/* */

PDA

View Full Version : Praying in English



SwiftSword
10-11-2007, 02:30 PM
I am hoping to become a Muslim one day, inshAllah, but there is something that has been concerning me for a while.
My Arabic is extremely weak and I'm having difficulty learning the prayers. Of course it should be no trouble for me to learn the prayers after a while. My issue is that when I recite the prayers that I do know in Arabic, I feel as though all I'm really doing is reciting, without fully understanding what I'm saying, whereas when I say the prayers in English, I'm fully aware of what the prayers mean.

I suppose my question is simply, can a Muslim pray in English, or is it necessary to learn all the prayers in Arabic to become a Muslim?

I'm prepared to do this if it's necessary, but I feel that I should know what I'm saying to God in my prayers.

:confused:
Reply

Login/Register to hide ads. Scroll down for more posts
Kittygyal
10-11-2007, 02:44 PM
Greetings.

May god guide you. :)

firstly I'm appreciating your good feelings towards islam the joy in islam my dear is to apply islam in your life,it is not in songs.islam is a life style,it regulates every moment in your life,the real joy comes when you feel that you are living in a way that every moment in your life is pleasing God.
I think you need to learn a lot about islam then to apply islam in your life,at that time you will feel the real joy you had not feel before.
regarding prayers, will not you feel better when you communicate with God,The One you love in the language He likes?start learning arabic ,it is very easy when you take seriously. The first thing that you should know is the difference between the obligatory prayer (Salah) and the supplication prayer (Dua’a).

Salah is obligatory in Islam, it is one of the five pillars of faith and must be done exactly as the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) has prescribed. So that means it must be recited in Arabic
However, a supplication or Dua’a made thereafter can be in any language you like. There is a great reason for this that is beyond the scope of this reply.

Howevever, please note that the Salah is not a prayer in the typical sense of the word. Further study of the Qur’an and the Salah will help you to understand this. Here are some links that may help you on your path, inshaAllah (if Allah permits).

http://www.iprofess.com/quran.htm
http://www.iprofess.com/prayer.htm
best wishes


Allaah knows best.

Take care
Reply

IbnAbdulHakim
10-11-2007, 02:50 PM
its not hard :) once you make the intention and set some time to do it inshaAllah it will flow easiy.

Dont worry about it, everything becomes easier once a sincere intention is made followed by some action :)
Reply

tomtomsmom
10-11-2007, 03:03 PM
Check this thread. It has very good links that can help you!

http://www.islamicboard.com/prayer/41970-how-pray.html
Reply

Welcome, Guest!
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up
Pk_#2
10-11-2007, 03:16 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
I am hoping to become a Muslim one day, inshAllah, but there is something that has been concerning me for a while.
My Arabic is extremely weak and I'm having difficulty learning the prayers. Of course it should be no trouble for me to learn the prayers after a while. My issue is that when I recite the prayers that I do know in Arabic, I feel as though all I'm really doing is reciting, without fully understanding what I'm saying, whereas when I say the prayers in English, I'm fully aware of what the prayers mean.

I suppose my question is simply, can a Muslim pray in English, or is it necessary to learn all the prayers in Arabic to become a Muslim?

I'm prepared to do this if it's necessary, but I feel that I should know what I'm saying to God in my prayers.

:confused:
Yeah i bin a Muslim all my life i still duno half the things i say imsad All the best bro.
Reply

UmmSqueakster
10-11-2007, 03:28 PM
When I learned to pray, I received little cards from someone on a message board that had a line of arabic transliteration, followed by the line translated into english. I would read the arabic from the card, then read the english silently. That way, as I memorized my salat, I also knew the meaning of what I was saying.

I made copies of the cards to give out to people I know who converted. You can download these cards here. Print out the file, and then paste onto index cards, so they can withstand the use.

http://www.mybloop.com/rahma
Reply

SwiftSword
10-11-2007, 03:35 PM
:smile:
thanks alot for your replies.

so far i think it'll be best to learn the prayers in English, and then once I've mastered them, to learn them in Arabic.

at the moment all I can recite in Arabic is the Surah Al-Fatiha imsad
Reply

SwiftSword
10-11-2007, 03:37 PM
...and thanks for the link Janaan. those cards will come in handy.
Reply

Kittygyal
10-11-2007, 03:39 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
:smile:
thanks alot for your replies.

so far i think it'll be best to learn the prayers in English, and then once I've mastered them, to learn them in Arabic.

at the moment all I can recite in Arabic is the Surah Al-Fatiha imsad
Greetings.
When are you planing on revert then?

Take care
Reply

Ad-dhuha
10-11-2007, 03:40 PM
:sl:

may Allah grant you ease! and sucess in woteva u do!

inshAllah ull become fluent in arabic

yeh i no wot u mean wen u say u wana understand wot ur tryin a say in prayers ive started learnin arabic

i pray allah giudes us all 2 da straight path ..inshAllah
Reply

SwiftSword
10-11-2007, 03:57 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Kittygyal
When are you planing on revert then?
inshAllah, as soon as i've learnt how to pray.
Reply

Ad-dhuha
10-11-2007, 03:59 PM
Goodluck SwiftSword

wishing u all the best!:statisfie
Reply

SwiftSword
10-11-2007, 04:06 PM
:sunny:

thanks.
Reply

Kittygyal
10-11-2007, 04:23 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
inshAllah, as soon as i've learnt how to pray.
You don't have to wait you can become a muslim right now by reciting the shadah, it's all the intention that counts in

May God guide you. Amin
Reply

tomtomsmom
10-11-2007, 04:25 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
inshAllah, as soon as i've learnt how to pray.
You don't have to wait. It is the intent that counts!
Reply

UmmSqueakster
10-11-2007, 04:34 PM
Learning how to pray is not a prerequisite for accepting islam. If you believe la ilaha il Allah, Muhammadur rasul Allah, then you're muslim.

Praying perfectly also isn't a prerequisite for a new muslim. Allah (swt) revealed the Quran to the Prophet (saws) over a 20 year period. The early muslims didn't become perfect muslims overnight, they had decades to work on it. Ditto for their salat.
Reply

SwiftSword
10-11-2007, 04:46 PM
i suppose so.

still, i don't think i can say to myself that i'm a Muslim until i've prayed before God.
Reply

UmmSqueakster
10-11-2007, 05:16 PM
Why not? Khadija (ra) became a muslim without salat, as did hundreds of others.

Did you print out the cards? Seriously, read through them a few times, then stand and pray with them. You may be able to pray salat your first time through :thumbs_up It won't be pretty, but it will be salat.

Plus, you'd be converting in the blessed month of Ramadan. That would be seriously sweet :D

Reply

Haidar_Abbas
10-11-2007, 06:02 PM
:sl: akh Swiftsword WELCOME TO OUR COMMUNITY (ummah) alhamdulillahi rabbil 3limeen (all praises and thanks to Allah(swt) lord of all that exists) remeber since you say shahadah ( Ash Hadu An La Elaha ElAllah wa Ash Hadu Ana Muhammadan Roosulullah ) you are clean from all your past sins!!! ( like a newborn baby ) Dont forget this mecry Allah(swt) puts upon you and right after shahadah take a bath then establish the salaah and seek help from the brothers in your city ask all the questions you have and remeber always be upon truth, forbid evil and command good the basics will come in time and Islam alhamdulillah (all praise to Allah(swt) ) is not a mystery or un solvable riddle, Allah(swt) revealed the Quran as guide for all aspects of our life and made the Prophet(saw) an example. InshaAllah we'll see you around here and please akh find a masjid (mosque) and talk to the imam he will help you inshaAllah, explain your postion. Again akh WELCOME!!!

also this flash you can benefit from it insahAllah also it has a free version of Azaan (call to prayer) software: http://www.islamicfinder.org/prayer/index.html :sl: :D
Reply

Nicro
10-11-2007, 09:27 PM
yeah brother dont wait until you know salat! I converted on Sep. 27 never having done salat. Now I know the whole prayer except the end which I am now working on. My suggestion(what I did/do) is to memorize part by part. First the first part, then second ect..
Reply

al Amaanah
10-12-2007, 01:35 AM
^ masha Allah akh Nicro, welcome to Islaam! (maybe a bit late but what the heck)
Reply

Skillganon
10-12-2007, 03:02 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
:smile:
thanks alot for your replies.

so far i think it'll be best to learn the prayers in English, and then once I've mastered them, to learn them in Arabic.

at the moment all I can recite in Arabic is the Surah Al-Fatiha imsad
Assalamu alaikum wr wb

Since you know surah fatiha you can just recite surah fatiha for just now.
And the basic stuf like you say in between each posture.

Until you learn the rest.
Also you might wan't to get a translation so you know what you are saying.

It is not so hard to grasp.

I would not exactly advise trying to give it in english.

Here is a similar thread already answered.

http://www.islamicboard.com/new-musl...y-english.html
Reply

SwiftSword
10-12-2007, 10:19 AM
Eid Moubarak (to everyone celebrating today), and thank you for all your advice.
Reply

Nicro
10-12-2007, 09:19 PM
^^Hahaha we are still fasting over here!
Reply

ISLAMASWEENEY
10-12-2007, 09:31 PM
we have stopprd fasting nearly now.
Reply

*charisma*
10-14-2007, 02:46 AM
Bro, the way I learned salaah is by writing out all the steps, then I'd take a few min a day to memorize a du'a or a part of the salaah, not the entire thing so as to not overwhelm myself and forgetting quickly, but just enough so that I am able to implement more into my salaah for the next time. I recommend you take some time to memorize the following:


1. A short surah (from the end of the quran)
2. Tashahud (Ati-hayati lillah...)
3. Subhana rabiyal a'la
4. Subhana rabiyal adheem
5. Salatul Ibrahimeeya (Allahumma salee 3ala Muhammed...)

Learn the meanings along side the arabic so that you don't feel like you're just reciting without meaning. If you need links or want me to type out the transliteration & translations, I wouldn't mind doing that for you...

After you can get those down (step by step of course), you can add more to your salaah inshallah. I know how you feel, but just because you may not be doing it 100% perfectly, doesn't mean you should stray away from other duties (i.e. becoming a Muslim), the intention is what matters most and that you're trying real hard, to Allah your salaah is perfect and its not like He doesn't know how difficult it is for you right now, He knows EXACTLY what you're going through, and that's why you'll be rewarded much more for it than someone who already knows what he's doing.

Also, going to the masjid often and praying with others will help you pick up some of the supplications subconciously through repetition.

Islam is very easy, do not overburden with yourself to the point that it will make you think its impossible. Also, the shahada is within the salaah itself, so you might as well just convert if you whole-heartedly believe this is the straight path, because you never know whats going to happen tomorrow.

We all wish you the best, and if you need any help in anything thing, just ask inshallah.

(become a Muslim so i can give you my salaams!!)
Reply

SwiftSword
10-16-2007, 03:25 PM
:statisfie
Reply

muslim1
10-22-2007, 07:54 PM
Dear bro,
Congrats on your Islam. :happy:

Do you like the idea of we contact on yahoo messenger and I teach you prayers in Arabic and their meanings in English? If this is ok with you, just tell me.

I think it wont be tough lessons to learn. Just bit by bit and everything will be a piece of cake to u.
Reply

Khattab
10-24-2007, 07:14 PM
Learn the arabic and also the english translation so you will always know what youre reciting.
Reply

amani1988
10-25-2007, 08:06 AM
u must learn arabic too
bcuz allah send the quraan to prophet mohammed in arabic
and arabic reading is much better than in english but u also can understand the prayers in english just to be sure that u r not saying anything wrong :)
but believe me : it's all correct :)
Reply

Sunnih
10-26-2007, 08:17 PM
Swift sword. If indeed you are clear on the reality of the matter and you know that Islam is the religion for you then enter it. Do not be late as this would be indeed an injustice toward yourself. Your own self has got rights upon you which you should fulfill. Therefore let your self be in it's natural inclination, Islam.

As far as the prayers are concerned, indeed you must pray as you yourself have stated quite correctly. However it is not a condition that you learn proper arabic to pray as there is in the sunnah a hadith that states that the prayer of the one who can not memorise from the book is takbeer, tasbeeh, tahleel and tahmeed. So you can pray by just saying takbeer (Allahu akbar), tasbeeh (subhanallah), tahleel (la ilaha ilallah) and tahmeed (al-hamdulilah).

You also mentioned that you can recite surat al-fatiha. Well this is enough as the hadith states: "Surat al-fatiha is a substitute for every surah but nothing is a substitute for surat al-fatiha".

So give yourself what is a must upon you, al-Islam then start practicing it to the best of your abilities. I pray to Allah to facilitate your matter and to give you strength and determination.
Reply

mojahid
11-04-2007, 12:33 AM
Sallem Brother

I know that the quran has to be recited in Arabic. Otherwise you are not reciting the quran but the meaning of quran (translation). I am certain that the quran has to be in arabic even with difficulties and if you would like confirm this ask the local imam of your mosque clear this issue for you.
Reply

jouju
11-04-2007, 06:48 AM
am happy for you..unfortunately u have to pray in arabic...but not to worry U can do it

I hop ur by now a muslim
Allah bless you
Reply

Esther462
11-05-2007, 08:15 PM
I am a new Muslim and I've been a convert for nearly 3 weeks. I don't understand Arabic and I find it hard to learn any new lang. I found it hard to speck English when I was very small. I say all my prayers in English but I do say "Great is God" in Arabic as thats easy.
Reply

Aicha-belgium
11-10-2007, 08:39 PM
:sl:

Don't worry. Inshallah you will learn it

:w:
Reply

Camomilla
11-10-2007, 10:21 PM
thanx for the share! =)
Reply

moslima
11-10-2007, 10:21 PM
I hope u become muslim soon trust me u will ur life convert to better in every thing but u must have big trust in Allah Taala and to have big Patience for any test Allah gives u After Islam InshaAllah and dont worry in the Initially u know souret (elkawsser) this v.good with (el fateha ) inshaAllah:sunny:
Allah give u Khair Ameen
Reply

islamic
11-10-2007, 10:54 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
inshAllah, as soon as i've learnt how to pray.
Welcome in Islam brother :statisfie
Reply

MustafaMc
11-10-2007, 11:50 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by SwiftSword
I am hoping to become a Muslim one day, inshAllah, but there is something that has been concerning me for a while.
My Arabic is extremely weak and I'm having difficulty learning the prayers. Of course it should be no trouble for me to learn the prayers after a while. My issue is that when I recite the prayers that I do know in Arabic, I feel as though all I'm really doing is reciting, without fully understanding what I'm saying, whereas when I say the prayers in English, I'm fully aware of what the prayers mean.
Yes, I know what you mean. I recite in Arabic, but I think in English terms. That means that I basically learn both.
I suppose my question is simply, can a Muslim pray in English, or is it necessary to learn all the prayers in Arabic to become a Muslim?

I'm prepared to do this if it's necessary, but I feel that I should know what I'm saying to God in my prayers.

:confused:
I encourage you to learn the Arabic for Al-Fatiha in stages, reciting what you know and building on it as you can.

You may find this website helpful in learning the Salah.
http://www.muttaqun.com/salahframes.html

I would not hesitate to say the Shahada until you know your prayers. One never knows when he will die and it is definitely better to testify as to the Oneness of Allah (swt) and the Messengership of Muhammad (saaws) before one dies. This is the single most important act in one's life followed by the 5 daily Salah.
Reply

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 10
    Last Post: 09-07-2010, 02:00 PM
  2. Replies: 5
    Last Post: 09-01-2007, 09:24 PM
British Wholesales - Certified Wholesale Linen & Towels | Holiday in the Maldives

IslamicBoard

Experience a richer experience on our mobile app!