A Primer of Religious Knowledge — Page 29
�e � ay �o � ffer S alāt For S al a t, the body, the clothes, and the place to offer the S al a t should be clean. The body should be covered: For men, from the navel to the knees, and no part of a woman’s body should be without clothes, except for the face, hands, and feet. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, always used to offer the Far d rak‘ a t of the S al a t in con- gregation. This is why every Muslim should try to follow his example and offer S al a t in congregation. For congregational S al a t, Adh a n is called out first and then, when the people have gathered to offer the S al a t, the muadhdhin [the one who calls out the Adh a n ] or someone else with his permission, should stand behind the Imam in the first row, and while facing the Qiblah and without placing his hands on the ears, should say the Iqamat 1. He should say the words of the Adh a n, but a bit quicker and after saying ِ الْف َاَلَح ى َعَل َّ ى َ ح [ h ayya ‘alal-fal ah ] ‘Come to success’, he should say twice ِ قَد ْ قَامَت ِ الصَّلٰوۃ [ Qad q a m- ati s-S al a h ]—‘ S al a t is starting’, and then continue to say the remaining words of the Adh a n. 1. Iq a mat also Iq a mah: A shortened version of the Adh a n , which is recited loudly to indicate that a congregational Prayer is about to start—also referred to as Takb i r. [Publisher].