Check below answers in case you are looking for other related questions:

Prayer details for new muslims

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

being a new muslim, i would like to know the cycle of prayer, what does one rakah consist of... 

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Prayer details for new muslims

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Beloved brother in Islam, of all the innumerable blessings and mercies the Merciful Lord bestows upon His slaves, the guidance to Al-Islam is the absolute single biggest mercy of the All-Merciful Lord of the Worlds. May Allah Subhanah bless your reversion to Al-Islam, help you, guide you, and give you the wisdom and the courage to understand and abide by His Guidance and His Teachings. Ameen.

 

All the brothers and sisters on the forum welcome you wholeheartedly in this beautiful deen of Al-Islam, and call Allah Subhanah to witness that you are our brother in faith. All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone for guiding the believers to the deen of Truth: Al-Islam. We humbly beseech and implore the Merciful Lord to take not our lives, except that we are at the best state and peak of our faith. Ameen.

 

We are forwarding you two attachments:

How to perform the ‘wudu’ or ablution (physical cleaning before prayer)

What to pray whilst in prayer.

 

Beloved brother, we will try our best to give you a brief on what exactly constitutes the cycle of prayer, and what a rakah consists of; and seek your forgiveness and understanding for our short-comings in our writings. Because the act of prayer requires particular physical movements, etc. it is best learnt in practical formation with a believer who will guide you in person. We request you to learn the basics of prayer from any believing brother, or the local imam at the mosque, who should be more than honored to teach you how and what to pray. And any believer, whether he is born of believing parents and has never learnt how to pray, or a new muslim who wants to learn the ritual of prayer….he should never hesitate or feel embarrassed to ask any believer to teach him how to pray. No matter whom you ask to teach you, if the person is a believer, he will take it upon himself as a duty and an honor to teach you the act of prayer.

 

Once you have done the ‘wudu’ or ablution, the cycle of prayer consists of the following acts:

Stand facing the direction of Makkah (Qibla), and make an intention in your heart to offer the appropriate prayer.

Raise both your palms above your shoulders, making sure the palm is facing towards your ears, and

declare the ‘takbeer’ by saying ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ (Allah is Great) once, signaling the beginning of the prayer.

Focus your sight at the place of prostration, place your right palm over the back of your left palm, and place them on or near the navel.

Recite the first Surah of the Quran (Surah Fateha) and any other Surah or Aayahs of the Quran after it.

After completing the recitation, you may raise both your palms above your shoulder or place them near your ears, and declare ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ (Allah is Great) once, and move towards the ‘ruku’ position.

Bend forward until you place your hands on your knees, and straighten your back until it is parallel to the ground.

Glorify the Lord in ruku, preferably any odd number of times (1,3,5,7…)

Rise from the ‘ruku’ position and stand straight again saying ‘: “Sameh Allah ho Leman Hameda” (Allah listen to the one who is grateful for the bounties received by Allah) and say: “Rabbana lakal hamd” (O our Lord, we are grateful to you.)

Raise your palms above your shoulders again, and declare ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ (Allah is Great) and move to ‘sujood’ or prostration position.

Bow down in humility to the Lord with only the tips of your feet-fingers, your knees, your forehead, and your palms resting on the ground.

Glorify your Lord in your ‘sujood’ or prostration position any odd number of times (1,3,5,7…)

Sit on the floor, with your shins placed parallel on the ground, and your knees pointing towards the Qibla, and your palms placed downwards on your thigh near your knees.

 

The above sequence will constitute one rakah, and depending on what time of day you are offering prayers, complete the required number of rakahs in the prayer.

 

Beloved brother in Islam, the above is a brief description of a cycle of prayer; and since it requires several body movements and placements, it is best learnt in person from any believing brother, who will be more than honored to teach you the rites of prayer in person.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 

 

 

 

 


Related Answers:

Recommended answers for you: