obligatory prayer: it is obligatory to offer salat ul ayaat during the eclipse
what is salat ul-ayaat?
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salat ul-ayaat becomes obligatory when some natural phenomenon become visible such as lunar & solar eclipses (partial or total), cyclones, hurricanes, earthquakes etc. in case of lunar and solar eclipses, this salat should be performed while the eclipse is in process and if not performed during its stipulated time, then its qaza is obligatory.
method of offering this prayer
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salat ul-ayaat can be prayed with two different methods.
it is performed in two rakaat (sets) and each rakat has 5 rukoos and 2 sajdas.
It is recommended to recite qunoot after the 2nd and 4th rukoo in the 1st rakat and after the 1st, 3rd and 5th rukoo in the 2nd rakat in both methods.
method 1
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1. make niyat (intention) saying “I perform 2 rakaat of salat ul-ayaat wajib, ada or qadha, qurbatan il-Allah”
2. say takbeeratul ahraam
3. recite surah al-fatiha one time.
4. recite any other surah
5. recite takbeer and and perform rukoo
6. rise and repeat steps 3 through 5, four more times to complete five rukoos and then rise.
8. perform two sajdas and stand up again for second rakat.
9. repeat the second rakat in exactly the same manner as first rakat.
10. after the two sajdas of the 2nd rakat, perform tashahud and salam to complete the prayer.
method 2
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1. make niyat (intention) saying “I perform 2 rakaat of salat ul-ayaat wajib (ada or qadha) qurbatan il-Allah”
2. offer takbeeratul Ahraam
3. recite surah al-fatiha one time.
4. recite any other surah e.g. sura-al-ikhlas breaking it into 5 parts as follows:
5. say “BISMILLAH HIR-RAHMAN IR-RAHEEM” and perform the 1st rukoo.
6. stand up and say “QUL HU WALLAHU AHAD” and perform the 2nd rukoo.
7. stand up and say “ALLAH HUS SAMAD” and perform the 3rd rukoo.
8. stand up and say “LAM YALID WA LAM YULAD” and perform the 4th rukoo.
9. stand up and say “WA LAM YA QUL LAHO KUFOWAN AHAD” and perform the 5th rukoo.
10. perform 2 sajdas and stand up again.
11. repeat the second rakat in exactly the same manner the first.
12. after the 2 sajdas of the second rakat, perform tashahud and salam to complete the prayer.
