Salat

The presence of mind is one of the conditions during Salat (Namaaz). Therefore, it is essential to perform Salat with a presence of mind. In Salat, you should concentrate whole-heartedly on the words you are reciting. Other thoughts or worries should not distract you.

Rasool Allah (SAAWS) said, "That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for though you do not see Him, verily, He sees you." This is known as Al-Ihsaan.

There are three important factors of prayer:

1. One should pray adhering to all the basic principles and rules of Salat.
2. One should pray with knowledge of the Quran and fully concentrating on its meaning.
3. While praying, he/she should also feel the presence of Almighty Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

Prerequisites of Salat:

Before praying, one should take a Ritual Bath if he/she thinks it is essential. Otherwise, one should perform Ablution only. ( Since Ablution is part of the Ritual Bath, one should not perform Ablution if it is not necessary after the Ritual Bath, which has been forbidden by our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)).

A person should also wear nice and clean clothes to perform Salat. Men and women should cover their head while performing Salat.

In order to perform Salat, one should face the Qibla, the direction of the Kaaba. In the U.S. we perform Salat facing the east.