The Opening Readings When Commencing Salah (prayer)

تَرْفَعُ يَدَيْكَ فِي افْتِتَاحِ الصَّلَاةِ قُبَالَةَ وَجْهِكَ وَ لَا تَرْفَعْهُمَا كُلَّ ذَلِكَ.

‘Raise your hands when commencing Salah (prayer) on the sides of your face and do not raise them all the way farther.’”

إِذَا قُمْتَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَكَبَّرْتَ فَارْفَعْ يَدَيْكَ وَ لَا تُجَاوِزْ بِكَفَّيْكَ أُذُنَيْكَ أَيْ حِيَالَ خَدَّيْكَ‌[1].

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘When you stand up for Salah (prayer) say Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) and raise your hands. Do not allow your palms (hands) to rise higher than your ears. Keep them on the sides of your face.’”

أَدْنَى مَا يُجْزِئُ مِنَ التَّكْبِيرِ فِي التَّوَجُّهِ تَكْبِيرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ وَ ثَلَاثُ تَكْبِيرَاتٍ أَحْسَنُ وَ سَبْعٌ أَفْضَلُ.

“He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said, ‘The least for Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) facing (al-Qiblah (al-Ka‘bah)) is to say it once. Three times is good and seven times is better.”’

إِذَا كُنْتَ إِمَاماً أَجْزَأَتْكَ تَكْبِيرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ لِأَنَّ مَعَكَ ذَا الْحَاجَةِ وَ الضَّعِيفَ وَ الْكَبِيرَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If you are leading others in Salah (prayer) one Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) is sufficient; with you there can be people who need to go after their needs, weak people and the old ones.’”

التَّكْبِيرُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْفَرْضِ الْخَمْسِ الصَّلَوَاتِ خَمْسٌ وَ تِسْعُونَ تَكْبِيرَةً مِنْهَا تَكْبِيرَاتُ الْقُنُوتِ خَمْسَةٌ.

The number of Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) in all five obligatory Salah (prayer) is ninety-five of which are Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) during five Qunut.’”

وَ رَوَاهُ أَيْضاً- عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ وَ فَسَّرَهُنَّ فِي الظُّهْرِ إِحْدَى وَ عِشْرِينَ تَكْبِيرَةً وَ فِي الْعَصْرِ إِحْدَى وَ عِشْرِينَ تَكْبِيرَةً وَ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ تَكْبِيرَةً وَ فِي الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ إِحْدَى وَ عِشْرِينَ تَكْبِيرَةً وَ فِي الْفَجْرِ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ تَكْبِيرَةً وَ خَمْسَ تَكْبِيرَاتِ الْقُنُوتِ فِي خَمْسِ صَلَوَاتٍ.

In explaining he has said that in al-Dhuhr there are twenty-one, in al-‘Asr twenty-one, in al-Maghrib sixteen, in al-‘Isha’ al-Akhirah twenty-one and in the morning Salah (prayer) there are eleven and in the five Qunut there are five Takbir (Allah is great beyond description).

إِذَا افْتَتَحْتَ الصَّلَاةَ فَارْفَعْ كَفَّيْكَ ثُمَّ ابْسُطْهُمَا بَسْطاً ثُمَّ كَبِّرْ ثَلَاثَ تَكْبِيرَاتٍ ثُمَّ قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ثُمَّ تُكَبِّرُ تَكْبِيرَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ قُلْ لَبَّيْكَ وَ سَعْدَيْكَ وَ الْخَيْرُ فِي يَدَيْكَ وَ الشَّرُّ لَيْسَ إِلَيْكَ وَ الْمَهْد

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that as introduction for prayer raise your hands and open them, then say three times, ‘Allah is great and then say, ‘O Lord, You are the true owner. No one other than You deserves to be worshipped. You are free of all defects. I have wronged myself so forgive my sins; no one other than

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَوْماً يَا حَمَّادُ تُحْسِنُ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ يَا سَيِّدِي أَنَا أَحْفَظُ كِتَابَ حَرِيزٍ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ لَا عَلَيْكَ يَا حَمَّادُ[1] قُمْ فَصَلِّ قَالَ فَقُمْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مُتَوَجِّهاً إِلَى الْقِبْلَةِ فَاسْتَفْتَحْتُ الصَّلَاةَ فَرَكَعْتُ وَ سَجَدْتُ فَقَالَ يَا حَمَّادُ لَا تُحْسِنُ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ مَا أَقْبَحَ بِالرَّجُلِ مِنْكُمْ يَأْتِي عَلَيْهِ سِتُّو

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), one day asked me, ‘Do you know how to perform Salah (prayer) properly?’ I said, ‘I keep the book of Hariz with me in Salah (prayer).’ The Imam said, ‘Nevermind, O Hammad. Stand up and perform Salah (prayer).’ The narrator has said, ‘I then stood up in his presence, facing the direction of Qiblah