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.
Issue No.986- One should recite tashahhud in the second rak‘at of all prayers, and in the last rak‘at of maghrib, ‘ishā’, ẓuhr and ‘aṣr prayers; this is the way it should be performed: one should sit after the second sajdah and recite the prescribed dhikr while his body is still. It is sufficient to recite the following: “اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لا اِلهَ إلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَريکَ لَهُ وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ اَللهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلي مُحَمَّد وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد ”One should recite words of tashahhud sequentially and without leaving considerable [resting] breaks in between, and in correct Arabic.
Issue No.990- In the last rak‘at of all prayers, after reciting tashahhud, it is obligatory to recite salām, and salām has three formulas: 1- اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْکَ اَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَ بَرَکاتُهُ, 2- اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْنا وَ عَلي عِبادِ اللهِ الصالِحينَ, 3- اَلسلامُ عَلَيْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَ بَرَکاتُهُ. The obligatory salām is the third one, and if one recites specifically this one, it would be sufficient. However, it is not sufficient if only the second one is recited, as an obligatory precaution. The first salām is recommended.
Issue No.992- A person who is offering prayer should observe the sequence of the acts of prayer as was explained in the previous issues, and if he intentionally changes the sequence of the prayer, for example, if he performs the two sajdahs before rukū‘, or if he recites tashahhud before performing the two sajdahs, his prayer would become void. And if it happens by mistake, he should, if he has not yet entered the succeeding foundational element (rukn), return and perform it in correct sequence, but in case he has entered the succeeding foundational element the prayer is correct. However, if a person forgets a foundational element of the prayer and performs the succeeding foundational element, the prayer is void; likewise if one forgets to perform rukū‘ and recalls when he enters into the second sajdah.
Issue No.993- One should observe muwālāt during prayer, meaning, he should not leave a lengthy break between the acts of prayer, such as rukū‘ and sajdah, which disturb the form of prayer. Therefore, if one does so intentionally or unintentionally, the prayer will be void.
Issue No.841- It is mustaḥab to recite adhān and iqāmah before offering daily prayers, and it would be better not to abandon them, especially the iqāmah. However, they are not prescribed for Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and other obligatory prayers and rather, the word “الصلاه” [1] should be recited three times with the intention of performing a desirable act for Allah (swt). It is also mustaḥab to recite the adhān [with the intention of achieving rewards and in order to seek the blessings of Allah for the child] in the right ear of a child and iqāmah in its left on the day it is born or before the umbilical cord is cut off.
