Learning to pray. Need some answers.

[whitemuslimah]

Salaams,
I was not sure where to post it.

I am a revert to islam and have zero knowledge of arabic. I have not learned to pray yet, but i am definately going to devote most of my spare time to it once my exams are over. I've been skimming through namaz books, and looked up on the internet how to do prayer, and it looks like i am going to find it really hard to memorize all the ayats in arabic. Is it possible at all to pray in english? (Allah understands all languages, doesn't he). Also, are you supposed to learn all the words first and then put it together with action, or is it ok, say, to read it off the paper or book at the beginning when you are learning?
Thank you.
ps. any difference between the words namaz and salah(salat)?

[IceQueen~]

Salaams,
I was not sure where to post it.

I am a revert to islam and have zero knowledge of arabic. I have not learned to pray yet, but i am definately going to devote most of my spare time to it once my exams are over. I've been skimming through namaz books, and looked up on the internet how to do prayer, and it looks like i am going to find it really hard to memorize all the ayats in arabic. Is it possible at all to pray in english? (Allah understands all languages, doesn't he). Also, are you supposed to learn all the words first and then put it together with action, or is it ok, say, to read it off the paper or book at the beginning when you are learning?
Thank you.
ps. any difference between the words namaz and salah(salat)?

namaz is the urdu word for prayer and salah is the arabic.

you have to pray in arabic-read the quran in the language it was sent, but don't worry, try and Allah will help you insha allah, ameen.

[chacha_jalebi]

salaam

mashallah bro, for tryin you gona get loads of reward inshallah

yesh Allah (swt) does do all langugages, but its better to pray in arabic, as our beloved Prophet (saw) did & all our heroes d sahaba (ra) did! so pray in arabic, i dont see no harm in leavin d book infront of you and reading the surahs from there, but dont put the arabic writing on the floor! also salah n namaz r same thin, namaz is the urdu way of sayin it, n salah is arabic!

k heres lemme give u a basic summary of salah :)

make the intention - say 4 rakats zuhr or 2 rakats fajr, depends on the prayer you going to do

then lift ya hands up & touch ya ears sayin say Allah Hu Akbar

then put ur hands on ya belly button folded ova, i tink u can see how in any salah book, then u can recite the thana or go straight 2 surah Al Fatiha

bro remem we gota recite surah fatiha in every prayer!! afta surah fatiha u can recite any surah from Quran, but dont go backwards like if u recite surah ikhlaas in your first ruku, you shouldnt recite surah rahman in 2nd, because you should recite the Quranic verses in the order they come! lol its confusin, i hope u understand!!

den afta that jus do d bowin, with hands on knees, then go in2 sajda, like full prostration, oooh when wit ur hands on knees, you gota recite "subhanallah rabbi al adheem" x 3, then once, you get up, say "Sami Allah Huli Man, Hamida ... Rabbana Wala Kal Hamd" then go in2 sajda and recite "subhanallah rabi allah" x 3, then jus repeat the steps bro dependin on how much rakats u got 4 salah, but in d 3rd & 4th salah u dont gota recite a quran verse after surah fatiha but u can if u want!! i hope Allah (swt) accepts ur prayers & grants all ur wishes!! :)

[IceQueen~]

(she's a sister)
nice advice though masha allah.

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[chacha_jalebi]

o sowy sis lol

:) but d advice still counts!!

[Umm Yoosuf]

then lift ya hands up & touch ya ears sayin say Allah Hu Akbar

then put ur hands on ya belly button folded ova, i tink u can see how in any salah book, then u can recite the thana or go straight 2 surah Al Fatiha

bro remem we gota recite surah fatiha in every prayer!! afta surah fatiha u can recite any surah from Quran, but dont go backwards like if u recite surah ikhlaas in your first ruku, you shouldnt recite surah rahman in 2nd, because you should recite the Quranic verses in the order they come! lol its confusin, i hope u understand!!

den afta that jus do d bowin, with hands on knees, then go in2 sajda, like full prostration, oooh when wit ur hands on knees, you gota recite "subhanallah rabbi al adheem" x 3, then once, you get up, say "Sami Allah Huli Man, Hamida ... Rabbana Wala Kal Hamd" then go in2 sajda and recite "subhanallah rabi allah" x 3, then jus repeat the steps bro dependin on how much rakats u got 4 salah, but in d 3rd & 4th salah u dont gota recite a quran verse after surah fatiha but u can if u want!! i hope Allah (swt) accepts ur prayers & grants all ur wishes!! :)

Please provide the dalil for these. Jazakallahu Khayr.

Brother whitemuslim see this http://english.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=prayer.

[Mawaddah]

bro remem we gota recite surah fatiha in every prayer!! afta surah fatiha u can recite any surah from Quran, but dont go backwards like if u recite surah ikhlaas in your first ruku, you shouldnt recite surah rahman in 2nd, because you should recite the Quranic verses in the order they come! lol its confusin, i hope u understand!!

I would like to see the Dalil for this. As far as my knowledge there is no such obligation. And also surah faatiha shouldn't just be recited in every prayer, but also every rak'ah

then put ur hands on ya belly button folded ova, i tink u can see how in any salah book, then u can recite the thana or go straight 2 surah Al Fatiha

Correction : The hands should be on the chest with the right hand folded over the left

As for your answer Sis, Yes it is ok for you to read from a Book of Surahs in the meanwhile since you are still learning , alhamdulillah, but at the same time you should be making an effort to be learning the surahs in Arabic as that is the language in which the Salaat is performed.

[Skillganon]

Here's a Video, for biginner. I advise watching it, it will teach you, and you can practice the step, so you get more familiar with it. The first prayer is alway's the most difficult, even when it is simple really, but it only get's easier, and soon you will be flying.
http://www.watchislam.com/videos/video.php?vid=34

[whitemuslimah]

Here's a Video, for biginner. I advise watching it, it will teach you, and you can practice the step, so you get more familiar with it. The first prayer is alway's the most difficult, even when it is simple really, but it only get's easier, and soon you will be flying.
http://www.watchislam.com/videos/video.php?vid=34

thank u for the link, it is brilliant.

[akulion]

Salam Alaikum brother

Congratulations on your reversion to Islam

Here are some online resources for learning how to pray on the internet:

Flash Presentations

- How to do ablution (Islamway)

- How to pray Beginners (Islamway)

- How to pray Advanced (Islamway)

- How to pray (islamic finder)

Webpages

- How To pray (with audio, pictures and explanations)

Programs which teach how to pray

- Cyber salat (for this ull have to register and enter the donloads area - in the section "Programs" you will find "cyber Salat" - its free to register and download

[akulion]

Also I forgot to say - if you need further help be sure to ask freely and dont be shy we are all here to help with any questons you may have :)

[Dhulqarnaeen]

Salaams,
I was not sure where to post it.

I am a revert to islam and have zero knowledge of arabic. I have not learned to pray yet, but i am definately going to devote most of my spare time to it once my exams are over. I've been skimming through namaz books, and looked up on the internet how to do prayer, and it looks like i am going to find it really hard to memorize all the ayats in arabic. Is it possible at all to pray in english? (Allah understands all languages, doesn't he). Also, are you supposed to learn all the words first and then put it together with action, or is it ok, say, to read it off the paper or book at the beginning when you are learning?
Thank you.
ps. any difference between the words namaz and salah(salat)?

:sl:

go to "www.salafipublications.com to find out insha Allah.

[Vaseline]

How To pray (with audio, pictures and explanations)

Jazak'Allah Kheir brother, that is an excellent website however I do have one question to ask.

Last week I was praying Asr in the uni Musallah and there was one other girl who was sitting behind me while I was praying. Later on when I finished prayer, and sat down near her, she was obviously watching me because then she stood up and said to me "Sister, I don't mean to offend you or anything but there's a hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said that when you go into Sajdah, then you should keep your elbows off the ground". And I was like...ok.

Later on, I asked my father the question about this and he told me only the men have to lift their elbows off the ground, the ladies can leave it resting on the ground and then my uncle added it's just to 'hide' everything when we go for sajdah.

So can anyone please verify this with a hadith or ayat from the Qur'an please?

Much appreciated,

Wassalaam

Vaseline

[Woodrow]

Another flash Video, this one is an animation.

http://media.putfile.com/Learn-to-pr...az---Animation

[Nawal89]

Jazak'Allah Kheir brother, that is an excellent website however I do have one question to ask.

Last week I was praying Asr in the uni Musallah and there was one other girl who was sitting behind me while I was praying. Later on when I finished prayer, and sat down near her, she was obviously watching me because then she stood up and said to me "Sister, I don't mean to offend you or anything but there's a hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said that when you go into Sajdah, then you should keep your elbows off the ground". And I was like...ok.

Later on, I asked my father the question about this and he told me only the men have to lift their elbows off the ground, the ladies can leave it resting on the ground and then my uncle added it's just to 'hide' everything when we go for sajdah.

So can anyone please verify this with a hadith or ayat from the Qur'an please?

Much appreciated,

Wassalaam

Vaseline

What the sister said was right. The common belief that women and men have to pray differently is wrong. The prophet peace be upon him never taught that. All he said was "pray as how you see me praying" Adn it is reported that when he made sujud he lifted his elbows from the ground.

wassalam.

[akulion]

Salam Alaikum sis Vaseline,

The reason why women acually put their forearms on the ground can be best understood with the following hadith:

It is stated that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) passed by two women who were performing Salaat. He said: “When you make sajdah, attach your body to the ground. Indeed women are not like men in this matter.” (i.e. they differ in the posture of sajdah). (Maraasil of Imaam Abu Dawood (R.A))

But please also understand the forearms on the ground is not a "strict" requirement, it is infact debated in different madhabs that different opinions do exist pertaining the matter, following one or the other is not sinful since they are opinions of the scholars:

Opinions concerning “When you make sajdah, attach your body to the ground. Indeed women are not like men in this matter.”

- the arms are to be lowered but the forearms not placed on the ground

- the forearms must touch the ground

However it is very important to note that ALL madhabs are in agreement regarding the fact that the body of the woman must be as close to the ground as possible.

For women it is important to 'conceal' as much while doing salah...it is the same reason why women DO NOT place their hands on the navel while standing but on their chest and also the same reason why women do not raise their backside while doing sajdah but rather keep it low....why?

Well try it and see what happens...if you will place your hand on your navel your bussom will become more apparent since the hind arms will push them forward. But if you place your hands on the bussom they will be concealed more...

Same with the backside being raised...it makes the woman more "apparent" and less concealed if she was to raise her backside while in sajdah, that is why the women are commanded to be lower down.

Here are some other hadith concerning the matter:

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiallaahu Anhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “When a woman sits in Salaat, she should place the thighs (of one leg) upon the other and when she makes sajdah, she should attach her belly to her thigh so that it is as concealing as possible. For indeed Allah Ta'ala looks at her saying: ‘O my angels I make you witness that I have indeed forgiven her’.” (Baihaqi Vol.2 Pg.223)

and also

Waail bin Hujr (Radhiallaahu Anhu) says that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “O Waail, when you commence the Salaat, lift your hands in line with your ears and women should (only) lift it in line with the chest (shoulders).” (Kanzul Umaal Vol.7 Pg.307)

So basically it is well known that the way of salah of women differes from men in the following aspects:

- Way they stand
- Way they do ruku
- way they sit
- way they do sajdah

And if you think about it as well - it makes perfect sense since the physical makeup of women is very different from men. Insha'allah that helps you understand why it says "forearms should be flat on the floor"

[akulion]

Further Ahadith pertaning the matter can be found as follows:

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) narrates that the Holy Prophet said, 'When a woman sits in Sajdah by putting one thigh upon the other (i.e. close to one another) and at the time of Sajdah (prostration) her stomach touches her thighs and she also takes full consideration of Hijaab, then Allah Taãla looks at her and says to the angels, 'Bear witness that I have forgiven her.' (Baihaqi, Kanzul Ummaal)

-----------------------------------------

Once the Holy Prophet saw two women offering Prayer and he said, 'When you (women) make Sajdah (prostrate) then let the limbs of your body touch one another and make them touch the ground.' Surely in this (prostration posture) women are not similar to men.' (Masaail Abu Dawood)

---------------------------------------

Wail ibn Hajar (may Allah be well pleased with him) said that the Holy Prophet taught him to offer Prayer and he said, 'O ibn Hajar! When you begin your Prayer then lift your hands up to your ears and show the women that they should lift up to their chests.' (Tabarrani)

-------------------------------------

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) was once asked on how women used to offer Prayer during the time of the Holy Prophet . He replied, 'First they used to read Prayer cross-legged, then they were commanded to cling to themselves,' (Jaami al-Masanid).

============================================

OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS REGARDING DIFFERENCES IN PRAYERS:

1. Women are exempted from offering Prayer whilst in state of impurity (due to menses or childbirth).

2. Women should take extra care during "Wuzu and Tayammum" by moving ornaments (such as rings) in order not to leave the area below them - whereas nail polish should be totally removed.

3. If several persons are praying in the same room, women should pray behind the men. They should not stand in line with the men.

[Vaseline]

Jzak'Allah Kheir brother for finding the hadiths regarding this. So what my uncle said was partially correct. Thank you.