The fards that are inside the namâz (rukns)

1- Tahrîma (takbîr of iftitâh):
It means to say Allahu akbar when beginning namâz, and it is fard. No other word to replace it is acceptable. This takbîr of iftitâh is one of the conditions of namâz. It is not a rukn. If the takbîr is said too long, like “AAAllahu” in the beginning or “akbaar” at the end, namâz will not be accepted. If you utter the word “akbar” before the imâm does (when performing namâz in jamâ’at), your namâz will not have started.

2- Qiyâm:
Qiyâm is the first of the five rukns of namâz. It means standing. When standing, the two feet must be four times a finger’s width apart from each other. Those who are too ill to stand, or who will feel dizzy or have a headache or toothache or pain at some other part of their body or cannot control their urination or wind breaking or bleeding when they stand, or who fear that their enemy may see (and harm) them or their possessions

may be stolen when they stand, or whose fast will break or speech will be slurred or awrat parts will open when they stand, perform namâz sitting. Also, if you are ill and infer from your own experiences or are told by a specialized Muslim doctor that standing will make your illness worse or delay your healing, you perform namâz sitting. But the doctor who tells you should not be a fâsiq person committing sins or harâms frankly. Such people may sit on the floor in a manner that comes easy to them; cross legged, or knees drawn up with arms folded round the legs or in any other manner. People incapable of sitting in that manner on their own does so with someone else’s help. For the ruku’ they bend forward a little. For the sajda they put their head on the ground.

3- Qirâat:
Qirâat is to read (recite) orally. Reading (or reciting) only as loud as one can hear is called khafî. It is called jahrî, that is, loud if it is audible by one’s company. It is fard to say an âyat [a verse of the Qur’ân al-karîm] of the Qur’ân while standing at every rak’at of sunnats and of the witr and at two rak’ats of the fard when performing namâz individually. It brings more thawâb to say a short sûra [a chapter of the Qur’ân al-karîm]. As qirâat, it is wâjib to say the sûra of Fâtiha at these parts of namâzes and to say also a sûra or three âyats at every rak’ât of sunnats and of witr prayer and at two rak’ats of the fard. In the fard [namâzes that are obligatory], it is wâjib or sunnat to say the Fâtiha and the (other) sûra at the first two rak’ats. Additionally, it is wâjib to say the Fâtiha before the sûra. Furthermore, it is wâjib to say the Fâtiha once at every rak’at. If one of these five wâjibs is forgotten, it is necessary to make sajda-i sahw. According to some more dependable information, at the third and fourth rak’ats of the fard, it is sunnat for the imâm as well as for a person who performs namâz individually to say the Fâtiha. It will be all right whether one says the additional sûra, too, or says nothing. When making the qirâat, it is not permissible to recite translations of the Qur’ân. In the other three Madhhabs, it is fard to say the Fâtiha in every namâz and in every rak’at.

4- Ruku’:
Ruku’ is to bend forward at the waist, and it is fard. After the sûra, you bend for the ruku’ saying the takbîr [Allahu akbar]. In the ruku’ men open their fingers and put them on their knees. They keep their back and head level. In the ruku’ you say “Subhâna rabbiyal-azîm” at least thrice. If the imâm raises his head before you have said it three times, you must raise your head, too. In the ruku’ your arms and legs must be straight. Women do not open their fingers. They do not keep their head and back level, or their arms and legs straight. It is sunnat for the imâm as well as for people who are performing namâz by themselves to say “Sami’ allahu liman hamidah” while straightening up from the ruku’. The jamâ’at does not say it. Right after saying it, people who is performing namâz by themselves, and the jamâ’at, upon hearing the imâm recite it, must say “Rab’banâ lakal hamd,” and stand upright.

5- Sajda:
Sajda is to prostrate. While kneeling down for the sajda saying “Allahu akbar,” put first the right knee and then the left knee, followed by the right and left hands, on the flor (or on the ground if it is performed outdoors). Finally, the nose and the forehead bones are put on the ground. Women also should keep their forehead uncovered during namâz. In the sajda, fingers must be closed, pointing towards the qibla in line with the ears, and the head must be between hands. It is fard that the forehead be touching on something clean, such as a stone, some earth, wood, cloth, and it is said (by savants) that it is wâjib to put the nose down, too. It is not permissible to put only the nose on the ground without an ‘udhr [good excuse]. It is makrûh to put only the forehead on the ground. In the sajda you must say “Subhâna rabbiyal-a’lâ” at least thrice. It is either fard or wâjib to put two feet or at least one toe of each foot on the ground. There are also some savants who say that it is sunnat. That is, if two feet are not put on the ground, namâz will either not be valid or it will become makrûh. If, during the sajda, the forehead, nose, or feet are raised from the ground for a short while, it will cause no harm.

In the sajda, it is sunnat to bend the toes and turn them towards the qibla. Men must keep their arms and thighs away from their abdomen. It is sunnat to place the hands and the knees on the ground. It is sunnat to keep the heels a four-finger-width away from each other in the qiyâm, but in the ruku’, qawma [standing upright after the ruku’] and sajda, they must be kept together. For doing this, when bending for the rukû, the heel of the left foot is brought near the right foot (but this applies to men; women do not join their feet together). They are separated again when standing up for the qiyâm after the sajda.

Sajda is done for Allahu ta’alâ only. It is performed towards the direction of Ka’ba, but not for the Ka’ba. One who makes sajda for the Ka’ba becomes a disbeliever.

6- Qada-i-âkhira:
It is to sit as long as it takes you to say the prayer “Attahiyyâtu” in the last rak’at. When sitting, men put their left foot flat on the ground with its toes pointing towards the right. They sit on this foot. The right foot should be upright, with the toes touching the ground and pointing towards the qibla. It is sunnat to sit in this manner. Women sit by “tawarruk.” That is, they sit with their buttocks on the ground. Their thighs should be close to each other. Their feet should jut out from their right.

It is written in Durr-ul-mukhtâr:
“You do not make a sign with your fingers while sitting. The fatwâ says so.”