Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
As you are new to Islam, reading the Arabic transliteration from a sheet of paper in front of you while offering prayer is a temporary substitute which you can do for a few weeks or months until you have memorized what to say.
Answering your question, Sheikh Mustafa Umar, President of California Islamic University, states:
First, we would like to welcome you to the fold of Islam.
Significance of Prayer in Islam
Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
Islam is built on five pillars:
- To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger;
- To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
- To pay Zakah(i.e. obligatory charity);
- To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca); and
- To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
New Muslims and Prayer
If you are new to Islam, then it is understandable that you have not memorized what to say in the daily prayers.
In this case, you do not need to say all parts of the prayer, instead you can just say ‘subhanallah’ three times, which means “Glory be to God”.
As you are new to Islam, reading the Arabic transliteration from a sheet of paper in front of you while offering prayer is a temporary substitute which you can do for a few weeks or months until you have memorized what to say.
Almighty Allah knows best.