Other Etiquettes of Namaz

Text and Translation

Before you begin with the recitation (qira’ah: reciting certain Quranic chapters in the prayers), you may say the statement of seeking protection (istea’azah) in a low tone:

اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ.

A-O’OZO BILLAAHE MENASH SHAYTAANIR RAJEEME.

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the accursed.

You may then recite Surah al-Faatehah (No. 1) observing all etiquettes, having your heart present, and pondering over the meanings of the Surah. When you finish, you may pause for a while that is as much as one breath. Then, you may recite any Surah of the Holy Qur’an, although it is advisable to recite such Surahs as Surah al-Naba’ (No. 78), Surah al-Insan (or al-Dahr, No. 76), or Surah al-Qiyamah (No. 75). Upon finishing reciting the second Surah, you may also pause for a while that is as much as one breath. You may then raise your hands up to the lower part of your ears while uttering the Takbeer statement. You may then genuflect, putting your right hand on your right knee and then your left hand on your left knee, opening up your fingers as if you are holding fast to your knees. You may also bow your back and stretch your neck at the level of your back, casting your sight on the space between your two feet and saying the following:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّىَ الْعَظِيْمِ وَبِحَمْدِهٖ.

SUBHAANA RABBEYAL A’ZEEME WA BE-HAMDEHI.

Glory be to my Lord, the Great, and by His praise.

It is highly advisable to repeat this statement seven, five, or three times. Before that, you may have said the following:

اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَ لَكَ اَسْلَمْتُ وَ بِكَ اٰمَنْتُ وَ عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَ اَنْتَ رَبِّى خَشَعَ لَكَ سَمْعِىْ وَ بَصَرِىْ وَ شَعْرِىْ وَ بَشَرِىْ وَ لَحْمِىْ وَ دَمِىْ وَ مُخِّىْ وَ عَصَبِىْ وَ عِظَامِىْ وَ مَاۤ اَقَلَّتْهُ قَدَمَاىَ غَيْرَ مُسْتَنْكِفٍ وَ لَا مُسْتَكْبِرٍ وَ لَا مُسْتَحْسِرٍ.

ALLAAHUMMA LAKA RAKA’TO WA LAKA ASLAMTO WA BEKA AAMANTO WA A’LAYKA TAWAKKALTO WA ANTA RABBEE KHASHAA’ LAKA SAM-E’E WA BASAREE WA SHA’REE WA BASHAREE WA LAHMEE WA DAMEE WA MUKHKHEE WA A’SABEE WA E’ZAAMEE WA MAA AQALLAT-HO QADAMAAYA GHAYRA MUSTANKEFIN WA LAA MUSTAKBERIN WA LAA MUSTAHSERIN.

O Allah, for You I have bowed, to You I have submitted, in You I have believed, and upon You I have relied; You are my Lord. My hearing, my sight, my hair, my skin, my flesh, my blood, my brain, my nerves, my bones, and whatever my feet carry have humbled themselves before You. I am neither disdainful, nor arrogant, nor weary.

You may now raise your head from genuflection (ruku), stand erect, and say the following:

سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهٗ.

SAME-A’L LAAHO LEMAN HAMEDAH.

Allah hears the one who praises Him.

You may then utter a Takbeer statement and fall down for prostration with full submission and reverence. You may stretch your palms and put them on the ground before you put your knees on the ground. You may prostrate on a prostration-clay made of the soil taken from Imam al-Husayn (a.s.)’s tomb. While prostrating yourself, you should utter the statement of prostration once although it is favorable to repeat it seven, five, or three times. Before that, you may have said the following:

اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ وَبِكَ اٰمَنْتُ وَلَكَ اَسْلَمْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَاَنْتَ رَبِّى سَجَدَ وَجْهِىْ لِلَّذِىْ خَلَقَهٗ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ تَبَارَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِيْنَ.

ALLAAHUMMA LAKA SAJADTO WA BEKA AAMANTO WA LAKA ASLAMTO WA A’LAYKA TAWAKKALTO WA ANTA RABBEE SAJADA WAJHEE LILLAZEE KHALAQAHU WA SHAQQA SAM-A’HU WA BASARAHU AL-HAMDO LILLAAHE RABBIL A’ALAMEENA TABAARAKAL LAAHO AHSANUL KHAALEQEENA.

O Allah, to You I have prostrated, in You I have believed, to You I have submitted, and upon You I have relied; You are my Lord. My face has prostrated to the One Who created it and formed its hearing and its sight. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Blessed is Allah, the best of creators.

You may now say the prostration statement. Then, you may raise your head from the position of prostration and sit down. While doing this, it is recommended to utter the Takbeer statement and to sit on your hip, saying the following:

اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰهَ رَبِّى وَاَتُوْبُ اِلَيْهِ.

ASTAGHFERUL LAAHA RABBEE WA ATOOBO ELAYHE.

I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, and I turn to Him in repentance.

You may also say the following:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِىْ وَارْحَمْنِىْ وَاجْبُرْنِىْ وَادْفَعْ عَنِّى وَعَافِنِىْ اِنِّى لِمَا اَنْزَلْتَ اِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيْرٌ تَبَارَكَ اللّٰهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ.

ALLAAHUMMAGH-FIR LEE WAR HAMNEE WAJ BURNEE WAD FA’ A’NNEE WA A’AFENEE INNEE LEMAA ANZALTA ELAYYA MIN KHAYRIN FAQEERUN TABAARAKAL LAAHO RABBUL A’ALAMEENA.

O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, mend my affairs, protect me, and grant me well-being. Indeed, I am in need of whatever good You bestow upon me. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

You may then utter the Takbeer statement and prostrate yourself again, doing the same as what you have done in the first prostration. You may then raise your head and sit for rest. You may then stand up saying,

بِحَوْلِ اللهِ وَ قُوَّتِهِ اَقُوْمُ وَ اَقْعُدُ.

BE-HAWLIL LAAHE WA QUWWATEHI AQOOMO WA AQ-O’DO.

By the power and strength of Allah, I stand and I sit.

When you stand erect, you should recite Surah al-Faatehah and another Surah, preferably Surah al-Tawheed, after which you may say the following three times:

كَذٰلِكَ اللهُ رَبِىْ.

KAZAALEKAL LAAHO RABBEE.

Thus is Allah, my Lord.

You may then say the Takbeer statement and raise your hands to the level of your face turning the inner surface (i.e. palm) of your hands towards the sky and combining all your fingers, except the thumb, together and say any of the Qunut supplications, preferably choosing words of praying for relief. After that, you may say the following:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَعَافِنَا وَاعْفُ عَنَّا فِى الدُّنْيَا وَالْاٰخِرَةِ اِنَّكَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ.

ALLAAHUMMAGH-FIR LANAA WAR HAMNAA WA A’AFENAA WA’FO A’NNAA FID DUNYAA WAL AAKHERATE INNAKA A’LAA KULLE SHAY-IN QADEERUN.

O Allah, forgive us, have mercy on us, grant us well-being, and pardon us in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, You have power over all things.

You may say the following thereafter:

اَللّٰهُمَّ مَنْ كَانَ اَصْبَحَ وَلَهٗ ثِقَةٌ اَوْ رَجَاۤءٌ غَيْرُكَ فَاَنْتَ ثِقَتِىْ وَرَجَاۤئِىْ يَا اَجْوَدَ مَنْ سُئِلَ وَيَاۤ اَرْحَمَ مَنِ اسْتُرْحِمَ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَاٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَارْحَمْ ضَعْفِىْ وَمَسْكَنَتِىْ وَقِلَّةَ حِيْلَتِىْ وَامْنُنْ عَلَىَّ بِالْجَنَّةِ طَوْلًا مِنْكَ وَفُكَّ رَقَبَتِىْ مِنَ النَّارِ وَعَافِنِىْ فِىْ نَفْسِیْ وَفِىْ جَمِيْعِ اُمُوْرِىْ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَاۤ اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ.

ALLAAHUMMA MAN KAANA ASBAHA WA LAHU SEQATUN AW RAJAAA-UN GHAYROKA FA-ANTA SEQATEE WA RAJAAA-EE YAA AJWADA MAN SO-ELA WA YAA ARHAMA MANIS TURHEMA SALLE A’LAA MOHAMMADIN WA AALE MOHAMMADIN WAR HAM ZA’-FEE WA MASKANATEE WA QILLATA HEELATEE WAM NUN A’LAYYA BIL-JANNATE TAWLAN MINKA WA FUKKA RAQABATEE MENAN NAARE WA A’AFENEE FEE NAFSEE WA FEE JAMEE-E’ OMOOREE BERAHMATEKA YAA ARHAMAR RAAHEMEENA.

O Allah, whoever begins their morning having trust or hope in anyone other than You, then You are my trust and my hope. O most Generous of those who are asked, and O most Merciful of those from whom mercy is sought, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. Have mercy on my weakness, my poverty, and my lack of means. Bestow Paradise upon me as a favor from You, free my neck from the Fire, and grant me well-being in myself and in all my affairs, by Your mercy, O most Merciful of the merciful.

It is advisable to spend much time in Qunut, since the supplications to be said in Qunut are too many.

You may then say the Takbeer statement, bow down, and prostrate yourself as has been previously recommended.

Upon accomplishment of the two prostrations (of the second unit of prayer), you may sit down to utter the statements of tashahhud and Taslim. It is recommended to sit on your hips and to say the following before uttering the tashahhud statement:

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ وَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَخَيْرُ الْاَسْمَاۤءِ لِلّٰهِ اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ.

BISMIL LAAHE WA BILLAAHE WAL HAMDO LILLAAHE WA KHAYRUL ASMAAA-E LILLAAHE ASH-HADO AN LAA ELAAHA ILLAL LAAHO.

In the name of Allah, and by Allah, and all praise is due to Allah. The best of names belong to Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.