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Shurut:
Five conditions (shurut)
Five conditions (shurut)
These 5 conditions have to be already in place when the prayer begins.
Covering the nakedness
Being directed towards Ka’ba
Intention
1. Entrance of prayer Time
1. Entrance of prayer Time
Each prayer has a period within which it must be prayed. Read about it more in our article called Prayer Times.
2. Tahara: physical and ritual Purity
2. Tahara: physical and ritual Purity
Purity is of two types: physical (haqiqi) and ritual (hukmi). We need both of them for the prayer to be valid.
To achieve physical purity, we must remove any impure substances from our body, cloths, and place of prayer, except for that which is excused. See our article on removing physical impurities for more detail.
To achieve spiritual purity, we perform wudu, ghusl, or tayammum depending on the circumstance. See our articles on wudu and ghusl for more detail.
3. awrah: Covering the nakedness
3. awrah: Covering the nakedness
'Awra is the area that must be covered for the prayer to be valid.
The male 'awrah goes from below the navel to the knees. The knees are included into the awrah, so they have to be covered too.
The female 'awrah is her whole body except the face, hands, and feet. It is best to cover the feet too, as it is considered to be awrah by other schools of law.
The cloths for both males and females must be non-transparent such that one cannot see the skin color underneath it. There is no obligation to have specific Muslim cloth, any clean non-transparent cloths that cover the 'awrah areas can be used.
4. Qibla: Direction of Prayer.
4. Qibla: Direction of Prayer.
Our direction of prayer (qibla) is towards the Holy Ka’ba in Mecca. Therefore one must face towards Ka'ba when praying.
A minor deviation is excusable except when praying in Mecca next to the Ka'ba itself. Scholars say that the direction is valid as long as we are within 45 degrees on either side of Ka'ba.
5. Niyyah: Intention
5. Niyyah: Intention
Intention is a strong determination to do something. The place of intention is in the heart. When praying a fard prayer, we must intend to pray the fard specifically. Same for wajib prayer. However, for non-obligatory prayers such as sunnahs, it is enough to have the general intention to pray.
Missing a condition due to an excuse
Missing a condition due to an excuse
Some of the above conditions can be overlooked if there is a valid excuse, e.g. a lack of water to remove filth, lack of garment to cover oneself, inability to face qibla due to illness.
Questions to check your understanding
Questions to check your understanding
What does the term shurut mean?
How many shurut are there in prayer?
Memorize all the shurut and name them without looking at the article.
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