محمد بن علي الباقر عليه السلام

He said: "You may give the adhan (call to prayer) without being in a state of wudu (ritual purity), wearing a single garment, whether standing or sitting, and in any direction you face. However, when you perform the iqamah (second call to prayer), you must be in a state of wudu, prepared for the prayer."

He said: "The minimum that suffices for the adhan is to begin the night with an adhan and iqamah and to begin the day with an adhan and iqamah. For the other prayers during the day, an iqamah without an adhan suffices."

"The Messenger of Allah (sw) went out for prayer while carrying Imam al-Husayn (as) on his shoulder, as al-Husayn (as) had delayed in speaking, and there was concern that he might have a speech impediment or be unable to speak. The Prophet (sw) carried him out, and the people lined up behind him (for prayer). He placed al-Husayn (as) on his right side. The Prophet (sw) began the prayer, and when He said the takbir (saying 'Allahu Akbar'), Imam al-Husayn (as) repeated the takbir after him. When the Prophet heard al-Hussayn’s takbir, he repeated it, and so did al-Husayn. This continued until the Prophet (sw) had said seven takbirs, with al-Husayn repeating them. Thus, the tradition (of seven takbirs at the beginning of the prayer) was established."

He said: "The Qunoot (supplication) is in every two units of both voluntary and obligatory prayers."

He said: "If a man doubts after prostrating that he has not bowed (rak'a), he should continue with his prayer until he is certain that he did not bow. If he becomes certain that he did not bow, then he should perform the two prostrations (sajdatayn) that have no bowing and complete his prayer as though it were perfect. However, if he does not become certain until after he has finished and turned away from the prayer, he should stand up and pray one more rak'ah with two prostrations, and there is no harm upon him."

"Whoever does this deliberately has invalidated his prayer and must repeat it. However, if he does so out of forgetfulness, inattentiveness, or without knowing, there is no penalty on him, and his prayer remains valid." Zurarah then asked: "What if a person forgets to recite in the first two rak’ahs (units of prayer) but remembers in the latter two?" Imam (as) replied: "He should make up the recitation, takbir (saying 'Allāhu Akbar'), and tasbih (glorifications) that he missed in the first two rak’ahs during the latter two, and there is no penalty on him."

"I asked about a man who forgot the first Takbir of the prayer (Takbir al-Ihram). Imam (as) said: 'If he remembers it before the bowing (ruku'), he should say the Takbir, then recite, and then perform the ruku'. If he remembers it during the prayer, he should say the Takbir at the place of the Takbir, whether before or after the recitation.' I asked: 'What if he remembers it after the prayer?' Imam (as) said: 'Then he should make it up, and there is nothing wrong with him.'"

He said: "The prayer is only to be repeated in five cases : purification (tahur), time (waqt), the direction of the Qiblah, the bowing (ruku'), and prostration (Sujood)." He then said: "Recitation (qira'ah) is a Sunnah, and the testimony (tashahhud) is a Sunnah, and the Sunnah does not invalidate the obligatory act (fardh)”. COMPEV والأصل في السهو أن من سها في الركعتين الأولتين من كل صلاة فعليه الإعادة ومن شك في المغرب فعليه الإعادة، ومن شك في الغداة فعليه الإعادة، ومن شك في الجمعة فعليه الإعادة، ومن شك في الثانية والثالثة أو في الثالثة والرابعة أخذ بالأكثر، فإذا سلم أتم ما ظن أنه قد نقص. The general rule regarding forgetfulness (Sahw) is that if someone forgets in the first two rak'ahs of any prayer, they must repeat the prayer. If someone doubts during the Maghrib prayer, they must repeat it. If someone doubts during the Fajr prayer, they must repeat it. If someone doubts during the Jumu’ah prayer, they must repeat it. However, in the second and third rak'ahs, or in the third and fourth rak'ahs, they should follow the majority (what they believe is more likely correct). After concluding the prayer, they should complete what they think may have been missing.

"If you experience frequent distraction (waswasah), ignore it, for it will soon leave you. It is only from Satan”.

He said: "When you say the Takbir at the beginning of your prayer after the opening Takbir (Takbir al-Ihram), if you say twenty-one Takbirs and then forget the remaining Takbirs, or fail to say them, the first Takbir will suffice for all the Takbirs in the prayer”.

"He should repeat one rak'ah."

"A woman prays in a dress (dir'aa) and a head covering (miqna'a) if it is thick, meaning it is concealing."

"There is no obligation for a slave woman (amā) to wear a headcover (qina'ah) in prayer, nor for a woman who is 'mukātabah' (a slave who has entered into a contract to pay for her freedom) if her master has not required it as part of the terms of her contract, until She has fulfilled all the terms of her contract. The same rules that apply to a slave in all legal matters apply to her as well."

"When you finish your prayer, turn to your right as you leave."

He said: "Do not recite anything (from the Qur'an) in the last two rak'ahs of the four obligatory rak'ah prayers, whether you are an Imam or not." I (Zurarah) asked: "So what should I say in them?" Imam (as) said: "If you are an Imam or praying alone, say: 'Subhan Allah (swt) (Glory be to Allah (swt)), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah (swt)), and La ilaha illAllah (swt) (There is no god but Allah (swt))' three times, making a total of nine glorifications. Then say the takbir and bow (for ruku')."

He said: "The last prayer that the Messenger of Allah (sw) led the people in was while wearing a single garment, with its ends crossed over one another. Shall I show you the garment?" I said: "Yes." He then brought out a cloak, and I measured it—it was seven cubits by eight hand spans.

He said: "When the prayer has been established (by the iqamah), speaking becomes forbidden for the Imam and the people of the mosque, except in the matter of appointing an Imam”.

"Five people should not lead others in prayer nor should they lead them in a congregational obligatory prayer: the person with leprosy (abrāṣ), the person with a skin disease (majdhūm), the child of adultery (walad al-zina), the Bedouin (a‘rābī) until he migrates, and the person who has been subjected to the legal punishment (al-maḥdūd)."

"There is no prayer for the one who does not attend the congregational prayer from among the neighbors of the mosque, except for someone who is ill or preoccupied."

He said: "The rows (in prayer) should be complete and continuous, one row connected to another, and there should not be a gap between the rows that cannot be crossed, such that it should only be the space of a human body when in prostration”.