Where does prayer begin? Obligatory prayers: features and order of performance by men. In what situations is it not necessary to make up for missed prayers?

Performing namaz is one of the obligatory pillars of the Islamic religion. It must be followed by every true believer. Prayer frees the mind, calms the soul and purifies the consciousness. Namaz is a five-fold prayer that helps Muslims turn to God and cope with difficult situations. But in order to read namaz correctly, it is necessary to follow certain rules and perform namaz at certain times of the day and night.

Times and names of prayers

Each prayer includes several rak'ahs, sequences of actions. They consist of reading certain surahs of the Koran in a standing position and two types of bows: to the waist and to the ground.

Morning prayer is called Fajr and consists of 2 rak'ahs. It is performed from the moment the first signs of dawn appear until the final sunrise. The prayer stops as soon as the sun completely leaves the horizon.
Lunch – Zuhr – 4 rakats. Starts a couple of minutes after noon.
Afternoon - Asr - 4 rak'ahs. It takes place a few hours before sunset. It is fundamentally necessary to finish praying before the sun begins to disappear below the horizon.
Evening - Maghrib - 3 rak'ahs. It is performed immediately after the sun has set, but before the evening glow has disappeared.
Night – Isha – 4 rak’ahs. Done late in the evening. The time for prayer is until dawn. However, it is better not to delay and perform the prayer on time.

In addition to the basic actions, there are desirable prayers for which Allah will reward believers. For beginners, of course, to begin with, it is enough to learn the main part of the ritual and get used to a regular schedule of five times prayer. But after it becomes a habit, it is advisable to add the rest of the sunnat prayers.

Preparation for prayer

Before you start praying, you need to:

Cleanse the body: perform small ablution, wudu. If necessary, the believer must make ghusl.
Wear clean and neat clothing: Muslim women must cover their awrah, but they may not cover their face, feet or hands. In this case, the hair should be hidden under clothing. Men do not need to cover their heads.
Observe the timing of a particular prayer.
Turn towards the qibla, the shrine of the Kaaba, which is located in Saudi Arabia, Mecca.
Bed prayer mat, a clean towel or sheet.
Get into a pose. Women should stand straight, legs together, and arms along the body. Men should place their feet shoulder-width apart, lower their arms freely, and look down in front of them.
Mentally express the intention in your heart to read the prayer. Every Muslim must begin such an important task with sincerity and respect and approach with full responsibility the intention of performing namaz for the pleasure of the Almighty God.

Once all of the above points have been completed, the believer can begin prayer.

How to read namaz correctly

If the intention is pronounced silently, then everything else - the introductory takbir, dua, suras of the Koran - is spoken out loud. Not necessarily in a full voice, perhaps in a whisper, because the situation is not always conducive to complete unity.

From the position in which you are standing, raise your palms to your shoulders and say out loud the expression “Allahu Akbar!” This will be the opening takbir. Watch the aura: the sleeves should not fall down. Otherwise, the prayer will not be performed.
Cross your arms at chest level. Right palm place on top. Read Surah Al-Fatihah.
Bow at the waist. Remember, men should bow lower than women and look down at their feet. Place your hands on your knees, but do not clasp them.
Return to the starting position.
Make a prostration and simultaneously say the phrase “Allahu Akbar.” To do this, kneel down, then lean on your palms and elbows and touch the ground with your nose and forehead. As you do this, press your toes into the ground.
With the same words, go to a sitting position and say the phrase “Subhanallah.”
Prostrate again and at the same time say the phrase “Allahu Akbar.”
Return to the starting position to make the second rak'ah.

Start, as at the very beginning, by reading Surah Al-Fahita. You can choose the words of dhikr, read some small surah.
Now bow to the waist and to the ground, as you did during the first rak'ah.
Sit down on your feet so that your palms are on your knees and both legs are turned out right side. This way you will sit not on your feet, but on the floor. In this position, recite the dua Attahiyat. Afterwards, if you are performing Fajr prayer, say the end of the prayer.

If you are reading a prayer that consists of three or four rakats, then after the dua, change your position: get up, stand straight and do the next rakats. Then Muslims can turn to Allah Almighty in free form in any language with prayers and requests for personal matters. The Lord will definitely hear you after prayer and help you.

Prayer is one of the obligatory acts for a Muslim, which is designated as “fard”. Correct prayer is the key to success for a Muslim. You can read about how to read namaz correctly on our website. We read the prayer correctly with Namaz-time.

So, the main thing where you should start performing namaz is ritual ablution - taharat. After this, determine which direction the Kaaba is located and spread the prayer rug in this direction. Following mandatory action praying - pronouncing the intention to perform prayer. The intention is formulated as follows:

“I intended to perform 2 rakats of additional (sunnah) morning prayer, sincerely for the sake of Allah.” The number of rakats and the name of the prayer in this sentence are replaced depending on what kind of prayer you are going to read.

Reading the prayer correctly: the order of bowing

Takbir. During takbir, we raise our hands and say the words of takbir “Allah Akbar!” (Allah is great!). In this case, men touch their earlobes on the back side with their thumbs, and women raise their arms to shoulder level.
Sana. After this, men lower their hands below the navel and stack them on top of each other so that the right one remains on top. Women do the same, but their hands remain at chest level. The following reads: “Subhanaka-llahumma wa-bi-hamdika wa-tabaraka-smuka wa-tagala Hadduka wa-la ilaha gairuk” . (Glory to You, O Allah, and praise to You, blessed be Your Name, and exalted is Your presence, and there is no god but You. Aguzu bi-llahi mina-sh-shaitani-r-rahim. (I seek refuge in Allah from the shaitan, stoned).
Next, read Surah Al-Fatihah. “Bi-smi-llahi-r-rahmani-r-rahim Al-hamdu li-llahi rabbi-l-galamine. Ar-rahmani-r-rahim. Maliki yawmi-d-din. Iyyaka nagbudu wa yyyaka nastagin. Ikhdina-s-sirata-l-mustakim. Sirata-lazina 'an'amta 'alaihim gairi-l-magdubi 'alaihim wa-la-d-dallin' . (Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Gracious, the Merciful, the King on the Day of Judgment. We worship You and ask You to help, lead us along the straight road, along the path of those whom You have blessed - not those who are under anger, and not those who are lost ).
After Al-Fatiha, any other surah from the Koran is read. For example, Al-Ikhlas: “Bismi-llahi-r-rahmani-r-rahim. Kul hua-llahu ahad. Allahu s-samad. Lam yalid wa-lam yulad. Wa-lam yakul-lahu kufuvan 'ahad". (Say: “He is Allah, the Eternal, neither begat nor was He begotten, nor was there any equal to Him.”)
Bow from the waist. After pronouncing the takbir “Allah Akbar”, we lean forward and say “Subhana rabbiyya-l-‘aziym” (Glory to my Great Lord) three times.
Having pronounced the takbir “Allah Akbar,” we straighten up and say: “Sami’a-Allahu liman hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him.) “Rabbana laka-l-hamd.” (Our Lord, only praise be to You.)
Again we say the takbir “Allah Akbar” and bow to the ground. First the knees touch the ground, then the hands, and then the forehead and nose. In this position we say “Subhana rabbiyya-l-a‘la!” three times. (Glory to my Supreme Lord).
We say the takbir “Allah Akbar” and come to a sitting position.
We repeat the prostration again.
After pronouncing takbir, we return to the original position, when the hands are connected at the navel level for men and at the chest level for women. (This is how the first rakah ends.)
In the second rakah, all the same actions are repeated with the exception of some:
- one should not read sana and tasavuh;
- after Surah Al-Fatiha, it is advisable to read another Surah from the Koran;
- after the second prostration, it is necessary to read the Tashahud.
We sit down and read the following: “At-tahiyyatu li-llahi wa-s-salawatu wa-t-tayyibat. As-salamu ‘alaika ayyuha-n-nabi, wa-rahmatu-llahi wa-barakatuh. As-salamu ‘alaina wa-‘ala ‘ibadhi-llahi-s-salihin. Ashhadu 'al-la 'ilaha 'illa-llahu wa-ashhadu 'anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa-rasuluh'. (Glorifications, prayers, godly deeds to Allah. O Prophet, peace be upon you, the mercy of Allah and His blessing. Peace and health to us and the righteous servants of Allah. I testify that there is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger) .
If the prayer consists of two rak'ahs, then you should read salawat, ayat-dua and give salam. If the prayer consists of 4 rak'ahs, after tashahhud you should return to 1 rak'ah and repeat everything again.
Salavat: “Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadiv-wa-'ala 'ali Muhammadin kama sallayta 'ala 'Ibrahima wa-'ala 'ali 'Ibrahima, 'innaka hamidum-mahid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadiv-wa-'ala 'ali Muhammadin kama barakta 'ala 'Ibrahima wa-'ala 'ali 'Ibrahima, 'innaka hamidum-mahid.'(Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are Glorious, Praiseworthy and Great. Allah! Show Your generosity to Muhammad and his family, as You bestowed Your generosity on Ibrahim and his family. Verily, You are Glorious , Praised and Great.)
Ayat-dua: “Rabbana 'atina fi-d-dunya hasanatav-va-fi-l-'ahirati hasanatav-va-kina 'azaba-n-nar.” (Our Lord, grant us good in the near life and good in the last and protect us from the punishment of fire).
Salam. Turning our heads to the right we say: As-salamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatu-llah. (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah). We repeat the same thing, turning our head to the left side.
At the end of the prayer we say dua “Allahumma 'anta-s-salaam, wa-minka-s-s-salaam! Tabarakta ya za-l-halali va-l-’ikram!” . (O Allah, You are peace, and peace comes from You, Your grace has increased, O possessor of greatness and honor). You have learned how to perform namaz correctly. Perhaps at the beginning this procedure will seem complicated and unmemorable to you. However, daily practice will help you master a new activity.

(Persian نماز‎) or salat (Arabic: صلاة‎) is a canonical prayer, one of the five pillars of Islam. The prayers of the first Muslims consisted of loudly pronouncing together the formulas of monotheism and the exaltation of Allah. There are no clear instructions in the Koran for performing prayers, although there are many indications of such particulars as prayer times, prayer formulas, certain movements, etc. The entire order of performing prayers developed as an imitation of the prayer postures and movements of the Prophet Muhammad and is enshrined in the memory of the first Muslims. The uniformity of prayer was practiced over almost a century and a half and was recorded in writing by the Hanafi jurist Muhammad al-Shaybani (d. 805).

The words of the Iqamat in the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanifa:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

Ashhadu alla ilaha illa Allah
Ashhadu alla ilaha illa Allah

Ashhadu Anna Muhammadar Rasulu Allah

Hayya ala ssalah
Hayya ala ssalah

Hayyah alaal fallah
Hayyah alaal fallah

Kad Kamati ssalah
Kad Kamati ssalah

Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar

La ilaha illya Allah

I rak'at

1. While standing, express your sincere intention (niyat) to commit namaz:

“For the sake of Allah, I intend to make fard* of this morning namaz A".

Important Notes:
*Fard is obligatory in Islam. Failure to perform fard is considered a sin.

In this case, we give a simplified example of performing the morning namaz a, in which there are 2 cancers (cycles of body movements).

Remember that everyone namaz includes a certain number of cancers of the sunnah (desirable) and fard (obligatory).

Morning - 2 sunnahs, 2 fards
Daytime - 4 sunnahs, 4 fards, 2 sunnahs
Afternoon - 4 fards
Evening - 3 fard, 2 sunnah
Night - 4 fard, 2 sunnah

2. Raise both hands, fingers apart, with palms facing the Qibla, to ear level, touching your thumbs to your earlobes and say takbir iftitah (initial takbir) “Allahu akbar.”

Takbir. The gaze is turned to the place of soot (the place that the head touches when bowing to the ground). The palms are turned towards the Qibla, the thumbs touch the earlobes. Feet are parallel to each other. There is a distance of four fingers between them.

3. Then place your right hand with your palm on left hand clasping the little finger and thumb right hand wrist of your left hand, and lower your folded hands in this way just below your navel and read:

"Suru Fatiha"

"Auzu billahi minashshaytaani r-rajim
Bismillahi r-rahmaani r-rahim
Alhamdu lillahi rabbil 'alamin
Arrahmaani r-rahim
Maaliki Yaumiddin
Iyyakya na´budu wa iyayakya nasta´iin
Ikhdina s-syraatal mystakyim
Syraatallyazina an'amta aleikhim
Gairil Magdubi Aleikhim Valad-Doolliin..."
Aamin!.. (Pronounced to oneself)

But you, as a beginner performing your first prayers in your life, can limit yourself to only reading Surah Fatiha.

Qiyam. The gaze is turned to the place of soot. Hands folded on the stomach, just below the navel. Thumb and the little finger of the right hand clasp the wrists of the left hand. Feet are parallel to each other. There is a distance of four fingers between them.

4. With your hands down, say: “Allahu Akbar” and perform the hand" ( bow from the waist).

Hand." The gaze is directed to the tips of the toes. The head and back are at the same level, parallel to the surface of the place of prayer. The legs are straightened. The fingers are spread apart and clasp the knees.

5. After the hand, straighten your body to a vertical position.

6. After straightening, with the words “Allahu Akbar”, perform soot. When performing soot, you must first kneel down, then lean on both hands and, only after that, touch the soot with your forehead and nose.

Soot. Head - between hands. The forehead and nose touch the floor. Fingers and toes should point in the direction of the Qibla. The elbows do not touch the carpet and are moved away from the body. The belly does not touch the hips. The heels are closed.

7. After this, with the words “Allahu Akbar,” rise from the soot to a sitting position.

8. After pausing in this position long enough to say “Subhanallah”, with the words “Allahu Akbar”, lower yourself into soot again.

Soot. The head is between the hands. The forehead and nose touch the floor. Fingers and toes should point in the direction of the Qibla. The elbows do not touch the carpet and are moved away from the body. The belly does not touch the hips. The heels are closed.

9. Then, with the words “Allahu Akbar,” stand up to perform the second rak’ata. Hands close in the same place.

II rak'at

First, as in the first rak'at, read Surah "Fatiha", an additional surah, for example "Ikhlas" (although for beginners you can limit yourself to only reading Surah "Fatiha" - see above), perform ruku (upper bow) and soot.

10. After the second sajdah of the second rak'at, sit on your feet and read the prayer (du'a) "Attahiyyat":

"Attahiyaty lillaahi vassalavaty vatayibyatu
Assalaam aleyke ayuhannabiyu wa rahmatyllahi wa baraka'atyh
Assalaam aleyna wa ala ibadillahi s-salihiin
Ashhad alla illaha illallah
Wa ashkhady Anna Muhammadan "abduhu wa rasylyukh"

Attention! When pronouncing the words “la illaha,” the index finger of the right hand rises, and when saying “illa illaha,” it goes down.

Ka´da (sitting). The gaze is turned to the knees. Hands are on your knees, fingers in a free position. Both legs are slightly shifted to the right. You should not sit on left leg, and on the floor.

11. Say the greeting: “Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah” with your head turned first towards the right shoulder and then towards the left

Salam (greeting) to the right side. Hands on knees, fingers in a free position. The foot of the right foot is placed on the carpet at a right angle, the toes are directed towards the Qibla. The head is turned to the right, looking at the shoulder.

We continue the story about performing prayer for beginners. In this article, with the permission of Allah, we will talk about how to perform prayer for a beginner, what violates prayer, and we will answer common questions about prayer

Each prayer consists of a certain amount rak'ats– a set of actions that include reading certain suras Quran standing, making one bow (ruku) and two prostrations (sajdah).

Morning prayer ( Fajr) comprises two rak'ahs,

lunch ( zuhr) - from four,

afternoon ( asr) also from four,

evening prayer Maghrib- from three,

And night prayer isha- from four.

However, in addition to the obligatory part (fard), each prayer also includes a certain amount desired prayers(sunnat), which are not obligatory to perform, however, a reward is also promised for their fulfillment. Beginners, of course, should first accustom themselves to regularly performing the obligatory part of the five prayers, but then they should try to perform sunnat prayers in addition to the main ones.

Also, scholars of the Hanafi madhhab consider it obligatory ( wajib) performing namaz vitr, consisting of three rak'ahs which is performed after the night Isha prayer.

After you have performed ablution and closed the aura, stand on the prayer mat (if you do not have one yet, you can use a clean towel or sheet for this purpose), facing the qibla, and express the intention in your heart ( niyat) perform prayer. During the intention, you need to name the prayer that you are going to perform (obligatory or desirable and its name is Fajr, Zuhr, Asr).

The intention is pronounced mentally, approximately in the following words: “I intend to perform fard (obligatory part) of this morning for the sake of Allah.(For example) Fajr prayer(or name the prayer you are going to perform).

Note: the intention to perform namaz must be pronounced mentally, but the introductory takbir, surahs of the Koran and the necessary duas are pronounced out loud(not necessarily loudly, you can whisper, but so that you can hear yourself, moving your lips and tongue).

1. After expressing your intention, raise your hands with your palms facing outward towards your shoulders and say (out loud!) the phrase “Allahu Akbar!” (this is the so-called introductory takbir) (as shown in the picture). When raising your hands, make sure that your sleeves do not fall down and your aura does not open - this can ruin your prayer!

2. Then fold your hands on your chest (right over left) and read Surah Al-Fatiha

Surah Fatihah (Opening)(approximate transliteration and translation):

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

[Bismillahi r-rahmani r-rahim]

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

الحمد لله رب العالمين
[Al-hamdu lillahirabbil-alamin]

Glory to Allah, Lord of all worlds

الرحمن الرحيم
[ar-rahmanir-rahim]

To the Gracious, the Merciful

مالك يوم الدين
[maliki yaumid-din]

To the Ruler Doomsday

إياك نعبد
[iyyakya nabudu]

We worship you alone

و إياك نستعين

[ua iyyakya nastayyin]

and to You alone we cry for help

اهدنى الصراط المستقيم

[ikhdinas-syratal-mustaqiyim]

Guide us on the righteous path

صراط الذين أنعمت عليهم
[sypatallazina an'amta aleikhim]

the path of those whom You have bestowed with Your blessings

غير المغضوب عليهم
[gairil-magdubi aleihim]

those who have not incurred Your disfavor

و لا الضآلين
[wa yad-doooollin (Amin)]

and those who have not fallen into error. (Amen)

(as mentioned above, for the first time you can limit yourself to pronouncing the phrases “Bismillah”, Alhamdulillah” “La ilaha illallah”).

While reciting surahs, the gaze is directed to the intended place of prostration.

3. Saying the words “Allahu Akbar” make a bow – ruku’. Women do not bow as deeply as men. The gaze is directed to the toes; the hands lie on the knees without clasping them.

4. After performing the hand, straighten up again to a standing position.

5. With the words “Allahu Akbar” bow to the ground (sajdah). To perform it, they first kneel down, then lean on their hands and then touch the surface of the earth with their nose and forehead. The toes (at least two fingers) should touch the ground, the elbows touch the floor and press against the body, and the stomach should be pressed against the thighs.

6. With the words “Allahu Akbar,” rise to a sitting position for a short period of time, which is sufficient to pronounce the phrase “Subhanallah.” Then say “Allahu Akbar” again and make a second prostration.

Here The first rak'ah of prayer ends.

7. With the words “Allahu Akbar”, rise to a vertical position for the second rak’ah of prayer and fold your hands on your chest as described above.

2nd rak'ah:

8. First, as in the first rak'ah, read Surah Al-Fatihah (or say the words of dhikr - remembrance of Allah). Usually in the second rak'ah they also say some kind of short surah, but a beginner can limit himself to only one surah Al-Fatiha. Then perform ruku' and sajdah as described above.

9. After making two prostrations, sit on your feet (as shown in the picture), your hands are on your knees, both legs are shifted to the right side. You should sit not on your left leg, but on the floor. In this position, the dua Attahiyat is pronounced.

Approximate transliteration and translation:

التحيات لله و الصلوات و الطيبات
[At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salayatu uat-tayyibat]

Salutations to Allah, prayers and good deeds.

السلام عليك أيها النبي و رحمة الله و بركاته
[As-salamu alaikya ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatukh]

Peace be upon you, O Prophet, the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

السلام علينا و على عباد الله الصالحين
[As-salamu alaina wa ala ibadillahis-salihin]

Peace be upon us and the true servants of Allah.

أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله و أشهد أن محمدا عبده و رسوله
[Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasulyukh]

I testify that there is no god but Allah
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Attention! When pronouncing the words “La Illaha”, you need to raise the index finger of your right hand, and while pronouncing the words “Illa Allah”, lower it.

11. If you commit morning prayer(fajr) after pronouncing the dua At-Tahiyat, the greeting (taslim) is pronounced at the end of the prayer. With the words “Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,” turn your head towards your right shoulder, and then - with the same words - towards your left.

If you perform a prayer consisting of more than two rak'ahs, then after pronouncing the dua At-Tahiyat (without saying the greeting of the end of the prayer!) you need to rise to a standing position and perform another one (if you are performing Maghrib prayer) or two more rak'ahs (if you perform Zuhr, Asr, Isha prayers). After completing the last (third or fourth rak'ah), sit down again and say the dua At-Tahiyat again, then say the greeting “Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah!”, turning your head first to the right shoulder, then to the left.

After performing the prayer, you can turn to Allah with your personal requests (in any language, not necessarily Arabic).

Note:

In the third and fourth rak'ahs of the obligatory prayer after reading Surah Fatiha, there is no need to read the second sura. If you perform a sunnat prayer consisting of four rak'ahs, then the second surah is pronounced in the third and fourth rak'ahs.

Witr prayer

As mentioned above, Hanafi scholars consider it obligatory to perform Witr prayer: the prayer performed after the night Isha prayer and before the time of Fajr prayer. Witr prayer consists of three rak'ahs. Before committing it, the intention is pronounced approximately as follows: “I intend to perform Witr prayer for the sake of Allah”- it is not indicated whether this is a sunnat or a fard prayer, since there is disagreement among scholars on this issue. In the third rak'ah of this prayer, after reading Surah Al-Fatiha, you need to read a short surah, then say “Allahu Akbar”, raise your hands in the same way as for the opening takbir, then fold them on your chest and say the dua Qunut:

Approximate transliteration:

“Allaahumma Inna Nepaiinuka wa Nakachiaka wa Nakfruk, wa Netuub Ilyaika, wa no’min bikya va Natavakkyal‘ alyaki, wa nusani ‘alyaikal-haira kullyakh, wa yaskurukoya va okfuruku, wa wa-a-alain waverku manuan. Allahumma iyakya na'budu wa lyakya nusalli wa nasjudu, wa ilaikya nas'a va nakhfid, wa narjuu rahmatakya va nakhshaa 'azaabak, inna 'azaabakya bil-kuffaari mulhik.'

“O Allah! We appeal to Your help, ask to lead us along the right path, ask You for forgiveness and repent. We believe and rely on You. We praise You the best way. We thank You and do not deny You. We reject and leave (leave) all those who commit lawlessness. Oh my God! We worship You alone, we pray and bow to the ground before You. We strive and direct ourselves towards You. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment. Verily, Thy punishment befalls the atheists!”

If a person has not yet learned the dua Qunut, you can say the following dua:

“Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan, wa fil-aakhyrati hasanatan wa kynaa ‘azaaban-naar.”

“Our Lord! Give us in this and in future life good, protect us from the torment of Hell."

What actions violate prayer?

1. During prayer, you cannot talk or laugh - moreover, loud laughter (that people standing nearby can hear it) - violates not only prayer, but also ablution. However, smiling (without sound) does not violate the prayer.

2. You cannot make any sounds or sigh. Sneezing or coughing does not break the prayer.

3. You cannot cry for worldly reasons (crying out of fear of Allah is allowed).

4. You cannot perform multiple small actions unnecessarily (adjusting clothes, scratching). Minor actions done for a good reason are forgiven, but care must be taken to keep them to a minimum.

Superfluous actions are defined, according to the strongest opinion, as actions which, if seen at a distance by an observer who does not know that you are praying, would completely convince him that you are NOT praying. If you have doubts, then this is not an unnecessary action - and it does not violate the prayer. Generally, three continuous major actions are considered superfluous (based on Ibn Abidin's Radd al-Mukhtar).

5. A man and a woman cannot perform namaz while standing in the same row (there must be some distance or barrier).

Frequently asked questions about prayer:

Is it possible to perform namaz using a piece of paper or a book? Beginners often perform namaz by looking at a book or piece of paper with a hint. This should be avoided, because in this case it turns out that you are performing many unnecessary actions that make your prayer invalid.

Is it possible to pray during Haida or Nifas? - No, a woman does not perform prayer during menstruation (haid) and postpartum bleeding (nifas). If she does perform namaz at this time, she falls into sin. For the validity of worship, it is very important to learn how to correctly determine the beginning and end of the haida - because if you start praying before your period has ended, such prayers will not be valid, and vice versa, if you do not pray when your period has already ended, it will turn out that you miss prayers without a valid reason. In both cases, you will have to make up for missed prayers later. You can read about Haida here The prayers missed during this time (Haida and Nifasa) do not need to be made up.

Do I need to make up for missed prayers?- Missed prayers - for any reason (except those missed due to menstruation and postpartum bleeding) - must be made up! So if you overslept the morning prayer or were unable to pray at work or school, you definitely need to make up for these prayers later.

If a person did not begin to pray when he came of age(in particular, a woman - not from the moment when her period began), but at a more mature age, do these prayers need to be replenished? – Yes, such prayers must be completed.

How to pray at work or school?– People often say that they are unable to pray at work or at school. These reasons are not considered valid - you should make every effort to find a time and place for prayer.

What if my parents do not allow me to perform namaz?– Unless there is direct violence against you (for example, you are not threatened with death or serious injury - and you must be confident that the threat will actually be carried out!), and this is unlikely in the case of loved ones, you should begin to pray, despite their dissatisfaction. Your family is not at home all day, they are not watching your every move - so choose a time when you are not being paid attention to, find a quiet place in the house and pray. Be patient and firm in your decision - inshaAllah, over time, your family will come to terms with your choice and will even respect you for your strength of character.

Is it possible for women to read namaz in a separate women's jamaat?(not behind a male imam, but choose some knowledgeable sister and perform prayer behind her). Hanafi scholars consider such an action to be makrooh tahrimi (close to forbidden), so one should refrain from this (although the scholars of the Shafi'i madhhab allow this).

Women sometimes ask: Is it possible to pray with a child in your arms? or what to do if, during prayer, a child climbs onto the mother’s back or into her arms (or touches her): In this article you can read a detailed explanation of this issue “Prayer with a child in your arms”
Muslima (Anya) Kobulova

Based on materials from the Darul-Fikr website

Devout Muslims must master the reading of prayer. What about those who barely want to learn this activity? At first, it is possible to start reading namaz as a regular prayer without observing the important rules of this ritual.

Namaz for men

To read the prayer you will need to do the following:

prepare clothes and body for this ritual (namaz is performed only in clean clothes);
memorize the surah, which is called “Al-Fatiha”;
stand while performing namaz facing the direction where Mecca is located.

Namaz for women

It is important for a woman to clarify whether she can perform namaz. In that case, there are no prohibitions for pregnant women. They can read a prayer while sitting and even lying down if the pregnancy is difficult. A woman during her period, postpartum and with gynecological diseases accompanied by bleeding is prohibited from performing the ritual. In these cases, the woman is considered unclean.

Before the ceremony, a woman needs to perform a small ablution of her face, legs to the ankles and arms to the elbows, and also wipe off the nail polish. Women are allowed to perform namaz in the mosque, in a special women's hall, and also at home. The order of reading the prayer is identical for both women and men.

How to learn to do namaz?

Those who have just accepted the Muslim faith will be able to learn how to perform namaz by watching how other Muslims do it. Over time, the process of reading a prayer can be brought to automaticity. If you are learning to read namaz in a mosque, then it is not at all necessary to repeat all the words of the prayer after other Muslims. To do this, just repeat the word “Amen” at the end.

1. You need to stand facing Mecca and repeat all the actions of Surah Al-Fatiha while reading the prayer. It is important to read aloud in order to hear yourself. The letters of the sura must be spoken without the slightest distortion.
2. Those who have already begun to study Surah Al-Fatiha and know at least one surah by heart need to repeat it several times. This is necessary to pronounce the same amount of text as when reading the entire sura aloud.
3. If you have not yet been able to learn and read the sura according to all the rules, then when performing namaz you can read one of the parts borrowed from Holy Quran. In this case, the passage cannot contain less than 156 letters.
4. To perform prayer without knowing Surah Al-Fatihah or parts of the Holy Quran, you can only recite the words used to remember Allah. They are also called dhikrs. Alternatively, you can recite the following dhikrs: “Subhana-llah, wa-l-hamdu-li-llah, wa-la-ilaha illa-llah, wa-llahu Akbar.” Translated, it will sound like this: Allah is omnipotent, there is no god but Him, Praise be to Allah.
5. In case you cannot recite any of the above by heart, you can simply say “Allahu Akbar” 20 times. For those who cannot read anything, you can stand silently for the time it takes to read Surah Al Fatiha.

On average, beginners take from one to two weeks to learn prayer. This time is enough to study Surah Al-Fatihah at a calm pace. Many people have difficulty reading prayer at the initial stage.

There is nothing wrong with the fact that at first you will read only a few dhikr to Allah. With the right approach to studying the surah, within a month you will be reading prayer without hesitation.

The following video will help you learn how to do namaz.