How to Perform Sunni Namaz

Sunni is one of the largest denominations of the Islamic religion. Muslims follow the word of Allah according to the Qur’an and the teachings of Mohammad, considered to be the final prophet of Allah. Namaz (Shalah) is a form of ritualistic prayer that takes a few minutes to perform^[1] and is the second pillar of Islam. It is obligatory for Sunni Muslims to pray 5 times a day at fixed hours, though the rite of Namaz can be done almost anywhere. If you would like to practice the Sunni Namaz, you will want to prepare, perform and complete this act of worship properly.

1

EditPreparing for Namaz

1. 
   1
   Know the proper prayer times. The five required prayer times for Sunni Muslims include the dhuhr (noon) prayer, asr (mid-afternoon) prayer, maghrib (sunset) prayer, isha (nightfall) prayer and subh or fajr (dawn) prayer. Prayers are performed at some point during each prayer time period. Prayer times are traditionally determined by the position of the sun in the sky. ^[3]

   • The dhuhr (noon) prayer begins after noon when the sun moves down from the middle of the sky and ends when the afternoon shadows lengthen.
   • The asr (mid-afternoon) prayer starts when the dhuhr prayer ends and lasts until sunset.
   • The maghrib (sunset) prayer begins when the sun sets below the horizon and lasts until the last bit of red disappears from the western horizon.
   • The isha' (nightfall) prayer starts when the maghrib prayer ends until dawn.
   • The subh or fajr (dawn) prayer begins with the appearance of light on the Eastern horizon and ends when the sun first appears.
2. 
   2
   Learn to say prayers in Arabic. Namaz must be performed in the Arabic language because this is the language that the Qur’an is written in. It also allows Muslims outside of Arabic-speaking countries to recite the prayers and understand what is being said. Speaking all prayers in the same language avoids the confusion of translating words into other languages.^[4]

   • Use online sources to help you pronounce the obligatory prayer words, such as Rosetta Stone^[5], Salaam Arabic^[6], hosted by Pangaea Learning, Madinah Arabic^[7] or Youtube^[8] sources.
   • Take a course in Arabic at your local college.
   • Learn and practice the correct pronunciations with an Arabic speaker.
3. 
   3
   Cover yourself. Men and women must both cover themselves with material that conceals the color of the skin throughout the prayer. While women must cover everything but their faces and hands, men must keep the area between their navel and knees covered.^[9]

   • The material must cover the body during prayer movements. So if, for example, bending causes a piece of material to slip and expose skin on a woman’s neck, she would need to ensure that her clothing is tucked in properly or put more clothing on before she can complete her prayer.
4. 
   4
   Face the Qiblah. The Qiblah is a sacred mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia which has been used as a place of worship for thousands of years. It is said that Muhammad was born in Mecca and rededicated the existing structure to Allah after conquering the city. No matter where they are in the world, Muslims face the respective direction of the Qiblah while performing Namaz.^[10]

   • Look on a map and see which direction Mecca is from where you are located. Face that direction during prayer.
   • Ask a local Muslim which direction to face during prayer.

Part2

EditPurifying Yourself for Namaz

1. 
   1
   Rid your body of najas (filthy substances). According to Islam, substances such as urine, feces, blood, vomit, pus and other bodily fluids are filthy. These substances must be removed from your body, clothes and the location that you will be praying. Interestingly, semen and a woman’s orgasm fluids are not considered filthy and so do not have to be removed before practicing Namaz.^[11]

   • Dry yourself of urine after using the toilet—usually with toilet paper. Then pour water over the areas where the urine was.
   • After defecating, use toilet paper to wipe and then pour water over the area.
   • You can also just use toilet paper or water to clean yourself as long as the urine didn’t dry outside of the urethra or the defecation did not get on one’s buttocks.^[12]
2. 
   2
   Perform ritual ablution or wudhu. The practice of wudu' involves washing certain body parts, such as the face, hands, arms, feet, ankles and head with water. While certain portions of the body must be washed for the wudu’ to be valid, some areas are not required to be washed but are recommended. When you start your wudu’, you must have the proper intention by saying to yourself, “I intend to perform wudu’.”^[13]

   • You are obligated to wash your face from ear to ear and hairline to chin as well as your hands, forearms and elbows from right to left. It is recommended that you wash your hands, forearms and elbows 3 times. It is also recommended that you also say “Bismillah” along with “Allah” when washing your hands.^[14]
   • You are obligated to wet wipe the top part of your head as well as wash your feet and ankles. It is recommended that you wash your feet and ankles three times from right to left.
   • It is recommended that you use your right hand to rinse your mouth and suck water into your nose and blow it out with your left hand—3 times. Also, it is recommended that you wet wipe both your ears 3 times as well.^[15]
   • Things that will force you to stop wudu’ and start over include: passing urine, defecation or gas, touching the penis, vagina or anus with your palm, loss of consciousness, sleeping without being seated on your buttocks or any skin-to-skin contact with the opposite sex of marriageable age (except for immediate family members).^[16]
3. 
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   Perform ghusl (full shower) if needed. Certain circumstances will require that you perform ghusl instead of wudu’ to be cleansed after removing najas and before praying. If you wish to pray after having sexual intercourse, ending your menstruation period or postpartum bleeding, giving birth, or ejaculating. You are obligated to give your intention by saying to yourself, “I intend to perform ghusl.” ^[17]

   • To perform ghusl, you must wash your entire body and hair with water. It is recommended that you wash 3 times.
   • Note that when you perform either wudu’ or ghusl, anything that prevents water from touching the obligatory areas of the body must be removed, including things such as nail polish and waterproof mascara.^[18]
4. 
   4
   Perform tayammum (dry purification) if needed. If a Muslim is unable to use water, he or she may choose to perform tayammum instead of wudu’ or ghusl. However, tayammum can only be used for one obligatory prayer session. This rite involves using clean soil or dirt that has not been used before to perform tayammum, and starts with the intention, “I intend to perform tayammum to make performing the prayer permissible.”^[19]

   • Keep the pure sand or dust of tayammum separately
   • Saying Bismi (I’m staying in the name of Allah) while facing towards Qibla
   • Brush your teeth
   • Intention. Having the intention.
   • Tap the sand together within both hands. Intention or niyyath should be in mind while tapping and should last till rubbing the face
   • Rub the face as prescribed using the sand attached to hands while tapping
   • Tap your hands using dorsal side of both hands to remove the sand remaining after the first rubbing. This removal of sand should be on another separate place. If remaining sand is mixed with original sand kept for tayammum, tayammum will be invalid.
   • Tap for the second time
   • Rub the inside of right hand fingers using inside of left hand fingers. Run only inside fingers first not palms.
   • Continue rubbing using inside of left hand fingers on dorsal side of right hand till the knee of right of hand including dorsal side of right forearm.
   • Shift from inside of left finger to left palm and continue rubbing posterior side of right forearm till the right wrist
   • Shift from left palm to inside of left thumb and continue rubbing the dorsal side of right thumb
   • Repeat the same using right hand on the left hand
   • Finally, Rub both the palms.^[20]

Part3

EditPerforming Namaz

1. 
   1
   Say your intention to yourself. Being clear about the act of worship that you will perform is imperative to practicing Namaz. Each of the 5 obligatory prayers require a certain number of repetitions, so you will also need to be clear about the proper prayer time as well as the obligatory number you must say it. ^[21]Your intention should go something like this: “I offer this (name of prayer type) prayer, of (number of repetitions) rakah’s in order to seek closeness to God.”

   • The dhuhr (noon) prayer- 4 repetitions
   • The asr (mid-afternoon) prayer- 4 repetitions
   • The maghrib (sunset) prayer- 3 repetitions
   • The isha' (nightfall) prayer- 4 repetitions
   • The subh or fajr (dawn) prayer- 2 repetitions
2. 
   2
   Get into the correct stance. Stand if you are able to. Raise your hand to the level of your ears and say, "Allahu Akbar (God is great)” loud enough so you can hear yourself. You may also use your right hand to hold your left wrist and keep both hands above your navel.^[22]
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   3
   Recite the Fatihah (1st chapter of the Qur’an). You must recite the 1st chapter of the Qur’an loud enough to hear yourself. It is very important that the Fatihah is recited properly. Each letter must be pronounced correctly, so it is always best to learn the Fatihah from a qualified instructor, if needed. ^[23]

   • Suratul-Fatihah goes: “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbil- ^alamin, Ar-Rahmanir-Rahim, Maliki yawmid-Din, Iyyaka na^budu wa iyyaka nasta^in, Ihdinas-siratal-mustaqim, Siratal-ladhina an ^amta ^alayhim, Ghayril-maghdubi ^alayhim wa lad-dallin.”
   • If you cannot properly speak the entire Fatihah correctly, then you can recite the lines (qyahs) you are able to and repeat them as many times as is needed to equal the 156 words of the full Fatihah. If you don’t know any of the Fatihah, then you must recite another part of the Qur’an with 156 letters like the Fatihah.
   • If you don’t know any of the Qur’an, then you need to recite parts of the dhikr, such as: “subhanallah, al-hamdulillah, la ilaha illallah, and Allahu akbar (I declare that Allah is clear of all imperfections, praise and thanks to Allah, no one is God but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest) as many times as would render minimally the same number of letters in the Fatihah (Ibn Hibban an-Nawawiyy).”
4. 
   4
   Bow. It is obligatory that you bow by bending at the waist so that your palms are able to reach your knees. Stay in the bowed position for the length of time it takes to recite, “subhanallah”. Then, straighten your back and stay there long enough to say, “subhanallah.” While bending or straightening your back, it is recommended that you put your hands next to your ears and say, “Allahu akbar” while bending or “Sami^ allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears who praises Him)” when straightening your back. ^[24]

   • It is recommended that you say, “subhana Rabbiyal- ^Adhim (Praise be to my Great Lord)” 3 times as you bow.
   • It is also recommended that you say, “Rabbana lakal-hamd (0 our Lord, to You the praise is due)” as you straighten your back.
5. 
   5
   Prostrate yourself. You are obligated to place your palms, knees and toes against the floor and press your forehead to the ground. While in this position, your heels should be off the ground with only the pads of your toes on the floor. The length of time that you should remain in this position equals how long it takes you to say, “subhanallah.” ^[25]

   • While you prostrate yourself, it is recommended that you raise your hands next to your ears and say, “Allahu akbar.”
   • If you are a man, it is recommended that you keep your elbows away from your sides as well as your abdomen lifted away from your thighs. If you are a woman, keep your elbows pulled in to your sides and trunk close to your thighs.
6. 
   6
   Get into a sitting position. Raise yourself from prostration and sit. You should sit for as long as it takes to speak, “subhanallah.” During this time, it is recommended that you say, “Allahu akbar” as well as, “Rabbighfir li warhamni wajburni warfa ^ ^ni warzuqni wahdini wa ^afini (0 my Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, fulfill my needs, raise me, provide for me, guide me, and protect me from sickness).”^[26]

   • It is also recommended that you tuck your left foot under your buttocks and keep the right foot vertical while sitting.
7. 
   7
   Perform a second prostration. You must perform another prostration and get back into the sitting position. Follow the steps for prostrating yourself as well as for getting into the sitting position again. This completes your first prayer repetition or rakah. ^[27]

Part4

EditCompleting Namaz

1. 
   1
   Stand up and repeat. After completing the first prayer repetition (rakah), which includes the movements and statements in Part 3, the entire prayer must be repeated 2-4 times. The number of times you repeat the prayer will depend on the prayer time. Check Part 1: Preparing for Namaz to see details about how many prayer repetitions you must do for the dhuhr (noon) prayer, asr (mid-afternoon) prayer, maghrib (sunset) prayer, isha (nightfall) prayer and subh or fajr (dawn) prayer.
2. 
   2
   Say the Tashahhud. When you have completed the 2nd prostration for your final prayer repetition, you must sit up and say the Tashahhud.The Tashahhud goes: “At-Tahiyyatul-mubarakat, as-salawatut-tayyibatu lillah. As­Salamu ^alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-Salamu ^alayna wa ^ala ^ibadillahis-salihin Ashhadu alla ‘ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa-Rasuluhu.”

   • You are obligated to say, “Allahumma salli ^ala Muhammad.” after this.
3. 
   3
   End your prayer. Complete the prayer by looking at your right shoulder and telling the salaam, "Assalamu Alai'kumWarah'matullah." Next, look at your left shoulder and recite the same. This closes your prayer and you have finished one of the obligatory 5 daily prayers.^[28]

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 prayer in order to seek closeness to God