Preparing to Pray
Ablution (Wudu) - Bath (Ghusl) -
Tayammum - Facing Towards Mecca (Qibla)
Ablution (Wudu)
The first step of performing prayer is the ablution (Wudu). This is an act of spiritual and physical cleansing, and MUST be performed before commencing prayer as no prayer can be accepted without it.
Wudu is quite a simple procedure, and I have taken the liberty of typing a printable Step-by-Step Procedure for Performing Wudu. This could be placed wherever you usually take Wudu as a reminder.
NOTE: It could get wet depending on it's location, so it may be a good idea to laminate it or place it in a plastic pocket first!
Some Points to Remember about Wudu
- Wudu can be kept as long as necessary for performing one or more prayers. However, it is better to renew it often.
- Wudu is invalidated by answering the call of nature, breaking wind, experiencing any discharge from the body (i.e. semen, blood, pus etc.), sexual intercourse, falling asleep, or becoming intoxicated. NOTE: if there is any sexual discharge from the body or your period has finished (this applies to sisters only, obviously...), one MUST take a bath before praying (ghusl); wudu is insufficient in these circumstances.
- If you have any doubts as to whether your wudu is still valid (for example, you have taken wudu but have since become a little sweaty) then there is no need to retake your wudu, especially if it means you would miss your prayer if you did.
- As well as for praying, it is also good practice to take wudu before going to bed or reading the Qur'an.
- In addition to the sayings that I have quoted on the Wudu Guide, there are number of supplications (du'a) that can be said during each step. These can be learnt from a list of du'a that I have typed if and when you feel ready to do so. If you don't know the exact wording, any words praising Allah is sufficient.
- It is not necessary to remove socks or stockings for every wudu, but you should wash your feet at least once a day if only for hygiene purposes.
- If you have a bandaged wound on any parts to be washed, it is permissible to simply wipe the bandage with a wet hand.
Bath (Ghusl)
The whole body, including the nostrils, mouth and head, must be washed with a complete bath before commencing prayer in the following cases:
- After sexual intercourse
- After any seminal discharge
- At the end of a menstrual period of women
- At the end of confinement period for nursing women (this is a maximum of forty days)
At the start of the bath, the intention must be made that this is for the purpose of purity and worship, just as with wudu.
Tayammum
This is a form of purification than can be performed instead of wudu or ghusl when there is no water available, if the water that is available is dirty and likely to cause illness, or if performing wudu or ghusl would cause you to miss a funeral (Janazah) or Eid prayer (these prayers cannot be substituted or prayed later).
Tayammum is performed simply by striking one's hands lightly over clean earth, sand or stone then passing the palm of each hand on the back of the other, blowing off any dust then passing the hands
over the face, then striking the hands again and wiping both arms up to the elbow starting with the right arm.
Facing Towards Mecca (Qiblah)
As you probably already know, every muslim must face towards the Ka'ba in Mecca whilst praying. But how do you find Qiblah in your home? There are three methods:
- Using a Bilal. This is basically a compass with numbered points marked around its circumference. The bilal should be supplied with a booklet containing a list of major cities around the world, each with a number corresponding to a point on the bilal. To find the Qiblah, simply line up the needle of the compass with the number quoted for your city.
- Using a standard compass. In addition to prayer times for your location, the Islamicity Prayer Timetable Calculator also gives a compass bearing for your Qiblah.
- Deduction. This method is nowhere near as accurate, and you will need to have a good knowledge of map-reading and a good sense of direction. Using a local map, you will need to determine the direction of Qiblah from the nearest mosque (or somewhere you have prayed), draw a straight line in this direction, then draw a parallel line through your house. Simple! Of course, this will only work if your point of reference is in the same town as your house. If the Qiblah just happens to run parallel to the road on which the mosque or your house is situated, it makes your job a whole lot easier, especially if you live in a modern city with a straight grid plan.
If you are unable to determine an accurate direction for Qiblah, then just use your best judgement until you can.