O Son !

farz in (the dictated) order. When making your niyyat, in the
Shâfi’î Madhhab, you have to know that namâz is farz, to think of
the shape of namâz, i.e. to be aware of its sitting postures, of its
Rukû’s, Sajdas and final Salâm, and to make your niyyat in an
awareness of what namâz you are to perform. The niyyat is made
as the tekbîr iftitâh is said. It is not compulsory to know whether
the namâz (being performed) is an adâ or a qadâ. Your namâz will
not be sahîh if you think of them instead of each other. This rule
applies to the number of rak’ats as well. Niyyat is necessary in
kinds of sunnats and in whether they are before or after the farzes.
A person performing a namâz on his own may join a namâz in
jamâ’at started amidst his namâz. It is farz in all four Madhhabs to
make the Tekbîr, (i.e. to say, “Allâhu ekber,”) when starting to
perform a namâz. In the Hanafî Madhhab it is wâjib to say,
“Allâhu ekber,” in the name of making the Tekbîr. It is farz in the
other three Madhhabs. There are fifteen conditions to be fulfilled
so that a Tekbîr Iftitâh made will be sahîh: To make it in the
Arabic original form, (i.e. it should not be said in another
language;) to be in the standing position when making the niyyat
for a namâz that is farz; not to extend the phonetic value of the
final syllable, “ber,” when saying, “Allâhu ekber;” not to
pronounce “b” with a shadda, (i.e. not to double its
pronunciation;) not to say the letter ‘wow’ between two words or
before a word; (it is permissible to say, “Allâhul ekber,” or
“Allâhul ’adhîm ekber;” to say it loud enough for yourself to hear
it; for the time of the namâz to have begun; to say it standing in the
direction of the Qibla; to say it after the imâm says it (if you are
performing a namâz in jamâ’at).
It is not farz to perform sunnat and nâfila namâzes standing. In
the Hanafî Madhhab it is wâjib to say the Sûra Fâtiha. It is farz in
the other three Madhhabs. In the Shâfi’î Madhhab, it is farz for the
Muslims in the jamâ’at behind the imâm to say the Fâtiha Sûra. It
is not farz in the Hanafî and the Mâlikî Madhhabs.
One of the sunnats of a namâz in the Shâfi’î Madhhab is for the
imâm (conducting a namâz in jamâ’at) and for a Muslim
performing it on his own to say the Fâtiha Sûra and the dhamm-isûra
aloud when the namâz being performed is one of the morning
and evening and night prayers. A woman also should say them
aloud when there are no (nâ-mahram) men around. (Muslims in)
the jamâ’at say them in a whisper loud enough for themselves to
hear them. When the imâm finishes saying the Fâtiha Sûra aloud,
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