[^3] There are certain conditions and etiquettes with regard...
[^3] There are certain conditions and etiquettes with regard to the performer of prayers, his or her dress, the place of performing the prayer, and the place of prostration. However, the most important of these conditions are the following: The body, dress, and place of prostration of a performer of prayer must be ceremonially pure (i.e. tahir ). A prayer must be preceded by ceremonial purity that is attained through ritual ablution (i.e. wudhu' ) or ritual bathing (i.e. ghusl ).
The place of performing the prayer must be legal (i.e. it must not be usurped or confiscated). The dress of a performer of prayer must not be made of silk, gold, or the skin of an animal whose flesh is forbidden to eat or the skin of a corpse. In addition, there are many rulings appertaining to prayer and mentioned in detail in the books on the practical laws of Islam written by jurisprudents and known as Risalah .
The Untimed Recommended Prayers Let us first refer to the obligatory prayers in the following list: Daily obligatory prayers: the dawn ( fajr or subh ) prayer, the midday ( zuhr ) prayer, the afternoon ( ‘asr ) prayer, the sunset ( maghrib ) prayer, and the early night ( ‘isha' ) prayer. The congregational Friday Prayer substitutes the obligatory afternoon prayer on Fridays. The ‘«d Prayers, which are performed on the two feast days of Islam (namely, ‘«d al-Fitr and ‘«d al-Adhha).
The Prayer of Signs ( salat al-ayat ) is performed when a natural phenomenon is feared.[^4] The prayers obligatory due to a vow, an oath, or on behalf of others. The Circumambulation Prayer, which has been discussed in the previous chapter of this book. The optional, recommended prayers are too many, some offered at certain times and on certain occasions.
The most important of these untimed optional prayers are: Voluntary prayers ( Salat al-Tatawwu’ ) The prayers of the Holy Infallibles (‘a) Ja’far al-Tayyar’s Prayer Prayer for Needs ( Salat al-Hajah ) Prayer for Seeking the Best ( Salat al-Istikharah ) Prayer of Dedication ( Salat al-Hadiyyah ) Voluntary Prayers A voluntary prayer is the prayer offered to seek nearness to Almighty Allah.