47 Islamic articles on: formal prayer (salah)

IslamQA: Dealing with someone who doesn’t pray because he thinks he has enough good deeds already

Al salam alikom i have a problem with my brother he doesnt pray and im trying to tell him to pray but he told me that i already did alot of good deeds so im sure im gonna go to jannah and i responded and told him he will get punished on every thing he did wrong knowingly such as not praying but he told me that in the judgment day if i have 50 good deeds and 49 bad deeds i would enter jannah without punishment which i know is false but i couldnt respond because i didnt have 100% proof that is correct so brothers and sisters if anyone knows how to respond to my bros argument

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Performing the prayer (salah) is one of God’s rights on us. Ignoring this right is an act of rebellion and a major sin that as far as I’m aware cannot be erased through other good deeds. Nothing will make up for not praying. So a person who doesn’t pray risks receiving God’s wrath, and even if they give away the whole world’s wealth in charity that may not be able to make up for a single intentionally missed prayer.

You may also find this answer helpful: What is there to do if you suffer because someone you love is far away from God?

IslamQA: The proper way to sit during salah and where to gaze during tashahhud

Salam! I have two questions about prayer: during tashahud, do you have to look at your raised finger and does not looking invalidates the prayer? What about the tashahud position: do you have to sit on your left foot? I find that that position difficult and I've always sat on my both crossed feet, is that wrong? Thanks!

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

There are different opinions on that and I prefer the Maliki opinion that there is no need to look at the finger during tashahhud, and I prefer the opinion that we can look comfortably ahead and down (such as at the place where we put our foreheads at prostration, although it doesn’t have to be strictly there, just whatever is most comfortable).

As for the sitting position, it is permitted to sit in any comfortable position as long as it generally resembles the common way people sit in the prayer. So according to Imam al-Nawawi and others there is no issue with sitting on your crossed feet, which is in fact what I do. Sitting on the left foot is considered Sunna, it is not obligatory.

References:

IslamQA: Is the best salah the longest?

Assalamualaikum. I want to ask that is it true that the best salah is when you stand the longest… Is it true? And why is that?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

The reward for a good deed depends on the effort and sacrifice we put into it. So standing longer in prayer is better because we spend more time and effort and we sacrifice more of our leisure for its sake.

IslamQA: The ruling on praying while bleeding or with blood on clothing

If one has bleeding wound and that ends up on his clothes, is his wudu or prayer still valid?

It is permitted to pray while bleeding. It is also permitted to pray in clothes that have your own blood on them as long as it is not blood from menstruation or childbirth. If it is from menstruation or childbirth, then praying in them is not permitted.

There is only an issue if it is someone else’s blood, in that case it is only permitted to pray in them if it is a small amount of blood (the size if a baghli dirham, which is a coin that is about three centimeters in diameter).

IslamQA: Difficulty in praying due to a mental block

I don't know how to word this properly, but for a really long period of time, I just feel when troubles come up in life, I get extremely emotional and overly sensitive. I can't focus on school and my worth ethic drops and I spend all my time crying or distracting myself. A lot of people have been telling me that I'm too overly-sensitive, but then again I take that as an offence and get hurt when people tell me my reaction is bad or too much. Am I prideful? Do I think my feelings are more valid?

2/x This is a continuation of my previous question about being too emotional. I also don’t pray all five times a day. I know it’s important and I know there is lots of emphasis on the Qur'an on it, and I honestly do care and try my best. Do you think maybe because I get so sad and lonely and angry at times is because I don’t fully establish prayer?

It sounds like you might suffer from depression. Wanting to do something (such as wanting to pray) but not being able to do it due to some mental block is a clear symptom of depression. I recommend that you see a mental health professional and possibly get on a medication if you need it. That can give you back your energy and motivation and take away your emotional issues.

IslamQA: How to pray when classes get in the way

السلام عليكم I live in Finland where in the winter the days are very short and because of that we have to pray duhur, asr, and maghrib within short hours of one another. My school is far from home and while we do have a place to pray there’s often many of men there and the prayer times are when I have important classes. I feel bad about not praying on time but it’s very difficult for me to pray next to men. Making wudu is also difficult because of the long lines. What should I do brother?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

It is permitted to combine the dhuhr prayer with asr and maghrib with isha if you would have extreme difficulty in performing them the usual way due to work or school. Please see this answer for details: What to do if you cannot pray on time at school or work

Maybe this will make things easier for you. You could also combine this with going to the prayer room when there are fewer people around.

Best wishes.

Assalamu Alaikum brother. Thank you for your reply about how to pray when I can’t pray on time. I was wondering however if it’s possible to pray both duhur and asr after noon but before maghreb? Could you please clarify it for me? Thank you. جزاك الله خير

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Iyyana wa iyyakum. When combining dhuhr with asr, you can either perform them at the dhuhr time (between dhuhr and asr) or asr time (between asr and maghrib). The same applies to combining maghrib with isha. You should also perform the full number of rakats (4 for dhuhr and 4 for asr, 3 for maghrib and 4 for isha) since the shortening is permitted for traveling.

IslamQA: Is it hypocritical to perform salah when it feels like a burden?

assalamu aleikum, is it hypocritical to still pray when salah feels like a burden sometimes?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

No, quite the opposite. Praying when you do not feel like it proves your loyalty toward God: you are able to override your instincts and make your ego perform its duties whether it wants to or not. Umar b. Abd al-Aziz says:

The best good deeds are the ones that one has to force the ego to perform.

Page 3 of 3
1 2 3