Lesson 24: Other Obligatory Prayers

A- The Prayer of Signs (Salat- Al-Āyāt)

One: The Causes of the Prayer of Signs

The prayer of signs (Āyāt) becomes obligatory on account of the following four occasions:

1. Solar eclipse (the sun);
2. Lunar eclipse (the moon);
3. Earthquake;
4. Thunder, lightning, red and black winds, and other similar celestial phenomena frighten most people

(Issue 1536).

Two: The Time of Prayer of Signs

1. The time to perform the prayer of signs for a solar or lunar eclipse starts when the eclipse begins and continues until the sun or moon comes out of eclipse (normal state); it becomes obligatory for those who perform the prayer of signs during that time. After it has completely come out of the eclipse, he must intend Qaḍāʾ prayer (Issues 1540 & 1541).
2. The prayer of signs (Tawāf al-Āyāt) must be performed immediately after any earthquake, thunder, or lightning and other similar occurs. However, if one does delay it, he must perform it later with no intention of adāʾ or Qaḍāʾ(Issue 1543)
3. If a person is unaware of the total eclipse of the sun or the moon and discovers the fact after, he must perform the Qaḍāʾ of the Āyāt prayer. However, if he realizes it was a partial eclipse, the Qaḍāʾ of Āyāt prayer is not obligatory (Issue 1544).

Three: The Lows of Prayer of Signs

1. If the causes of Āyāt prayer occur in more than one phenomenon, the person must perform Āyāt prayer for each one of them (Issue 1537).
2. If someone must perform several Qaḍāʾof Āyāt prayers, he doesn’t need to specify the Qaḍāʾ of them in detail (Issue 1538).
3. Each Rukūʿ of Āyāt prayers is a Rukn; therefore, if one is omitted or added intentionally or inadvertently, the prayer is invalid, and he must perform it again (Issue 1560).

Four: Method of Performing the Prayer of Signs

The Āyāt prayer consists of two Rak’ats, and each Rak’at has five Rukū, and it is offered in either of two ways:

1. After making the intention of the Āyāt prayer, one says takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) and recites Sūrah al-Ḥamd once; then, he can divide one Sūrah into five parts, and recites one part and goes into Rukū and stand up, without reciting sūrh al-Ḥamd, he recites the second part of the other Sūrah, then goes into Rukūʿ again, and continues this action until he completes the other parts of Sūrah and goes into the fifth Rukūʿ. He performs two Sajdahs, then performs the second Rakʿat like the first Rak’at, and then he must utter Tashahhud and Salām (Issue 1553).
2. After making the intention, one says takbīr and recites Sūrah al-Ḥamd and another complete Sūrah, then performs Rukū; he stands up and recites Sūrah al-Ḥamd and the other Sūrah and then performs another Rukū‘. He must repeat this action five times, and after standing from the fifth Rukū‘, he must perform two Sajdahs and then stand up and perform the second Rak’at, like the first Rak’at. Then, he ends the prayer with Tashahhud and Salām (Issue 1554).

B- The Friday Prayer (Salat Al-Jumuʿah)

1. It is obligatory at the time of the presence of the Holy Prophet (SA) or an Infallible Imām (AS) and his specific deputy. In the time of the major occultation (of Imām Mahdi (AS), it is an optional obligation (Wājib al-Takhyīrī) that someone can choose between performing the noon (Ẓuhr) and Friday prayer. If one performs the Friday prayer, it will suffice instead of the noon prayer.
2. Similar to the morning prayer, the Friday prayer consists of two rakats, except that two sermons must be delivered before this prayer.

One: The Conditions for the Friday Prayer to Be Obligatory

 The following conditions must be met for Friday prayer to become obligatory:

1. The time for the prayer must have set in. The time for the Friday prayer starts from the zawāl (Adhān of Ẓuhr) until the shadow of the indicator is equal to its own. After that time, one must perform the noon prayer.
2. The number of people must not be less than seven, including the Imām.
3. There must be an Imām who meets all the conditions of the congregation’s Imām (Issue 1498 & 777).

Two: The Conditions for the Friday Prayer to Be Valid:

1. It must be performed in the congregation.
2. The Imām must deliver two sermons before the prayer.
3. The distance between two Friday prayers must not be less than one farsakh (Issue 777).

Three: The Conditions for Attending Friday Prayer

It is obligatory to attend it at the time of the presence of an Infallible Imām (AS) and his specific deputy, but for the following groups of people, it is not obligatory to attend:

1. It is not obligatory for women;
2. It is not obligatory for slaves;
3. It is not obligatory for the traveler;
4. The sick, blind, and aged;
5. It is not obligatory for older men.
6. Those who are more than two farsakhs [6.8 miles] from a place of Friday prayer (Issue 778).

Four: The Lows of Friday Prayer

1. It is not allowed to talk during sermons.
2. It is obligatory to listen to two sermons.
3. The second Adhān to prayer on Friday is an innovation.
4. The person must attend the Imām’s sermon.
5. Buying and selling are unlawful during Friday prayers.
6. The noon prayer is valid even if someone does not perform the Friday prayer (Issue 779).
7. Friday prayer is like morning prayer, but two sermons are recited before Friday prayer (Issue 777).

Five: Method of Performing Friday Prayer

Friday prayer consists of two Rak’ats like morning (fajr) prayer.

1. The Imām must deliver two sermons before the prayer begins.
2. It is recommended for the Imām to recite Sūrah Jumu’ah (Friday) after reciting Sūrah al-Ḥamd in the first Rak’at and recite the Sūrah “Munāfiqīn” after al-Ḥamd in the second Rak’at.
3. There are two qunūts in each rakat; one before the Rukū in the first Rak’at and the other qunūt after the Rukū in the second Rak’at (Issue 777).

C: The Eid prayer

Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers are obligatory during the time of the Imām (AS) and must be offered in the congregation. It is recommended when the Twelfth Imām (AJ) is in occultation and can be performed individually or in the congregation.

1. The time of the Eid prayer is from sunrise to noon on the day of Eid (Issue 1562).
2. The Eid-Fitr and qurban prayers consist of two Rak’ats, like the morning prayer. In the first rakat, after reciting the Sūrah al-Ḥamd and other Sūrah, one must say takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) five times; after each takbīr, he recites one qunūt, after the fifth qunūt, he says another takbīr, then must perform Rukū, and two Sajdahs, and stand up. In the second Rak’at, he said four takbīr; after each takbīr, he recited a qunūt, and after the fifth takbīr, goes into Rukū, then performed two Sajdahs and recited Tashahhud and complete the prayer with Salām (Issue 1564).
3. Any du‘ā or Dhikr will suffice in qunūt of the Eid prayer. It is better to recite the du‘ā:

«اللَّهُمَ أَهْلَ الْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْعَظَمة، وأهْلَ الْجُودِ وَالْجَبَرُوتِ… »

4. After Eid prayers, two sermons must be delivered (Issue 1566).

D: Hiring Someone to Perform Prayers

If a person did not perform prayers or other acts of worship during his lifetime, a person could be hired to perform these acts for him.

The Hired Duty:

1. A hired person must correctly perform the acts of Qaḍā prayers (Issues 1579 & 1582).
2. When the hirer makes the intention, he must specify the dead person (Issue 1580).
3. The hired person must perform the act of worship with the intention of what the deceased had been charged with as his obligation (Issue 1581).
4. A hired man or woman can be hired for another. The hired person must act according to his or her own obligation in reciting the prayer aloud or in a low voice.

 (Issue 1586).

5. There is no obligatory order in the Qaḍāʾ of prayers for the dead, except for those that must be performed in order, such as noon (Ẓuhr) and afternoon (asr) or evening (Maghrib) and night (ʿIshāʾ) prayers the same day (Issue 1587).
6. The hirer must perform the Qaḍāʾ according to the contract (Issue 1589).

H: The Nafila of Daily Prayers

There are many recommended prayers in Islam that are called supererogatory (Nāfilah) prayers. The Nāfilah of daily prayers has been emphasized more. There are 23 Rak’ats of daily Nāfilahs and 11 Rak’ats of the midnight Nāfilah, which makes 34 Rak’ats.

One: The Nāfilah of Daily Prayers

1. The morning prayer: Its Nāfilah is two Rak’ats performed before the morning prayer (Issue 817).
2. The noon prayer: Its Nāfilah is eight Rak’ats performed before the noon prayer (Issue 813).
3. The afternoon prayer: Its Nāfilah is eight Rak’ats performed before the afternoon prayer (Issue 814).
4. The evening prayer: Its Nāfilah is four Rak’ats performed after the evening prayer (Issue 815).
5. The night prayer: Its Nāfilah is two Rak’ats performed while sitting after the night prayer

(Issue 817).

Two: The Midnight Prayer (Salat- Layl)

The midnight prayer consists of eleven Rak’ats that are performed in the following manner:

1. The time of performing the midnight prayer is from midnight until the Adhān of the morning prayer.
2. The night Nāfilah is eleven Rakʿats and is performed like the morning prayers, in four of two Rak’at prayers.
3. The first eight Rak’ats are performed with the intention of Nāfilah of the night, two Rak’ats with the intention of the Sha’fa prayer, and one Rak’at with the intention of the witr prayer is recited (Issue 818).

Three: Ghufayla Prayer

The Ghufayla prayer is a recommended prayer between the Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ prayers.

Exercises:

1. What are the causes of Āyāt prayer?
2. What is the method of performing Āyāt prayer?
3. What are the conditions for the Friday prayer to be correct?
4. What is the method of performing Eid prayers?