Islamic prayer namaz

Peace begins with me
A Presentation on
Islamic prayer -
Namaz (Salah) by
M. G. Morshad
mollamorshad@gmail.com

a) Islamic faith rests on five pillars – 1.Kalma ( Faith on oneness of God and his messenger), 2.Namaz
( Prayer for soul searching and self discipline), 3.Roza ( Fasting to train mind to control body), 4.Hajj
(Experiencing universal brotherhood) 5.Zakat ( Paying income tax for charity & social development).
b) Islamic prayer (Salah / Namaz) is considered as a complete form of worship since it involves
Physical cleanliness & exercise, Meditation, Spiritualism, patriotism , Discipline & Punctuality.
c) Because of its completeness, Allah accept this prayer (with certain pre conditions) and bless the
individual with dynamic positive effect on his mind, body & environment .
d) Individual with dynamic positive attitude always have peaceful & logical mind. It helps him to lead a
successful life on earth as well as to make direct / indirect contribution to the society that may
make him immortal (said to be in paradise as per the Quranic interpretation) even after his physical
death .
e) Thus Namaz is a source of peace that can be generated by any individuals within himself. It
accelerates the peace, prosperity & progress in family, society, nation & world if it is practiced
regularly understanding the real concept & meaning of Namaz by heart .
f) Since the Quranic verse , Darood & Dua which are recited during Namaz, are written in Arabic ,
most of the individual can not understand the real concept and meaning of these recitation and
Namaz becomes a mere mechanical practice for them. It impedes the generation of peace within
the individuals.
g) The purpose of this presentations is to interpret the meaning of Namaz in a simplified manner so
that the concept “Peace begins with me” is nurtured within every individual who offers Namaz
regularly .
Introduction

Namaz - a tool for time management
Every day we get 24 Hours to live. This time period can be made productive if it is utilized in proper
manner. Modern time management suggest three steps for successful utilization of time –
1. Advance planning ( knowing the schedule of work )
2. Discipline (adhering to the work commitment)
3. Punctuality (adhering to the time schedule).
Namaz contains all three ingredients -
1 Advance planning : Islam pronounces the schedule of work by dividing 24 hours in five
slots and the beginning of each slots starts with Azan from Mosque.
Period Time Activities
1. Fazure - Asur Early morning – Noon ( 8
Hrs)
Skill developing and earning for
livelihood
2. Asur - Zuhar Noon – Afternoon (2 Hrs) Rest
3. Zuhar – Mugrib Afternoon – evening (3 Hrs) Social gathering , sports, Physical
activities
4. Mugrib - Aysha Evening – Night ( 3 Hrs) Family gathering , Entertainment.
5. Aysha – Fazure Night – Early morning (8 Hrs) Sleeping
2. Discipline : Due to positive effect of Namaz, sense of discipline & self control are
developed automatically within the individual who offer Namaz regularly.
3. Punctuality : Also the sense of punctuality is developed automatically within the individual
who offer Namaz regularly.

Namaz - a tool for self judgment / introspection
 life is combination of action & response to the incidents that we are facing in every seconds in our
life.
 Some incidents are natural and some are unnatural
 For natural incidents we give our action & response according to our past experience & traditions.
( Example : When we feel hungry we take food by right hand)
 For unnatural incidents , we often confuse to give our action & response. ( Example : should I kill
my enemy)
 Islam gives us guideline on this issue by demarcating our action & response as –
1. HALAL (Lawful)– The action or response which will not have any harmful physical & mental
impact on Self , family , Society and Nation
2. HARAM (Unlawful) – The action or response which will have harmful physical & mental impact
on Self , family , Society and Nation
3. FARZ ( Compulsory) – The action or response which is critical or essential for the survival of self,
family , society & nation .
4. SUNNA ( Optional) – The action or response which are followed from tradition or culture and not
considered as critical or essential for the survival of self, family, society & nation but the action or
responses are preferred.
 Namaz help us to develop these action & response within our self by nurturing the capability of
determination, confession, discipline (Self control & Time management)

Namaz - a path to control state of mind through spiritualism
 Allah is the creator of this universe and has created everything in the universe
 Earth is the Garden of Allah where He sends His creation with a define period of time for
keeping his garden immortal & beautiful.
 His creations are two types – non living and living and Allah has bestowed His rules (Rule of
nature) to all His creations for their survival.
 Non living things are bestowed with conservation of mass rules ( self creation and destruction)
for their survival.
 Living things are bestowed with basic instinct (reproduction, self protection & growth) for their
survival.
 Among His creations, human is the most sophisticated one, because He blessed human with
extraordinary memory power which makes them capable to remember very precisely the past
experience (Fear) and to imagine the future events (Happiness). Allah has done this only to
utilize human as the care taker of His garden .
 But, when basic instinct (Sex, Hunger & self protection) combines with fear (past experience)
& happiness (future imagination) – it generates three types of mental states – madness,
sadness & gladness.
 Extreme condition of these three states of mind always causes disharmony in individual /
family / society / nation which may threat to the survival of the entire creation of Allah
 These three state of minds needs to be maintained at moderate level focusing towards
positive direction which is required for the protection of Gods garden remembering that Allah
bless those who protects His creation and punish those who destroys His creation.
 Hence Namaz is path to bring harmony by controlling the sate of mind through spiritualism i.e.
acceptance of existence of Allah and his creation.

Namaz - for paying respect to the prophets
 Allah being invisible & omnipresent, can not directly spell out His divine verdict to the humane
race
 Thus Allah chooses some individuals among us to spell out His divine verdict to the humane race
so that His creation can be protected. They are known as the messenger of GOD or prophets .
 Prophets are those who - a) Receives the divine verdicts from Allah, b) Explore, experiment and
exercise the verdict of Allah, c) And spread the verdict of Allah in order to enhance the surviving
skill of individual, family, society & nation through harmony, equality and protecting the creation
of Allah.
 Since the existence of human race, thousands of Prophets in various fields
(Mathematics & science, Politics , Religions , Social science, Law & Justice Economics, etc) have
come to the earth and empowered the human race with the knowledge of surviving skill through
harmony, equality and protecting the creation of Allah.
 Among those, Prophet Muhammad is considered as the best , since He is first and last prophet on
the earth who had spread the verdict of Allah in complete form (Politics , Religions , Social
science, Law & Justice, Economics etc)
 Therefore we must owe to those prophets who have empowered us with knowledge of surviving
skill. But Prophet Muhammad is always at the top of the list. During Namaz, we recite Darood to
pay our respect to the prophets by paying respect to the best Prophet Muhammad.

Namaz - An act of patriotism
 Most of the Muslim beliefs that Arabia is their Home land and Arabic culture & customs are the
Islamic faith . But it is not true
 Islam is a faith – a spiritualistic view on life. Five fundamentals of Islam ( Kalma, Namaz, Roza,
Zakat & Hajj) can be practice anywhere on the earth irrespective of geographical location, cultural
diversity and different customs. That’s why Islam is a universal religion.
 Whereas Arabic culture & customs are the living style which depends on geographical conditions
and tradition of the society and therefore it may not be applicable universally.
 Since Prophet was born in Arabia and Islam was spread by the Arab rulers, they used to project
Arabic culture & custom as Islam in order to achieve their political goal and further extending of
their kingdom. As a result of this propaganda over 1000 years, Islam has become synonymous to
Arabic culture & custom.
 But as per the Islamic history , earlier Muslim were migratory and there was no particular
homeland for them. Wherever they settled , it became their Home land irrespective their
geographic location, culture & custom.
 Since the place of settlement used to provide them land for shelter, place of worship, cultivation,
job opportunity etc, it was the order of Allah to pays respect to their homeland by touching
forehead on the ground (SAJDHA position) while offering Namaz.
 Thus Namaz makes every Muslim patriot – wherever they lived, because they have to pay respect
to their Home land five times per day while offering Namaz and also as per the Islamic law, every
Muslim have to donate their body after death to their Home land for making it fertile. ( Is their
any religion on the earth which practices patriotism like Islam?)

Namaz - a conversation with Allah
 During Namaz we recite Dua Tashahhud. This Dua is a conversation between prophet
Muhammad & Allah.
 When we recite this Dua, we feel as if we are engaging our self in conversation with Allah – the
creator , protector & destroyer of this universe.
 This feeling enlighten our mind , soul and body with positive effects.
 Enlightenment with positive effects five times per day , prevents us from the influence of SATAN
who always try to distract from the rightful path.
Namaz – for seeking forgiveness
 After finishing prayer, we sit down and raise our hand ( Monazat position) for seeking forgiveness
by reciting Dua and appeal to Allah for accepting the prayer (Namaz).
 At Monazat position, we spread our palm before our eyes only to remember that like our fingers,
all our day to days activates are not equally good. Some are good & some are bad. We ask
forgiveness for our bad deeds and appeal Allah to accept our Namaz.
 Allah shall accept the Namaz if certain conditions are full filled.

Preconditions for the acceptance of Namaz
Allah shall not accept Namaz if it is performed under the following conditions.
1. Impatience : If Namaz is perform in hasty without any peace of mind (Mind
full with fear, anger, revenge etc.)
2. Negative mindset about Allah : If Namaz is performed thinking that Allah
shall never response to his / her Duas
3. Sinful or haraam ( unlawful) Acts : If Namaz is performed after committing
sinful act, consuming prohibited food and wearing unethical dress.
4. Asking for something sinful : If Namaz it is performed to seek blessing of
Allah for carrying out any sinful acts.
5. Cutting ties of kinship: If Namz is performed after breaking the family ties
(Between brothers & sisters, Parents & children, Husband & wife, In-laws
etc)
6. Making conditional : If Namaz is performed in lieu of fulfilling certain
personal desire .

Farz (Compulsory)
The Farz means compulsory, if any position ,action and recitation which
are Farz in Namaz is missed, Namaz has to be performed again.
Wajibaat (Essential)
The Wajibaat means essential. if any position ,action and recitation
which are Wajib in namaz is missed , two extra sajdahs (Sajdah Sahw)
have to be performed. If it is also missed or forgotten, Namaz has to be
repeated .
Sunnah (Preferred)
The Sunnah means not compulsory but better if it is performed. if any
position ,action and recitation which are Sunnah in Namaz is missed,
Namaz is still valid.

1. Namaz is an appeal to Allah for seeking His forgiveness .
2. In real life , if we want to put forward any appeal to the sanctioning authority – it
has to be written ( using pen and paper) in a particular format that consist of -
Address of the sanctioning authority , Subject , Intention and request .
3. Similarly , Namaz being an appeal to Allah (The sanctioning authority ) it is also
presented in a particulate format.
4. This format has to be filled up at the beginning of the Namaz - This is known as
NEEYAT .
5. Similar to the use of pen & paper for real life appeal – Physical cleanliness , wuzu ,
Dress code, Namaz mat are essential for Namaz ,
6. The intension is made in the following manner :
I intend to pray <2 or 3 or 4> rakat <Farz or Witr wajib or Sunnat or Nafl or juma>
namaz-e-<fajr or zohar or asr or maghrib or isha> for Allah, facing towards the Ka’abah
Add the phrase “behind the imam” if you are praying in a congregation (collective
prayer behind the imam)
Starting of Namaz - NEEYAT (Intension )

Position : Takbeer-e-Tahreema ( Wajib)
Action ( Sunnah)
Raise both hands and
touch your ear lobes from
behind with your thumbs.

Position : Qiyaam ( Farz)
Action ( Farz)
After Takbeer-e-
Tahreema place your
left hand on the navel,
then hold the wrist of
the left arm with the
thumb & little finger of
the right hand. Keep
the remaining three
fingers of the right hand
straight on the left arm.
Keep looking at the
place of Sajdah

To whom I am offering this prayer – is he a human being or deity ? This sura says
– No , Namaz is being offered neither to any human being nor deity but only to
Allah because He is the supreme power and therefore no God & Goddess are
worthy of worship except Allah.
“Subhána-kalláh-hum-ma wa bi-hamdika, watabárakas-muka
wata'álá jadduka, wa-láa iláha ghaíruk”
Meaning : O Allah, Glorified, praise-worthy. and blessed is Thy Name and exalted Thy
Majesty. and there is no deity worthy of worship except You.
*******
The negative mind - know as Satan in the Quranic parlance, exists within me
always instigate negative thoughts (Sadness, Introvert, Negative approach)
unethical desires (Perverted sex, Addiction, Cheating ) and destructive attitudes
(Anger , Revenge, Lies) which are bound to destroy my health and social
reputation in long run. I urge Allah through this sura to take me under His fold
so that I can defeat the Satan existing within me.
“A’ú-dhu-bil-lá-hi minashaitánir rajím. Bismiláhir rahmánir rahím”
Meaning : I seek refuge in Allah from the rejected Satan. In the Name of Allah, the
most Beneficent, the most Merciful
SANA

There are two paths before me – right path & wrong Path. The path which bring
the prosperity , unity & progress in social and spiritual life is the right path and
the path which destroy the prosperity , unity & progress in social and spiritual life
is the wrong path. Through this sura I ask almighty Allah to guide me always to
the direction of right path.
“Alhamdu lil-láhi rab-bil 'álamín. Ar-rahmá-nir rahím. Máliki yau-mid-
dín. iyyá-ka n'abudu wa-iyyáka nasta'ín. Ihdi-nas-sirá-tal mustaqím.
Sirá tal-ladhína an-'amta 'alaíhim. Ghair-il maghdubi 'alaíhim. Walad-
dál-lin (amin)”
Meaning : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful Master
of the Day of Judgment Thee alone we worship and to thee alone we turn for help.
Guide us in the straight path. The path of those whom You favored. Not of those who
have earned Your anger nor of those who have gone astray.
Surah Fateha

Who is Allah – is he a human beings ( God man / Prophet Having offsprings) ,
Deity ( God & Goddess created by somebody) or natural object (Sun, moon,
stone etc created by nature) ? This sura says Allah is neither human being, nor
deity or natural object. He is one and present everywhere in the universe . None
is equal to him.
“Qul huwallahu Ahad , Allahus Samad , Lam yalid walam yulad
Walam yakullahu kufuwan ahad”.
Meaning : Proclaim (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him),
“He is Allah, He is One.” “Allah is the Un-wanting.” (Perfect, does not require
anything) “He has no offspring, nor is He born from anything.” “And there is none
equal to Him.”
Surah Ikhlas

Position : Rukoo ( Farz)
Action ( Farz)
After qiyaam bend
down at the waist,
place palms of the
hands on the
knees. Spread the
fingers and hold the
knees firmly. Back
should be parallel
to the ground, such
that if a glass of
water were on the
back, it would not
spill. Eyes looking
down, between the
big toes of the feet.

Position : Qaumah (Sunnah)
Recitation (Sunnah)
When standing up straight in
qaumah “Rabana wa lakal
hamd “ (Our Lord, praise be to
You)
Recitation (Sunnah)
While getting up from rukoo
“Sami-Allaho liman hamidah”
(Allah hears those who praise
Him)
Action (Sunnah)
After the rukoo return to
standing position
(qaumah) arms at side,
looking at the place of
sajdah.

Position : Sajdah (Farz)
Action
First, knees should touch
the ground, then hands,
then nose and then
forehead. The abdomen
should not touch the
thighs and the arms not
touch the armpits. The
fingers of the hand and
toes should be pointing
to the Qibla.
Recitation (Sunnah)
When Go down to Sajdah
” Allahu Akbar”,
Recitation (Sunnah)
In sajdah position “Subhana
Rabbiyal- Ala” (Glory be to my
Creator, The Highest)

Position : Jalsa (Wajib)
Action (Sunnah)
rise from Sajdah, and
assume the sitting
posture
Recitation (Sunnah)
When rising up from
Sajdah : Allahu Akbar”,

Action
then nose and then
to the Qibla.
Recitation (Sunnah)
: Allahu Akbar”,
Recitation (Sunnah)
In sajdah position : Subhana Rabbiyal- Ala
(Glory be to my Creator, The Highest)
End of first rakat

Position : Qaumah (Sunnah)
Recitation (Sunnah)
When standing up straight in
qaumah : Rabana wa lakal
hamd (Our Lord, praise be to
You)
Recitation (Sunnah)
While getting up from rukoo :
Sami-Allaho liman hamidah
(Allah hears those who praise
Him)
Action (Sunnah)
After the rukoo return to
standing position
(qaumah) arms at side,
looking at the place of
sajdah.

Action
then nose and then
to the Qibla.
Recitation (Sunnah)
: Allahu Akbar”,
Recitation (Sunnah)
In sajdah position : Subhana
Rabbiyal- Ala (Glory be to my
Creator, The Highest)

Action
then nose and then
to the Qibla.
Recitation (Sunnah)
: Allahu Akbar”,
Recitation (Sunnah)
In sajdah position : Subhana Rabbiyal- Ala
(Glory be to my Creator, The Highest)

Position : Qa’adah Akhira (Farz)
Recitation (Wajib)
1. Tashahhud (Wajib)
2. Darood-e-Ebrahim (Sunnah)
3. Dua-e-Masurah (Sunnah)

“At-tahiyyatu Lillahi was-Salawatu wat-
Tayyibaatu As-salaamu 'alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu
Wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu Was-salamu
'alayna wa 'ala ibadillahis-Saliheen As-shadu an
la ilaha illallhu Wa as-shadu anna Muhammadan
'abduhu wa Rasooluhu”
Tashahhud

Tashahhud is not a quanic verse. It is dua in the form of conversation between the prophet
& Allah that had taken place during the Mi‘raj in the company of the angel Jibreel .
On their journey to Sidrat al-Muntaha (the most remote lote tree), Jibreel stopped at some
place and requested prophet to go forward alone . Prophet Muhammad went on to Sidrat
al-Muntaha and drew close to it, then he said addressing to Allah :
“At-tahiyyatu Lillahi wa’s-salawatu wa’t-tayyibat” (All compliments, prayers and pure
words are due to Allah).
In response of prophet, Allah replied:
“Al-salamu ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakatuhu” (Peace be
upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings).”
Then Prophet again replied addressing to Allah :
“As-salamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibad-Illah is-saliheen”.(Peace be upon us, and on the
righteous slaves of Allah).”
On observing the dialog between prophet & Allah , the angels Jibreel who are close to Allah
- said:
“Ash-hadu an la ilaha ill-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasoo-Allah”
(I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah).”
History behind the duaTashahhud

What is Darood or Darood shariff
It is a special prayer which we make to Allah the Almighty to Bless his Prophets. It
is known in various name such as Darood / Darood Shariff” - in Persian , “Salawat”
- in Arabic and “Salawat-o-Salaam” - in Urdu . It is mentioned in HADITH as well
as in the QURAN and recited in the form of Wazifa.
Darood-e-Ebrahim
”Allahumma salli 'ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin Kama
Sallayta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima Innaka Hamidun majid Allahumma
barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin Kama Barkata 'ala Ibrahima
wa 'ala ali Ibrahima Innaka Hamidun Majid “
Meaning : 0 Allah! send mercy on Muhammad(pbuh) and his family as You sent
mercy on Ebrahim and his family Truly You are the Praise worthy and Glorious 0
Allah, bless Muhammad and his family as You blessed Ebrahim and his family
Truly You are the Praise worthy and Glorious

Position : Salaam (Wajib)
Recitation
As-salaam alaikum wa
rahmatullah
(Peace and Blessings of Allah be
upon you)
Action : Bend the
head down
towards the chest,
and turn
slowly to the full
right. The eyes
should glance
back over the
right shoulder,:
Recitation
As-salaam alaikum wa
rahmatullah
(Peace and Blessings of Allah be
upon you)

What is Dua
It is the recitations to call on Allah for seeking His forgiveness and forwarding
this Namaz for His acceptance, guidance & blessings. In Arabic Dua means
Invocation - is an act of supplication. The term is derived from an Arabic word
meaning to 'call out' or to 'summon‘ and Muslim regard this as a profound
act of worship. The prophet is reported to have said "Dua is the very essence
of worship.
Allah shall not accept Namaz if it is performed under the following conditions.
1. Impatience : Namaz is is perform in hasty without any peace of mind (Mind full with fear, anger,
revenge etc.)
2. If worshipper thinks Dua will not be answered: Namaz is performed thinking that Allah shall
never response to his / her Duas
3. Sinful or haraam ( unlawful) Acts : Namaz is performed after committing sinful act, consuming
prohibited food and wearing unethical dress.
4. Asking for something sinful : Namaz it is performed to seek blessing of Allah for carrying out any
sinful acts.
5. Cutting ties of kinship: Namz is performed after breaking the family ties (Between brothers &
sisters, Parents & children, Husband & wife, In-laws etc)
6. Making conditional : Namaz is performed in lieu of fulfilling certain personal desire .
Preconditions for the acceptance of Namaz

Dua-e-Masurah
“Allahuma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kaseer-an wala yaghfiruz-zunooba illa
anta faghfirli maghfiratam min 'indika warhamni, innaka antal ghafoor-ur
rahim”.
Meaning : ‘O Allah I have been extremely unjust to myself and none grants forgiveness
against sins but You, forgive me, with the forgiveness that comes from You and have
Mercy, upon me. Verily You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.’
Ending of Namaz - Dua

Rabbij'alnee muqeemas salaati wa mindhurriy yatee rab-banaa watha qab-bal
du'a, rab-ba nagh-firlee wali waaliday-ya wa lil mu-mineena yawma yaqumul
hisaab.
Oh Lord, make me and my children keep up prayers, Our Lord, accept our prayer,
Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and all the Believers on the Day of Judgment.
Rabbana Aatina Fid Duniya Hasanataw Wafil Aakhirati Hasanataw Wa Qina
Adhaaban Naar
"Our Lord, grant us the good of this world and that of the Hereafter and save us
from the torture of hell.”
Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran wa la ya'ghfirudh dhunuuba
illa anta fa'ghfir li ma'ghfiratan min ‘indika warhamni innaka antal ‘ghafurur
rahim.
"O Allah, I have greatly wronged myself and You alone can forgive sins, so grant
me forgiveness from you and have mercy on me. You are the forgiving and Merciful
One.
Other Dua

Dua Qunoot (to be recited in the last rakat of the Witr Prayer)
“Allah humma inna nast'eenuka wa nastaghfiruka wa nu'minu bika wa
nathawak-kalu 'alayka wa nuthne 'alayk-al khayr. Wa nashkuruka wa laaa
nakfuruka wa nakhla'u wa nathruku mayy yafjuruka. Allah humma iyyaka
na'budu wa laka nusal-lee wa nasjudu wa ilayka nas'aa wa nahfidu wa narju
rahmataka wa nakhsha 'adhaabaka inna 'adhaabaka bil kuf-faari mulhiq”
Meaning : Oh Allah, we ask you for help and seek your forgiveness, and we believe in You
and have trust in You, and we praise you in the best way and we thank You and we are not
ungrateful to you, and we forsake and turn away from the one who disobeys you. O Allah,
we worship You only and pray to You and prostrate ourselves before You, and we run
towards You and serve You, and we hope to receive your mercy, and we fear your
punishment. Surely, the disbelievers will receive your punishment.

Thank You
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Islamic prayer namaz

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