Prayer According to the Sunnah

Most books on prayer cover the five daily prayers and stop. This one keeps going, which is why it works as the reference you keep rather than the book you read once.

Foundations

The obligation, eminence and importance of Salah — its unrivalled status among the acts of worship, and its position as the pillar on which the rest stands. Then purification in full: ghusl and its legislation, wudu, and tayammum for when water is unavailable.

Then the conditions around the prayer itself: the dress of the worshipper, the injunctions on visiting the masajid, the timings of the prayers, the adhan and iqamah, congregational prayer, the qiblah, and the sutrah — a Sunnah widely neglected and covered here properly.

The Prayer Itself

Khushu in Salah, which is the part most people know is missing and few books address directly. The Prophet's ﷺ own guidance in prayer. The adhkar after the tasleem. Sujud As-Sahw, the prostration of forgetfulness, and when each form applies. And Qunut.

Every Other Prayer

This is where the book earns its place. Voluntary prayers, Witr, the night prayer, Duha, the abridged prayer for travel, Jumu'ah, the two 'Eid prayers, Istisqa' for rain, the prayer during a solar eclipse, the prayer of fear, Salat al-Istikharah, and the funeral prayer.

Each of these arises perhaps once or twice a year, which is precisely why nobody remembers how to perform them — and why having one book that covers all of them is worth more than several that cover the daily prayers again.

Who It Is For

Every household. Imams and teachers. Students of knowledge. Anyone who has stood at a funeral or an eclipse and realised he did not know what to do.

Related Reading

• A Guide to Salat — a shorter practical guide for learning the prayer
• Explanation of Important Lessons — the prayer covered across six of eighteen lessons
• Supplications after Prayers (50 Cards) — the post-prayer supplications as pocket cards