Prayer Questions

[uesbc]

As a new convert and I haven't memorized prayers yet, how should I pray? I want to be a good, respectful Muslim, but I can't do it well yet. Basically I want my prayers to count with Allah, while I lear.

 

[noraina]

Assalamu alaykum,

Alhamdulillah, welcome to this forum and to Islam, brother. Prayer isn't so hard once you understand the basic positions and prayers you need to recite. I am just quoting a post by sister charisma a couple of weeks ago, it's an excellent guide on how to pray and inshaAllah it will help you.

And just to add - if you are still learning how to say the prayers in Arabic during salah, then there is no harm in having a piece of paper on hand until you have learnt everything you need to.

If you don't understand anything just ask, we'd be glad to help inshaAllah.

Assalamu Alaikum


There are 5 obligatory prayers in the day:

1. Fajr (Done at Sunrise)
2. Dhuhr (Done Early Afternoon)
3. 'Asr (Done Late Afternoon)
4. Maghrib (Done at Sundown)
5. Isha (Done in Evening)

There are specific times at which these prayers have to be done because it depends on the location of the sun. Therefore, you can use islamicfinder.org to enter your location and find out the specific times the prayers should be done.

Essentially all the prayers are prayed similarly except the number of rakaat is what differs. A rakaa basically means how many courses of movements is to be done in a prayer.

So for example, Fajr requires 2 rakaat, dhuhr is 4, 'asr is 4, maghrib is 3, and isha is 4.

Before every prayer you have to be in a state of purity, so you have to perform wudhu (cleansing ritual/ablution) anytime you use the bathroom, pass gas, or come into contact with anything impure (such as urine). Ghusl (full body bath) is to be done after intercourse or if you're a female, after you complete your period/menses (you can't pray while you have your period/menses).

This is how wudhu is done:

You can use these youtube vids which highlight exactly how to do each movement for each prayer and what to say:

Fajr

Dhuhr

Asr

Maghrib

Isha

Before making wudhu, ghusl, and salaah always remember to make the intention in your heart first.

If you memorize the following it will make it so much easier on you: Al Fatiha, Tashahhud, Salah ibraheemiya

And of course if its difficult for you to memorize everything, you can always write down the words on a paper and use it as you do the movements until you can recite without the paper. If you have any other questions (I know it can get overwhelming) feel free to ask!

 

[uesbc]

Thanks

 

[talibilm]

try your best to learn the basics ASAP as Allah knows our intentions and the rewards from Allah are based on our intention.

 

[Ummshareef]

Assalamu alaikum,

A warm welcome to our beautiful Deen from me too, brother. Alhamdulillah, it is great to hear that you are looking to learn your prayers quickly, as this is the cornerstone of our daily worship. The post and videos above are an excellent guide. Try to learn them as soon as you can, but don't worry too much at the start - Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'alaa will surely accept them as He will know that your intention is good and that you are doing your best to perfect them.

If you have any other questions, be sure to drop by here and we will do our best to help, in sha'Allah.

 

[uesbc]

Do people generally say the words of each prayer or j