One of the five pillars of Islam is namaz, a prayer through which a person conducts a dialogue with the Almighty. By reading it, a Muslim pays tribute to devotion to Allah. Prayer is obligatory for all believers. Without it, a person loses touch with God, commits a sin, for which, according to the canons of Islam, he will be severely punished on Judgment Day.
It is necessary to read namaz five times a day at a strictly set time for him. Wherever a person is, no matter what he is busy with, he must perform a prayer. The morning prayer is especially important. Fajr, as it is also called by Muslims, has great power. His performance is equivalent to a prayer that a person would say all night.
What time is the morning prayer?
Fajr prayer should be performed early in the morning, when a white stripe appears on the horizon, and the sun has not yet risen. It is during this period of time that devout Muslims prayAllah. It is desirable that a person begins a sacred action 20-30 minutes before sunrise. In Muslim countries, people can navigate by adhan coming from the mosque. It is more difficult for a person living in other places. How do you know when to perform Fajr prayer? The time of its completion can be determined by a special calendar or schedule called ruznama.
Some Muslims use mobile applications for this purpose, such as Prayer Times ® Muslim Toolbox. It will help you know when to start praying, and will determine the qibla, the direction in which the sacred Kaaba is located.
Beyond the Arctic Circle, where day and night last longer than usual, it is more difficult for people to decide on the time at which prayer should be performed. Fajr, however, must be performed. Muslims recommend focusing on the time in Mecca or in a nearby country, where the change of day and night occurs in the usual rhythm. The last option is preferred.
What is the power of Fajr prayer?
People who regularly pray to Allah before sunrise show deep patience and true faith. After all, for the sake of performing Fajr, it is necessary to rise before dawn every day, and not sleep in a sweet dream, succumbing to the persuasion of the shaitan. This is the first test that the morning has prepared for a person, and it must be passed with dignity.
People who do not succumb to shaitan, who read namaz on time, the Almighty will protect from adversity and problems until the next day. In addition, they will succeed in eternal life, because the observance of prayereveryone will be counted on the Day of Judgment.
This prayer in Islam has great power, because on the eve of dawn next to a person are the angels of the passing night and the coming day, who are carefully watching him. Allah will then ask them what his servant did. The angels of the night will answer that they saw him praying while leaving, and the angels of the coming day will say that they also found him praying.
Stories of Sahabah who performed morning prayer against all odds
Fajr requires strict observance, whatever the circumstances in a person's life. In those distant times, when the Prophet Muhammad was still alive, people performed real feats in the name of faith. They performed prayer against all odds.
Sahaba, companions of the Messenger of the Almighty, performed the morning Fajr even when they were injured. No misfortune could stop them. So, the outstanding statesman Umar ibn al-Khattab read a prayer, bleeding after an attempt on his life. He did not even think of giving up the service of Allah.
And the companion of the Prophet Muhammad Abbad was struck by an arrow at the moment of performing the prayer. He pulled her out of his body and continued to pray. The enemy fired several more shots at him, but that didn't stop Abbad.
Sada ibn Rabi, who was also seriously injured, died while praying in a tent specially built for the sacred action.
Preparing for prayer: ablution
Prayer in Islam requires some preparation. Before transgressing to any prayer, whether it be Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib or Isha,A Muslim is required to perform a ritual bath. In Islam, it is called voodoo.
A faithful Muslim washes his hands (brushes), face, rinses his mouth and nose. He performs each action three times. Next, the believer washes each hand up to the elbow with water: first the right, then the left. After that, he rubs his head. With a wet hand, a Muslim runs it from the forehead to the back of the head. He then rubs his ears inside and out. After washing the feet up to the ankles, the believer should complete the ablution with the words of remembrance of Allah.
During prayer, Islam requires men to cover their bodies from the navel to the knees without fail. The rules for women are stricter. It must be completely covered. The only exceptions are the face and hands. Never wear tight or dirty clothes. The body of a person, his vestments and the place of prayer must be clean. If wudu is not enough, you need to perform a full body ablution (ghusl).
Fajr: rak'ahs and terms
Each of the five prayers consists of rak'ahs. This is the name of one cycle of prayer, which is repeated from two to four times. The number depends on what kind of prayer the Muslim performs. Each rakah includes a certain sequence of actions. Depending on the type of prayer, it may vary slightly.
Let's consider what Fajr consists of, how many rak'ahs a believer should perform and how to perform them correctly. Morning prayer consists of only two consecutive cycles of prayer.
Some actions included inthem, have specific names that came to us from the Arabic language. Below is a list of the most essential concepts that a believer should know:
- niyat - intention to pray;
- takbir - ex altation of Allah (the words "Allahu Akbar", meaning "Allah is Great");
- qiyam - stay in a standing position;
- sajda - kneeling posture or prostration;
- dua - prayer;
- taslim - greeting, the final part of the prayer.
Now consider both Fajr prayer cycles. How to read a prayer, people who have only recently converted to Islam will ask? In addition to following the sequence of actions, it is necessary to monitor the pronunciation of words. Of course, a true Muslim not only pronounces them correctly, but also puts his soul into them.
First rak'ah of Fajr prayer
The first cycle of prayer begins with niyat in the qiyam position. The believer expresses the intention mentally, mentioning the name of the prayer in it.
Then the Muslim should raise his hands at ear level, touch the earlobes with his thumbs and point his palms towards the qibla. While in this position, he must say the takbir. It is necessary to pronounce it out loud, and it is not necessary to do it in full voice. In Islam, Allah can be glorified in a whisper, but in such a way that the believer hears himself.
Then he covers his left hand with the palm of his right hand, clasping his wrist with his little finger and thumb, lowers his hands just below the navel and reads the first surah of the Koran "Al-Fatiha". Muslims can speak if they wish.additionally one more chapter from the Holy Scriptures.
Then comes the bow, straightening and sajda. Further, the Muslim unbends his back, remaining in a kneeling position, once again falls on his face before Allah and straightens up again. This completes the performance of the rak'ah.
Second rak'ah of Fajr prayer
The cycles included in the morning prayer (fajr) are performed differently. In the second rak'ah, you do not need to pronounce the niyat. The Muslim stands in the qiyam position, folding his hands on his chest, as in the first cycle, and begins to pronounce the surah Al-Fatiha.
Then he makes two prostrations and sits down on his feet shifted to the right side. In this position, you need to say the dua “At-takhiyat”.
At the end of the prayer, the Muslim pronounces the taslim. He pronounces it twice, turning his head first towards the right shoulder, then the left.
This is the end of the prayer. Fajr is performed by both men and women. However, they perform it differently.
How do women perform morning prayers?
When performing the first rak'ah, the woman should keep her hands at shoulder level, while the man raises them to the ears.
She does not bow as deep as a man, and she folds her hands while reading the surah Al-Fatiha on her chest, and not below the navel.
The rules for performing the Fajr prayer for women are slightly different from those for men. In addition to them, a Muslim woman should know that it is forbidden to perform it during menstruation (hayd) or postpartum bleeding (nifas). Only having cleansed herself of filth, she will be able to perform namazright, otherwise the woman will become a sinner.
What should a person do if he misses the morning prayer?
One more important issue is worth mentioning. What should a Muslim who missed the morning prayer do? In such a situation, one should consider the reason why he made such an oversight. From whether it is respectful or not, the further actions of a person depend. For example, if a Muslim set an alarm clock, specially went to bed early, but in spite of all his actions overslept, he can fulfill his duty to the Almighty at any free time, because, in fact, he is not to blame.
However, if the reason was disrespectful, then the rules are different. The Fajr prayer should be performed as quickly as possible, but not during those time periods when it is strictly forbidden to perform prayer.
When is prayer forbidden?
There are several such intervals in a day, during which it is extremely undesirable to pray. These include periods
- after morning prayer and before sunrise;
- for 15 minutes after dawn, until the luminary rises in the sky to the height of one spear;
- when it is at its zenith;
- after asra (afternoon prayer) before sunset.
At any other time, prayer can be refunded, but it is better not to neglect the sacred act, because the pre-dawn prayer read on time, in which a person put his heart and soul, as the prophet Muhammad said, is better than the whole world, more significant,than everything that fills it. A Muslim who performs Fajr at sunrise will not go to hell, but will be awarded the great rewards that Allah will bestow on him.
