Page 85 - Seekers Guide Book
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The Seeker’s Guide


             9   What are the five daily
                   prayers in Islam?


             rayer is form of worship of God. Prayer has been
          Penjoined  on  believers  five  times a  day  at  appointed
          hours:

                  Believers are under the obligation to
                  say their prayers at the appointed hours.
                  (Quran 4:103)

          These prayers are performed either individually at home
          or in congregation in mosques. A believer begins his
          prayer by uttering the words “God is Great”. These words
          acknowledge that all greatness belongs to God and that
          the worshipper will lead a life of modesty and humility.
          Each prayer is segmented into several rak’ah, or units. In
          each rak’ah a person stands, bows and prostrates, reciting
          verses from the Quran and other prayers. These are the
          five obligatory prayers:
          1. Early morning prayer (Fajr): two rak’ahs between dawn
          and sunrise

          2. Noon prayer (Zuhr): four rak’ahs, between noon and
          mid-afternoon

          3. Afternoon prayer (Asr): four  rak’ahs. The time for
          prayer starts when the length of any object’s shadow
          reaches a factor (usually 1 or 2) of the length of the object
          itself plus the length of that object’s shadow at noon. The
          time for the prayer ends at sunset.






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