Salah According to Sunnah Al Nabi S.A

The Right Method of Performing Salah (Prayer) According to Quran and Sunnah

The Right Method of Performing Salah (Prayer) According to Quran and Sunnah

Question:

There are several methods of performing salah as per 4 imam's,all of them acceptable or is there only one common method of offering salah?

Answer:

There is only one common method of offering salaah (For Men and Women)

Every Muslim should strive to make his prayer like the prayer of the Prophet (PBUH)

Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) Said

"Pray as you have seen me praying." [Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.1 Hadith No.604].

The Method of Performing Salah

1 – QIBLAH (Direction)

''......Turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Haram......''

(Surah Baqarah 2:144)

Wherever a person is in the world, he should face towards the Kabah when he is going to pray. The Kabah is in the sacred mosque of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. Facing towards Qiblah (Kabah) is a very important condition of performance of Salat. However, if the person is in a place such as a desert, jungle, unknown strange city or a place where he does not know the direction of the Qiblah, he should try his best to find out the direction of Qiblah from others. However, if it is not possible then he should use his judgment and face in a direction which he thinks is that of Qiblah and Allah will accept his Salat.

It is important to start the Salat facing the direction of Qiblah and it does not matter if his direction changes while he is praying e.g. in a ship, a train or an airplane, etc.

Note: Nowadays, a compass is available which gives the direction of Qiblah. In strange places and airplanes, it is a useful instrument to possess.

2 – INTENTION IS VERY IMPORTANT

After facing the Qiblah, the person should make Niyah (intention),

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: Allah's Apostle (SallallähuAlaihi W asallam) said, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.

SAHIH BUKHARI (Volume 1 Book #1, Hadith #1)

SAHIH BUKHARI (Volume 1 Book #2, Hadith #51)

SAHIH BUKHARI (Volume 3 Book #46, Hadith #706)

SAHIH BUKHARI (Volume 5 Book #58, Hadith #238)

The intention is made within his mind, so the person should think about the particular obligatory, optional or Nafl prayer he intends to perform. He should not utter the words of Niyah aloud, as this is not authentic or approved by the Prophet (pbuh).

Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma'aad (1/201):

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up to pray, he would say: "Allaahuakbar," and he did not say anything before that, or utter the intention (niyyah) out loud at all. He did not say, "I am going to pray such-and-such a prayer, facing the qiblah, four rak'ahs, as an imam or following an imam." And he did not say "ada'an (on time)" or "qadaa'an (making up a missed prayer)" or "fard al-waqt (the obligatory prayer of this time)." These are all bid'ahs which were not narrated by any scholar with any isnaad, be it saheeh, da'eef, musnad or mursal ... Neither was this narrated from any of the Prophet's companions, and none of the Taabi'een or the four imams described it as mustahabb.