Prayer [ Salah ]

Question 1

The Obligatory [ Wajib ] Prayers

Answer 1

• There are 6 Obligatory [ Wajib ] Prayers in the period of The Imam of The Time’s Occultation [ Ghaybah ] :-

1) The Daily Prayers

2) The Prayer Of Signs [ Salat Al Ayat ]

3) The Funeral Prayer [ Salat Al Mayyit ]

4) The Prayer For The Obligatory Circumambulation [ Tawaf ] Of The Kaabah

5) The Lapsed [ Qada ] Prayer’s Of One’s Father That Based On Obligatory Precaution [ Al Ihtiyat Al Wajib ] Are Obligatory For The Eldest Son To Perform

6) Prayers That Become Obligatory On Account Of Hire [ Ijarah ], Vow [ Nadhr ], Oath [ Qasam ] And Covenant [ Ahd ]

• The Friday Prayer [ Salat Al Jumu’ah ] Is Regarded As One Of The Daily Prayers

Question 2

The Daily Prayers

Answer 2

• There are 5 Obligatory [ Wajib ] Daily Prayers :-

1) Morning [ Subh ] - 2 Units [ Rak’ahs ]
2) Midday [ Zuhr ] - 4 Units [ Rak’ahs ]
3) Afternoon [ Asr ] - 4 Units [ Rak’ahs ]
4) After Sunset [ Maghrib - 3 Units [ Rak’ahs ]
5) Evening [ Isha ] - 4 Units [ Rak’ahs ]

RULING 716

• While travelling, one must perform the 4 Rak’ahs Prayers as 2 Rak’ahs in accordance with the conditions that will be mentioned later

Question 3

Time for Midday [ Zuhr ] and Afternoon [ Asr ] Prayers

Answer 3

RULING 717

• The time for Zuhr and Asr Prayers is from Zawal [ The time after Midday when the Sun begins to decline ] [ Also known as Legal Midday - Al Zuhr Al Shar’i ] until Sunset [ Ghurub ].
• However, in the event that one intentionally [ Amdan ] performs the Asr Prayer before the Zuhr Prayer, His Prayer is Invalid [ Batil ] except if this happens at the end of the prescribed time and there is scope for performing only one prayer in which case if someone has not performed The Zuhr Prayer by then, His Zuhr Prayer is deemed to have become Qada and he must perform the Asr Prayer
• If before this time someone mistakenly performs the whole of the Asr Prayer before the Zuhr Prayer, His Prayer is Valid [ Sahih ] and he must then perform the Zuhr Prayer
• And the recommended precaution [ Al Ihtiyat Al Mustahabb ] is that he should perform the second set of 4 Rak’ahs with the intention [ Niyyah ] to fulfil whatever his legal obligation
  happens to be [ Ma fi al-dhimmah ]

RULING 718

• If someone inadvertently [ Sahwan ] starts performing The Asr Prayers before he has performed The Zuhr Prayers and realizes this mistake in the middle of The Prayer, He must change his Intention [ Niyyah ] to Zuhr Prayers

Example : He must make the Intention [ Niyyah ] that whatever I have performed until now and whatever I am performing right now and whatever I will perform is all part of The Zuhr Prayer

• After completing The Prayer, He must perform The Asr Prayer