My Prayer learning

Allah, Most High He is, said:

{Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. • No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims."} [Holy Qur’an, 6:162-163].

To all my Muslim brothers and Muslim sisters, specifically those who recently embraced Islam, I present this book, simplifying the teachings of the prophet (may Allah exalt his mention) in regards to the best deed a Muslim can do; in regards to the backbone of Islam, so one’s prayer may be correct, just as it was performed by our beloved prophet, may Allah exalt his mention and that of his household and his companions, whom Allah ordered us to follow, enjoined us to obey, bonding such to our happiness in this life and the hereafter.

Prayer is the second of the five pillars of Islam, as mentioned in a hadeeth narrated by Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with both him and his father), and mentioned in both the books of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, that the Prophet (may Allah exalt his mention) said, ‘Islam is based on [the following] five [principles]: To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle; to offer the [compulsory congregational] prayers dutifully and perfectly; to pay Zakat [i.e. obligatory charity]; to perform Hajj [i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca]; and to observe fast during the month of Ramadan.’

Allah, Most Exalted and High He is, decreed it upon His Muslim servants during the Night of Israa and Mi‘raj (i.e. the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension), which occurred before the prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah – may Allah exalt his mention. Prayer is considered the hub of all ritual worship because it incorporates many forms of worship, such as glorifying the Names of Allah, reciting Qur’an, bowing, prostrating, invocating, takbeer (i.e. saying ‘Allah Akbar’) and zikr.

The five obligatory prayers are: the dawn prayer, the noon prayer, the afternoon prayer, the sunset prayer, and the evening prayer. The dawn prayer consists of two units (i.e. rak‘ah), noon prayer consists of four rak‘ahs, likewise is the afternoon prayer, while the sunset prayer consists of three rak‘ah and the evening prayer consists of four rak‘ahs.

And in Allah we put our trust.