EASY
GUIDE FOR NEW MUSLIMS
1)
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM.
1.2)
PRAYER
Praying five
times a day, an obligation on all Muslims, becomes our personal
communion with God and is the foundation of our daily life. Prayer
becomes the medium through which we search for peace, for inspiration,
for protection against sinning, repentance, among many other things.
It is therefore of paramount importance that you learn how to pray
properly.
The best way
to learn how to pray is through the help of another Muslim. Befriend
a good practicing Muslim and ask him/her for help, but to get you
started the following explanation should prove to be useful. As
we mentioned above it is our duty to Allah to pray five times a
day. Each prayer should be performed within the timeframes as described
below, with the starting and ending times for each one being available
at most mosques or better yet, on-line.
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1
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Morning
Prayer (Fajr).Two rakahs
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Begins
about one hour and twenty minutes before sunrise and ends
about ten minutes before sunrise. It is recited out loud
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2
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Noon
Prayer (Zuhr). Four rakahs
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Begins
when the sun passes the meridian and ends about two and a
half hours afterwards. It is recited in silence
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3
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Afternoon
Prayer (Asr). Four rakahs
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Begins
from the time the noon prayer time ends and ends about 10
minutes before sunset. It is recited in silcence.
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4
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Sunset
Prayer (Maghrib). Three rakahs
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Begins
soon after sunset and ends before darkness approaches. The
first two rakahs are recited out loud, and the third is recited
in silence.
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5
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Night
Prayer (Isha). Four rakahs
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Begins
from the time the sunset prayer ends and extends till just
before the morning prayer. The first two rakahs are recited
out loud, and the last two recited in silence.
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Food for thought ... and action
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"Let him who believes in God and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent." Hadith
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