Paying tribute to devotion to the Almighty, Muslims say the canonical prayer from the verses of the Koran - prayer. Believers should do it five times a day. Turning to God, they perform a certain sequence of sacred actions. In Islam, it is called "rakat". Namaz, consisting of several rak'ahs, is not counted by Allah if the order of its performance is incorrect.
Rakat in prayer
Each prayer cycle, called rak'ah, includes several mandatory steps:
- Takbir is the ex altation of the Almighty. The believer pronounces the words "Allahu Akbar". Translated from Arabic, they mean "Allah is Great".
- Reading Surah Al-Fatiha. Muslims say a sacred prayer, being in a qiyam (standing) position.
- Ruku - waist bow. The believer bends down so that his palms reach his knees, and stays in this position for a short time, then straightens up.
- Sajdu - prostration. Muslim fallsprostrate before the Almighty, touching the floor with his forehead and nose, thus expressing his devotion to him. He then straightens up, remaining seated.
- The second prostration, after which the believer straightens up, thus ending the rak'ah.
This description is generalized. Rakats in different prayers may differ slightly from each other. The execution also varies depending on what the cycle is in terms of the prayer. For example, if the rak'ah ends the prayer, it should end with the reading of the dua "At-Tahiyat" and taslim. Before the third cycle of prayer, it is also necessary to say a dua, then make a takbir. Otherwise, you can proceed to the next cycle without additional actions.
How many rakahs in prayer?
Performing prayer, Muslims repeat the above cycle several times. It is worth noting that each prayer contains a different number of rak'ahs. It depends on the time of day in which it takes place. In Islam there are:
- Fajr - morning prayer.
- Zuhr - noon prayer.
- Asr - afternoon prayer.
- Maghrib - evening prayer.
- Isha - night prayer.
Fajr prayer includes two rak'ahs. It is necessary to pronounce the sacred words in the morning aloud, so that they can be heard by those who are close to the one who is praying. Zuhr and asr, consisting of four rak'ahs, on the contrary, should be read in a whisper. Maghrib prayer contains three rak'ahs. Moreover, the first two Muslimssay out loud, like the morning prayer. Believers read the last rak'ah in prayer very quietly, like zuhr and asr. Isha consists of four rak'ahs. The first two are spoken aloud, the last - in a whisper.
Fard Rakat and Sunna Rakat
In Islam, rak'ahs are divided into two types: fard and sunnah. The former are considered mandatory. They were discussed above. Sunnah rak'ahs in prayers, on the contrary, are performed voluntarily. However, their number in prayer is strictly determined by religion.
Thus, in the Fajr prayer, believers are allowed to perform two sunnah rakahs before the obligatory ones. The order is somewhat more complicated when performing the noon prayer. In zuhr prayer, it is customary to perform four sunna rakahs before the main cycles and two after them. Asr includes a sequence of four sunnah rakahs and four fard rakahs.
After the obligatory cycles of evening and night prayers, a Muslim can optionally perform two more additional ones. Isha ends with three witr rakahs (actions close to obligatory). Sunnah rakah is encouraged in Islam. After all, a Muslim thus proves the strength and sincerity of his faith. However, the absence of sunnah rakahs in prayer is not considered a sin and does not lead to punishment on the Day of Judgment.
