Shurut al-Salat fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Safeer Press
Shurut al-Salat fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (The Conditions of Prayer in the Light of the Quran and the Sunnah) is a concise legal treatise on the prerequisite conditions of Islamic ritual prayer by the Saudi scholar Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) .
Composition and Purpose
Al-Qahtani completed the treatise on the morning of Friday, 18 Sha'ban 1420 AH . In his introduction, he states that his objective was to provide a brief explanation of the definition of prayer's conditions and examine each condition alongside its textual evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah . He also notes that he drew extensively on the juristic determinations and legal preferences (tarjihat) of his teacher, Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz .
Structure and Contents
The author opens the treatise by defining a condition (sharṭ) linguistically as a "sign" and terminologically as "that whose absence necessitates nonexistence, but whose presence does not in itself necessitate existence or nonexistence" . He distinguishes conditions from the internal pillars (arkān) of prayer by noting that conditions precede the prayer and must continue throughout its performance, whereas pillars constitute its internal framework and are executed sequentially .
The treatise is organized around nine prerequisite conditions:
- Islam (al-Islam): Its opposite is disbelief (kufr), and acts of worship performed by a non-Muslim are not accepted .
- Sanity (al-Aql): Its opposite is insanity (al-junūn); the insane person is exempt from legal accountability until regaining sanity .
- Discernment (al-Tamyiz): Its threshold is reaching seven years of age, at which point children are instructed to pray .
- Lifting ritual impurity (raf' al-hadath): Performing ablution (wudu) for minor impurity or ritual bath (ghusl) for major impurity .
- Removal of physical filth (izalat al-najasah): Cleansing impurities from three elements: the worshiper's body, clothing, and the place of prayer .
- Covering the nakedness (satr al-awra): Covering oneself with clothing that does not reveal the skin when capable; the treatise details the extent of the 'awra for men and women, covering the shoulders for men, and women's prayer attire .
- Entry of the prescribed prayer time (dukhul al-waqt): Establishing the specific starting and ending times for the five daily obligatory prayers (Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha, and Fajr) through Quranic verses and prophetic traditions .
- Facing the Qiblah (istiqbal al-qiblah): Directing oneself toward the Ka'bah during prayer .
- Intention (al-niyyah): Formulating the intention internally in the heart, with vocalizing it deemed an innovation (bid'ah) . The author divides intention into two facets: sincerity toward God (al-ikhlas) and distinguishing the specific prayer being performed, noting that the ideal timing is to make it alongside the opening takbir .
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