What are the conditions for the prayer to be valid? A- There are a number of conditions on which the validity of prayer (As-Salah) depends and if any one of them is not met, the prayer becomes invalid. These conditions are to be considered before performing the prayer. The requirements that must be fulfilled while offering the prayer are called ‘pillars of the prayer.' Both the pillars or conditions for the prayer are obligations that must be fulfilled. The following are the conditions that must be fulfilled before performing the prayer: • The first condition is that the person offering the prayer must be in a state of physical purification. • The second condition is that the person must be free from impurity, that is, his body and clothes must be clean and so must be the place on which he is to perform his/her prayer. • The third condition is that the person offering the prayer must cover his private parts (awrah). • The fourth condition is that the person saying the prayer must face the direction of the Qiblah, that is, his face and chest must be toward its direction. • The fifth condition is that the person offering the prayer must make sure that the stipulated time of the prayer has become due, and it is not valid before its stated time. • The sixth condition is making the intention to offer the prayer. Q- What are the reprehensible things in the prayer? A- There are certain things that should not be done in prayer. And in spite of the fact that these things do not invalidate prayer, they reduce the reward for it. These things are as follows: • Performing prayer while under pressure to answer the call of nature. • Playing with one's beard or one's body parts. • Looking up toward the sky. • Looking hither and thither in prayer. • Keeping one's hand on one's waist in prayer because this contradicts the etiquette that must be observed in prayer. • Performing prayer while feeling sleepy. • Raising one's head after bowing or prostration before the imam. • Stretching one's forearm on the ground while prostrating. • Reciting something from the Qur'an while bowing or prostrating. • Prostrating on the forehead only without the nose touching the ground. • Covering with or wrapping oneself in one's garments while one's hands are inside the garment because the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade sadl (covering) in prayer and that one should cover one's mouth while performing prayer. • Removing pebbles and leveling sand while performing prayer on the ground. • Performing prayer in improper clothes. • Performing prayer in brocaded clothes or clothes containing something that distracts one's attention from the prayer. • Performing prayer in congregation after eating garlic or anything which has an odious smell. • It is detestable for men to clap the hands in prayer, unlike women (if the imam makes a mistake). •It is detestable for whoever leads people in prayer to prolong recitation or prayer as a whole. – Extracted from 500 Questions and Answers on Islamic Jurisprudence, compiled and translated by Muhammad Abdul
