After praising Allah and extolling Him with all venerations, prayers and everything good, we then direct our attention to the Prophet (peace be upon him) by saying, السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته. This is usually translated as, “May peace be upon you , O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.” …
Elevated Prayer Series, Part 19: السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته Read More »
After directing all venerations to Allah, we proceed to say, والصلوات والطيبات usually translated as, “and all prayers, and all goodness.” The word صلوات refers to prayers, be they obligatory or voluntary. Under this word would also come all supplications and every act of worship in general; we are saying they should be directed to …
Once we have completed our prostrations, the next part of the prayer is to sit and recite the تشهُّد tashahhud, the first part of which is التحيات لله commonly translated as, “All salutations are for Allah.” The word تحيات tahiyyaat is the plural of the word تحية which refers to a veneration. The ال prefixed …
When rising and sitting up between the two prostrations, there are a number of supplications we can make, but the most common one is ربي اغفر لي usually translated as, “My Lord, forgive me.” The word رب comes from a root that denotes the rectification of things and setting things right. This meaning has evolved …
We saw previously that when we bowed into a position of vulnerability and instability, we praised Allah while acknowledging His Strength and Supremacy. Now, we lower our bodies into the physically lowest position of prayer – the سجود sujood – the prostration, wherein we place the most dignified part of our bodies – our faces …
Elevated Prayer Series, Part 15: سبحان ربي الأعلى Read More »
After asking Allah to listen to and accept the prayers and praise of whomsoever praises Him, we proceed to praise Him by saying, ربنا ولك الحمد , usually translated as “Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise.” If we take a closer look at the words used in this clause, we see there are …
Upon straightening from the bowing position, we return to the standing posture while reciting سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ, usually translated as, “Allah hears whomsoever praises Him.” A more accurate literal translation would be, “Allah heard whomsoever praises Him.” This statement, despite being in the past tense, reflects a common way of expressing supplication in Arabic. …
Elevated Prayer Series, Part 13: سمع الله لمن حمده Read More »
After reciting the اِسْتِعاذَة, the بَسمَلة, followed by the prescribed surahs from the Qur’an, we once again refocus by reminding ourselves that الله أكبرُ – Allah is Greater than any distractions that may have crept into our minds, and proceed to position ourselves into the ركوع, the bowing position. While in this position, we recite …
Elevated Prayer Series, Part 12: سبحان ربي العظيم Read More »
After beginning our action with the name of Allah, we then proceed to address Him using two of His other names: الرحمن and الرحيم. Both of these words come from the meaning of رحمة – rahmah – a mercy that is intended to benefit the one being shown mercy; a physical, actual mercy, not a …
After the اِسْتِعاذَة wherein we proclaim that we have taken refuge in Allah, as we want to distance ourselves from the evil, we move onto the بَسمَلة basmalah – the saying of بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم, in which we are seeking to attract the good. The first part of it, بسم الله, is normally translated …
