What makes salaah valid

Before starting, these conditions must be in place:

1. Purity of body — wudu (or ghusl where required)
2. Purity of clothing and place of salaah
3. Covering the awrah — for men, navel to knees; for women, the whole body except face, hands and feet
4. The time for that salaah has entered
5. Facing the Qiblah
6. Niyyah — intention in the heart for the specific salaah

Rakaats of the five daily salaah

* Ghair mu'akkadah (recommended, not emphasised). Witr is wajib in the Hanafi madhhab.

The essential acts inside salaah

1. Takbeer Tahreemah — opening "Allahu Akbar"
2. Qiyaam — standing (in fard salaah, when able)
3. Qiraa'ah — recitation of Qur'an
4. Ruku' — bowing
5. Sujood — two prostrations per rakaat
6. Qa'dah Akheerah — final sitting, long enough to recite Tashahhud

Jumu'ah

On Fridays, Jumu'ah salaah (khutbah followed by 2 rakaats fard in congregation) replaces Zuhr for men. At Masjid-ul-Khaleel the Jumu'ah azaan is at 12:40 and jamaat at 12:50.

The four fard acts

1. Washing the entire face
2. Washing both arms including the elbows
3. Masah (wiping) of at least a quarter of the head
4. Washing both feet including the ankles

The complete sunnah method

1. Make the intention of wudu and say Bismillah
2. Wash both hands up to the wrists, three times
3. Rinse the mouth three times (use a miswaak if available)
4. Rinse the nose three times, sniffing water in and expelling it
5. Wash the whole face three times, from hairline to chin, ear to ear
6. Wash the right arm to above the elbow three times, then the left
7. Make masah: wet the hands and wipe over the whole head once, then wipe the ears (index fingers inside, thumbs behind) and the back of the neck with the backs of the fingers
8. Wash the right foot to above the ankle three times, then the left, passing the little finger between the toes

Du'a after wudu

Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallaahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasooluh — "I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger."

What breaks wudu

• Anything exiting the front or back passage
• Sleeping while lying down or leaning
• Blood or pus flowing from a wound
• Vomiting a mouthful
• Losing consciousness or sanity
• Laughing aloud during salaah

The three fard acts

1. Rinsing the mouth thoroughly
2. Rinsing the nostrils up to the soft bone
3. Washing the entire body so no spot — even a hair's breadth — remains dry

The complete sunnah method

1. Make the intention of purifying yourself
2. Wash both hands up to the wrists
3. Wash the private areas and remove any impurity from the body
4. Perform a full wudu as for salaah (feet may be left for the end if standing in pooling water)
5. Pour water over the head three times
6. Pour water over the right shoulder three times, then the left three times
7. Ensure water reaches everywhere — behind the ears, the navel, between fingers and toes, through the hair to the roots

When ghusl is fard

• After marital relations or any release of mani
• At the end of haidh (menstruation)
• At the end of nifaas (post-natal bleeding)

When ghusl is sunnah

• Before Jumu'ah salaah
• Before the two Eid salaahs
• Before entering ihram for Hajj or Umrah

What the columns mean

• Sehri ends — last time to eat when fasting
• Subuh Sadik — true dawn; Fajr time begins
• Azaan — when the call to prayer is given at the masjid
• Jamaat — when congregation salaah begins
• Sunrise — Fajr time ends; salaah is not performed until Ishraaq
• Zawal — midday; salaah is not performed at this exact time
• Maghrib — begins at sunset and is prayed promptly