By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī and translated by Tariq Pandor To access the original arabic, follow this link They said: What is the default regarding performing prayer (ṣalah)? I said: The default concerning the prescribed prayers is that they be performed in a house of Allah (i.e. a masjid) in congregation (jamāʿa), meeting their conditions (shurūṭ) and fulfilling their obligatory pillars (arkān), recommended actions (sunan) and etiquettes (ādāb). Establishment of the prayer is the foremost requirement of this religion and its central pillar. Missing it, neglecting it or abandoning it are all forbidden. They said: What is reduction (qaṣr) in…
View More Reduction (Qaṣr) in the PrayerCategory: Prayer
A Lesson About the Timings of the Five Prayers
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī and translated by Dr. Abu Zayd To access the original arabic, follow this link God the Exalted so loved the statement of His beloved friend Ibrāhīm: “I love not the things that go down,” [6:76] that He made it the symbol of upright Ḥanīfiyyah and the separation of faith and disbelief. He wanted the Muslims to keep this statement before their eyes night and day, silently and with loud voice, and despite the busyness of their preoccupations, allure of their enjoyments or overriding nature of their distractions. He made the timings of their prayers testament…
View More A Lesson About the Timings of the Five PrayersTarawīḥ Prayer is not Obligatory
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī and translated by Dr. Abu Zayd To access the original arabic, follow this link They said: Some people before us have condemned in very severe terms those who don’t perform the Tarawīḥ prayer. I replied: This condemnation is extremism in the religion of God and strictness where it doesn’t belong. Rather, you should be gentle and forbearing with people and strive to make them love the religion. Be wary of becoming excessive and extreme in any of its matters, lest you drive people away, for that is a trait of the deviated Khārijite sect and…
View More Tarawīḥ Prayer is not ObligatoryThe Length and Number of Units of Prayer
By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwī and translated by Dr. Abu Zayd To access the original arabic, follow this link They asked: What are the obligatory and sunnah prayers (ṣalāh), and what is the number of their units (rakʿahs)? I replied: I have mentioned to you in a previous article that our prayers are scheduled according to the statement of Ibrāhīm: “I love not the things that go down” [6:76], avoiding the timings of the worship of the polytheists, those who worshiped the sun, planets and stars. Building upon this, the obligatory units of prayer are ten in the day and…
View More The Length and Number of Units of Prayer