1. After making the intention for salaat, say Allahu Akbar. While saying Allahu Akbar, raise both the hands upto the shoulders. However, one should not take out the hands out of the headgear or scarf (or burqah). Thereafter, the hands should be clasped onto the chest with the palm of the right hand placed on the back of the left hand. Thereafter, the following dua should be read:

أللهُ أكْبَرُ

After reading A’udhu billah

أعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْم

and Bismillah,

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

she should recite Surah Faatihah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ
غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

and after Wa lad daalleen, she should say aameen. After reading Bismillah, she should recite some other Surah.

She should then say Allahu Akbar and go into ruku and read:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيْم

Translation: Glory to my Lord, the most exalted.

This should be read three, five or seven times.

In ruku, the fingers of both hands should be together and placed on the knees. The arms should be well joined to the sides and the ankles of both the feet should be together. She should then read:

سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَه

Translation: Allah has heard the one who has praised Him.

While saying this, she should raise her head.

Once she stands upright, she must say Allahu Akbar and go down for sajdah. First, the knees should touch the ground, thereafter the hands should be placed in line with her ears and the fingers should be close together. Then place the head in-between both the hands. In sajdah, both the forehead and the nose should touch the ground. The fingers and toes should face the qiblah. But the feet should not be upright. Instead, they should be taken out towards the right hand side. She should draw herself closely together and press herself firmly while in sajdah. The stomach should be joined to both the thighs, the arms to the sides, and both arms should be placed on to the ground. In sajdah, she should read the following dua at least three times:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأعْلىَ

Translation: Glory to my Lord, the Highest.

She should then say Allahu Akbar and sit upright. She should say Allahu Akbar again and go down for sajdah for a second time, and read:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأعْلىَ

at least three times. She should then say Allahu Akbar and stand up. When standing up, she should not place her hands on the ground for support.

She should then recite Bismillah, Surah Faatihah and another Surah and thereafter complete her second rakaat in the same way.

On completing the second sajdah, she should sit on her left buttock and take out both her feet towards the right side. She should place both her hands on her thighs and keep her fingers joined together. She should then recite the following dua:

التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَد أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

On reaching the kalimah, she should make a circle with the thumb and middle finger of the right hand. When she says La ilaha, she should raise her forefinger, and on saying Illallahu she should drop it. However, the circle should be maintained till the end of the salaat.

If it is a four rakaat salaat, she should not read anything further. Instead, she should immediately say Allahu Akbar and stand up and offer two additional rakaats. In the latter two rakaats of the fard salaat, nothing should be recited after Surah Faatihah. When she sits down for the fourth rakaat, she must recite the following durood after reciting at-tahiyyaat:

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

Thereafter, she should recite the following dua:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِي وَلِوَالِدِي وَلِاُسْتَاذِي وَلِجَمِيْعِ الْمُؤمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤمِنَاتِ وَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَآ أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ

or, the following dua:

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

Alternatively, she could read any other dua that is found in the Quran or Hadith. Thereafter, she should turn towards the right and say As salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah. She should then turn towards the left and say the same thing. At the time of making salaam she should make the intention of making salaam to the angels.

This is the method of offering salaat. If even one of the fard acts of salaat are missed out, the salaat will not be complete, irrespective of whether it was missed out intentionally or unintentionally. There are certain things which are wajib. If they are left out intentionally then the salaat will become worthless and it will have to be repeated. If a person does not repeat it, then although he will be absolved of his fard duty, he will still be committing a sin. But if he leaves out a wajib unintentionally, his salaat will become valid by making sajdah-e-sahw. There are certain things which are sunnah while others aremustahab.

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