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When
performing Prayer it is enough to make the intention that I am going to offer a
certain number of rakats in front of Allah. When in a congregational Prayer it
is important to keep the following of the Imām in mind. If one does not know the
Arabic language, the intention can be made in the mother tongue. If the
following verse is recited before making intention then Inshā allāh (if Allah
wills) Allah will help one concentrate, but it is not necessary to recite it.
انی
اِنِّیْ وَجَّھْتُ وَجْھِیَ لِلَّذِیْ فَطَرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضَ حَنِیْفًا
وَّ مَآ اَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِیْنَ
‘I have presented myself in front of
Allah by making myself His, the One who created the earth and the Heavens, and
I am not amongst the polytheists’
After making intention, one should say:-
اَللّٰہُ
اَکْبَرُ
‘Allah
is the greatest’
Whilst
saying this, one should raise both hands up to the ears (up to the shoulders
for women) and then tie them at the navel in a way that the right hand’s thumb
and small finger form a circle in which they hold the fist of the left hand so
that the palm of the right hand stays on the back-side of the left hand. Women
should place the left hand on the chest and the right hand on top of the left
hand. The following should be recited after this:-
سُبْحَانَکَ
اللّٰھُمَّ وَ بِحَمْدِکَ وَتَبَارَکَ اسْمُکَ وَتَعَالیٰ جَدُّکَ وَ لَآ اِلٰہَ
غَیْرُکَ ط
‘Glory be to You, O Allah, and all
praises are due unto You, and blessed is Your Name and high is Your Majesty and
none is worthy of worship but You’
اَعُوْذُ
بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِo
‘I seek Allah's protection from
Satan who is accursed’
بِسْمِ
اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
‘In
the name of Allah, the Most Kind and the Most Merciful’
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَo
الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِo
مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِo
اِیَّاکَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُo
اِھْدِ نَاالصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ o
غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَ لَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ o
‘All
praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds. The Most Kind, the Most Merciful. The
Master of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship and to You alone we pray
for help. Show us the straight path, the way of those whom You have favoured,
and not of those who have deserved Your anger and gone astray’
After
reciting Sūrah Fātiha the people behind the Imām softly say ‘Ameen’. If one is
offering the Prayer alone, Surah Ikhlās or any other Surah should be recited.
قُلْ ھُوَ اللّٰہُ اَحَدٌ o
اَللّٰہُ الصَّمَدُ o لَمْ یَلِدْ ۵ وَلَمْ یُوْلَدْ o
وَ لَمْ یَا کُنْ لَّہٗ کُفُوًا اَحَدٌ
‘Say:
He is Allah, the only one. Allah helps and does not need help. He does not
produce a child and nor was He born of anyone. There is none equal to Him’
Then, after saying 
one should bow. When bowing, one should
hold the knees with the hands, keeping the fingers straight, and keeping the
head and back in a straight line. One should then glorify Allah by reciting:-
سُبْحَانَ
رَبِّیَ الْعَظِیْمِ
‘Glory
be to my Lord, the greatest’
The
Imām then recites:-
سَمِعَ
اللّٰہُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَہٗ
‘Verily Allah listens to one who praises Him’ Followed by the
followers reciting:-
رَبَّنَا لَکَ الْحَمْدُ
‘O our Lord, all the praise be to
You’
When
not offering the Prayer as a congregational Prayer then all the above must be
recited by the one offering the Prayer by himself.
After saying اللہ اکْبر one should go down to prostrate in a way that firstly the knees go
on to the ground, then the hands, then the nose and lastly, the forehead. While
prostrating both the hands should stay parallel to the ears, and the fingers
should stay straight and facing towards the Holy Kaba. The following should
then be recited either three or seven times:-
سُبْحَانَ
رَبِّیَ الْاَعْلیٰ
‘O Allah, glory be to You, the Most
High’
Whilst saying اللہ اکبر firstly the forehead should be lifted,
then the nose and then the hands, one
should
then sit while laying the left foot down and keeping the right foot upright.
While sitting, the hands should be placed on the knees. After properly sitting
down, one should prostrate again after saying اللہ اکبر. Then saying اللہ اکبر one should stand up for the second rakat.
In the second rakat, the
Sana
and Ta'awwooz are not recited. After reciting بسم اللہ the
second rakat should be performed in the same way as the first. After completing
the second prostration of the second rakat, one should sit down and recite the Tashahud:-
اَلتَّحِیَّاتُ لِلّٰہِ وَ الصَّلَوَاتُ وَ
الطِّیِّبٰتُ ط اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَیْکَ اَیُّھَا النَّبِیُّ
وَ رَحْمَۃُ اللّٰہِ وَبَرَکَاتُہٗ ط السَّلَامُ
عَلَیْنَا وَعَلیٰ عِبَادِ اللّٰہِ الصّٰلِحِیْنَo
اَشْھَدُ اَنْ لَّآ اِلٰہَ اِ لَّا اللّٰہُ وَ
اَشْھَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَرَسُوْلُہٗ ط
‘All
compliments, all physical Prayer, and all monetary worship are for Allah. Peace
be upon you, O prophet, And Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be on us and on
all righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that no one is worthy of worship
except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is His slave and
Messenger’
When one reciting the Tashahud comes to recite اَنْ لَّآ
اِلٰہَ لآ one should raise the
index finger of the right hand. This should be done by forming a circle with
the thumb and middle finger of the right hand,
closing
the
hand into a fist and then raising
the index finger.
The finger should be lowered
at and
the fist kept closed until the end.
After
Tashahud, Durood Shareef must be recited in the last rakat of the Prayer:-
اَللّٰھُمَّ
صَلِّ عَلیٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ عَلیٰ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ کَمَا صَلَّیْتَ
عَلیٰ
اِبْرَاھِیْمَ وَعَلیَ اٰلِ اِبْرَاھِیْمَ اِنَّکَ حَمِیٌد مَّجِیْدٌ
اَللّٰھُمَّ
بَارِکْ عَلیٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ عَلیٰٓ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ کَمَا بَارَکْتَ
عَلیٰٓ
اِبْرَاھِیْمَ وَ عَلیٰٓ اٰلِ اِبْرَاھِیْمَ اِنَّکَ حَمِیْدٌ مَّجِیْدٌ
‘O
Allah, send grace and honour on Muhammad (pbuh) And on the family and true followers
of Muhammad, Just as you sent grace and honour on Ibrahim And on the family and
true followers of Ibrahim Surely, You are praiseworthy, the Great’
‘O
Allah, send Your blessing on Muhammad (pbuh) And on the true followers of
Muhammad, Just as You sent blessings on Ibrahim And on his true followers.
Surely, You are praiseworthy, the Great’
The following Du’ā is recited after
the Durood Shareef:-
اَللّٰھُمَّ
اِنِّیْ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِیْ ظُلْمًا کَثِیْرًا وَّ اِ نَّہٗ لَا
یَغْفِرُ
الذُّنُوْبَ اِلَا اَنْتَ فَاغْفِرْلِیْ مَغْفِرَۃً مِّنْ عِنْدِکَ
وَارْ
حَمْنِیْٓ اِنَّکَ اَنْتَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِیْمِo
‘O
Allah, I have been very cruel to myself (by ignoring my duty to You) And there
is no one who can forgive my sins except You, So forgive me because you are the
only forgiver And have mercy on me. Verily, You are the Forgiver and the
Merciful’
After reciting this Prayer one should face towards the right and
say:-
اَلسَّلَامُ
عَلَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَۃُ اللّٰہِ
‘Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah’ Then facing towards the left
direction:-
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَۃُ اللّٰہِ
‘Peace be upon you and the mercy of
Allah’
When
offering Prayer it is very important to make sure that in the first rakat a big
(as in size) Surah is recited and in the second rakat a smaller Surah is
recited, and so on. As well as this, the order in which the Surahs occur in the
Holy Quran should be taken care of and kept consistent with.
KHWAJA SHAMSUDDIN AZEEMI
Mehrāj means to enter the world of the unseen. When a believer attains Mehrāj through prayer, Angels appear in front of him. He travels through the Heavens, and through the blessings of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) he comes to know his Lord.
