Do I have to be Sunni or Shi'ia?

**New_Muslim** · 11-09-2006

Or is it enough for me to say my prayers 5x a day and read the Qur'an? Also can someone tell which each prayer is and what I must do for them. Thank you

**Muhammad** · 11-09-2006

Islam commands all Muslims to be united on one Straight Path and not to differ into sects.

And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur'ân), and be not divided among yourselves [Qur'an, 3:103]

And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment. [3:105]

So by following the authentic teachings of Islam, as explained in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, you will Insha'Allaah be upon the Straight Path.

Or is it enough for me to say my prayers 5x a day and read the Qur'an?

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Islam is built upon five things: the testimony that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the establishment of prayer, the payment of Zakâh, the pilgrimage to the House, and the fast during the month of Ramadan." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

Also can someone tell which each prayer is and what I must do for them.

Prayer is obligatory and must be performed five times a day.These five times are dawn (Fajr), immediately after noon (Dhuhr), mid-afternoon ('Asr), sunset (Maghrib), and early night (Isha'). Ritual cleanliness and ablution are required before prayer, as are clean clothes and location, and the removal of shoes. One may pray individually or communally, at home, outside, virtually in any clean place, as well as in a mosque, though the latter is preferred. Special is the Friday noon prayer, called Jum'ah. It too, is obligatory and is to be done in a mosque, in congregation. It is accompanied by a sermon (Khutbah), and it replaces the normal Dhuhr prayer.

Taken from: http://www.beconvinced.com/en/articl...s%20Of%20Islam

Here are some sites that tell you how to pray:

http://english.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=prayer
http://muslimconverts.com/prayer/how-to-pray-intro.htm
http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13340&ln=eng

If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to ask!

**S_87** · 11-09-2006

heres a nice video on how to pray

http://www.load-islam.com/display_lecture.php?id=389

**Umar001** · 11-09-2006

Assalamu Aleykum,

Am suprised this aint been closed because it deals with 'secterian' issues, anyhow, I think for me it's best not to delv into which sect is correct and so forth.

I will just post a link to the Translation of Shaykh Al Albani's book, which is a more detailed book on how to pray.

So I recomend that after you've learend the basic prayer you can read this book.

http://www.qss.org/articles/salah/toc.html

**Ansar Al-'Adl** · 11-09-2006

Assalamu Alaykum,
Further to what has preceded:

We wish to congratulate you on your acceptance of Islam and we pray that Allah - Glorified and Exalted is He - accepts this commitment from you to live your life devoted to His path of purity and light. It is through one's submission to the Creator that one attains peace and tranquility in one's life

As Muslims we are commanded to follow Islam as it was revealed by Allah in the Qur'an, as it was explained and implemented by the Prophet Muhammad, and as it was understood by his companions for they were the direct recipients of the message and endorsed by the Prophet himself. This is the pure and pristine path, crystal clear for all and free of any distortion or falsehood. The Prophet said, "I have left you upon clear guidance. Its night is like its day. No one deviates from it after me except that he is destroyed." So we stick to the way (Sunnah) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Wa alaykum Salaam.