When beginning namaz, men raise both hands. Tips of thumbs touch earlobes. Palms must be turned towards the qibla. Saying Allahu akbar is begun as hands leave ears and finished as they are folded under navel.

NIYYAT (intention) is made while saying the takbir of iftitah (beginning). It is permissible to make niyyat before that, too. In fact, it is permissible if a person who has left his home in order to perform namaz in jamaat follows the imam without niyyat. But on the way he mustn't do one of the things that would nullify namaz. Walking or making ablution does not give harm.

To make niyyat for namaz means to pass through heart its name, time, qibla, to wish to follow the imam (when performing namaz in jamaat), to mean to perform namaz.

Knowledge only, that is, knowing what is to be done will not be niyyat. In Shafi'i Madhhab it is necessary to remember the rukns (fard in namaz) of namaz. If a person who arrives for the jamaat in the middle of namaz cannot make out whether they are performing the fard of night prayer or the tarawih, he makes niyyat for the fard and follows the imam. If the tarawih is being performed, his namaz becomes nafila (supererogatory) because it has been performed before the fard. For the tarawih cannot be performed before the fard. He performs the fard individually at once and then performs some of the tarawih together with the jamaat. Next he performs the remaining rakats individually. Then he performs the namaz of witr.

The niyyat made after the takbir of iftitah is not sahih and that namaz is not acceptable. When making niyyat for prayers that are fard or wajib, it is necessary to know which fard or wajib they are. For example, it is necessary to know the name of the fard and to say, for instance, "To perform today's early afternoon prayer," or, "the time's fard." When performing the namaz of 'Iyd, witr, or nazr, it is necessary to think of its being wajib and its name. It is not necessary to make niyyat for the number of rakats. When performing a sunnat the niyyat "To perform namaz" will suffice. The niyyat for the namaz of janaza is made as "To perform namaz for Allah's sake and to pray for the deceased." If a person makes niyyat for the fard of early afternoon prayer when performing the first sunnat of early afternoon prayer, he will have performed the fard of early afternoon prayer. The namaz that he performs after that becomes nafila.

The imam does not have to make niyyat to be the imam for men. But (if he does not) he will not get the thawab of namaz in jamaat. If he makes niyyat to be the imam he will get this thawab, too. While a person is performing namaz individually, it is permissible for someone else to come on and begin to follow him. The jamaat must also make the niyyat as "I follow the present imam." The imam has to make the niyyat as "To become the imam for women," (when he is to conduct the jamaat of women). It is not necessary for the jamaat to know the imam. As the imam says the takbir they must make the niyyat to follow him and begin the namaz immediately. It is good as well to make niyyat to follow the imam when he takes his place and to begin the namaz together.

As one performs the namaz which one has started considering that it is the present time's namaz and with the intention to perform the time's namaz, if the time becomes over and one does not know (that it is over), the namaz will not be sahih. If one intended to perform 'today's fard', it would be sahih and it would be qada. Namaz performed before its time comes is supererogatory. If it has been performed after its time has been over, it becomes qada. That is, the person who makes his niyyat as "To perform today's early afternoon prayer" will have made qada of the early afternoon prayer if its time has been over. Likewise, if he thinks that the time is over and makes his niyyat as "To make qada of today's early afternoon prayer" he will have made ada of the early afternoon prayer when he finds out (later) that its time was not over. In both cases he has made his niyyat for the same prayer but has been wrong in the time's being over. But the prayer which he performs with the intention of making qada of his last early afternoon prayer does not stand for the present day's early afternoon prayer. For he has not made his niyyat "for today's prayer." By the same token, (today's) early afternoon prayer performed with the intention of ada does not stand for any past early afternoon prayer that was omitted. Likewise, if a person makes his niyyat to follow the imam and thinks that the imam is, let us say, Zayd, whereas the imam is not Zayd but someone else, his namaz will be accepted. But if he makes his niyyat to follow Zayd and if the imam is someone else, his namaz which he performs by following him will not be accepted. If a person has performed early afternoon prayer before its time has begun for many years and each time has made his niyyat as "To perform the early afternoon prayer which is fard for me" without thinking of the present day's early afternoon prayer, each day he has performed the previous day's early afternoon prayer. He has to make qada of the last day's early afternoon prayer only. If each day he has made his niyyat for the present day's early afternoon prayer, whether or not he has used the word "ada" in his niyyat, he has performed the present day's early afternoon prayer, but because he has performed them all before their time began, none of them has been the fard of early afternoon prayer. They all have been nafila. He has to make qada for them all. As it is seen, it is necessary to know the times of namaz and to perform them in their prescribed times.

When beginning to worship, saying orally only is not called niyyat. Worships done without the niyyat made by heart are not acceptable in the four Madhhabs. No one heard Rasulullah, the Sahaba, the Tabiin, or even the four imams, make niyyat by tongue. Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani (rahmatullahi 'alaih) says in the hundred and eighty-sixth letter of Maktubat, "Niyyat is made by heart. It is bidat to make niyyat orally. This bidat has been called hasana (good, useful). But this bidat does not only annihilate the sunnat but also annihilates the fard. For, many people have been making niyyat only by tongue, without passing the niyyat through their heart. Thus niyyat through heart, one of the fards (principles) of namaz, has been neglected, and namaz has been nullified. This faqir (hadrat Imam-i Rabbani means himself) do not recognize any bidat as 'Hasana'. I see no beauty in any bidat." It is sunnat to make niyyat orally in Shafi'i and in Hanbali Madhhabs. It is stated in Ibni Abidin, "That it is fard to make niyyat when beginning namaz has been stated unanimously. Niyyat is made only with the heart. It is bidat to make it only in words. It is permissible for a person who makes niyyat with his heart to make niyyat verbally also in order to be safe against doubts.

TAHRIMA means to say Allahu akbar when beginning namaz, and is fard. No other word to replace it is acceptable. See the chapter 21. This takbir of iftitah is one of the conditions of namaz. It is not a rukn.

Women raise their both hands as high as their shoulders and say the takbir of iftitah. Then they put their hands on their breasts, right hand on top of the left. They do not grasp their wrist. If the takbir is said too long, like Allahu in the beginning or akbar at the end, namaz will not be accepted. If 'akbar' is said before the imam does, namaz will not have started. When standing, it is sunnat (for men) to put right hand on left hand, to form a ring around left wrist with the thumb and the small finger of right hand, to say the Subhanaka and, when performing individually, to say the A'udhu and the Basmala after the Subhanaka. He who is late for the jamaat, (that is, who arrives in the mosque after the congregational prayer has started), says the Subhanaka if the imam is not saying the appointed prayers loudly, and says the Subhanaka again when he stands up after the imam finishes the namaz with the salam.

He who performs namaz individually says the Fatiha. After the Fatiha it is not necessary to say the Basmala. But it will be good if he does. Those Hanafis who imitate Shafi'i Madhhab have to say this Basmala. Then he says one sura or three ayats. After the Fatiha both the imam and the jamaat say "Amin" silently. A person who performs namaz together with the imam does not say the Fatiha or the sura. "Amin" means "Accept."

QIYAM is the first of the five rukns of namaz. Qiyam means to stand. He who is too ill to stand performs namaz sitting, and if too ill to sit he lies down on his back and performs it with his head (by moving, nodding, etc., his head). A pillow must be put under his head so that his face will be towards the qibla instead of towards the sky. He bends his knees, so that he will not stretch his legs towards the qibla. It is written in Ibni Abidin, "According to Imam-i azam, it is permissible for a healthy person to perform namaz sitting on board a ship or on a train when it is in motion. But the Imamayn said that it would not be permissible when there is no 'udhr. And so is the fatwa. [Please see the third pages of the sixty-fifth and seventy-fourth chapters of the first part of the Turkish version]. When standing, the two feet must be four times a finger's width apart from each other. A person who is too ill to stand, or who will get dizzy or have a headache or toothache or pain at some other part of his body or cannot control his urination or wind-breaking or bleeding when he stands, or who fears that his enemy may see him or his possessions may be stolen when he stands, or whose fast will break or pronunciation will go bad or awrat parts will open when he stands, performs namaz sitting. Also, if an ill person infers from his own experiences or is told by a Muslim specialized doctor that standing will make his illness worse or delay his healing, he performs namaz sitting. But the doctor who tells him so has to be a person not committing sins or harams knowingly. Such people may sit on the floor in a manner that comes easy to them; cross legged, or knees drawn up with arms folded round the legs or in any other manner. For the ruku' they bend forward a little. For the sajda they put their head on the ground. A sick person who can not put his head on the ground puts his head on something hard and less than 25 centimeters high. His or her doing the sajda in this manner is sahih. If it is higher (than 25 centimeters) or soft, namaz will be performed as ima (signs), if he cannot put his head on it, he sits and performs namaz by signs, even if he could stand. In other words, performing namaz sitting, he bends a little for the ruku' and bends a little more for the sajda. If his bending for the sajda is not more than his bending for the ruku', his namaz will not be sahih. If he himself or someone else holds something up, and he makes the sajda on it, his namaz will be sahih, but it is tahrimi makruh. Yet if that thing is not lower than his bending for the ruku, his namaz will not be sahih." Please see page 256 in the Turkish version.

QIRAAT: Means to read by mouth gently. Reading gently means here to read only as loud as one can hear. The reading is called jahri, that is, loud if it is heard by people who stand on each side of the reader. It is fard to say an ayat of the Qur'an while standing at every rakat of sunnats and of the witr and at two rakats of the fard when performing namaz individually. It brings more thawab to say a short sura. As qiraat, it is wajib to say the Fatiha sura at these parts of prayers and to say also a sura or three ayats at every rakat of sunnats and of witr prayer and at two rakats of the fard. In the fard (prayers of namaz that are obligatory), it is wajib or sunnat to say the Fatiha and the (other) sura at the first two rakats. Additionally, it is wajib to say the Fatiha before the sura. Furthermore, it is wajib to say the Fatiha once at every rakat. If one of these five wajibs is forgotten, it is necessary to make sajda-i shaw. According to some more dependable information, at third and fourth rakats of the fard, it is sunnat for the imam as well as for a person who performs namaz by oneself to say the Fatiha. It will be all right whether he says the additional sura, too, or says nothing. (Ibni Abidin, page 343). Please see the sixty-seventh chapter of the Turkish version concerning a person who does not pronounce correctly! In the other three Madhhabs, it is fard to say the Fatiha in every namaz and in every rakat.

A settled person who follows a traveling one stands up when the imam makes the salam after the second rakat, and performs two more rakats, but he does not make the qiraat. That is, he does not say the Fatiha or the other sura. He does not say any prayer as if he were performing namaz behind the imam. It is written on the seventy-third page of Jami-'ur- rumuz and on page 106 of Tatarhaniyya, "According to some savants, a settled person who performs namaz behind a traveling imam does not make the qiraat, does not say any prayer in the third and fourth rakats. But according to Shams-ul-aimma Abdulaziz Halwani and other 'ulama he has to make the qiraat. Then, he had better be prudent and say them." Because the qiyam (standing in namaz) is the place for qiraat, there is no harm in making the qiraat. It is written at the end of Halabi al-kabir, "If the medicine which you have to use to diminish (your) toothache impedes (your) recital (of the Qur'an) and if it is nearly the end of the time of namaz, you follow an imam. If you cannot find an imam you perform the namaz alone without reading." For, the tooth ache is a difficulty that cannot be helped.

When making the qiraat, it is not permissible to recite translations of the Qur'an.As written in the three hundred and sixty-fourth page of Ibni Abidin, in every prayer of namaz except Friday prayer and 'Iyd prayer, it is sunnat for the imam that the sura he says in the first rakat be twice as long as the one he says in the second rakat. A person who performs namaz individually may say a sura of the same length in each rakat. In every prayer of namaz, it is makruh to say a sura in the second rakat three ayats longer than the sura said in the first rakat. It is makruh for the imam to form it a habit to say the same ayats in the same rakats of the same prayer of namaz. It is said (by savants) that this is so for those who perform namaz individually to do so in every prayer. From time to time one ought to say some other ayats. It is tanzihi makruh to say in the second rakat the same ayats that you have said in the first rakat. If you say the Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbin-nas in the first rakat, you say it again in the second rakat. For it would be worse to say the previous suras. In the second rakat it is best to say the ayat that is right after the one said in the first rakat. In the second rakat it is makruh to skip the short sura following the sura said in the first rakat, and say the one right after it. It is not makruh to say several successive suras in one rakat, yet it is best to say one sura. In the second rakat it is makruh to say the ayats or suras that are before the ones you have said in the first rakat. It is always wajib to read the Qur'an's suras or ayats in the order as they are written in the Qur'an. Only, when making the hatm it produces much thawab to begin reading the sura of Baqara right after reading the Qul-a'udhu. Saying three ayats as long as a short sura each is better than saying a long sura. That is, there is more thawab in it.

RUKU': After the sura you bend for the ruku' saying the takbir. In the ruku' men open their fingers and put them on their knees. They keep their back and head level. In the ruku' you say Subhana rabbiyel-azim at least thrice. If the imam raises his head before you have said it three times you must raise your head, too. In the ruku' your arms and legs must be straight. Women do not open their fingers. They do not keep their head and back level, nor their arms and legs straight. It is sunnat for the imam as well as for a person who is performing namaz alone to say Sami' Allahu liman hamidah while straightening up from the ruku'. The jamaat does not say it. Right after saying it, a person who is performing namaz alone, and the jamaat, upon hearing the imam recite it, must say: Rab'bana lakal hamd, and stand upright, and then, saying "Allahu akbar" while kneeling down for the sajda with first the right knee and then the left knee, followed by the right and left hands. Finally, the nose and the forehead bones are put on the ground.

SAJDA: In the sajda, fingers must be closed, pointing towards the qibla in line with the ears, and the head must be between hands. It is fard to put the forehead on something clean, such as a stone, some earth, wood, cloth, and it is said (by savants) that it is wajib to put the nose down, too. It is not permissible to put only the nose on the ground without a good excuse. It is makruh to put only the forehead on the ground. In the sajda you must say Subhana rabbiyal-ala at least thrice. The Shiis say that it is better to make the sajda on a brick made from the clay of Karbala. It is either fard or wajib to put two feet or at least one toe of each foot on the ground. There are also some savants who say that it is sunnat. That is, if two feet are not put on the ground, namaz will either not be accepted or it will become makruh. If, during the sajda, the forehead, nose, or feet are raised from the ground for a short while, it will cause no harm. In the sajda, it is sunnat to bend the toes and turn them towards the qibla. It is written in Radd-ul-mukhtar that those who say that it is fard or wajib are wrong. Men must keep their arms and thighs away from their abdomen. It is sunnat to place the hands and the knees on the ground. It is sunnat to keep the heels a four- finger-width away from each other in the qiyam, but in the ruku', qawma and sajda they must be kept together. It is written on the three hundred and fifteenth page of Halabi al- Kabir also in the book Durr-ul-mukhtar: "One of the sunnats in the ruku' is to keep the heel- bones together." For doing this, when bending for the ruku, the heel of the left foot is brought near the right foot. They are separated again when standing up for the qiyam after the sajda.

Although it is sahih to prostrate on the winding cloth of one's turban, or on the lowest parts of one's sleeves and skirts, or on one's hands, it is tanzihi makruh in the absence of an excuse. It will be sahih to prostrate on a carpet, a mat, some wheat or barley, throne, a sofa and on a vehicle which is on the ground on condition that you will press on them until you feel their hardness, that is, until your forehead cannot move downward any more. However, prostrating on an animal, a see-saw made between two trees, or on rice and millet that aren't put in a sack is not sahih. Because the clothes on oneself is considered part of one's organs, the surfaces under them should be clean. For this reason, as a person without an ablution is not permitted to hold the Qur'an with his hands, likewise, he is not permitted to hold it with the end of his sleeves. He is permitted to hold it with things such as clothes he is not wearing or with a towel or a handkerchief. Namaz can be performed on them when they are spread on a najs place. Likewise, a janaza namaz should not be performed while wearing shoes with najs soles or while stepping on a najs place. But it is sahih to perform it while stepping on the clean upper surface of the shoes after taking them off.

It is written in Halabi: "When going into the sajda it is makruh to pull up the skirts of your loose long robe or your trousers, and it is makruh to fold them before beginning namaz. It is makruh to perform namaz with folded [or short] sleeves, cuffs or skirt." It is makruh to perform namaz with a bare head because of laziness or without realizing the importance of performing namaz with a covered head. And it causes disbelief to slight namaz. It is not makruh not to cover one's head in order to show one's inferiority and incapability and because one fears Allahu ta'ala. [That is, if a person who turns pale, trembles, forgets himself and everything for fear of Allahu ta'ala and does not cover his head, it will not be makruh]. But even such people had better cover their heads. For, not to cover one's head means to disobey the ayat: "Take your ornamented clothes and cover yourself for namaz!" It is mustahab to wrap a white turban round the head. The fact that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used even a black turban is written in the book Marifatnama. He would allow two spans from the end of his turban hang down between his two shoulderblades.

A person who is too ill to prostrate for the sajda, or a healthy person who cannot find an empty place in the mosque, must not prostrate on anything higher than twenty-five centimeters. However, the person who cannot find an empty place can make the sajda on the back of another person who is performing the same prayer of namaz who is making the sajda on the ground. But his knees must be on the ground. But it is mustahab for a healthy person to perform the namaz after the mosque is not crowded any more, or to go to another mosque that is not crowded and perform his namaz there. It has been informed (by savants) that it is permissible to make the sajda on something less than twenty-five centimeters high when one is not ill and when there is no crowd, but it is makruh. For Rasulullah (sall- Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) never made the sajda on anything a little higher than floor level. [Ibni Abidin, page 338]. It is written on the right hand margin of the sixty-ninth page of Jami'ur-rumuz and in the annotation of Tabyin by Shalbi (rahmat-Allahi ta'ala 'alaih) that it is not permissible to make the sajda even on something which is only a little higher than floor level. [For this reason, those who do not have a good excuse must not make the sajda even on something a little higher than floor level. To say that we must make the sajda on a high place and not on the ground means to change the (prescribed) way of worshipping. He who wants to change worships becomes a disbeliever. Disbeliever, enemies of Islam, enemies of Rasulullah want to turn mosques into churches. Like in churches, they are trying to get people to sit at tables and put their heads on tables in the name of sajda, and also to initiate music and musical instruments in mosques. Knowing that they could not accomplish this all at once, they are accustoming people to making the place of sajda a little higher and to performing the worships with loud-speakers.] Ibn-i Abidin (rahmat Allahi 'alaih) says: "Istikbal-i qibla is fard for namaz. That is, namaz is performed while turned towards the direction of the Kaba. Namaz is performed for Allah. Sajda is done for Allahu ta'ala only. It is performed towards the direction of Kaba, but not for the Kaba. One who makes sajda for the Kaba becomes a disbeliever."

QADA-I AKHIRA: In the last rakat it is fard to sit as long as it takes to say the tahiyyat. It is written in Durr-ul-mukhtar: "You do not make a sign with your fingers while sitting. The fatwa says so." When sitting, men put their left foot flat on the ground with its toes pointing towards the right. They sit on this foot. The right foot should be upright, with the toes touching the ground and pointing towards the qibla. It is sunnat to sit in this manner. Women sit by Tawarruk. That is, they sit with their buttocks on the ground. Their thighs should be close to each other. Their feet should jut out from their right.

While explaining the nature of azkar, it is written in Maraqilfalah and in the explanation of Tahtawi: "It is sunnat in the Hanafi Madhhab to stand up and perform the sunnat right after the fard without saying anything in between. After performing the fard, our Prophet used to sit as long as it took him to say Allahumma antas' salam wa minkas' salam tabarakta ya zal' jalali wal' ikram, then; he began to perform the sunnat right away. He would not say the Ayat-al-kursi or the tasbihs between the fard and the sunnat. Saying them after the sunnat produces the same thawab as would be produced by saying them after the fard. The same rule is valid for the sunnat before the fard; saying any prayers between the fard and the sunnat diminishes the thawab of namaz. It is makruh for the imam to perform the final sunnat in the same place where he performed the fard. It is not makruh for the jamaat, but it is mustahab for them to perform it at some other place (in the mosque). The namaz of a person who neglects the mustahab will not be deficient, but he will be deprived of its thawab." "After performing the fard if there is no final sunnat after the fard, or after the final sunnat, it is mustahab for the imam to turn right or left or towards the jamaat. He may as well leave the mosque at once if he has some work to do. It is stated in a hadith ash- Sharif, "If a person says, 'Astaghfirullah-al'azim allazi la ilaha illa huw-al-hayy-al- qayyuma wa atubu ilayh', after every prayer of namaz, all his sins will be forgiven." Also it is mustahab (for the imam and for the jamaat) to say the Ayat-al-kursi, to say the tasbihs, and then to raise their hands as high as their chest and pray for themselves and for all Muslims. A hadith declares, 'Prayers sent after the five daily fard namaz will be accepted.' But the prayers must be done with a vigilant heart and silently. It is makruh to make your prayers only after namaz or at certain times or to memorize certain prayers and say them repetitively like poems. After making your prayers, it is sunnat to rub the hands gently on the face. Rasulullah (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to say prayers during namaz, after the dua said after the namaz, during the tawaf (visiting the Kaba), after meals, and when going to bed. In these prayers of his he would not raise his arms, nor would he rub his hands on his face. Prayers and any dhikr are best when they are done silently. According to the unanimity (of savants), it is haram to do as some men of tariqat do, such as to dance or whirl, to clap hands, to play stringed instruments, tambourines, small drums, flutes." As it is seen, it is best if the jamaat and the imam pray together silently. Also it is permissible for them to pray separately or to leave the mosque without praying." After praying, the (sura) Ikhlas is said eleven times and the two suras called Qul-a'udhu are said once. Muhammad Mathum 'rahmatullahi alaih' states in the eightieth letter of the second volume that after this prayer he says only Astaghfirullah sixty-seven times. Finally, the ayat beginning as "Subhana Rabbika..." is said.

The book Durr-ul-mukhtar, after explaining the Namaz of Tahiyyat-ul-masjid, says: "Talking between the sunnat and the fard does not nullify the sunnat, but it diminishes the thawabs. Such is the case when saying any prayer. According to some savants, the sunnat will not be accepted and it will be necessary to perform the sunnat again." After explaining that it is permissible for a person to follow an imam who is conducting the namaz while sitting, the book states: "When the imam's voice does not reach everywhere, it is permissible for muazzins to repeat loudly so the jamaat can hear, but shouting too loudly nullifies their own namaz. Saying the prayers too loudly resembles a worldly conversation. The imam's saying the prayers too loudly in namaz does not nullify the prayer, yet it is haram." It is a bidat, which in turn lessens the thawab, for muazzins to recite the sura of Ikhlas or to say other prayers. Also, it is haram to distract the other worshippers by shouting too loudly. It is written in the book Ma'arij-un-nubuwwa: "Hadrat Awzai was asked about what prayers are offered in order to make tawba after making the salam. 'Say astagfirullah three times', he said." [The fact that it is bidat to say prayers loudly is written on the fifty-ninth page of the 1375 (1956) edition of the book Al-ibda', by Shaikh Ali Mahfuz, a member of the assembly of Kibar-i-ulama in Egypt]. Our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) declared: "Say the Ayat-al-kursi also when going to bed." He also declared that we should say prayers after namaz.

Prayers after namaz: When saying duas (prayers after namaz), men raise their arms up to the level of their chest. The arms should not be bent at the elbows. After saying their prayers, they should recite the ayat, Subhana rabbika......, and rub their hands gently on their faces. A person who cannot lift his hands because of an illness or cold weather, makes a sign with his pointing finger. Fingers are turned towards the qibla. Arms are not opened apart in the right-left direction. They are held close to each other, forward.

[After each fard namaz, it is mustahab for the imam and the jamaat to say the istighfar completely three times, to recite the Ayat al-kursi, to make the tasbih ninety-nine times, then to say prayers and then to recite the (sura called) Ikhlas eleven times and the two suras called Qul-a'udhu and to say Astaghfirullah sixty-seven times. The hadith ash-Sharif commanding to recite the Ikhlas eleven times is on the last page of the first volume of Bariqa. It is stated in a hadith ash-Sharif that a person who says the following prayer ten times after morning prayer will be given much thawab: "La ilaha il-l-Allah wahdahu la sharika lah lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu yuhyi wa yumit wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in Qadir." (Imdad). The Ayat-al-kursi and the tasbihs must never be omitted, especially when there is a janaza (a dead Muslim that must be interred according to prescribed Islamic ceremony). Cannot a janaza that is delayed for hours for various reasons be delayed a few minutes longer in order to say these prayers? Those who prevent the jamaat from saying these prayers must fear very much being placed among those cruel people who are declared in the one hundred and fourteenth ayat of Baqara sura to be those who will be tormented bitterly in Hell. How lucky for those pious imams and muazzins who do not prevent the jamaat from saying these prayers! At each prayer of namaz they get the blessings for a hundred martyrs. For our Prophet declared: "He who recovers one of my forgotten sunnats will get the blessings for a hundred martyrs." In order to be safe against bidats, muazzins should say the adhan loudly on minarets and the iqamat inside the mosques, and they should say the takbirs of namaz loudly only when necessary, without using loud-speakers. The Ayat al-kursi, the tasbihs and the Kalima-i-tahlil should be said silently, after the final sunnat in the Hanafi Madhhab and immediately after the fard in the Shafi'i and Maliki Madhhabs. While saying the dua, the fact that it is mustahab to say salat and salam for Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) is written in the chapter about Witr prayer in Tahtawi, an explanation of the book Imdat.

The fact that it is haram (forbidden) to prostrate (to make sajda) after namaz is written in the book Durr-ul-mukhtar, in its chapter about the sajda of tilawat. It is bidat for the imam and the jamaat to greet each other by putting their hands on their chests. Islam does not recognize any kind of greeting done by moving the hands or the body. Ibni Nujaym Zaynal 'Abidin Misri 'rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alaih' states that such greetings are sinful. Please read the final part of the fifty-seventh chapter of the third part of the Turkish version.

It is written in the explanation of Shir'at-ul-Islam: "A hadith ash-Sharif declares: 'Any dua made at the time of dawn and after the prayers of namaz, will be accepted.' It is sunnat to begin the dua with hamd-u-thana and salawat and to rub both palms gently on the face after the dua." It is written in the fifth chapter of Fatawa-i Hindiyya: "While praying, both hands should be opened towards the sky, apart from each other, and on a level with the chest." It is written in Bazaziyya that performing a namaz which is sunnat is better than saying prayers. [Shiites and Wahhabis make dua by raising their hands as high as the chest turning the palms towards the face, bringing them together with their fingers closed.]

It is written in Nimat-i Islam: "A woman raises both hands up to the level of her shoulders. While standing she puts her right hand on the left hand. But she does not grasp her left wrist with the fingers of her right hand. She puts her hands on her breast. While making ruku, her hands are placed on the knees, but she does not grasp them. She keeps her fingers closed together. She does not keep her legs straight, nor her back level. While making sajda, she lowers herself, bringing her arms to her sides while she keeps her abdomen placed over her thighs. She sits on the buttocks, her legs inclined towards right. A woman cannot be an imam for men. It is makruh for a woman to be an imam for other women. If they follow a man as imam, they should be in the last line of the jamaat. If a woman is kissed (while performing namaz), her namaz will be nullified. While performing namaz in jamaat, if a woman stands beside or in front of a man, the man's namaz will be fasid (nullified). The man should signal to the woman to move behind. If she does not do as she is beckoned, in that case, only the woman's namaz will become fasid. In case of a baby crying or of food boiling over the fire, leaving the namaz is permissible for a woman. A woman does not stretch her hands forward while making dua, but she keeps them inclined towards her face."