3 - Performing Salah

• Ka'ba - The cube shaped house of God found in Makkah. The holiest site in Islam
• Makkah - The holy city of Islam in Saudi Arabia
• Qibla - The direction of Makkah
• Niyyah - The intention in your heart to pray
• Wudu - Washing before prayer
• Rakah/Rakat - The sequence of movements in prayer
• Clean Place -

  • A Muslim can pray anywhere, so long as it is clean with space to stand, kneel and bow
  • Muslims use a prayer mat to separate them from the ordinary world
  • If the place of prayer is already clean, a mat is not necessary
• Face Makkah -

  • Muslims face towards the Ka'ba in Makkah when they pray and this direction is qibla
  • They use a special compass that shows the qibla from any place in the world
  • Prayer mats may have a qibla compass sewn into them, and qibla apps can be used
• Niyyah -

  • Prayer begins with niyyah which is having the right intention in your heart to pray
  • Muslims enter into a state of 'God consciousness
  • Niyyah is important as it marks off prayer as something special given to Allah
• Wudu -

  • Before starting to pray, Muslims must practice wudu, washing specific parts of the body (hands, face, nose, mouth, arms, head and feet)
  • This is an outward sign of the inner cleanliness needed to face Allah
  • Wudu makes Muslims concentrate on the prayers they are about to say
• Rakah -

  • The different prayers during the day require different numbers of rakah's
  • The physical movements are less important than the intention in the heart
• Key Movements of Rakah -

  • Putting hands by ears to show intention to pray
  • Standing quietly, shutting out all distraction
  • Bowing with hands on knees to show respect for Allah
  • Standing and praising Allah
  • Being prostrate to show submission to Allah
  • Kneeling to show humility while asking Allah for forgiveness
  • Reciting 'Peace be upon you' at the end of Salah, facing right to left to show respect for other worshippers and guardian angels
• Importance -

  • It is a constant reminder of the presence of Allah - 5 times a day
  • It is fard, one of the duties Muslims must do as part of the 5 pillars
  • It shows submission to the will of Allah
  • It united all Muslims around the world. Every Muslims does the same Rakahs every day
  • It removes sins, just as water removes dirt