(From The Elementary
Teachings of Islam by His Exalted Eminence Maulana Mohammed Ahdul Aleem
Siddiqui)
CHAPTER II
Prayer
1.
Q. What is the second
Principle of Islam ?
A. The second Principle
of Islam, is to offer the obligatory prayers five times a day.
2.
Q. What do you understand
by Prayer?
A. Prayer is the
act of worshipping Allah according to the teaching of the Holy Prophet.
3.
Q. What are the essential
requisites for offering Prayer?
A. The essential
requisites tor offering Prayer are:
(1) The worshipper
must he a Muslim.
(2) The worshipper's clothes
and body must be free from all impurities.
(3) The place where the
Prayer is to be offered should be pure and clean.
(4) The part of the body
between the navel and the knees of a male worshipper must be fully covered,
and the whole body excepting the hands and face of a female worshipper.
(5) The worshipper must
face the Ka'ba in the Great Mosque at Mecca and the direc tion of Ka'ba
outside Mecca.
(6) The worshipper must
form the Niyyat (i.e., intention) in his or her mind of the particular
Prayer, Fard (obligatory) or Sunnat or Nafl (optional), he
or she is about to offer.
(7) The worshipper must
observe the times and rules prescribed for the respective Prayers.
(8) The worshipper must
have performed the Wudu (i.e., ablution).
(9) The worshipper must
have performed Ghusl (i.e., the washing of the whole body), if he
or she was in a state of grave impurity.
Note: In order to keep the body
clean from dirt and all minor impurities and to be ever ready for prayer,
a Muslim must wash the private parts of his or her body with water whenever
any impure matter issues from the body.
1.Wudu
(Ablution) 
1.
Q. What is Wudu?
A. Wudu is
the act of washing those parts of the body which are generally exposed.
2.
Q. How do you perform
the Wudu?
A. I perform the
Wudu
in
the following manner:
(1) I make myself
sure that the water with which I am going to perform Wudu is pure,
clean and fresh (not used before) and its colour, taste and smell are unchanged.
(2) I form and have the
full intention of performing the Wudu for offering prayer.
(3) I recite: "Bismillahir-Ralimanir-Rahim",
i.e., in the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
(4) I then wash my hands
upto the wrists three times, passing the fingers in between each other.
(5) I cleanse my mouuth
with brush or finger, and gargle with water three times.
(6) Then I rinse the nostrils
thrice with water.
(7) I wash the face from
the forehead to the chin bone and from ear to ear three times.
(8) I then wash the right
arm followed by the left up to the elbows three times.
(9) I then brush up the
whole head with wet hands, pass the wet tips of the index finger inside
and the wet tips of the thumb outside the ears, and pass over the other
surface of the hands over the nape and the sides of the neck.
(10) I tnen wash the feet
up to the ankles, the right foot first and then the left, taking care to
wash in between the toes, each three times.
3.
Q. What are the obligatory
acts in the performance of Wudu?
A. The obligatory
acts in the perfonmance of Wudu are four, viz.:
(1) Washing the
face.
(2) Washing both the arms
npto the elbows.
(3) Brushing over a quarter
of the head with wet hands.
(4) Washing both feet up
to the ankles.
Notes:
(1) If the water
to be used for Wudu be stagnant, one should make sure that the cistern
measures ten yards by ten yards by one foot and is full of water.
(2) If a person wears
impermeable foot-gear after the performance of the Wudu, it is not
necessary to remove it for a fresh Wudu. One may just pass over
it wet fingers as if one were tracing lines on it. Travellers can take
advantage of this concession for three days and three nights, others for
one day and one night.
2.
Ghusl
(Bath) 
1.
Q. When does ghusl
become obligatory ?
A. Ghusl becomes
obligatory after:
(1) Sexual intercourse.
(2) Discharge or effusion
of semen.
(3) Completion of menses
and confinement.
2.
Q. Can you name the obligatory
conditions that most be fulfilled for a valid performance of an obligatory
ghusl?
A. The obligatory
condition that must be fulfilled for a valid performance of an obligatory
ghusl
are:
(1) To rinse the
mounth thoroughly, so that all the parts are cleaned properly.
(2) To rinse the nose right
up to the nasal bone.
(3) To wash all the parts
of the body thoroughly, including the hair.
3.
Q. What is the best way
of performing an obligatory ghusl?
A. The best way of
performing an obligatory ghusl is:
(1) The person should
have the intention (niyyat) to cleanse the body from grave impurity
at the time of performing the bath.
(2) He or she should wash
the hands up to the wrists thrice.
(3) Then the private parts
must be washed thoroughly thrice.
(4) Filth must be removed,
if there be any, from any of the parts of the body.
(5) One should then perform
an ablution.
(6) One should lastly wash
thrice all the parts of the body, including the hair thoroughly.
3.Tayammum 
1.
Q. What should a person
do in place of wudu or ghusl if one is sick or access cannot
be had to water?
A. When a person
is sick or access cannot be had to water, one may perform what is called
tayammum
in
place of wudu or ghusl.
2.
Q. What are the essential
requisites for the performance of a tayammum ?
A. The essential
requisites for the performance of a tayammum are:
(1) To have the
intention in mind to perform the tayammum for the removal of impurities.
(2) To strike pure earth
lightly with the palms cf both the hands.
(3) To pass the palms of
the hands over the face once.
(4) To again strike lightly
pure earth with the palms of both the hands and rub alternately from the
tips of the fingers to the elbows, the forearms and the hands.
3a Miscellaneous
Notes
1.
Q. Do you know the acts
or circumstances which make wudu void?
A. Yes; the acts
or circumstances which make the wudu void are:
(1) Answering the
call of nature; discharge of semen or issue of worm or sandy stone [bowel
movement] or any impure matter from the front or the hind private parts.
(2) The passage of wind
from the hind private part.
(3) The act of vomiting
a mouthful of matter.
(4) Emission of blood, puss
or yellow matter from a wound, boil, pimple., etc., to such an extent that
it passes the limits of the mouth of the wound, etc.
(5) Loss of consciousness
through sleep, drowsiness, etc.
(6) Temporary insanity,
fainting fit, hysteria or intoxication.
(7) Audible laughter during
prayer.
2.
Q. Do the same occurrences
nullify tayammum also?
A. Yes; the same
occurrences nullify tayammum also, but in addition tayammum is
nullified as soon as the cause for performing it is removed, i.e., if the
sick person recovers, or, if recourse has been taken to it for lack of
water, and access to water becomes possible.
3.
Q. What acts are forbidden
without the performance of wudu or the tayammum as the case
may be?
A. The following
three acts are forbidden without the performance of wudu or tayammum
as
the case may be:
(1) Prayer.
(2) Walking round the Holy
Ka'ba in Mecca.
(3) Carrying or touching
the Holy Qur'an.
Note: Children who have
not attained the age of discretion, i.e., about seven years, can carry
the Holy Qur'an for the purpose of studying.
4.
Q. Does wudu convey
any inner meaning besides the cleanliness of the body?
A. Yes, the primary
object is cleanliness or purity, but spiritual cleanliness and purity,
i.e. freedom from sins which is the main object of religion. It is perferable,
therefore, to recite the following after the wudu:
Allahummaj'alni
minattawwabeena waj'aini minal mutatahahhireen.
O Allah! make me from among
those who repent for their sins and from among those who keep themselves
pure.
4.
Azan
1.
Q. What is azan?
A. Azan is
the first call to Prayer.
2.
Q. When and why is the
azan
uttered?
A. The azan
is uttered in a loud voice to announce to the faithful that it is time
for ther obligatory prayer and to invite them to offer the same.
3.
Q. How Is azan
recited?
A. Azan is
recited in a loud voice by the muezzin (the crier) facing the direction
of the Ka'ba in the following words which are said in the order mentioned:
(1) Allahu Akbar
"Allah is most Great" (four
times).
(2) Ash-hada al la illaha
ill-Allah. 
"I bear witness that there
is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah." (twice).
(3)Ash-hadu anna Mahammad-ar-rasoolallah
"I bear witness that Muhammad
is the Apostle of Allah" (twice).
(4) Hayya 'alas-Salah
"Come to Prayer" (turning
the face alone to the right and saying it twice).
(5) Hayya 'alal-falah 
"Come to Success" (turning
the face alone to the left and saying it twice).
(6) Allahu Akbar
"Allah Is Most Great" (twice).
(7) La ilaha ill-Allah
"There is no deity but Allah
(once).
Note: The following phrase
is added after Item (5) in the azan of the early morning prayer,
viz.,
(5a) "As-salatu khairum
minannaum" 
"Prayer is better than sleep"
(to be said twice).
4. (a)
Iqamat 
1.
Q. What is Iqamat
and
when is it uttered?
A. Iqamat is
the second call to prayer and is uttered immediately before the beginning
of the obligatory prayer (fard). It is similar to Azan but with
the addition of the sentence, "Qad qamatis-salah" 
i.e., "prayer has indeed
begun", to be uttered twice after item (5) above.
5. The
Obligatory and Essential Factors of Prayer
1.
Q. What are the obligatory
(fard) factors in prayer?
A. The obligatory
factors in a prayer are seven in number:
(1) To say takbir-i-tahrimah.
(2) Qiyam, i.e.,
standing erect and placing the right hand upon the left below the navel.
(3) To recite some verses
from the Holy Qur'an.
(4) Ruku, i.e., bowing
down in such a way as to grasp the knees with the hands keeping the back
in a straight line so as to form a right angle with the legs.
(5) Sajdah, i.e.,
prostrating in such a way that both the palms of the hands, the forehead,
the nasal bone, the knees and the toes of both feet touch the ground; there
must be sufficient space between the arms and the chest and the legs and
the belly so that they do not touch each other but remain separate.
(6) Qa'dah, i.e.,
sitting down in a reverential posture, keeping the right foot erect on
the toes and the left one in a reclining position under the rumps.
(7) To signify the completion
of prayer by word or action.
2.
Q. Can you name some
of the essentials (wajib) of prayer?
A. The observance
of the following points are very essential in any prayer.
(1) To say takbir-i-tahrima,
viz., "Allahu Akbar."
(2) To recite the opening
chapter of the Holy Qur'an (the Fatiha).
(3) To recite any of the
other chapters or at least three consecutive verses of the Holy Qur'an.
(4) The recitation of the
opening chapter must precede the recitation of any other chapter or three
consecutive verses of the Holy Qur'an.
(5) To avoid a pause between
the recitation of the opening chapter and any other chapter or three consecutive
verses of the Holy Qiir'an.
(6) To assume all the postures
correctly, i.e., undignified haste must not be practised in changing the
postures and reasonable pauses must be observed at each stage.
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