Everything that happens before Allahu Akbar: the time, the call, purity, dress, the qiblah, and the intention.
Last week, we learned that salah is a private conversation with Allah (SWT).
When you are about to meet someone who matters to you, you get ready first.
Today we get ready for that conversation, step by step, in the order it actually happens.
Islamic Studies · Worship class · about 75 minutes · paper and a pen · wudu practice today
Last class ended with one challenge: before one prayer each day, pause for a few seconds before you say Allahu Akbar, and remember who you are about to speak to. If you were not praying yet, the pause came before one dua.
On your own paper:
Your writing stays with you.
Every prayer starts long before Allahu Akbar. Today we walk through the steps in the order they happen.
After step 3, we will go to the wudu area and practice wudu together, in partners.
For each step, ask yourself: how does this help me arrive at the conversation with Allah (SWT) awake, and not on autopilot?
فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
"And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah (SWT) standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times."
This ayah comes right after the Quran describes how to pray in a time of danger. It ends with a reminder that holds in every situation: prayer comes at specified times. The five are spread across the whole day, from dawn until night.
What would be different if every person could choose their own time to pray?
Why might the first prayer of the day come at dawn, before the day's work begins?
Use your notes from last week. Copy this table onto your paper and fill it in for this month.
| Prayer | Roughly when, this month | What I am usually doing then |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | ||
| Dhuhr | ||
| Asr | ||
| Maghrib | ||
| Isha |
For the last column: before school, the school day, after school, dinner, homework, before bed, or whatever is true for you.
What do you notice about where these five fall in your day? Which one lands at the busiest point of a normal school day?
No notes? Use the masjid's timetable. If an app shows two times for Asr, it is because the schools of fiqh differ on when Asr begins; ask the imam or your family's teacher which to follow. How to pray during the school day is its own lesson later in the course.
Abdullah ibn Zayd (RA) saw these words in a dream. When he told the Prophet (pbuh), the Prophet (pbuh) said it was a true vision, and told him to teach the words to Bilal (RA), whose voice was louder. You met Bilal (RA) last week.
| Arabic | Say it | In English | Said |
|---|---|---|---|
| اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ | Allahu akbar | Allah (SWT) is the Greatest | 4 times |
| أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ | Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah | I bear witness that there is no god but Allah (SWT) | 2 times |
| أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ | Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah | I bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah (SWT) | 2 times |
| حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ | Hayya 'alas-salah | Come to prayer | 2 times |
| حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ | Hayya 'alal-falah | Come to success | 2 times |
| اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ | Allahu akbar | Allah (SWT) is the Greatest | 2 times |
| لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ | La ilaha illallah | There is no god but Allah (SWT) | once |
Abu Mahdhurah (RA) asked the Prophet (pbuh) to teach him the adhan. In that hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) told him:
فَإِنْ كَانَ صَلَاةَ الصُّبْحِ قُلْتَ: الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ، الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ
"If it is the morning prayer, you say: Prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep."
Say it: As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm (2 times)
In this hadith, the line comes after the two hayya 'alal-falah and before the closing Allahu akbar.
The Fajr adhan reaches people while many are still asleep. Why might this line belong to Fajr?
Now that you know what every line means, which line of the adhan stands out to you most?
In this hadith, "then he says" is the muadhin, the one calling the adhan. "And he says" is the person listening.
إِذَا قَالَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُكُمْ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، قَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ،
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "When the muadhin says, 'Allah (SWT) is the Greatest, Allah (SWT) is the Greatest,' and one of you says, 'Allah (SWT) is the Greatest, Allah (SWT) is the Greatest'; then he says, 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah (SWT),' and he says, 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah (SWT)'; then he says, 'I bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah (SWT),' and he says, 'I bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah (SWT)';
So far, what does the person listening do after each line of the adhan?
ثُمَّ قَالَ: حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، قَالَ: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، قَالَ: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، قَالَ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، قَالَ: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، مِنْ قَلْبِهِ، دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
then he says, 'Come to prayer,' and he says, 'There is no might and no power except with Allah (SWT)'; then he says, 'Come to success,' and he says, 'There is no might and no power except with Allah (SWT)'; then he says, 'Allah (SWT) is the Greatest, Allah (SWT) is the Greatest,' and he says, 'Allah (SWT) is the Greatest, Allah (SWT) is the Greatest'; then he says, 'There is no god but Allah (SWT),' and he says, 'There is no god but Allah (SWT),' from his heart, he will enter Paradise."
At two lines, the answer changes. Why might "come to prayer" be answered with "there is no might and no power except with Allah (SWT)"?
The hadith says "from his heart." What is the difference between repeating words and answering from the heart?
| When the muadhin says | You say |
|---|---|
| Allahu akbar | Allahu akbar |
| Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah | Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah |
| Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah | Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah |
| Hayya 'alas-salah | La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah |
| Hayya 'alal-falah | La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah |
| Allahu akbar | Allahu akbar |
| La ilaha illallah | La ilaha illallah |
لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah
There is no might and no power except with Allah (SWT).
مَنْ قَالَ حِينَ يَسْمَعُ النِّدَاءَ: اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَٰذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ، وَالصَّلَاةِ الْقَائِمَةِ، آتِ مُحَمَّدًا الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ، وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا الَّذِي وَعَدْتَهُ، حَلَّتْ لَهُ شَفَاعَتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "Whoever says, when he hears the call, 'O Allah (SWT), Lord of this perfect call and of the prayer about to be established, give Muhammad (pbuh) al-wasilah and al-fadilah, and raise him to a praised station that You promised him,' my intercession will be his on the Day of Resurrection."
Say it: Allahumma Rabba hadhihi ad-da'wati at-tammah, wa as-salati al-qa'imah, ati Muhammadan al-wasilata wal-fadilah, wab'athhu maqaman mahmudan alladhi wa'adtah.
Al-wasilah is a rank in Paradise, as the Prophet (pbuh) explained in Sahih Muslim 384. Al-fadilah means excellence, a high honor.
The adhan calls you to Allah (SWT). Why do you think the dua right after it is for the Prophet (pbuh)?
لَا تُقْبَلُ صَلَاةٌ بِغَيْرِ طُهُورٍ
Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) say: "No prayer is accepted without purification."
La tuqbalu salatun bighayri tuhur.
In Lesson 3, salah was a private conversation with Allah (SWT), the One who loved you first. When you are going to meet someone you love and respect, you get ready first. The getting ready is part of the respect.
What does it tell you about salah that it cannot begin until a person is clean?
الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "Purity is half of iman."
At-tuhuru shatru al-iman.
The word for purity here, tuhur, is the same word as in the last hadith. Purity is more than a step before the prayer: the Prophet (pbuh) connected it to iman itself.
This is the opening line of a longer hadith. It is one of al-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, so some of you will study the whole hadith later.
Why would something as physical as washing be connected to faith?
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
"O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah (SWT) does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful."
Find every part of the body this ayah names. Which are washed, and which are wiped?
Read the last sentence again. What does Allah (SWT) say He intends for us?
Uthman ibn Affan (RA), the third caliph, taught wudu by doing it in front of people. His freed slave Humran watched and reported it.
أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ دَعَا بِوَضُوءٍ فَتَوَضَّأَ، فَغَسَلَ كَفَّيْهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ مَضْمَضَ وَاسْتَنْثَرَ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْمِرْفَقِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَٰلِكَ، ثُمَّ مَسَحَ رَأْسَهُ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَٰلِكَ
Humran, the freed slave of Uthman, said: Uthman ibn Affan (RA) called for water and made wudu. He washed his hands three times. Then he rinsed his mouth and cleaned his nose with water. Then he washed his face three times. Then he washed his right arm up to the elbow three times, then washed his left arm the same way. Then he wiped his head. Then he washed his right foot up to the ankles three times, then washed his left foot the same way.
ثُمَّ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوئِي هَٰذَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوئِي هَٰذَا ثُمَّ قَامَ فَرَكَعَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ لَا يُحَدِّثُ فِيهِمَا نَفْسَهُ، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
Then he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) make wudu like this wudu of mine." Then the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "Whoever makes wudu like this wudu of mine, then stands and prays two rak'ahs without letting his mind wander in them, his past sins are forgiven."
Uthman (RA) did not only describe the wudu. He showed it, and then told people where he had learned it.
Why might showing be a better way to teach wudu than only describing it?
The promise is for two rak'ahs prayed "without letting his mind wander in them." How does that connect to autopilot from Lesson 1?
This list has only what the hadith of Uthman (RA) describes. Nothing has been added. Copy it onto your paper: you will use it during practice.
Wash the hands, three times.
Rinse the mouth.
Clean the nose with water.
Wash the face, three times.
Wash the right arm up to the elbow, three times.
Wash the left arm the same way.
Wipe the head.
Wash the right foot up to the ankles, three times.
Wash the left foot the same way.
Other hadith describe more details of the Prophet's (pbuh) wudu, and the schools of fiqh explain which parts are required. Your imam or your family's teacher can walk you through them.
إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ الْعَبْدُ الْمُسْلِمُ، أَوِ الْمُؤْمِنُ، فَغَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ خَرَجَ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا بِعَيْنَيْهِ مَعَ الْمَاءِ، أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، فَإِذَا غَسَلَ يَدَيْهِ خَرَجَ مِنْ يَدَيْهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ كَانَ بَطَشَتْهَا يَدَاهُ مَعَ الْمَاءِ، أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، فَإِذَا غَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ خَرَجَتْ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ مَشَتْهَا رِجْلَاهُ مَعَ الْمَاءِ، أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ نَقِيًّا مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "When a Muslim servant, or a believer, makes wudu and washes his face, every sin he looked at with his eyes leaves his face with the water, or with the last drop of the water. When he washes his hands, every sin his hands did leaves his hands with the water, or with the last drop of the water. When he washes his feet, every sin his feet walked to leaves with the water, or with the last drop of the water, until he comes out clean of sins."
In Lesson 3, the five prayers were like a river at your door. This hadith shows the washing begins even before the prayer, with wudu. The repeated "or with the last drop" shows a narrator being careful about the exact words he heard.
How might you make wudu differently if you remembered this hadith while washing?
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تُقْبَلُ صَلَاةُ مَنْ أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ. قَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ حَضْرَمَوْتَ: مَا الْحَدَثُ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ؟ قَالَ: فُسَاءٌ أَوْ ضُرَاطٌ
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) said: "The prayer of a person who has hadath is not accepted until he makes wudu." A man from Hadramawt asked, "What is hadath, O Abu Hurairah?" He said, "Hadath means the passing of wind."
The first sentence is the Prophet's (pbuh) words. The question and answer after it are Abu Hurairah (RA) answering one man's question, so it is not a full list. Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:6, which we read earlier, also mentions one who "comes from the place of relieving himself."
Scholars list further things that break wudu, and some details differ between the schools of fiqh. Ask your imam or your family's teacher to go through them with you.
Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:6 names two more kinds of purity besides wudu.
The ayah says, "then purify yourselves." Ghusl is a washing of the whole body. When and how ghusl is required is something to learn from your parents or the imam. We will not go through it in detail in class.
For someone who does "not find water," the ayah says to "seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it." Your imam can show you how it is done.
The same ayah says, "Allah (SWT) does not intend to make difficulty for you." Even without water, the ayah gives a way to get ready for prayer.
Asking about any of this is normal. Every Muslim adult had to learn it once.
Roll up your sleeves, and bring your paper with the nine steps.
Do a careful dry walkthrough here in the room. Go through each step with your hands, in order, while your partner reads the list.
Remember the hadith of Abu Hurairah (RA) from earlier, about what leaves with the water.
Nothing is graded. If this is your first time making wudu, or your first time doing it slowly, today is exactly for that.
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
"O children of Adam (AS), take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing] at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He (SWT) likes not those who commit excess."
Adornment here means your clothing, as the note in brackets says. When people go somewhere that matters to them, they dress for it. Salah is a meeting with Allah (SWT), and the way we dress for it is part of how we show respect.
What must be covered in prayer differs for boys and girls and has details in fiqh. Ask your parents or the imam.
How do people dress when they are going to meet someone important? What does that say about how they see the meeting?
For sixteen or seventeen months after the Hijrah, the Muslims prayed facing Jerusalem (Sahih al-Bukhari 40). Then this ayah came.
قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ۖ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا ۚ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ ۗ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
"We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad (pbuh)], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face [i.e., yourself] toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces [i.e., yourselves] toward it [in prayer]. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture [i.e., the Jews and the Christians] well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah (SWT) is not unaware of what they do."
Look at the first line: Allah (SWT) saw the Prophet (pbuh) turning his face toward the sky, and gave him a qiblah that would please him. Al-Masjid al-Haram is the masjid around the Ka'bah in Makkah. Muslims all over the world face that one place when they pray. When you face the qiblah, you join that line.
What does it mean to you that Muslims in every country face the same place? When you are somewhere new, how could you find the qiblah?
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SWT) (pbuh) say: "Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended."
Innama al-a'malu bin-niyyat, wa innama li kulli imri'in ma nawa.
Scholars explain that the intention is in the heart. It is the last step before Allahu Akbar: you know what you are about to do, and who you are doing it for.
In Lesson 1, autopilot meant doing the actions while someone else decided them. The intention is the opposite. Here, you decide.
Two people pray the same prayer side by side. How could their prayers be different because of their intentions?
There are no graded answers here. Talking about salah in your own words is the point.
Your writing stays with you.
Once a day, when you hear the adhan, answer it the way we practiced, then say the dua after it.
Each day, also make one wudu slowly, step by step, remembering the hadith about the sins leaving with the water. If you are not praying yet, you can still take on both parts of this challenge. If no adhan reaches you where you live, many prayer-time apps can play it at each prayer time.
Every class will open with a quick recall of the salah words we have learned so far. The list grows each week, until it covers the whole prayer.
Takbir to Fatihah: The Conversation Begins. Allahu Akbar, the opening dua, and the first half of Al-Fatihah, with what Allah (SWT) says back.