Other Important Notes Regarding Prayer

1. If a person is smelling of garlic, onion, leak, cigarettes, tobacco or anything similar which has an unpleasant order and which may cause inconvenience to others, then, such person must not join the congregational prayer and should keep away until the odour dissipates from him/her. 

The Prophet Salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in this regard says: 

"A person who has eaten garlic or onion or any other bad smelling thing should not approach our Masjid because the angels are offended by the things which human beings get offended from". (Reported by Imam Muslim)

2. The whole earth is for the Muslims a place of prayer and virtually clean. 

Therefore, anyone can pray wherever he may be when the time of the prayer comes if there are no Masjid nearby. 

However, it is forbidden to perform prayer at cementeries, except the funeral prayer administrated over a dead Muslim. 

It is also forbidden to pray inside toilets and/or bathroom and at filthy places. All prayers perform in such areas are considered null and void.

3. When entering a Masjid it is the tradition that the person steps in with the right foot reciting the following supplication:

" Bismillah wassalatu wassalamu 'aala rusulullah,  Allahumma Ighfir lii dhanubi,waftah lii abwaba rahmatik".

 which means

"In the name of Allah... and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Lord, forgive me my sins and open for me the gates of your mercy".

And then departing from the masjid, the person steps out with the left foot first saying:

"Bismillah wassalatu wassalamu 'aala rusulullah,  Allahumma Ighfir lii dhanubi,waftah lii abwaba fadhlika".

which means

"In the name of Allah... and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Lord, forgive me my sins and open for me the gates of your favours".

4. It is not proper to come to the prayer hastening  but the person is required to come calmly and in a state of serenity and tranquility. 

If a person joins the prayer while the Imam/ congregation are in Rukuu position, then, that particular rakaat(unit) is counted for him, as if he started the rakaat (unit) with the rest of the congregation from the start. 

However, if a person join the prayer after the Imam/congregation has already risen from the Rukuu position, then, that particular rakaat is not counted for him, but he should continue praying with the rest until the Imam completes the prayer after which the person is required to come up with the missed rakaat(s) in order to complete his prayer.

Here below is an example:

Assuming that a person joins the dhuhr prayer in the first rakaat but after the congregation has already risen from the rukuu position, the person would complete the remaining part of the rakaat with the rest, although such rakaat is not counted for him. 

The  Imam and the congregation proced to the second rakaat, but the latecomers to count the second rakaat as his  first rakaat.

Thereafter, the congregation sits for the first At-Tashahud and would then,  stand up to perform third rakaat and subsequently, the fourth rakaat upto the second and final At-Tashahud. 

After the Imam reads the words of peace to conclude the prayer the late-comer under discussion, would thereby stand  upto perform one more rakaat in lieu of off the rakaat missed at the beginning.

5. It is allowed for a person to pray while wearing shoes, but before doing so, the person is required to check on the soles of the shoes, and should there appear any trace of wetness and/or defilement, this should be cleaned well on the ground.

6. A person is not allowed to pass in front of another person who is praying no matter how long and how much inconvenience the waiting may cause the Prophet Salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says:

"If a person who passes if a person who passes in front of a praying person could realize the gravity of the sin,  it would have been better for him to wait for forty rather then pass in front of the praying person. The narrator was not sure whether the Prophet Salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said forty days or forty months or forty years".(Reported by Imam Bukhari)

7. If a person who wishes to perform a prayer fears others may pass in front of him in the course of his prayer, it is advisable for such a person to place any kind of object in front of him before commencing the prayer. 

Such an object is known as "Sutra" in Arabic and it acts as a boundary for the person so that people may pass only beyond the object. 

If  thereafter, any person attempts to pass between him and the object, the person in prayer may push away the passerby.  

But if the passerby insists on passing, the praying person has perfect right to fight the intruder for he is an evil one.

8. A stranger women passing to close in front of a praying male person who has no Sutra has the effect of  invalidating the prayer, except when the prayer is being done in the grand Masjid of Makkah.