The Prayer: Its prerequisites and essentials – II

The essentials of prayer
The essentials of prayer are:
)1( Saying the opening takbeer:It is done when one commences with
prayer by saying "Allaahu Akbar" )Allaah is the greatest( while
raising the hands to shoulder level with the palms facing forward. The
Prophetsaid:"The key to prayer is purification, its beginning is
takbeer, and its end is tasleem."]Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi[
)2( Standing )Qiyaam( after the first takbeer:One must stand during
the prayer, if one is able. Allaah Commands )what means(:"Maintain
with care the]obligatory[ prayers and ]in particular[ the middle
prayer and stand before Allaah, devoutly obedient."]Quran 2: 238[,
and the Prophetsaid:"When you stand for prayer face the Qiblah, make
takbeer, utter glorification and praise Allaah )Du'aa' of Istiftaah(,
recite the Mother of the Book )Al-Faatihah(."]Al-Bukhaari[ And Allaah
Says)what means(:"So when you recite the Quran, ]first[ seek refuge in
Allaah from Satan, the expelled ]from His mercy[."]Quran 16: 98[
If one can not stand, he may perform prayer sitting, lying on one's
side or whatever position he is capable of taking. The Prophetsaid to
'Umraan Ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with him:"Pray standing; if
you are not able to, pray sitting; if you are not able to, pray )while
lying( on your side."]Al-Bukhaari[ As for the voluntary prayer, one
can do it sitting even if he can stand, but one who stands receives a
greater reward than one who sits. 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Umarnarrated that
the Prophetsaid:"The prayer of one who sits is half of the prayer)of
one who performs it standing(."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
)3( Reciting Al-Faatihah in every Rak'ah )unit( of the prayer.While
standing one must properly recite the chapter of Al-Faatihah. The
Prophetstated:"If anyone makes prayer and does not recite the chapter
of Al-Faatihah, then his prayer is deficient and not
complete..."]Muslim and Abu Daawood[
)4( Bowing:Allaah Says )what means(:"O you who have believed, bow and
prostrate..."]Quran 22: 77[The manner of bowing is accomplished by
bending over, putting one's hands on one's knees, and remaining in
that position until one attains calmness.
)5( Resuming the initial standing position:In a famous narration, the
Companion Abu Humayddescribed what the Prophetdid after bowing,
saying:"Hewould raise his head from his bowing, and then stand
straight until all of his backbones returned to their
places."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
)6( Prostration:The Prophetexplained the proper prostration by
saying,"Then prostrate until you attain calmness in your prostration,
then rise )and sit( until you attain calmness in your sitting, and
then prostrate until you gain calmness in your
prostration..."]Al-Bukhaari[
)7-8( Rising in a sitting position and sitting between prostrations:
Rising in a sitting position and taking a short rest in a sitting
posture between the two prostrations are obligatory acts in prayer.
)9-10( The final sitting and recital of the testimonial
)tashahhud(:Ibn 'Abbaassaid: "The Messenger of Allaahused to teach us
the Tashahhud like he taught us the Quran. Hewould say:"Attahiyyatu
lillaahi was-salawaatu wat-tayyibaatu. Assalaamu alayka
ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. Assalaamu alaynaa wa
alaa ibaadillaahis-saaliheen. Ashhadu al-laa ilaaha illallaaah wa
ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhoo wa rasooluh"
)Salutations, blessings, prayers and good deeds are for Allaah. Peace
be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings.
Peace be upon us and the sincere slaves of Allaah. I bearwitness that
there is no god except Allaah. I bear witness thatMuhammad is His
slave and messenger(."]Muslim and Abu Daawood[
)11( Termination )tasleem(:This is when one concludes the prayerby
looking to the right and left, saying"Assalamu alaykum wa
rahmatullaah")peace and Allaah's mercy be upon you(. 'Amr Ibn
Sa'drelated that hisfathersaid: "I saw the Prophetsaying the salaam
onhis right side and on his left side until I could see the whiteness
of his cheeks."]Muslim and Ahmad[
The majority of scholars, excepting the Hanbalis, consider uttering
salaam once as sufficient.
)12( Calmness )toma'neenah(:All acts and positions of prayer should be
executed with calmness. Calmness is achieved by sitting in the
position until thebones are set and still.
The Companion Abu Humaydsaid:"I am well-informed about the prayer of
the Messenger of Allaahand I saw him stand for prayer raising both
hands to the shoulders and uttered takbeer until every bone rested
inits place properly with calmness; recited the chapter of
Al-Faatihahand uttered takbeer raising both hands to the shoulders;
then he bowed placing his palms on his knees keeping his back
straight/parallel to the floor withcalmness; then stood up straight
with calmness saying "Sami'allaahu liman hamidah, rabbanaa wa
lakal-hamd" while raising both hands to the shoulders; then while
saying takbeer, he prostrated; then he sat up onto his left foot with
the right foot propped up while saying takbeer; then prostrated again
while saying takbeer; then momentarily sat up again )the sitting of
rest( before standing for the second unit )Rak'ah( to repeat all of
the above except theopening takbeer and Duaa' of Istiftaah. In the
second Rak'ah )atthe point of the sitting rest(, he sat more than
momentarily to recite tashhahhud and prayer on the Prophet )(. In the
last rak'ah, he pushed his left foot forward and sat on his left hip
and recited two additional supplications before
concluding."]Al-Bukhaari and Abu Daawood[
)13( Sequence:Proper sequence ismandatory between the differentacts of
prayer. Hence the openingtakbeermust come before reciting, the
reciting must precede bowing, and bowing must happen before the
prostration, and so on.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the fulfillment of allthe necessary conditions for the
prayer enhances its chances of receiving the recognition and reward of
Allaah. However, the satisfaction of the essentials and prerequisites
of the prayer is not the only guarantee for success in this great act
of worship. There are also other things a Muslim should learn such as
the invalidators of prayer, its Sunnah acts, its recommended acts,
etc.