DIFFERENT SURAHS OF QUR'AN

1.'Wal-Asr' (103)

Wal-'Asr-i Inn-al-hisana lafi Khusrin

"By the time, Lo! man is in a state of loss."

Illallazina amanu wa 'amilus-salihati

"Save those who believe and so do good works"

Wa tawasau bil-haqqi wa tawasau bi-s-sabr

"And exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance."

This Surah teaches us that the only way for man to be saved from destruction and failure is to believe and do good work. And this too is not enough. There ought to be a class of believers who should help each other in keeping Deen intact and in establishing it.

Or for instance :

2.'Humazah' (104)

Wail-ullikulli humazatin lumazati

"Woe unto every slandering traducer,

Nil-lazi jama'amala wa 'addadah

"Who hath gathered wealth (of the world ) and counted it.

Yahsabu anna malahu Akhladah

"He thinketh that his wealth will render him immortal.

Kalla layunbazanna fil hutamah

"Nay, but verily he will be flung to the Consuming One is!”

Nar-ullah-il-mugadat-ullati tattaliosalal afidah

"(it is) the fire of Allah, kindled, "Which leapeth up over the hearts (of men).

Innaha 'alaihim musadatun fi amadam mumaddah

"Lo! it is closed in one of them In outstretched columns."

Or for instance:

3.'Al-Ma'un' (107)

Ara-ait allazi yukazzibu biddin

Hast thou observed him who belieth accountability?

Fazalik allazi Yadu 'ul-yatim

"That is who repelleth the orphan,

Wala Yahuddu 'ala Ta am-ul-miskin

"And urgeth not the feeding of the needy,

Fa-wail-ul-lilmusallin-allazina hum'an salati-him sahun. Allazina hum Yura'un Wa Yamna'un-al Ma'un

"Ah, woe unto worshippers

Who are heedless of their prayer;

Who wish to be seen (at worship)

And refuse small kindnesses".

This surah teaches us that faith in the Hereafter is the essence of Islam. Without it a man can never walk on that which is the Path of God.

In short, whichever Surahs or verses of the Qur'an you recite in the Salah they impart you some kind of instruction or guidance and point out to you what are those commandments of God which you should follow in this world.

4.'Ruku' (bowing)

After reciting these instructions you say Allahu Akbar and do Ruku'. Placing your hands on the knees you bow before your Master and utter repeatedly (either three times or five times or seven):

Subhana Rabbi-al-'Azim

"Blessed is my Lord the Magnificent".

Then you stand straight and say :

Sami'-Allahu li-man hamidah

"Allah listened to him who praised Him".

'Sajdah'

Then saying Allahu Akbar you prostrate twice in Sajdah and repeatedly utter:

Subhana Rabbi-al-Aa'la

"Blessed is my Lord Who is most High and Sublime".

5.'At-Tahiyyat' (Salutation)

Then you raise your head saying Allahu Akbar and sit reverently and recite:

Atta-hiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibatu as-salamu 'alaika ayyuh-an-Nabbiyu wa rahmat-ullahi wa barakatuhu

As-salamu 'alai-na wa 'ala'Ibadullahi-is-Salihin

Ash-hadu an-la-llaha ill-Allah

Wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluh

"Our salutations, our prayers and all pure things are for Allah. Salutation to you O Prophet and Mercy and Blessing of Allah. Peace be on us and on all pious servants of Allah. I testify that there is no god save Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of Allah".

While giving this testimony you raise your first finger because this constitutes in the Salah a declaration of your faith and it is necessary while uttering it to give special attention and emphasis to it. After this you recite Durud blessing upon Muhammad (peace be upon him):

'Salah'

Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin wa 'ala Ali Muhummadin

Kama Sallaita 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima lnnaka Hamid-um-Majid

Allahumma barik'ala Muhammad-in-wa'ala ali Muhamma-din Kama barakat 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima innaka Hamid-um-Majid

"O God! bestow benediction on Muhammad and on his progeny just as You showered blessings on Abraham and on his progeny. Most certainly You are adorned with the best qualities and are sublime. 0 God! confer blessings on Muhammad and on his progeny just as You conferred blessings on Abraham and on his progeny. Most certainly You are adorned with the best qualities and are sublime.

After recting this Durud you supplicate Allah:

6.'Dua' (Supplication)

Allahumma inni a'uzu bika min 'azabi Jaliannan: wa a'uzu bika min'azabil Qabri a'uzu bika min fitnatil Masihiddajjal wa a'uzu bika min fitnatil mahya wal mamati wa a'uzu bika min-al ma-sini wal maghrim

"O God! I seek Your protection from the torture of hell. and I seek Your protection from the torture of the grave and I seek Your protection from the mischief of Dajjal pretending as Messiah and I seek refuge with You from the mischief of life and death. O God! I seek refuge with You from the responsibility of misdeeds and from indebtedness."

7.'Salam' (Salutation at the time of concluding the prayers)

After recting the above Dua, Salah is complete. Now you return from the court of your Master, and what is the first thing you do on return? You turn your head to the right and to the left and pray for the safety and blessings of all those sent and everything in the world:

As-Salam-o-Alaikum wa Rahmatullah

(Peace to you and mercy of Allah).

This is like good tidings that you have brought for the world on your return from the court of God. The above is the Salah which you offer at dawn on rising from bed before you start the work of the world. Then after being busy for a few hours in some work you present your self in God's court in the afternoon to offer the same Salah again. Then after keeping busy for some hours you repeat it before dusk. Then again you repeat it at dusk. Ultimately, on being relieved from the worldly work, and before going to bed, you present yourself for the last time before your Master. The concluding part of this final Salah consists of Witr, in the last rak'ah of which you submit a grand covenant before your Master. This is called Dua-i-Qunut. The meaning of Qunut is affirmation of humility, subservience and servitude before God. Listen carefully to words with which you make this affirmation:

8.'Dua-i-Qunut'

Allahumma inna nasta-'inuka wa nastandika wa nastaghfiruk wa nu minubika wa natawakkalu 'alaika-al-khaira wa nashkuruka wa la nakfuruka wa nakhla'u wanatruku manyyafjuruk

Allahumma iyyaka na'budu walaka nusalli wa nasjudu wailaika nas'a wa nahfidu wa narju rahmataka wa nakshha 'azabaka inna 'azabaka bil-kuffari mulhiq.

"O God! We seek help from You. We ask for Your guidance. We seek Your forgiveness. We affirm faith in You. We rely on You only and say all praise exclusively

for You. We express gratitude to You and do not commit ungratefulness. We will abandon every such person and sever connection with him, who disobeys You 0 God! We are servile to You and we offer Sala!? and Sajdah to you only, and all our endeavour and striving are aimed at seeking Your pleasure only. We look for Your mercy and fear Your retribution. Certainly Your dire punishment will befall those who are unbelievers.

'Salah' and character-building

Brethren-in-Islam!

Imagine a person who hears the voice of Adhan five times in a day and feels that some big thing is being testified and we are being summoned to the presence of a highly powerful Sovereign; who every time on hearing this call leaves all his work and runs to that Sublime Being Whom he considers Master of himself as also of the entire universe; who before every Salah purifies his body and soul with Wudu' and who performs with full understanding all these things again and again in the Salah which I have just now described to you--how is it possible that fear of God will not arise in his heart that he will not feel ashamed to violate God's commandments, that his soul will not shudder during his repeated attendance before God on account of his sins and evil doings? How is it possible that a man who affirms servitude and obedience to God, and believes in His being Master of the Day of Judgment, will, on resuming his worldly work, indulge in lies, dishonesty, usurping of others' rights, taking and giving of bribe, taking and giving of interest, causing injury to slaves of God and commit obscene and illicit acts, and yet go again in the presence of God loaded with all these misdeeds and have the guts to repeat these very affirmations? Aye! How is it possible that after making affirmation with full consciousness before God thirty-six times a day that "Thee (alone) we worship; Thee alone we ask for help" and worship others besides God and extend your hands before them for help? If once you have committed violation after making the affirmation, the second time when you go before God your conscience will censure you and you will feel ashamed. The reproach will be greater at a second violation and the heart will upbraid you from within all the more. How can it happen throughout your life that you are continuously offering Salah five times a day and yet your deeds are not set right, your morals are not improved and your life is not fundamentally changed? For this very reason Allah has emphasised the characteristic of Salah as : "Verily Salah prevents man from committing indecency and lewdness". Yet if there be such a man who is unaffected even by such a tremendous reformatory process, then it is due to the wickedness of his own self not the fault of Salah. It is not the defect of soap and water. The reason is coal's own blackness.

Brethren! There is very great deficiency in your Salah. And it is this that you do not understand what you recite in it. If you spend a little time you can learn by heart the meaning of all these alas (supplications) in English or in your own tongue. Its benefit will be that you will understand what you recite.