Lesson 19: Preliminaries of the Prayer (2)

Third: The Place of Prayer

A- Conditions of the Place of Prayer

The place where one offers the prayer must have the following conditions:

1. It must be permissible to use (Mubah) (Issue 912);
2. It must be still (no moving) (Issues 925 & 926);
3. It must be where the prayer will be completed

(Issue 928).

4. Performing the obligatory acts of prayer, such as standing up (qiyyam), bowing,) Rukū(, and prostrating (Sajdah) must be possible in that place (Issue 929).
5. The place that one puts his forehead on when prostrating must be pure (Issue 931).
6. A man must stand in front of a woman in one place (Issue 932).
7. The place where one puts his forehead on when prostrating is not to be more than four closed four fingers higher or lower than the place of the knees and big toes (Issues 933).

The Lows of the Mosque

1. It is unlawful to make a mosque’s floor, ceiling, roof, walls, and the shrine of the Imāms (AS) impure. It must be purified immediately if it becomes impure

(Issues 945 & 949).

2. If a place in a mosque becomes impure and cannot be purified without digging up or demolishing it, the impure place must be dug up or demolished (Issue 947).
3. The bringing of an intrinsic impurity (Original Najāsat) or an impure object (Mutanajjis) into a mosque is prohibited if it results in disrespect to the mosque (Issue 951).
4. The sale of doors, windows, and other items from mosques is prohibited; if a mosque becomes ruined, these items must be used to repair it (Issue 955).

Furth: Laws of Qibla

The Holy Ka‘bah, which is situated in Makkah, is the Qibla. It is mandatory for all Muslims to offer their prayers facing the Qibla.

1. It is mandatory to pray, bury a Muslim’s body, and slaughter animals facing the Qibla (Issue 821).
2. The different states of a person who prays to face the Qibla:
3. If one is standing, the face, chest, and stomach must face the Qibla.
4. If one is sitting, the face, chest, and stomach must face the Qibla.
5. If one is lying on the right or left side, the front of the body must face the Qibla.
6. If one is lying on the back, the soles of the feet must face the Qibla (Issue 822, 823, & 824).
7. The ways of determining the direction of the Qibla:
8. A person himself becomes sure;
9. Two just persons testify;
10. Identify the Qibla on the altar (Miḥrāb) of the mosques or the graves of the Muslims;
11. Based on scientific rules, one can trust a sinner’s or

infidel’s statement about the direction of the Qibla (Issue 827).

4. If the Qibla direction is unknown, one must pray in four directions as a precaution. Whenever a person is certain or suspects that the Qibla is one of the two sides, he should pray on both sides (Issue 829 & 830).

Fifth: Adhān and Iqāmah

A call to prayer is called (Adhān), and a call to stand for prayer is called (Iqāmah).

1. It is recommended (mustaḥab) for one who offers the daily prayer to recite the Adhān and then Iqāmah before daily obligatory prayers (Issue 961).
2. Phrases of Adhān and Iqāmah

Adhān consists of eighteen parts, and Iqāmah consists of seventeen parts in the following:

3. The sentence “أشْهَدُ أَنَّ عَلِيَّاً وَلِىُّ اللهِ” is not a part of Adhān or Iqāmah. But it be said after “أشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللهِ” with the intention of seeking blessings.
4. On the first day after the birth of a child, it is recommended to recite the Adhān in his right ear and Iqāmah in his left ear (Issue 962).

Exercises:

1. What are the conditions of the place of prayer?
2. What are the different states of a person who prays to face the Qibla?
3. What are the laws of the mosque?

4. What is the difference between Adhān and Iqāmah