Need help with Salah

[Avis]

:salam:

Before I start, I ask that you don't judge me, I know I am in the wrong and I want to make it right.

A few years ago, I hit a really low point in my faith. It was so bad that I stopped practicing Islam due to my anger with how nothing ever went the way I wanted it to. The shaytan had a really good grasp on me and caused me to resent my Creator. I was basically doing what Ibless did when Allah created Adam:as: and blamed Allah for all the wrong that has happened in my life. I told myself "why should I pray if I never get any answers, what is the point?" and "I don't need to rely on anyone but myself". I know I was wrong in letting anger consume me and I regret it.

I don't want to be that way ever again. By the Mercy of Allah, I feel that He is guiding me closer and closer to him. I actually feel that I don't deserve His Mercy even though I really do appreciate it. I want to be a good Muslim and I want to give up the haram things I have latched on to and I want to start performing my Salah again. It's just I am apprehensive to do so. I don't know why I am, I just am. I think it is a combination of laziness, procrastination and maybe I am scared to commit to it and repeat everything I went through and go into despair again. I just feel stuck.

If any of you have any advice, it would be most appreciated. If anyone can also provide a video on how to perform salah properly, I would appreciate that as well. I don't think I performed it properly in the past and would like to make sure I do the actions and pronounce the words properly. I tried searching YouTube but there seems to be different versions.

['Abdullah]

WaAlaikum Assalam WaRahmatullhi WaBarakatuhu Brother,

I hope video below will help with praying Salah in a way Prophet ( peace be upon him) prayed.


My advise is to do little but do it consistently, find company of good friends and if possible try to pray in the mosque ( at least Fajr and Isha). And leave what does not concern you.

May Allah keep us all on the straight path. Ameen

[Al-Ansariyah]

Mashallah tabarakAllah
First try to pray all the obligatory prayers, then when you get into the habit of it,start the sunnah prayers.. Or it will be a burden for you if you do it all together. Just like brother said start with little but be consistent. Making dua and doing good deeds are very effective ways to get closer to Allah SWT. And keep in mind that our imaan doesn't always remain high. It sometimes get low but that's not our fault,all we can do at that time is remain steadfast.
Walekumassalam

[IslamLife00]

Wa 'alaykumussalaam

Akhi, Alhamdulillah you are being guided to be a good muslim.

We are created to worship Allah, regardless things go the way we want or not.
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (Adh-Dhariyat 56)

What we want is not necessarily good for us and Allah Most Knowing what is good for us.
But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. (Al Baqarah 216)

This dunya is temporary existence, it's a place where we are tested, so it's better to focus on passing the test so that we return to His Mercy instead of His wrath.
[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving (Al Mulk 2)
Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground. (Al Kahf 7-8)
(Hell) almost bursts with rage. Every time a company is thrown into it, its keepers ask them, "Did there not come to you a warner?"
They will say," Yes, a warner had come to us, but we denied and said, ' Allah has not sent down anything. You are not but in great error.'
"And they will say, "If only we had been listening or reasoning, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze." (Al Mulk 8-10)

It was narrated that Sahl bin Sa’d said:“We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Dhul-Hulaifah, when we saw a dead sheep lifting its leg (because of bloating).
He said: ‘Don’t you think this is worthless to its owner? By the One in Whose hand is my soul, this world is more worthless to Allah than this (dead sheep) is to its owner.
If this world was worth the wing of a mosquito to Allah, the disbeliever would not have a drop to drink from it.’” (Sunan Ibn Majah)

There are many good videos online on how to offer salat. When I first reverted, I went with this video
https://iera.org/new-muslim/learning-the-prayer/as well as learning from the local masjid

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[muslimah__]

Salam

Ma Sha Allah, very good advice given by the users above.

I would recommend you read this ebook about the beauty of Salaah...

https://www.quranproject.org/downloadpdfB.php?down=1&file=go_files/books/Love_of_Allah_English.pdf

[Avis]

:salam:

So, I started performing my salah after relearning how to do it, so thank you all for your help.

Now I have another issue which I am embarrassed about. I am very(I am embarrassed to say close to 160 kilos) over weight and it really affects my Salah. I know it is wrong to be this way, I know how unhealthy it is for me and I know that one of the Sahaba said that it is a curse. I have actually taken measures to reduce my weight. Islam has really helped me since every time I think about cake or ice cream, I remember the hadith about how the worst vessel we fill is our stomachs and how we are supposed to fill them with 1/3 food, 1/3 liquid and 1/3 air.

My problem is that when I get on my knees, it causes a lot of pain in my knees, thighs and lower legs. Also, when I stand back up, I am out of breath. It is most likely due to my previous sedentary lifestyle where I would eat when bored or eat when upset. Would it be permissible to to the parts of the Salah that requires me to be on my knees seated in a chair? I can do the standing no problem and I can bend for the ruko'o with out issue, but the moment I have to "sit" on my legs, I just go into pain which destroys my concentration.

Please note, I have full intention to improve my health so I can better worship Allah. I have no intention of using a chair to be a permanent thing.

[Hamza Asadullah]

:salam:

So, I started performing my salah after relearning how to do it, so thank you all for your help.

Now I have another issue which I am embarrassed about. I am very(I am embarrassed to say close to 160 kilos) over weight and it really affects my Salah. I know it is wrong to be this way, I know how unhealthy it is for me and I know that one of the Sahaba said that it is a curse. I have actually taken measures to reduce my weight. Islam has really helped me since every time I think about cake or ice cream, I remember the hadith about how the worst vessel we fill is our stomachs and how we are supposed to fill them with 1/3 food, 1/3 liquid and 1/3 air.

My problem is that when I get on my knees, it causes a lot of pain in my knees, thighs and lower legs. Also, when I stand back up, I am out of breath. It is most likely due to my previous sedentary lifestyle where I would eat when bored or eat when upset. Would it be permissible to to the parts of the Salah that requires me to be on my knees seated in a chair? I can do the standing no problem and I can bend for the ruko'o with out issue, but the moment I have to "sit" on my legs, I just go into pain which destroys my concentration.

Please note, I have full intention to improve my health so I can better worship Allah. I have no intention of using a chair to be a permanent thing.

Assalaamu Alaikum,

If it is painful to go fully into the bowing posture (ruku`), perform a minimal bowing which is simply to reach to your knees with your hands. If it is painful in the sitting (tashahud) posture, you may sit in any way that is comfortable (for example, cross-legged). If that is also very difficult, you may sit up on a stool or something similar for the final sitting (tashahud).

The Fiqh of Standing for the Obligatory Prayer

If you are able to perform the prostrations, it would remain obligatory (fard) to stand unless:

[a] You are physically unable,

[b] Doing so would cause intense, unbearable pain/dizziness, or

[c] You have reasonable fear that doing so would worsen the injury/delay its healing.

Reasonable fear is established by: [i] Expert medical opinion of an (outwardly) upright Muslim doctor, [ii] clear signs (such that no two people would disagree), or [iii] past, relevant experience (of resulting harm).

If you can stand — even momentarily (e.g. for the takbir) — you would do so to the extent possible before sitting on the floor to continue your prayer.

When One Cannot Stand

In such a case, you would sit on the floor — in the tashahud posture or if difficult, any comfortable position — and pray normally with actual prostrations. If you are unable to prostrate, you would pray sitting — ideally on the floor — and with head movements. If sitting on the floor is difficult, you would pray seated — on a chair/stool or the like — and with head movements.

[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; `Ala al-Din `Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]

Source: https://islamqa.org/hanafi/seekersguidance-hanafi/85848

[Hamza Asadullah]

With regards to weight loss then I hope you find useful help and advice in the following thread:

15 Ways to Lose weight & get your health back

[Avis]

With regards to weight loss then I hope you find useful help and advice in the following thread:

15 Ways to Lose weight & get your health back

Thank you for your help. I can do rukoo with no issues, And I can prostrate with my head on the floor with some pain to my knees, but when I sit back up I feel a lot of sharp pain and my knees hurt for the second head prostration, then I struggle to get back up to standing position. It really feels like it ruins that part of the Salah for me.

I will try to use a chair for 4 rakat salahs and for Fajr and Maghrib I will try to do it unassisted in order to help get my legs used to it, inshallah.

Also thank you for the link to the weight loss thread. I need all the help I could get.

[Hamza Asadullah]

Thank you for your help. I can do rukoo with no issues, And I can prostrate with my head on the floor with some pain to my knees, but when I sit back up I feel a lot of sharp pain and my knees hurt for the second head prostration, then I struggle to get back up to standing position. It really feels like it ruins that part of the Salah for me.

I will try to use a chair for 4 rakat salahs and for Fajr and Maghrib I will try to do it unassisted in order to help get my legs used to it, inshallah.

Also thank you for the link to the weight loss thread. I need all the help I could get.

Never give up your Salah. It will get easier insha'Allah. I hope the following threads also help:

Salaah - The Purpose of Our Life

3 ways of attaining focus in our Salaah (prayer) - You will be amazed!

Why do you not pray?

[Avis]

Never give up your Salah. It will get easier insha'Allah. I hope the following threads also help:

Salaah - The Purpose of Our Life

3 ways of attaining focus in our Salaah (prayer) - You will be amazed!

Why do you not pray?

I don't intend to, Inshallah. I gave it up in the past because I was angry at Allah, astaghfirullah, and blamed Him for all of my struggles and hardships in life. I realize how much of an idiot I was and by Allah's Mercy, I have been guided back to the straight path. I realize now that this world is not important. The only thing that is important is the pursuit of seeing Allah on Judgement day and loving Him more than anyone else. I understand now that hardships are tests to show us how strong our faith really is and they're actually easy to go through as long as one understands that everything is as Allah wills.

My Iman isn't as strong as I'd like it to be, but it is much better than before. My number one desire is to purify my heart and to fill it with love for Allah. I see that Salah is the best way to do that.

Thank you so much for your help. May Allah bless you in this life and in the next. Inshallah I could see you in Jannah so I could give you a hug for how kind you are.

[BeTheChange]

Aslamualykum

This will help insha Allah