Lesson No 8

HOW TO PERFORM ABLUTION (WUDU)

  Q.                How should one perform the ablution?

Ans.     Find clean water. Sit on a high place. Preferably sit facing Qiblah. (No harm if it is not possible.) Fold up your sleeves over your elbows. Say BISMIL-LAH.  Wash both your hands including wrist-joints three times. Then rinse your mouth three times. Brush your teeth with a MISWAK (tooth-stick). If no MISWAK is available, rub your teeth with your finger, draw up water into your nostrils three times and clean them out with the little finger of your left hand, then wash your face three times. Do not dash water on your face. Instead, run water on your forehead gently and wash the face from your forelocks down to the lower part of the chin extending to your ears. Wash, three times, your right forearm including the elbows, then wash your left forearm in the same manner. Wet your palms with water and pass them over your head, ears and the neck, in that order. Finally, wash, three times, your right foot including the ankles, and then wash your left foot likewise including ankles, in that order.

  HOW TO PERFORM SALAT  

Q.                How should one offer Salat?

  Ans.     Salat should be offered in the following manner:

  Perform the ablution, put on clean clothes, stand erect on a clean place facing Qiblah. Then make Niy-yah (Intention). Raise your hands so as to approach the lobes of your ears. Say Allahu Akbar and fold your hands just below the navel. Put the palm of your right hand on the back of the left one. Do not look sideways, while offering Salat. Stand reverentially, fix your attention on Allah. Recite Thana (Hymn) with folded hands:

   SUBHANA-KALLAHUM-MA WA-BI-HAMDIKA WA-TABARAKA-SMUKA WA-TA ‘ALA JAD-DU-KA WA-LA ILAHA GHAIRUK.

  After THANA recite TA’AW-WUZ (formula seeking the protection of Allah:

A’UZU BIL-LAHI MINASH-SHAITANIR-RAJIM,  and then TASMIYAH

(formula pronouncing the name of Allah):

BISMIL-LAHIR-RAHMANIR-RAHIM

  After this, recite the Holy SURAH AL-FA-TIHAH. On its completion say Amen gently. Then recite either  SURAH AL-IKHLAS  or any other Surah that you know by heart. Now, bow for Ruku’ catch hold of the knees with your hands and say the TASBIH of RUKU’:

SUBHANA RAB-BIYAL’ADHIM  three or five times. After it, stand erect saying TASMI’:

SAMI’AL-LAHU-LI-MAN HAMIDAH

Also say TAHMID: RAB-BANALA-KAL-HAMD

Now, perform Sijdah (prostrate) saying Takbir (AL-LAHU AKBAR), put your knees on the ground. Also place the palms of your hands, then the tip of the nose followed by the forehead on the ground in between your palms thus placed. Now, say the TASBIH of SIJDAH:

 SUBHANA RAB-BI’YAL-ALA__ three or five times. Then rise and sit erect. Then, again go to Sijdah, saying Takbir. Say the Takbir once again and stand up erect and fold your hands as before. While rising, do not rest your palms on the ground. The completion of the second Sijdah marks the completion of one Rak’ah (bowing and kneeling). Recite Tasmiyah, the holy AL-FATIHA and one more Surah, in that order. Perform RUKU’ (bowing), QAUMAH (Standing) and two Sijdahs exacting like the first RAK’AH. Then, rise and sit up. Now Recite the TASHAH-HUD first then the holy DURUD and the holy Invocation (page 22). This being over, say SALAM, first turning your face to the right then to the left. With this, the two Rak’ahs are over.