Salam alaykum.

Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) said: The difference between us and them (Kuffar/Non-Muslims) is that of salaah so whoever abandons salaah certainly commits kufr.

The above shows how important salaat is. it is the most important act of worship in Islam. Doing it right is therefore imperative. Hopefully, this would be a very interactive thread where we can all learn to perform our salaat perfectly.

It is Important to note that there is no difference in the manner of performance between a man and a woman as the prophet said- 'Pray as you see me pray''

To make it easy, we are going to be making use of a guide, a book, sifatusSolaatunNabiy by sheikh al banna. this has d advantage of making it easy for us all to follow. u can get d soft copy here- http://www.islamhouse.com/p/306370


SO, lets get it started!!!!!!!!!!!

purity
we arent going to be talking about this. If anyone wants to know more/tell us about that, they can open another thread. Here, we are assuming the purity(which is a condition for salat) is not an issue. Ablution is performed, proper clothing on,place of salaat reached.

Ok. All of us should learn because it is the first of the affairs that will be put forward. If this affairs of Salaat is correct, the following affairs, inshaAllah will be easier.

May Allah count us among those who establish salaat on time in its rightful time and process. Amin.

1. Facing the ka'abah

We dont just face anywhere while performing salaah. we face the qiblah and that is the kaabah(in makkah). The following are ahadith as proofs for this.

*When the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) stood for prayer, he would face the Ka'bah in both obligatory and voluntary prayers, and he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) ordered that, saying to the "one who prayed badly" : When you stand for prayer, perform ablution prefectly, then face the qiblah and say takbeer.(In d next post IA, I'll post the story of the man who prayed badly as we would continue to make reference to him as we continue)

*During a journey, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would pray voluntary prayers and witr on his mount, wherever it faced carrying him [east or west]." The saying of Allaah, the Exalted, "Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allaah" (Baqarah, 2:115) applies to this.

"[Sometimes] when he intended to pray non-obligatory prayers on his she-camel, he would make it face the qiblah, say takbeer, and pray towards wherever his mount turned its face." "He would make rukoo' and sajdah on his mount by lowering his head, making the sajdah lower than the rukoo'."When he intended to pray obligatory prayers, he would dismount and face the qiblah.

"In prayer during severe fear, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) set the example for his ummah to pray"on foot, standing on their feet, or mounted; facing the qiblah or not facing it", and he also said, When they (the armies) meet, then it (i.e. the prayer) is takbeer and indication with the head.

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) also used to say: What is between the east and the west is qiblah.

Jaabir (radiallaahu 'anhu) said:
"Once, when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) on an expedition, the sky was cloudy, so we tried to find the Qibla but we differed, so each one of us prayed in a different direction, and each of us drew marks in front of him in order to mark our positions. In the
morning, we looked at it and found that we had not prayed towards the Qiblah. So we mentioned this to the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) [but he did not order us to repeat (the prayer)] and he said: Your prayer was sufficient."

Note- from the above, it is clear that to face the Qiblah is one important part of salaat but in certain circumstances, it may be overlooked and such are-
a. during a journey(and this applies to involuntary prayers)- u start by facing the direction of the qiblah though and thereafter, it would not matter where your mount faced. It could be a car. you could even be on air.

b. during fear.

c. when you are at a place where you are not sure of the direction of the qiblah

Below is an hadith explaining how the ka'bah became the qiblah. the Muslims used to pray towards al-muqaddas.

"He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to pray towards Bait al-Muqaddas [with the Ka'bah in front of him] before the following verse was revealed: "We see the turning of your faces to the heavens;now shall we turn you to a Qiblah that shall please you: turn then your faces in the direction of the Sacred Mosque" (Baqarah 2:144). When it was revealed he faced the Ka'bah. There were people at Qubaa' praying Fajr when someone came to them and said, 'Verily the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) has had some of the Qur'aan revealed to him last night and he has
been ordered to face the Ka'bah, [verily] so face it'. Their faces were towards Shaam, so they turned round [and their Imaam turned round to face the qiblah along with them].

Now, we can discuss whatever is not clear from the above before moving on to d next step  

about the man who prayed badly

A man once entered the masjid while the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was sitting amongst his Companions. So he offered his prayer, made the tasleem, then greeted the Prophet (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet returned his greeting and said to him: “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” He (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) did not teach him right away. Instead he told him: “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”

This is since it is possible that the man knew (how to pray properly) but hastened and left off (those pillars) for some reason, as is the case with many of the people who rush through prayer. So the man went back and prayed just as he did the first time. Then he came back and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet returned his greeting and said to him: “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”

So the man went back and prayed just as he did the first time. He then returned a third time and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet told him again after returning his greeting: “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”

This is the point where the man declared his ignorance, saying: “By the One who sent you with the truth, I can’t do any better than this.” Meaning: “This is all that I know. I don’t know any other way to pray.”

This was after the Prophet (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) made this man devote special attention to his prayer by making him repeat it several times and after he confirmed that the man didn’t know any other way to pray and that he only prayed badly due to ignorance. This repetition on the part of the man kindled his interest and made him ready to receive (knowledge of the correct way). Had the Prophet (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) taught him upon the first instance, the man would not have given it that much attention nor would he have accepted it in the same manner.

source- [url]http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0mJidHPSkIkJ:aa.trinimuslims.com/f48/the-man-who-prayed-badly-4709/+the+one+who+prayed+badly&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=firefox-a
[/url]

Assalamu alaikum.

Don't miss the free Salah course in seekersguidance: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-836375.0.html

http://seekersguidance.org/courses/LAM201

some ignorant people claim Muslims worship the kaabah because it is d direction we face while worshipping. The above ahadith prove them wrong.

The initial Qibla is bait al Muqaddas. would there have been a change in god if d kaabah is what we worship??. Also, the kaaba once fell and the Muslims continued to pray in that direction.this shows that the kaaba isnt the thing we worship But our axns are only a reflection of our obedience to our creator(The All knowing, all-wise) 

The Historians agree that from 64 Hijrah to 1040 Hijrah the need of reconstruction of the holy Kaba did not arise except for repair work which took place from time to time. [color=Black]On 19th Shabaan Wednesday 1039 Hijrah a very heavy rainfall took place in Makkah which resulted in a huge amount of water accumulation in the holy Mosque. Water level was above the door of the Kaba. Next day near the Assr time first the northern wall of Kaba fell down then the eastern wall up to the door fell down, after that half of the western wall and the roof collapsed.

This was the "Usmani rule" and Sultan Murad Khan was the ruler. After taking the necessary Fatawa he started the reconstruction of the holy Kaba. The Kaba was rebuilt on the Zubairi foundation as it was still strong, but no change was made in the shape and dimensions. The stones for construction of the Kaba were taken from a mountain of Makkah which was known as Jabal a Shubaikah but afterwards this mountain became famous as Jabal a Kaba. [/color] >>> http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Wxu7SKxySpMJ:tungekar.com/holykaaba.html+kaaba+fell&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=firefox-a

The Mallams and mallama, pls explain the concept of bah'di and qab'bi.

olawalebab:

The Mallams and mallama, pls explain the concept of bah'di and qab'bi.

let us take it step by step. we will get to dat IA.

2.Standing in Prayer

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to stand in prayer for both obligatory and voluntary prayers,
carrying out the command of the Exalted:


"And stand before Allaah devoutly." (Baqarah, 2:238).

As for during a journey, he would pray voluntary prayers on his riding beast. He set the example for his ummah to pray during severe fear on foot or while mounted, as has been mentioned, and that is the purpose of the saying of Allaah:
"Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer, and stand before Allaah devoutly. If you fear (an enemy) then pray on foot, or while riding. But when you are in security, celebrate Allaah's praises in the manner He has taught you, which you did not know before."
(Baqarah, 2:238-9)

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prayed sitting during the illness of which he died." He also prayed sitting on another occasion before that, when he was injured, and the people behind him prayed standing; so he indicated to them to sit, so they sat (and prayed). When he finished, he said,
You were going to do as the Persians and the Romans do: stand for their kings who sit. So do not do so, for the Imaam is there to be followed: when he makes rukoo', make rukoo', when he rises, rise; and when he prays sitting, pray sitting [all of you].

The Prayer of a Sick Person in a Sitting Position
'Imran ibn Husain (radiallaahu 'anhu) said, "I was suffering from haemorrhoids (piles), so I asked the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and he said, Pray standing; if you are not able, then sitting down; if you are not able to do so, then pray lying down.

'Imraan ibn Husain also said, "I asked him (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) about the prayer of a man while sitting, so he said: He who prays standing, that is better; he who prays sitting, his reward is half that of the former. He who prays lying down (and in another narration: reclining), has half the
reward of the one who sits.This applies to the sick person, for Anas (radiallaahu 'anhu) said, "The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) came out to the people while they were praying sitting due to illness, so he said: Verily, the prayer of one who sits is (worth) half of the prayer of the one who stands.

Once "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) visited a sick person and saw him praying (leaning) on a pillow, so he took it and cast it aside. So the man took a stick to pray (leaning) on it, but he took it and cast it aside and said: Pray on the ground if you can, but otherwise make movements with your
head, making your sujood lower than your rukoo."

Prayer on a Ship
He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) was asked about prayer on a ship, so he said, Pray on it standing, unless you are afraid of drowning.When he grew old he took a support at his place of prayer to lean on.

Sitting and Standing in the Night Prayer (Tahajjud)

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), used to pray long through the night standing, and long through the night sitting, and if he recited standing, he would bow standing, and if he recited sitting, he would bow sitting.

Sometimes, "He would pray sitting, so he would recite sitting until about thirty or forty verses of his recitation were[size=15pt] left[/size]( ); he would then stand up to recite these standing and then bow and prostrate, and he would do likewise in the second raka'ah."
In fact, "he prayed as-subhah sitting down towards the end of his life when he had grown old, and that was a year before his death."
Also "he would sit cross-legged."

Prayer Wearing Shoes and the command to do so
"He used to stand (in prayer) bare-footed sometimes and wearing shoes sometimes." He allowed this for his ummah, saying: When one of you prays, he should wear his shoes or take them off and put them between his feet, and not harm others with them.

He encouraged prayer wearing them sometimes, saying: Be different from the Jews, for they do not pray in their shoes nor in their khuffs (leather socks).
Occasionally he would remove them from his feet while in prayer and then continue his prayer, as Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri has said:
"The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prayed with us one day. Whilst he was engaged in the prayer he took off his shoes and placed them on his left. When the people saw this, they took off their shoes. When he finished his prayer he said, Why did you take your shoes off?
They said, 'We saw you taking your shoes off, so we took our shoes off.' He said, Verily Jibreel came to me and informed me that there was dirt - or he said: something harmful - (in another narration:filth)on my shoes, so I took them off. Therefore, when one of you goes to the mosque, he should look at his shoes: if he sees in them dirt - or he said: something harmful - (in another narration: filth) he should wipe them and pray in them.

"When he removed them, he would place them on his left" and he would also say: When one of you prays, he should not place his shoes on his right nor on his left, where they will be on someone else's right, except if there is no one on his left, but he should place them between his feet.
Prayer on the Pulpit (Minbar)

"Once he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prayed on the pulpit (in another narration: ', which had three steps'). Hence [he stood on it and said takbeer and the people behind him said takbeer while he was on the pulpit,] [then he made rukoo' on the pulpit,] then he rose and descended backwards to make sajdah at the foot of the pulpit. Then he returned, [and did on it as he had done in the first rak'ah], until he completed his prayer. He then turned to the people and said: O people! I have done this so that you may follow me and learn my prayer.

A response would make me realise u are following

deols:

A response would make me realise u are following

we are following. Jazakum llahu

concerning standing in prayer

The ahadith above make it clear how important salaat is, that even in the worst of health situations, we are to pray. If we can not stand, then to sit. But sitting is highly discouraged, if we can stand. the reward is reduced by half when we sit.

olawalebab:

we are following. Jazakum llahu

thank u sir,

concerning praying with shoes

The first time I heard about this, I found it very weird. Many of us pray without shoes.In fact,most never prayed with their shoes on. It is however allowed in Islam. But, I wonder what would happen if any of us goes into a mosque wv their shoes(in Nigeria)_ hmmmn.

Point is, u may never need to do that, but when circumstances demand it, make sure it is free of impurities and go ahead.

3.The Sutrah, and the Obligation to have one

"He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to stand near to the sutrah, so that there was (a distance of) three cubits between him and the wall" and "between the place of his prostration and the wall, (there was) enough space for a sheep to pass.

"He used to say: "Do not pray except towards a sutrah, and do not let anyone pass in front of you, but if someone continues (to try to pass) then fight him, for he has a companion (i.e. a shaytaan) with him."He would also say: "When one of you prays towards a sutrah, he should get close to it so that haytaan cannot break his prayer.

"Sometimes "he would seek to pray at the pillar which was in his mosque."When he prayed [in an open space where there was nothing to use as sutrah] he would plant a spear in the ground in front of him and pray towards it with the people behind him"; Sometimes "he would  set his mount sideways and pray towards it" but this is not the same as prayer in the resting-place of camels, which "he forbade", and sometimes "he would take his saddle; set it lengthways and pray towards its end.

"He would say: When one of you places in front of him something such as the stick on the end of a saddle, he should pray and not mind anyone who passes beyond it.

Once "he prayed towards a tree" and sometimes "he would pray towards the bed on which 'Aa'ishah (radi Allaahu anhaa) was lying [under her sheet]."

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), would not let anything pass between him and his sutrah, hence once "he was praying, when a sheep came running in front of him, so he raced it until he pressed his belly against the wall [and it passed behind him]."

Also, once "while praying an obligatory prayer, he clenched his fist (during it), so when he had finished, the people said: 'O Messenger of Allaah, did something happen during the prayer?' He said: No, except that the devil wanted to pass in front of me, so I strangled him until I could feel the
coldness of his tongue on my hand By Allaah! Had my brother Sulaimaan not beaten me to it, I would have tied him (the devil) to one of the pillars of the mosque so that the children of Madinah could walk round him. [So whoever can prevent something intervening between him and the qiblah,
he must do so]."

He also used to say:
When one of you prays towards something which is a sutrah between him and the people and someone intends to cross in front of him, then he should push him in the throat [and repel, as much as he can], (in one narration: he should stop him, twice) but if he refuses (to not pass) then he should fight him, for verily he is a devil.

He also used to say: If the person who passed in front of someone praying knew (the sin) on him, it would be better for him to wait forty than to pass in front. (Abu an-Nadr said, "I do not remember exactly whether he said forty days, months or years.".

what a sutrah is 


A sutrah is an object placed in front of someone praying as a barrier between them and anyone passing by.

see d picture below

deols:

  what a sutrah is 


A sutrah is an object placed in front of someone praying as a barrier between them and anyone passing by.

see d picture below

I do use it, but did not know the name. Thanks for this SUTRAH

^^ u'r welcome. amm glad am learning too

What Breaks the Prayer
He used to say: A man's prayer is cut off when there is nothing such as the end of a saddle in front of him, by: a [menstruating]55 woman, a donkey or a black dog. Abu Dharr said, 'I said: "O Messenger of Allaah, why the black dog rather than the red one?" He said, The black dog is a shaytaan.

Prohibition of Prayer Facing the Grave
He used to forbid prayer facing the grave, saying: Do not pray towards the graves, and do not sit on them.

Intention
He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to say: All actions are by intention, and every man shall have what he intended.

Takbeer
Then he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would commence the prayer by saying: Allaah is the Greatest. He ordered "the man who prayed badly" to do likewise as has been mentioned, and he said to him:

Verily, the prayer of a person is not complete until he has made an ablution which has included the necessary parts of the body and has then said: 'Allaahu Akbar'

He would also used to say: The key to the prayer is purification, it is entered by takbeer and exited by tasleem.

Also, "he used to raise his voice for the takbeer such that those behind him could hear." But, "when he fell ill Abu Bakr used to raise his voice to convey the takbeer of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) to the people."

He would also say: When the Imaam says: Allaahu Akbar, then say: Allaahu Akbar.

Raising the Hands
He would raise his hands sometimes with the takbeer, sometimes after the takbeer, and sometimes before it.

"He would raise them with fingers apart [not spaced out, nor together]", and "he would put them level with his shoulders", although occasionally, "he would raise them until they were level with [the tops of] his ears."

To Place the Right Arm on the Left Arm, and the command for it
"He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to place his right arm on his left arm", and he used to say: we, the company of prophets, have been commanded to hasten the breaking of the fast, to delay the meal before the fast, and to place our right arms on our left arms during prayer.

Also "he passed by a man who was praying and had placed his left arm on his right, so he pulled them apart and placed the right on the left."

To Place the Hands on the Chest
"He used to place the right arm on the back of his left palm, wrist and forearm" "and he commanded his companions to do likewise", and (sometimes) "he would grasp his left arm with his right."

"He used to place them on his chest."

Also "he used to forbid putting one's hand on the waist during prayer [and he put his hand on his waist (to demonstrate)]". And this is the "silb" which he used to forbid.

To Look At The Place Of Prostration, And Humility
"He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to incline his head during prayer and fix his sight towards the ground"- "while he was in the Ka'bah, his sight did not leave the place of his prostration until he came out from it" and he said, It is not fitting that there should be anything in the House which disturbs the person praying.

"He used to forbid looking up at the sky", and he emphasised this prohibition so much that he said: People must refrain from looking up at the sky in prayer, or their sight will not return to them (and in one narration: or their sight will be plucked away). In another hadeeth: So when you pray, do
not look here and there, for Allaah sets His Face for the face of his slave in his prayer as long as he does not look away, and he also said about looking here and there, "it is a snatching away which the devil steals from the slave during prayer."

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) also said: Allaah does not cease to turn to a slave in his prayer as long as he is not looking around; when he turns his face away, Allaah turns away from him;
he "forbade three things: pecking like a hen, squatting (iq'aa'), like a dog and looking around like a fox"; he also used to say, Pray a farewell prayer as if you see Him, but if you do not see Him, surely He sees you; and, Any person who, when an obligatory prayer is due, excels in its ablution, humility and bowings, will have it as a remission for his previous minor sins as long as he does not commit a major sin, and this opportunity) is for all times.

Once he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), prayed in a khameesah and (during the prayer) he looked at its marks. So when he finished, he said: Take this khameesah of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me his anbijaaniyyah, for it has diverted my attention from the prayer (in one narration: for I have looked at its marks during the prayer and it almost put me to trial). Also "'Aaishah had a cloth with pictures spread towards a sahwah95, towards which the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prayed and then said: Take it away from me [for its pictures did not cease to thwart me in my
prayer].

He would also say: Prayer is not valid when the food has been served, nor when it is time to relieve oneself of the two filths.

the part that says what breaks the salat is a continuation of the command on Sutrah.

concerning the intention . this is what you have in mind and there is no need to recite out nawaitu farda. . .

takbir
when the Imam says Allahu akbar and his voice is loud enoff for the congregation, it is enough. In a case where microphones are used by the imam, the need for d muadhin's voice repeating it to the congregation is totally unnecessary.

This is very educative deols, well done, have some catching up to though cos I've not been online lately, just thought to drop ds 'note' first. well done once again

bhusayor:

This is very educative deols, well done, have some catching up to though cos I've not been online lately, just thought to drop ds 'note' first. well done once again

thank u dear . now, I'll slow down for u to catchup!

I will appreciate if you can go as far as highlighting the significance of each physical activity done during solat. Perhaps even explain the significance of one's head bowing to the ground during solat.
I was priviledged to witness a lecture where Prof. Daud Noibi made connections between each step and its spiritual meaning. Anyone has the tapes?

ola_pluto:

I will appreciate if you can go as far as highlighting the significance of each physical activity done during solat. Perhaps even explain the significance of one's head bowing to the ground during solat.
I was priviledged to witness a lecture where Prof. Daud Noibi made connections between each step and its spiritual meaning. Anyone has the tapes?

I wont be doing that, am sorry. I said at the beginning that this would be based on a book, sifatus Salaatun nabiy. and what you just said isnt mentioned in the book.you can open another thread for that. I''d like to learn it too and I hope it is backed by hadith narrations.

mukina2:

your handwriting is written all over the wall. thank you darl!!!

Opening Supplications (Du'aa's)

Next, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would commence his recitation with many kinds of supplications in which he would praise Allah the Exalted, and glorify and extol Him. He in fact ordered "the man who prayed badly" to do so, saying to him: No person's prayer is complete unless he says takbeer, praises Allaah the Mighty and Sublime and extols Him, recites of the Qur'aan what is easy for him. . .
Recitation
Next, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would seek refuge with Allaah the Exalted, saying:

I seek refuge with Allaah from the Evil One, the Rejected, from his madness, his arrogance, and his poetry. Sometimes he would add to this, saying:
I seek refuge with Allaah, the all-Hearing, the all-Knowing, from the Evil One --> (audhu billahi minashaytanir-rajim min hamzihi wa nafkhihi wanafsihi) or (audhubillahisamiul alim mina shaytanir-rajim)


Then he would recite,
In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, but not loudly(Bismi llahir- Rahmanir-Rahim)

Recitation of one Verse at a Time


Next, he would recite Soorah al-Faatihah and divide his recitation, reciting one verse at a time. He would say:

ArRahmanir raheem
[Here he would pause, and then say:]

Maliki yaomid deen
[Then he would pause, and then say:]

Iyyakana'budu wa iyyaka nasta'een

[Then he would pause, and then say:]

Ihdina. . 
,  and so on, until the end of the soorah. The rest of his recitation was also like this: stopping at the end of the verse and not joining it with the one after.

Sometimes, he would recite,
Maliki yaomiddeen(King of the Day of Judgment) instead of Maalikiyaomiddeen (Master of the Day of Judgment).

About the opening supplication

There are many of it. You can check your hisnu Muslim(fortress or citadel of a believer) for them. learn them, memorise them and use them in salaat. mayAllah make it easy.

Recitation of one verse at a time

that is self explanatory but I want it emphasised. there is no point rushing now Just a few minutes for your LOrd

reciting maliki or maalikiyaomiddeen

here the meaning changes with the pronunciation. maalik (master) is more pronounced with an extra 'a' than malik(king)

who is following oo

'We' are following

^^thanks a bunch

The Necessity of al-Faatihah, and its Excellence

He would vehemently emphasise the importance of this soorah, saying: "There is no prayer for the one who did not recite [in it] the opening chapter [at least]",

and in another saying: That prayer is not sufficient in which a man does not recite the Opening of the Book. He also said: He who performs a prayer in which he does not recite the Opening of the Book, then it (i.e. the prayer) is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient, incomplete, He also said:

Allaah the Blessed and Exalted has said: "I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant, into two halves: half of it is for Me and half is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." Then the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: Recite! The
servant says "Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds"; Allaah the Exalted says "My servant has praised Me". The servant says, "The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy"; Allaah says, "My servant has extolled Me". The servant says "Master of the Day of Judgment"; Allaah the Exalted says, "My servant has glorified Me". The servant says, "It is You (alone) we worship and it is You (alone) we ask for help"; [He says:], "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for". The servant says, "Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who receive Your anger, nor of those who go astray". [He says:], "All these are
for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." He also used to say: Allaah did not reveal in the Torah or the Gospel anything like the Mother of the Qur'aan. It is the Seven Oft-Repeated[and the Grand Recitation which have been bestowed upon
me].

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) commanded "the one who prayed badly" to recite it in his prayer, but said to one who could not remember it, Say:
(I declare Allaah free from all defects; all Praise be to Allaah; none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah; Allaah is the Greatest; there is no might or power except by Allaah).

He also said to "the one who prayed badly": If you know some of the Qur'aan, then recite it, otherwise praise Allaah, declare His Greatness and declare that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah;

The Abrogation of Recitation behind the Imaam in the Loud Prayers
He had given permission for those being led by the Imaam to recite Soorah al-Faatihah in the loud prayers, when once:

"he was praying Fajr and the recitation became difficult for him. When he finished, he said: Perhaps you recite behind your imaam. We said: "Yes, quickly, O Messenger of Allaah." He said: Do not do so, except for [each of you reciting] the opening chapter of the Book, for the prayer is not valid of the one who does not recite it.

Later, he forbade them from reciting in the loud prayers at all, when:

"He finished a prayer in which he was reciting loudly (in one narration: it was the dawn prayer) and said: Were any of you reciting with me just now?! A man said: "Yes, I was, O Messenger of Allaah".

He said: I say, why am I contended with? [Abu Hurairah said:] So the people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) when he was reciting loudly after hearing that from him [but they recited to themselves quietly when the imaam was not reciting loudly]."
He also made silence during the imaam's recitation part of the completeness of following the imaam, saying: The imaam is there to be followed, so when he says takbeer, say takbeer, and when he recites, be silent, just as he made listening to the imaam's re[/b]citation enough to not have to recite behind him, saying: He who has an imaam, then the recitation of the imaam is recitation for him - this applying in the loud prayers.
[b]
The Obligation to Recite in the Quiet Prayers


As for the quiet prayers, he urged them to recite during them; Jaabir said, "We used to recite behind the imaam in Zuhr and 'Asr: soorah al-Faatihah and another soorah in the first two rak'ahs, and soorah al-Fatihah in the last two." However, he dissuaded them from confusing him with their recitation, when:

"he prayed Zuhr with his Companions and said (afterwards): Which of you recited "Glorify the name of your Lord the Most High" (soorah al-A'laa, 87)? Someone said: It was I [but I was only intending nothing but good by doing so]. So he said: I knew that someone was contending with me by it.

In another hadeeth: "They used to recite behind the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) [loudly], so he said: You have mixed up my (recitation of the) Qur'aan.

He also said: Truly, the person praying is privately consulting his Lord, so he should be careful about what he consults him with, and you should not recite the Qur'aan loudly over each other.

He also used to say: Whoever recited a harf (letter) from the Book of Allaah, it will count for him as one good deed, and a good deed is worth ten times over. I do not mean that "alif laam meem" is a harf, but "alif" is a harf, "laam" is a harf, and "meem" is a harf.
The aameen, and the Imaam's saying it Loudly When he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) finished reciting al- Faatihah, he would say: ("aameen" loudly, prolonging his voice.

He also used to order the congregation to say aameen: When the imaam says, "Not of those who receive (Your) anger, nor of those who go astray", then say "aameen" [for the angels say "aameen" and the imaam says aameen"] (in another narration: when the imaam says
"aameen" say "aameen", so he whose aameen coincides with the aameen of the angels (in another narration: when one of you says "aameen" in prayer and the angels in the sky say "aameen", and they coincide), his past sins are forgiven. In another hadeeth: , then say aameen; Allaah will answer you.

He also used to say: The Jews do not envy you over anything as much as they envy you over the salutation and aameen [behind the imaam].

The Recitation after al-Faatihah
Next, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would recite another soorah after al-Faatihah, making it long sometimes, and on other occasions making it short because of travel, cough, illness or the crying of infants.

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) made it [i.e. the recitation] short one day in the dawn prayer." (In another hadeeth: he prayed the morning prayer and recited the two shortest soorahs in the Qur'aan.) So it was said: "O Messenger of Allaah, why did you make it short?" He said: I heard the crying of a child, and I supposed that his mother was praying with us, so I wanted to free his mother for him.

He also used to say: I enter into prayer intending to lengthen it, but I hear the crying of a child so I shorten my prayer because I know how deeply his mother feels about his crying. He used to start from the beginnning of a soorah, completing it most of the time. He used to say: Give every soorah its share of rukoo' and sujood.156 In another narration: Every soorah should have a rak'ah. Sometimes he would divide the soorah into two rak'ahs158 and sometimes he would repeat the whole soorah in the second rak'ah. Sometimes he would combine two or more soorahs in one rak'ah.

One of the Ansaar used to lead them in the mosque of Qubaa', and every time he recited a soorah for them, he would begin with "Say: He is Allaah, the One and Only " (soorah al- Ikhlaas, 112) until its end, and then recite another soorah with it, and he would do this in every rak'ah. Because of this, his people spoke to him, saying: "You begin with this soorah, and then you do not regard it as enough until you recite another one: you should either recite it (only) or leave it and recite another one. He said: "I will not leave it: if you do not mind me leading you with it, I shall carry on, but if you do not like it, I shall leave you." They knew that he was one of their best, and they did not like to be led by anyone else, so when the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) came to them, they told him the story. He said: O so- and-so, what stops you from doing what your people ask you to? What makes you recite this soorah in every rak'ah? He said: "I love this soorah." He said: Your love for itwill enter you into the Garden.

the loud and quiet prayers

the loud prayers refer to subh, the first two rakaah of maghrib, and the first two of Ishai. During these, while observing prayer in congregation, we are to listen to the Imam's recitation but not to recite. We do otherwise during zuhr, asr, the last of maghrib,and the last two of Ishai.

it is okay to recite a surah u love in every salaat