The First Step in Performing the Solah

I will try to explain the meaning of the words being said in the 'solah' so that we can understand what are being said and thus help us stay focus in our submission to Allah during all the actions that we do in our prayers . This is a sincere contribution from me to share the knowledge that I have, which is not absolute, and are still open for debate. If I make a mistake, please be frank and correct me for the good of us all. I will explain the meaning of the words and also to some extent on the grammar of the Arabic language.For a start, let us look at the pronouncement or 'nawa'  in every solah. The 'nawa' for the pre dawn prayer or 'Subh' goes like this, أصلى فرض الصبح ركعتين اداء لله تعالى   The first word is أصلى.  The meaning of the Arabic أ  is 'me / I' and صلى to pray / prayed.  أصلى with ل  tashdid kasrah, is a present/future tense verb. صلى with ل  tashdid fathah is past tense verb or ماضي, with personal pronoun he (masculine) is hidden. Thus the meaning صلى is 'he prayed'. If there is no prefix ت, ي, ن, أ before the verb, and letter ل tashdid 'kasrah', it showed that it is in the present / future tense) or مضارع the Arabic term. If suffix م is put before صلى , it creates a noun to indicate the place of praying. Thus مصلى is a noun that means the place for praying. Other words produce are,  صلاة which means prayer, and the plural صلوات prayers. We always use the word صلى for the purpose of praying for Allah. We are recommended to pray for Prophet Muhammad, صلى الله على محمد  . This phrase is very common to every Muslims which is a prayer for Prophet Muhammad and is called صلوات which means 'May Allah Blessed Upon Him (Muhammad)'.

Three components of a perfect Solah

As a Muslim, the five daily prayers or solah is the pillar of faith or iman. In performing the solah, one must conforms the rules of solah, which are, adult or 'baligh', sound of mind and clean from small 'hadath' or big 'hadath' (this will be discussed at a later time). You must pray when the time for prayer comes, even if you are sick or travelling in any kind of transport or during a war.  There are several adjustments from the normal way of solah, to enable the performing of solah in any kind of situations. Islam is an open faith where you can ask almost anything and there is always the answer to every questions asked about the religion, after consulting the Quran and Sayings or 'hadith' of Muhammad the Prophet, unlike most other religions, where, the followers are not permitted to question freely.  Coming back to the three components of a solah, the first is your mind, then your actions and the last your words. These three components must go together and if one is missing, then the solah is unaccepted by Allah.  Your mind must be focus on the solah, because to muslims, you are in front of Allah. When you stand, bow, sit or prostrate your mind is never to be away from Allah's presence while at the same time your lips is saying the words of the solah which are no other then praising Allah as the Supreme Power, asking for His forgiveness and guidance, and also asking Allah's blessings onto Muhammad, the prophet and his families as well as to ourselves and fellow Muslims. There is no place for hatred, bad intentions, or wrong doings in Islam. It is a sin to ask Allah to do harm to other human beings, even if to our enemies, except the 'satan' which is the true enemy of human beings.

How Muslims Pray

In my last post I wrote about the way to start the solah. The first important rule to perform the solah is that you must be a muslim.  To be a muslim is very easy. Just say the 'shahadah' that is, 'There is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah', Of course you need a few people to witness your 'shahadah', and once you say the 'shahadah', you are bound by the rules that govern all Muslims. The people who witnessed your 'shahadah' must be muslims, and they are responsible to guide you in every aspects of the religion. Therefore the process of converting and embracing Islam are usually done in a mosque or at an Imam's house.
Normally, if there is someone who wants to embrace Islam, he or she should learn about Islam first. The understanding of Islam is called 'tawhid'.  'Tawhid' is the knowledge and understanding of Allah. You have to believe that Allah is real.  He is the creator, owner and the destroyer of the entire universe. Allah is true but his form is not related to anything that we know of. He gives us life, the soul, the body that we have, and it is He who takes everything back at the destined moment that only He, the one who knows. Understanding of Tawhid, is vital, because. it is the main reference of all your actions and everyday activities of your entire life. In Islam, the main purpose of life is for Allah. That is why every muslim will say بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَحْمَن الرَحِيْم before doing anything. 'In the name of Allah the most Gracious and Merciful'. Well, it seems that, I gave you quite a long explanations on how to be a Muslim.  Actually, to be frank, to be a Muslim is not as simple as what I have said above. It is easy to become Muslim, but it is not easy to be a true Muslim.

Good bye, see everybody soon.

Lafaz Niat Solat 2

Perkataan seterusnya ialah أَدَاءً   yang bermaksud ditunaikan atau dilaksanakan.  أَدَاءً   bermakna solat yang sebenarnya atau sepatutnya pada masa itu.  Jika solat itu solat yang tertinggal, yang tidak dikerjakan atau dilaksanakan pada suatu masa terdahulu, maka perkataan أَدَاءً   ini digantikan dengan قَضَاء .  Jika solat yang hendak dikerjakan adalah solat yang diringkaskan/dipendekkan قَصَرَ   ,   iaitu yang melibatkan solat zohor, ‘asar dan Isya’,  قَصْرً  diletakkan di tempat yang sama, diikuti dengan menyebut dihimpunkan kepadanya ‘asar  إلىهِ الْعَصْرِ  مَجْمُوعاً  atau dihimpunkan ke ‘asar  مَجْمُوعًا إلى العَصْرِ  selepas itu, di mana rangkai kata pertama adalah sembahyang jama’ zohor dan ‘asar di waktu zohor, dan rangkai kata kedua adalah sembahyang jama’ zohor dan ‘asar di waktu ‘asar. 

Jika solat berjemaah, hendaklah menyebut إِمَامًا    ‘sebagai imam’ atau مَأْمُوْمًا   ‘sebagai makmum’ sebelum menyebut  أَدَاءً   . Akhir sekali  لِلهِ تَعَالَى bermaksud ‘kerana Allah Ta’ala’. Imbuhan لِ  menunjukkan maksud kerana atau untuk.  لَه  maknanya Allah. Oleh itu, makna sepenuhnya lafaz niat sembahyang Subuh di atas ialah, ‘(Sahaja) aku sembahyang/bersolat fardhu Subuh, dua raka’at, tunai kerana Allah Ta’ala’.  Perkataan ‘sahaja’ bukan terjemahan dari lafaz bahasa Arab, tetapi merupakan kata-kata sopan bahasa Melayu, menunjukkan sifat rendah diri dan keredaan untuk menunaikan solat.

Lafaz niat ini adalah sunat sahaja.  Apabila melafazkannya hendaklah memastikan suara kita tidak mengganggu orang lain, terutama sekali jika kita masbu’ (masuk berjemaah semasa solat sudah berjalan), di mana jemaah di sebelah kita sedang bersembahyang mengikut imam.  Kita hendaklah memastikan suara kita paling perlahan.  Jika kita bimbang suara kita mengganggu jemaah lain, jangan lafazkan, kerana hukum lafaz niat  adalah sunat. 

Semasa Takbiratul-ikhram pula, suara takbir hendaklah juga perlahan, tetapi cukup untuk dapat didengar oleh jemaah yang paling hampir sahaja. Ini penting jika terdapat penyesuaian sof yang perlu dibuat.  Perkara in akan dihuraikan kemudian bila berbangkit nanti.

Latihan Kefahaman

1.       Berikan makna setiap perkataan dalam lafaz niat solat berikut

أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ الصُبْحِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ إِمَامًا اَدَاءً لِلهِ تَعَالَى		1
أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ الصُبْحِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مَأْمُومًا اَدَاءً لِلهِ تَعَالَى		2
أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ المَغْرِبِ ثَلَاثَ رَكَعَةٍ اَدَاءً لِلهِ تَعَالَى		3
أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ المَغْرِبِ ثَلَاثَ رَكَعَةٍ مَجْمُوعًا إِلَيْهِ الْعِشَاءُ اَدَاءً لِلهِ تَعَالَى		4
أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ العِشَاءُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَصْرًا لِلهِ تَعَالَى		5
أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ المَغْرِبِ ثَلَاثَ رَكَعَةٍ مَجْمُوعًا إِلَى الْعِشَاءُ اَدَاءً لِلهِ تَعَالَى		6
أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ العِشَاءُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَصْرًا اَدَاءً لِلهِ تَعَالَى		7

2.       Lafazkan niat solat-solat berikut

a.       Subuh sebagai makmum

b.      Zohor bersendirian

c.       Zohor diringkaskan di waktu Zohor atau Jama’ takdim.

d.      Asar yang diringkaskan di waktu Asar

3.       Apakah beza antara niat solat yang diringkaskan di no. 5 dan no. 7  pada soalan no. 1 di atas?

4.       Senaraikan sebanyak mungkin kata terbitan yang terbina dari kata kerja قَصَرَ , صَلَّى dan فَرَضَ

How do Muslims Perform the Solah 1

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God the Most gracious and the most merciful.
All Muslims who are adults need to perform five Solah everyday. Only women are exempted from doing any kind of Solah or recite the Koran, or enter the mosque, during their mensuration period. The five solah to be performed daily is the pillar of Islam. It is a sin not to perform the Solah. In Mecca traders leave their goods unattended, when hearing the call for prayer from the nearby mosques or madrasah, or the 'adzan'.
The Solah is the real commitment to God for Muslims. Nowadays many Muslims take the Solah lightly. Most of this muslims are born Muslims and they are unaware of their beliefs, although they are being taught about Islam during their childhood, but when they turn to adults they tend to take their obligations to Islam lightly. There could be many reasons why this phenomena to happen. It is my intention here to let everybody know what they really say in the Solah. I hope after knowing what are said in our Solah we will be more attentive in our Solah and Allah will accept our Solah and bless us.
Firstly you must take the ablutions, that is the cleaning up, which is to be done with clean water,preferably flowing water from a reliable source. Then you have to find a clean place, usually a prayer mat, or any clean sheet of cloth or paper or plastics. The best place is a mosque or a prayer room. You have to make sure of your dress. For men there is not much a problem. For women you need to cover all parts of your body, except your face and your palms. Before you start you have to stand straight and make sure you are facing the kiblah which is the direction of the kaabah in Mecca.

The first and very important step in performing the Solah is the 'nawa' or intent. One must recite in a whispering voice, اصلي فَرْضَ الظهر اَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاةٍ اَدَاءً لله تَعَالَى in Arabic. "usolli fardal zohri arba'a raka'atin ada-an lillahi ta-ala" The meaning is 'I intend to perform the Solah of "Dzohr" four raka'ah for Allah the Almighty'. During the takbir al ihram, that is lifting your arms with your palms facing to the kiblah as high as your ears, your elbows slanting forward you mind must be focused to the intent in your own language, and at the same time saying الله اكبر , all to be synchronized until you finish saying the takbir and your hands covering the lower part of your heart, with the the right hand on the left hand. Being able to do this then you are on the right track to continue with the Solah which I will explain in the next post. See you then.

Fahami Lafaz Niat Solat

Kalimah kedua yang akan diperkatakan pula ialah فَرْضَ   ‘fardha’.  Maksud فَرْضَ   ialah ‘yang wajib’.  Kalimah ‘fardha’ ini telah menjadi perkataan bahasa Melayu ‘fardhu’ yang semua sedia maklum. Di sini saya ingin menjelaskan kenapa ض berbaris fathah. Dalam tatabahasa Arab, jika perkataan itu menjadi subjek, ia akan berbaris dhammah, dan jika perkataan itu adalah objek kepada kata kerja, ia akan berbaris fathah.  Oleh itu baris fathah memberitahu kita bahawa kalimah فَرْضَ  adalah objek kepada kata kerja bersolat.  Kata dasar (root)فَرْضَ   ialah فَرَضَ  ‘faradha’ iaitu kata kerja yang bermaksud mewajibkan.     {فَرَضَ اللهُ صَوْمَ.....}  ‘Allah telah mewajibkan puasa….’. Kalimah فَرَضَ adalah kata kerja kala lampau (past tense). Rujuk perkataan صَلَّى di atas untuk penerangan kala semasanya (present/future tense).

Kalimah seterusnya ialah الصُبْحِ iaitu kata nama yang bermaksud Subuh. Ia menerangkan lebih lanjut tentang solat yang hendak dilaksanakan.  فَرْضَ الصُبْحِ  adalah frasa relatif, dalam istilah bahasa Arab ialah   مُرَكَّبٌ إِضَافِيٌّ  di mana kata nama yang menerang, dipanggil mudhaf, المُضَافُ  sementara kata nama yang diterang dipanggil almudhaf ilaihi, لمُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ l . Oleh itu  الصُبْحِadalah  لمُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ l   dan  فَرْضَ adalah المُضَافُ  . Bagi لمُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ l   baris di hujungnya adalah kasrah mengikut tata bahasa Arab, dan kita dapat lihat baris hujung kalimah الصُبْحِ adalah berbaris kasrah.  Ia tidak boleh berbaris dua kasrah kerana الصُبْحِ adalah kata nama tetap kerana ada ال walaupun tunggal (singular).

 Kalimah berikutnya رَكْعَتَيْنِ adalah kata nama yang menerangkan tentang cara katakerja ‘bersolat’.  Maksud رَكْعَتَيْنِ ialah dua raka’at. Dalam tata bahasa Arab imbuhan hujung ‘...aini’ menunjukkan ‘dua’  (dual). Jika satu raka’at  bahasa Arabnya ialah رَكَعَةً   Ia berbaris dua fathah kerana merupakan kata nama tunggal (singular) yang tiada ال   menunjukkan ia kata nama umum. Jika tiga raka’at, ia akan menjadi ثَلَاثَ رَكَعَةٍ   dengan baris dua kasrah.  ثَلَاثَ رَكَعَةٍ merupa  frasa kata relatif , مُرَكَّبٌ إِضَافِيّ, di mana ثَلَاثَ  adalah mudhaf dan رَكَعَةٍ   adalah mudhaf ilaihi, oleh kerana itu ia berbaris dua kasrah yang juga kata nama umum. Hukum baris kasrah bagi mudhaf ilaihi telah pun dibincangkan di atas.

Jumpa lagi

Lafaz Solat

Kalimah kedua yang akan diperkatakan pula ialah فَرْضَ  .   Maksud فَرْض   ialah ‘yang wajib’.  Kalimah ‘fardha’ ini telah menjadi perkataan bahasa Melayu iaitu, ‘fardhu’ yang semua sedia maklum. Di sini saya ingin menjelaskan kenapa ض berbaris fathah. Dalam tatabahasa Arab, jika perkataan itu menjadi subjek, ia akan berbaris dhammah, dan jika perkataan itu adalah objek kepada kata kerja, ia akan berbaris fathah.  Oleh itu baris fathah memberitahu kita bahawa kalimah فَرْضَ  adalah objek kepada kata kerja bersolat.  Kata dasar فَرْضَ   ialah فَرَضَ  ‘faradha’ iaitu kata kerja yang bermaksud telah mewajibkan.     {فَرَضَ اللهُ صَوْمَ.....}  ‘Allah telah mewajibkan puasa….’. Kalimah فَرَضَ adalah kata kerja kala lampau (past tense). Rujuk perkataan صَلَّى di atas untuk penerangan kala semasanya (present/future tense).


Penentuan vowel di hujung sama ada dhammah, fathah atau kasrah, merupakan satu keistimewaan bahasa Arab, dikenali sebagai I'rab atau مُعْرَبٌ, yang menjadikan ia lebih spesifik dan tepat. Saya akan menerangkan tentang i'rab ini dengan lebih mendalam di post saya yang akan datang.