12 Pillars of Prayer

Purification from hadath is one of the obligatory acts outside of prayer; in short, it is the act of cleansing oneself from impurities that are not visible to the eye. This includes performing wudu, taking a full ritual bath (ghusl), or performing tayammum when these are not possible. Hades generally refers to ritual impurity, and purification from hades means cleansing oneself of this ritual impurity. The state of not having wudu, i.e. the absence of prayer wudu, and the state of janabah (ritual impurity after sexual intercourse), are described in religious literature as hades, or ritual impurity. Purification from hades refers to a person without prayer ablution performing ablution, or a person required to perform ghusl actually performing ghusl, that is, taking a full ritual bath. The absence of the customary ablution for prayer is referred to as 'minor impurity'; whereas conditions requiring ghusl, such as being in a state of janabah, menstruation (hayiz) and postpartum bleeding, are termed 'major impurity'. Those in a state of major ritual impurity cannot perform prayer without taking a full ritual bath. Similarly, women who are menstruating or in the postpartum period cannot perform prayer whilst in these states. Once these states have ended, they must take a full ritual bath in order to perform prayer. Those who cannot obtain water to perform ghusl, or who, despite finding water, are unable to use it, must perform tayammum. The same applies to anyone who cannot find water to perform wudu. It is also considered a condition for acts similar to prayer, such as the prostration of recitation (tilâvet secdesi) and the prostration of gratitude (şükür secdesi), to be free from impurity, that is, to be in a state of wudu. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah does not accept prayer without purity, nor does He accept charity given from money acquired through deceit." (Muslim) Purity from hadath: If wudu is invalidated for any reason whilst praying, the prayer is also invalidated. The prayer of a person who intentionally commits an act that invalidates wudu whilst praying is invalidated. However, if this act is performed at the end of the prayer, the person is considered to have exited the prayer of their own volition; therefore, according to the Hanafi school, the prayer is not invalidated. During their menstrual periods, women are exempt from acts of worship such as prayer and fasting. The Holy Qur’an states that menstruation is a state of distress and discomfort, and prohibits men from engaging in sexual relations with their wives during this time. The Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that women in this condition should not pray or fast. Women will not make up the prayers they were unable to perform during this period, but they will make up the fasts they were unable to observe.

Purification from Impurity is one of the obligatory acts (fard) outside of prayer; in short, it is the act of cleansing oneself from visible impurities. It entails the person performing prayer cleansing their body, clothing, and the place where they will pray of impurity—that is, of things deemed unclean in our religion. Physical dirt and filth are referred to as impurity. A substance that is unclean or impure is termed 'necis'. Purification from impurity refers to the cleansing of the body, clothing and the place where prayer is to be performed from things considered ritually impure (such as human blood and urine, or the urine and faeces of animals like horses and sheep). Anyone who prays whilst wearing clothing that carries a degree of necaset sufficient to invalidate the prayer, without realising it, must repeat the prayer once they become aware of the situation. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whilst we were sitting in the mosque with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a Bedouin came in. He stopped and began to urinate inside the mosque. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and said: 'Stop! Stop!' and moved to confront him, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intervened: 'Do not stop him; let him finish.' The Companions did not intervene, and the man finished his business. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called the man over and said: 'These mosques are not places for urination or defecation; they are places where Allah is mentioned. Prayers are performed here, and the Qur'an is recited.' He then ordered one of the congregation to bring a bucket of water. When the bucket arrived, he poured it over the urine." (Buhari)

Covering the private parts is one of the obligatory acts outside of prayer; in short, it refers to covering the parts that must be covered, namely the private parts. For men, the private parts extend from the navel to the knees. For women, every part of the body except the face, feet and hands is considered private. The private parts are those areas of the human body which are considered shameful or sinful to be seen by others. Covering the private parts means concealing these areas. Just as during prayer, the private parts must be covered and not exposed to others outside of prayer as well. Although the word 'avret' appears in the Qur'an in two places (Surah an-Nur, verses 31 and 58), the exact boundaries and measurements are not specified. For men, the private parts are the area between the navel and the knees. The Hanafis consider the knees part of the private parts, whereas the other three schools do not. For women, the private parts encompass the entire body except for the face, hands and feet. Considering the hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him) like, "Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty without a headscarf" (Ibn Maja) and "Once a woman reaches puberty, it is not permissible for any part of her body other than her hands and face to be seen by others" (Abu Dawud), prayer without a headscarf is not valid. A woman must wear at least a headscarf and a tunic reaching down to her feet. If, during prayer, private parts become exposed against the person's will, and the exposed area amounts to one-fourth of the area and remains for a duration of a pillar, the prayer is invalidated. If intentional, it is invalidated immediately. The garment must be thick enough not to reveal skin color.

Facing the Qibla refers to the person praying turning towards the direction of the Kaaba. The Qibla for Muslims is the Kaaba in Mecca. It refers not only to the building but primarily to its location. A person who can see the Kaaba faces it itself. Others face its general direction. The purpose is focusing the heart solely on Allah. While Allah is not limited by direction, a uniform direction is necessary for tranquility during prayer. If someone does not know the direction, they must ask someone who knows. If they don't ask and guess wrong, they must repeat. Deviations of up to 45 degrees are acceptable. If no one is available to ask, one should use natural signs (stars, sun, wind) to determine the direction. If they guess wrong after effort (ijtihad), the prayer is still valid. If they realize the mistake during prayer, they should turn without stopping. If a person turns their chest away from the qibla without excuse, the prayer is invalidated. If they turn only their face, they must turn back immediately. Those unable due to illness or fear should face the most comfortable direction.

Prayer is an obligatory act that must be performed at specific times of the day. Consequently, time is a condition for obligatory prayers. A prayer cannot be performed before its time nor after it has ended. Performing it within time is 'eda', after is 'kaza'. - Morning: dawn until sunrise. - Noon: after the zenith until afternoon start. - Afternoon: when objects' shadows equal their height until sunset. - Evening: sunset until dawn twilight disappears. - Night: disappearance of twilight until midnight. Postponing prayer without excuse is a sin. Missed prayers due to sleep or forgetfulness must be made up. Kaza applies only to the five daily fard and witr prayers. Jumu'ah, Eid, and Sunnah prayers cannot be made up as kaza.

Intention is simply to intend in one's heart to perform the prayer. It means resolving the name of the prayer, its time, direction, and following the imam if in congregation. It means deciding in the heart. In prayer, it's desiring to pray purely for Allah's sake and knowing exactly which prayer is being performed. Intention in the heart is primary; verbalizing it is not a condition but considered recommended. If heart and tongue differ, the heart counts. It is preferable to make the intention with the opening takbir. It can be made before, provided no unrelated action occurs in between. Generally, intention made after the takbir is not valid.