Pre Conditions

Lesson Four

PRE-CONDITIONS OF NAMAZ

There are 6 pre-conditions of salaah:

1. Cleanliness (covered in the ‘ Fiqh of Purification’)

2. Covering the body

3. Time

4. Facing the qiblah (direction)

5. Intention

6. Takbeer-e- tahrima

1. Cleanliness

This means a person praying namaz must be clean; one must have a clean:

  • Body
  • Clothes
  • Place of prayer

One should be free from impurities, such as urine, blood, stools etc and be in the state of bathing and ablution. (This has been covered in detail, in the ‘Fiqh of Purification’).

2.Covering the body

  • Male: Has to be covered from the navel up to and including the knees, at the minimum
  • Female: has to be covered completely, except for the face, the hands and feet (although the more cautious opinion is that the feet are also covered).
  • If a woman has worn a very thin veil/scarf over her head that the shininess of the hair can be seen, then the salah will not count.
  • Need to be careful that her forearms are not uncovered in takbeer-e-tahreema

The above is the absolute minimum, but men should also cover the upper body (as there is no shortage of wealth/clothing anymore and this is more or less the case with all people living in this country). Failure to do this will in affect make your namaz makrooh-e- tahreemi, meaning it will have to be repeated.

Note: for male & female, to wear tight fitting clothing is makruh-e-tahreemi

  • In all the parts that are compulsory to cover: 1. If one part was uncovered and was less than a quarter, then the salah will count.
  • 2. if it was uncovered a quarter in size, but was recovered immediately, then the salah will count
  • 3. if a part was uncovered a quarter or more and stayed uncovered for more than one ‘rukn’ – meaning the time one could say Subhanallah 3 times, then the namaz will break and will have to be repeated
  • 4. If a part was uncovered a quarter or more deliberately and even if covered again immediately, the namaz will break and will have to be repeated

3.Time

Every namaz has to be prayed at it’s prescribed time (see above for detail on time).

4.Facing the Qibla

The holy Ka’baa in Makkah Mukarramah is our Qibla (direction), meaning we have to be in the direction of the ka’baa when performing our namaaz.

When you face a compass towards north anywhere in the UK, (south – east) as shown above will be the direction of the Ka’baa. (See the specific number directions attached if an Islamic compass is bought).

  1. The Namaz is prayed for Allah and the Sajdah is performed for Allah Almighty only,not for the Ka’baa. If someone performs the Sajdah for the Ka’baa then he will be a severe sinner as it is Haram, and if someone
  • performed the Sajdah with the intention of worshipping the Ka’aba- then he is an open infidel(kaafir) as it is infidelity to worship someone/something other than Allah Almighty
  • If in illness, you haven’t got enough strength to turn yourself towards the Ka’baa and there is no-one there that can assist you, then face whichever way you can and pray the Namaz- it will count.
  • Those in the vicinity of the Ka’baa in Makkah Mukarrama must face it, so that it is in front of them and those who cannot see the Ka’baa must must face its direction
  • If one doesn’t know the direction of the Qibla, he should face the direction that he thinks it is most likely to be in. If afterwards he finds the correct direction, he does not need to repeat his prayer. However, if during the prayer he discovers the right direction (someone tells him), he should rotate during the salah, so he can face it correctly.
  • If he is aboard on a ship or a plane, he should ask the crew for the direction of the Ka’baa.

Note: whilst travelling (even in a plane) one must not miss his namaz, if travelling times can be changed so one can offer their namaz on its times with convenience, then this is best. If not, then one needs to pray in the plane.. working out the direction of the Qibla as well as the correct timings. One must try and find a place so salah can be offered standing (as qayaam is Fardh)..if this is genuinely not possible, then one should still pray sitting on the plane seat, and repeat the salah afterwards.

5.Intention

  • Intention means a fixed intention of the heart, only a thought or an indication is not sufficient until there is a fixed intention of the namaaz that is to be performed.
  • Although it is not necessary- it is better to make the intention verbally, to re-affirm your intention. So for example, if you’re praying 4 rakah of Zohar then say: I make the intention to pray 4 rakahs fardh of zohr namaz, for you O Allah, I am facing towards the ka’bah, Allahu Akbar.
  • If praying behind the Imaam, it is necessary for the follower to make the intention of following the Imaam also, so you can simply intend/say after your normal intention, ‘behind this Imaam’.
  • The imaam leading should make the intention of being the Imaam of the followers behind him

6. Takbeer-e- Tahreema

This is the call to start the namaz, meaning when you make the Intention and say ‘ Allahu Akbar’ – this is known as Takbeer-e-tahreema. As soon as you say this takbeer, the namaz begins. This is compulsory and the namaz does not begin without this.

  • You have to hear yourself saying the the Takbeer-e-tahreema, otherwise it will be considered as not said.
  • The muqtadee (follower of the Imaam), should not say the Takbeer before the Imam, or he will be excluded from the Jamaat prayer.

Note: everything recited in the namaz, must be prayed such that the person praying can hear himself praying, if one simply thought of the recitation without praying then this will be invalid, thus making the namaz invalid.

An exception to this ruling is when a person prays behind the imam, as the imams qiraat is enough for the follower, it is sinful for a person to recite the Holy Quran behind the imam.

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