam related that Abu Musa al-Ash’ari gathered togetherhis people saying, ” O Tribe of Ash’ari, gather together, and gatheryour women and children to teach them how the Messenger of Allah, uponwhom be peace, prayed with us in Madinah.” They all gathered to watchhim perform ablution. After it, he waited until the sun had just passedthe meridian and there was some shade, and then he made the azhan. Heput the men in the row closest to him, the children in a row behind themen, and the women in a row behind the children. After the iqamah, heraised his hands and made the takbir, silently recited Surah al-Fatihahand another surah, repeated the takbir and bowed while saying, “Glorybe to Allah and Praise be to Him” three times, after which he said,”Allah hears him who praises Him” and stood straight. He then made thetakbir and prostrated, made another takbir, raised his head (and sat),repeated the takbir and prostrated again, after which he said the finaltakbir and stood up. In the first rak’ah he made six takbir, and hemade another one when he stood for the second rak’ah. When he finishedthe prayer, he turned to his people and said, “Guard the number of mytakbir and learn my bowings and prostrations, for this is how theProphet prayed with us during this part of the day.” (Then he said)when the Prophet, upon whom be peace, finished the prayer, he turnedtoward the people and said, “O people, listen and understand. Allah hasslaves who are neither prophets nor martyrs, but both the prophets andmartyrs envy them for their closeness to Allah.” A bedouin steppedforward, pointed to the Messenger of Allah and said, “O Messenger ofAllah, tell us about these people.” The Prophet was pleased with thebedouin’s request and said, “They are from various peoples and tribeswho have no ties of relationship between them. They love each otherpurely for the sake of Allah. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah willpresent them pulpits of light for them to sit on. Their faces will belight and their clothes will be light. The people will be scared on theDay of Resurrection, but they will not be scared. They are the friendsof Allah who will not have any fear upon them nor will they grieve.

As to the authenticity of this report, it is related by Ahmad and AbuYa’la with a hassan chain. Al-Hakim says its chain is sahih.

Reported Abu Hurairah, “A man entered the mosque and, after praying,went to the Prophet, upon whom be peace. The Prophet, upon whom bepeace, responded to his salutations and said, ‘Return and pray, for youhave not prayed.’ This happened three times, and the man finally said,’By the One who sent you with the Truth, I do not know any better thanthat, so teach me.’ He said, ‘When you stand for the prayer, make thetakbir and then recite what you can from the Qur’an. Then bow until youattain calmness and then come up again until you are standing straight.Then prostrate until you attain calmness in your sitting, and prostateuntil you attain calmness in your prostration. Do that during all ofyour prayer.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim and al-Bukhari.)

These are general hadith that describe how the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, prayed or what he said about its performance. Now we shalldiscuss those acts of the prayer which are obligatory and those whichare sunnah.