The Book Of Prayer (Kitaab-ul-Salaat)

I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, I bear witness that there is no
God except Allah:
I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that
Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah:
Come towards Prayer, come towards Prayer; Come towards Success, come
towards Success;
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest; There is no God except Allah!
While saying “ Hayya alas-Salaah Hayya alal-Falaah” in the “ Azaan” or in the “ Iqamah” ,
one must face right and left respectively. Upon hearing the “ Azaan” , it is commanded to reply
to it - i.e. to repeat the words which the Caller (Muazzin) is saying, except for the words “ Hayya
alas-Salaah Hayya alal-Falaah” , for which one must say "Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa
Billah" (There is neither power nor strength, except with Allah).
In the “ Azaan” for the Dawn Prayer, the Caller must say the following words twice after
“ Hayya alas-Salaah Hayya alal-Falaah” - "AsSalaatu Khairum-minun-Naum" (Prayer is better
than sleep). The response to these words is "Sadaqta wa bararta, wa bilHaqqi Nataqta" (You
have confirmed the truth and you did well - and you have spoken a fact.)
While the “ Azaan” is being said, one must not indulge in any talk, recite Qur'an etc., nor
indulge in other activities. Listen to the “ Azaan” attentively and reply to it. The same applies to
the “ Iqamah” . For the one who stays engrossed in talk while the “ Azaan” is being
proclaimed, there is a danger of him dying an evil death. (We seek Allah's refuge)
When the Caller proclaims "Ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasoolullah", one must respond by
sending peace and blessings upon the Holy Prophet - "SallAllahu alayka yaa Rasool Allah"
(Allah's blessings be upon you, O the Messenger of Allah). It is recommended (Mustahab) to
kiss one's thumbnails and touch them on one's eyes while saying, "Qurratu ayni beka yaa
Rasool-Allah - Allahumma Matteyni Bis-Samye wal-Basar" (The coolness of my eyes is due to
you, O the Messenger of Allah! O Allah, grant me the usage of the ears and the eyes). The one
who does this will be taken by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Paradise.
The words proclaimed to announce the beginning of the congregational Prayers (with Jamaat),
are called “ Iqamah” . All words are the same as in the “ Azaan” , except that after the second
"Hayya alal-Falaah", the following words are said twice - "Qad QamatisSalaah" (The Prayer
has been established). In response to this, one should say "AqamahAllah wa adamaha maa
damatiSamawate walArd" (May Allah keep it established, and grant it permanence as long as the
skies and the earth remain.)
It is undesirable (Makrooh) for a person who comes in at the time of “ Iqamah” to remain
standing and wait - he should sit down and stand up only when the Proclaimer (Mukabbir) has
announced "Hayya alal-Falaah". Likewise those who are already present in the mosque must
stand up at this moment. The same applies to the “ Imaam” .