Issue No.996- It is recommended that qunūt be recited in all obligatory and recommended prayers before the rukū‘ of the second rak‘at, and it is also recommended that qunūt be recited before the rukū‘ in Witr prayer, although it is only one rak‘at. However, the obligatory precaution is to abandon qunūt in shaf‘ prayer which is a part of the night prayer.
Issue No.862- There are eleven obligatory acts for prayer:1- Nīyyat (intention)2- Qīyām (standing during prayer)3- Takbīrat-ul-iḥrām (saying “Allāhu Akbar” at the beginning of the prayer)4- Qarā’ah (recitation)5- Rukū‘ (bowing)6- Sajdah (prostration)7- Dhikr (prescribed recitation while doing rukū‘ and sajdah)8- Tashahhud (bearing witness)9- Salām 10- Tartīb (performing prayer sequentially)11- Muwālāt (to perform acts of prayer consecutively).
Issue No.864- The foundational elements of prayer are five: 1- Nīyyat (intention).2- Takbīrat-ul-iḥrām .3- Standing at the time of saying takbīrat-ul-iḥrām and before the rukū‘.4- Rukū‘.5- Two sajdahs in every rak‘at. (Of course, no addition is possible with respect to the intention, and also, if one utters an undue takbīrat-ul-iḥrām by mistake, the prayer does not become void. However, the recommended precaution in this case is to repeat the prayer).
Issue No.865- A person should perform prayer with the intention of proximity, which may be gained by complying with the orders of Allah (swt). However, it is not necessary that one should utter the intention, or should make the intention pass through his mind in the beginning of the prayer. It is sufficient if one is asked what he is doing, he answers that he is offering prayer for Allah.
Issue No.871- The first part of the prayer is "Allahu Akbar" which is called “takbīrat-ul-iḥrām”. Leaving it out, intentionally or by mistake, renders the prayer void. However adding to it (i.e., to pronounce it twice) intentionally, will cause the prayer to become void.
Issue No.879- Qīyām means to stand straight, and in two places of the prayer it is obligatory and considered to be a foundational element (rukn): one while uttering takbīrat-ul-iḥrām, and the other before the rukū‘ which is called the qīyām connected to rukū‘. However, standing while reciting sūrah al-fātiḥa and the other sūrah, and also standing after rukū‘ is obligatory, but not as a foundational element.
Issue No.927- In every rak‘at, a person offering prayer should, after reciting al-fātiḥa and the sūrah, bow to an extent that he is able to place his palms on his knees. Rather, the obligatory precaution is that he should place his palms on his knees.
Issue No.944- In every rak‘at after the rukū‘ of the obligatory or recommended prayers, two sajdahs should be performed; if a person, intentionally or forgetfully, omits or adds two sajdahs, his prayer is void. However, if he adds or omits one sajdah forgetfully, his prayer does not become void.
Issue No.946- It is obligatory to utter dhikr in rukū‘, and as an obligatory precaution, one should recite “سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ” three times or “سُبْحانَ رَبِّىَ الْعَظِيمِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ” once. It is also obligatory to utter dhikr in sajdah, and the obligatory precaution is to recite “سُبْحانَ اللّهِ” three times or “سُبْحانَ رِبِّىَ الْأَعْلى وَ بِحَمْدِهِ” once. The more he utters the dhikr the better it would be.
Issue No.965- When performing sajdah, one’s forehead should be on earth or those things which grow from earth, e.g., wood and leaves of trees. However, sajdah on edibles or clothes, though they may grow from earth, is not permissible. Similarly, sajdah on metals such as gold and silver is invalid, but sajdah on mineral stones such as marbles, white and black stones and even on agate is correct.
Issue No.979- As was said earlier, there are some verses in four sūrahs of the holy Qur’an (sūrah al-Sajda 32:15, sūrah Fuṣṣilat 41:37, sūrah al-Najm 53:62 and sūrah al-‘Alaq 96:19) that whenever a person recites them or listens to them when recited by someone else, he should perform sajdah immediately. And if he forgets to perform it, he should do so when he remembers. However, if one is not listening and rather, he hears the verse unintentionally; he should perform sajdah as an obligatory precaution.
Issue No.896- One should recite sūrah al-fātiḥa in the first and second rak‘ats of the daily obligatory prayers after takbīrat-ul-iḥrām, and thereafter one should recite, as an obligatory precaution, a complete sūrah of the Holy Qur’an. It should be noted that sūrah al-Fīl and sūrah Quraysh are treated to be one sūrah, and similarly sūrahs al-Ḍuḥā and al-Inshirāḥ.
