The Congregational Prayers
The Congregational Prayer:-
-Congregational prayer is obligated on men, Allah commands men to pray their five obligatory prayers in congregation and promises them with great reward as prophet Muhammad PBUH said “the reward for congregational prayer is twenty-seven times greater than that offered by a person alone”.
-The congregational prayer can be offered with at least 2 persons, one leads the prayer (Imam) and the other follows him, but it is better to do it with more than two persons.
-One must follow the leader of the prayer (Imam) in everything.
-The Imam (leader of the prayer) should stand in front of those who follow him in prayer, if there are only 2 persons praying one of them is the Imam then the other one should stand on his right.
-One of the most important congregational prayer in Islam is:
The Friday Prayer:-
Allah says in The Holy Quran chapter 62 verse 9 “O you who have attained faith, when the call to prayer is made on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave aside all selling; that is better for you if you only knew”
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said “the best day on which the sun rises is Friday, on that day Adam was created, he was admitted to paradise (Jannah), and he was expelled from it, and the day of judgment will not come unless on Friday”.
-Friday prayer is not obligated on women, kids, the traveler, and the sick ones.
-It is recommended to do Ghusl (ritual bath) before going to Friday prayer, wearing clean clothes, use perfumes if there is any, and go early to the mosque.
-Friday prayer is only two unites prayer.
The Funeral Prayer:
Islam emphasizes solidarity among Muslims, especially in difficult times.
Losing loved ones is one of the most difficult situations that one can face so Islam insists on gathering around those who lost loved ones and stand with them.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said “he who attend the funeral till the prayer is offered, for him is the reward of one qirat, and he who attends and stays till one is buried, for him is the reward of two qirats, it was said: what are the two qirats? Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: "They are equivalent to two huge mountains.”
How to pray the Funeral Prayer:-
1-Say Allahu Akbar and recite Surah Al-Fatiha (chapter 1 in the Holy Quran)
2-Say Allahu Akbar again and recite the second part of Tashahhud
3-Say Allahu Akbar again and ask Allah to forgive for the dead one
4-Say Allahu Akbar again end your prayer with one tasleem (turn your face to the right and say Assalamu Alaykom wa Rahmatullah), you can ask Allah to forgive you before you end the prayer.
The Istikhara Prayer:-
Istikhara is an Arabic word which means asking Allah to help one make a decision, Prophet Muhammad PBUH used to teach his companions to do Istikhara in everything, if one is concerned about a decision he has to make, let him pray a two unite prayer of non-obligatory prayers and then say:-
“O Allah, I seek your guidance by virtue of your knowledge, and I seek ability by the virtue of your power, and I ask you of your great bounty, you have power and I don’t, and you know while I don’t, you are the knower of the unseen, O Allah, if in your knowledge, this matter (and one should name this matter) is good for me in my religion, my life in this world and my hereafter then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me, and if in your knowledge, it is bad for me in my religion, my life in this world and my hereafter then turn me away from it and turn it away from me, then decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me pleased with it.”