Ruling 1486. Ṣalāt al‑āyāt consists of two rakʿahs, and in each rakʿah there are five rukūʿs. The method of performing the prayer is as follows: after one has made the intention [of performing the prayer], he says takbīr, recites one Sūrat al-Ḥamd and one other complete surah, goes into rukūʿ, and raises his head from rukūʿ; then, he again recites one Sūrat al-Ḥamd and one other complete surah, goes into rukūʿ again, and so on until he has done this a total of five times. After getting up from the fifth rukūʿ, he performs two sajdahs, stands up, and proceeds to perform the second rakʿah in the same way as the first; he then says tashahhud and the salām of the prayer.

Ruling 1487. [A shorter method of performing ṣalāt al‑āyāt is as follows:] after one has made the intention [of performing the prayer], he says takbīr and recites Sūrat al-Ḥamd; then, he divides the verses of the other surah into five parts and recites one verse or more, or even less, provided that – based on obligatory precaution – it is a complete sentence. He must start from the beginning of the surah and must not suffice with reciting bismillāh [on its own and count that as one verse]. Then, he goes into rukūʿ, raises his head, and without reciting Sūrat al-Ḥamd he recites the second part of the other surah. He then goes into rukūʿ again, and so on until he completes the other surah before he goes into the fifth rukūʿ. For example, if the other surah is Sūrat al-Falaq,[1] he first says:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ۞ قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ

bismil lāhir raḥmānir raḥīm. qul aʿūdhu birabbil falaq

In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the Ever-Merciful. Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak,

...and goes into rukūʿ [for the first time]; he then stands up and says:

مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

min sharri mā khalaq

from the evil of what He created,

...and goes into rukūʿ again [for the second time]; he then stands up and says:

وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

wa min sharri ghāsiqin idhā waqab

and from the evil of the darkness of night when it settles,

...and goes into rukūʿ again [for the third time]; he then stands up and says:

وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ

wa min sharrin naffāthāti fil ʿuqad

and from the evil of those who blow on knots,

...and goes into rukūʿ again [for the fourth time]; he then stands up and says:

وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ

wa min sharri ḥāsidin idhā ḥasad

and from the evil of an envier when he envies.’

...and goes into rukūʿ for the fifth time. He then stands up, performs two sajdahs, and proceeds to perform the second rakʿah in the same way as the first. After the second sajdah [of the second rakʿah], he says tashahhud and the salām of the prayer. It is permitted for one to divide the surah into less than five parts, but whenever he completes the surah, it is necessary that he recite Sūrat al-Ḥamd before performing the next rukūʿ.

Ruling 1488. There is no problem if a person recites Sūrat al-Ḥamd and the other surah five times in one rakʿah of ṣalāt al‑āyāt, and in the other rakʿah he recites one Sūrat al-Ḥamd and divides the other surah into five parts.

Ruling 1489.* Those things that are obligatory and recommended in the daily prayers are also obligatory and recommended in ṣalāt al‑āyāt. However, adhān and iqāmah are not said for ṣalāt al‑āyāt, and if the prayer is performed in congregation, it is better one say ‘aṣṣalāh’ three times with the intention of rajāʾ instead of adhān and iqāmah; this does not apply if the prayer is not performed in congregation. The legality of performing ṣalāt al‑āyāt in congregation for phenomena other than solar and lunar eclipses is not established [i.e. it must not be performed in congregation for other than these phenomena].

Ruling 1490. It is recommended that one say takbīr before and after rukūʿ, but saying takbīr after the fifth and the tenth rukūʿ is not recommended; instead, it is recommended that one say ‘samiʿal lāhu liman ḥamidah’.

Ruling 1491. It is recommended that one perform qunūt before the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth rukūʿ; and if one performs qunūt before only the tenth rukūʿ, it is sufficient.

Ruling 1492. If in ṣalāt al‑āyāt one doubts how many rakʿahs he has performed, and having thought about it he does not find an answer, his prayer is invalid.

Ruling 1493. If a person doubts whether he is in the last rukūʿ of the first rakʿah or the first rukūʿ of the second rakʿah, and having thought about it he does not find an answer, his prayer is invalid. However, if, for example, he doubts whether he has performed four or five rukūʿs, in the event that his doubt arises before he bends down for sajdah, he must perform the rukūʿ about which he doubts. However, if he has already bent down for sajdah, he must dismiss his doubt.

Ruling 1494. Every rukūʿ of ṣalāt al‑āyāt is a rukn; therefore, if a rukūʿ is intentionally omitted or added, the prayer is invalid. The same applies if a rukūʿ is mistakenly omitted or, based on obligatory precaution, if it is mistakenly added.