- Method of How to Pray Salaah

The method of praying Salaah is as follows;

a) With Wudhu, face towards the Qibla and stand so that there is a gap of four fingers between your feet.

b) Take each hand to each ear and touch the lobes of the ears with the thumbs and leave the rest of the fingers in their normal state, don't join them together or spread them apart.

c) Face the palms of the hands towards the Qibla and your sight is to look at the Sajda.

d) Then make a firm intention in your heart as to which Salaah you are praying and while saying 'Allahu Akbar' lower your hands and join them below the naval.

e) The way to join the hands is to have the palm of the right hand on top of the back of the left hand wrist, keep the middle three fingers straight and circle the left wrist with the thumb and the little finger firmly grasping the hand.

f) Then pray 'Thana' meaning "Subhanakallah Humma Wa Bihamdika Wa Tabarakasmuka Wa Ta'ala Jadduka Wa Laa ila'ha Ghairuk".

g) Then pray Ta'awwuz meaning "A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaitaanir Rajeem" and then pray Tasmee'a meaning "Bismillahir rahmanir Raheem" .

h) Then pray the whole of the 'Alhamdu' Surah and say 'Aameen' quietly.

i) After this, pray any Surah or three ayats or one ayat that is equivalent to three small ayats.

j) Then whilst saying Allahu Akbar go into the Ruku. Grasp the knees with the hands and spread your fingers over the knees. Keep your back straight and your head level with your back and make sure that you are not too far up or kneeling to low down and keep your sight on your feet and pray at least three times "Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem'

k) and then pray this whilst standing up 'Sami 'Allahu Liman Hamidah' and if you are praying Salaah alone then also say 'Allahumma Rabbana Walakal Hamd'

l) and then while saying Allahu Akbar go into the Sajda. The way to do this is to first put your knees on the ground, then put your hands at the side of the place where your are going to put your head and then place your head by first placing your nose on the ground and then your forehead and then press hard on your nose. Look towards your nose and keep your elbows up so that they don't touch the ground and leave a gap between your armpits and make sure that there is a gap between your thighs and your stomach. Place all your toes so that their tips are pointing towards the Qibla and their bases are flat on the ground. Keep your hands flat and have your fingers pointing towards the Qibla. Then pray at least three times 'Subhana Rabbiyal 'A'ala'.

m) Then lift your head up while saying Allahu Akbar with first lifting your forehead then your nose then your face and then your hands.

n) Keep your right foot upright and lay your left foot flat and sit on it firmly. Place your hands on your knees with the finger tips pointing towards the Qibla and the palm of your hands flat near your knees and the base of the fingertips laid flat at the end of your kneecaps.

o) Then whilst saying 'Allahu Akbar' go back into the Sajda and this is done in the same way as the first one.

p) Then stand up by placing your hands on your knees and putting pressure on your knees and legs stand upright, don't put your hands on the ground to assist you to stand up.

q) Now pray only 'Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem' and then Alhamdu and another Surah and as before perform Ruku and Sajda, and when getting up from the second Sajda leave your right foot upright and lay your left foot flat and sit upright.

r) And pray 'Attahiyyaatu Lillahi Was Salawatu Wattayyibatu Assalamu 'Alaika Ayyuhannabiyu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Assalamu 'Alaina Wa'ala' 'Ibadillahis Saliheen. Ash-hadu Alla ilaha illallahu Wa Ash-hadu Anna Muhammadan 'Abduhu Wa Rasooluh' , This is known as Tashahhud. When you are reaching La'Ilaha make a circle in your right hand by joining the thumb with the middle finger and curl the small and it's adjacent finger with the middle finger and on the word La lift your index finger but don't move side to side and when you reach 'illallahu' straighten your hand back to normal.

s) Now if you have more than two Rakats to pray then stand back up and pray more Rakats, but for a Fardh Salaah there is no need to join another Surah after Alhamdu and then continue and when you reach your last Qaidah (sitting position) pray Tashahhud and then pray the Durood called Durood-e-Ibrahim 'Allahumma Salli 'Ala Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa'ala'Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin Kama Sallayta 'Ala Sayyidina Ibraheema Wa 'Ala Aali Sayyidina Ibraheema Innaka Hameedum Majeed - Allahumma Baarik 'Ala Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa'Ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin Kama Baarakta 'Ala Sayyidina Ibraheem Wa 'Ala Aali Sayyidina Ibraheema Innaka Hameedum Majeed'

t) After this pray 'Allahumagh Firli Wali Wali Dayya Wal Ustaadi Wal Jamee'il Mu'mineena Wal Mu'meenat Wal Muslimeena Wal Muslimat Al 'Ahyai Minhum Wal Amwaati Innaka Mujeebud Da'waat Birahmatika Ya Arhamarrahimeen'

u) or pray another Dua-e-Ma'soor or pray 'Allahumma Rabbana Aatina Fid Duniya Hasanataw Wafil Aakhirati Hasanataw Wa Qina Adhaaban Naar' Make sure you pray this by starting it with 'Allahumma'

v) And then turn your head towards your right shoulder and say 'Assalamu 'Alaikum Warahmatullah' and then turn your head towards your left shoulder and repeat the same words again.

w) The Salaah has now finished, so raise both your hands and pray any Dua for example 'Allahumma Rabbana Aatina Fid Duniya Hasanataw Wafil Akhirati Hasanataw Wa Qina Adhaaban Naar' then rub your hands over your face.

x) This is the method for an Imam or a male praying Salaah on their own. If however, you are a Muqtadee meaning praying in congregation (Jamaat) and behind an Imam then don't perform Qiraayat meaning don't pray 'Alhamdu' or a Surah, whether the Imam is praying loudly or quietly. Qiraayat is not allowed in any Salaah if it is being prayed behind an Imam. 

Sister's Salaah

a) If the Namazee is a female then at the Takbeer-e-Tahrima she should lift her hands only upto her shoulders and then place her left hand on her chest and the right hand on top of it.

b) When performing Ruku she should only bend a little so that her hands reach her knees and she should not put pressure on her knees and keep her fingers tightly together and not to straighten her back like males.

c) When performing Sajda she should crawl up and perform Sajda so that the arms are joined with the sides, her stomach is joined with her thighs and her thighs are crawled up with her shins and her feet are pointing outwards and are flat.

d) In Qaidah she should have both her feet pointing outwards towards the right and are flat. She should sit on her left buttock and keep her hands in the middle of her thighs.

1)  Order of Fardh, Wajib, Sunnah and Mustahhab

2) In the above method some actions are Fardh (obligatory) and therefore without performing these the Salaah will not count. Some actions are Wajib (necessary) and therefore to deliberately miss them is a sin and it would be necessary (Wajib) to repeat the Salaah and if they are missed by mistake then a 'Sajda-e-Sahoo' would have to be performed at the end. Some are Sunnah-e-Maukida and therefore to make a habit of missing them is a sin and some are Mustahhab and therefore to perform will gain rewards and to miss will not be a sin.