Mohammad Abdul Karim Saqib

Birmingham, January 1988

There are many books dealing with the Subject of Salat in both Arabic and Urdu. Many of these books are well written and pt vide an informative and comprehensive view of how Salat should be performed according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammed. Unfortunately, there are very few books in English whi deal with the subject in the same informative and comprehensive way. The books, which do exist, have three main disadvantages.

Firstly, literature concerning Salat available in English is either brief that it does not cover essential points in nearly enough detail or it is so bulky and detailed that it becomes difficult to use it with quick reference, and essential points may get lost in the unnecessary detail.

Secondly, the text of the Salat lacks the quality of direct research from the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad . There are also books which contain material without any reference to the original sources.

Thirdly, the majority of books have been written according to the views held by certain schools of thought and for this reason some people hesitate to follow them.

Because of these weaknesses in existing literature in English we felt that the need existed to produce a medium sized book on Salat which would approach the subject according to the teachings of  Prophet Muhammad . The Prophet, himself, said,

“Pray as you have seen me praying.”

Such a book needs to contain all the essential details of Salat with out being too bulky or complicated so that the reader can use it a a point of reference on a journey or at home.