Prayer (salah) in Islam: how to pray, ablution, prayer times and rulings

Prayer (salah) is the second pillar of Islam, after the declaration of faith. Five times a day, Muslims stand before their Lord, bow and prostrate, facing the Kaaba. It is the first deed they will be asked about on the Day of Judgement, and the daily bond that gives their day its rhythm. This guide explains its meaning, conditions and times, how to perform ablution, how to pray step by step, and the rules for congregational prayer, Friday prayer, and prayer when travelling or ill.

The place of prayer in Islam

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Islam is built on five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, paying zakat, Hajj and fasting in Ramadan” (Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16). Prayer was prescribed during the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj): first set at fifty, it was reduced to five daily prayers, which carry the reward of fifty (Sahih al-Bukhari 349).

The Quran constantly recalls its importance: “Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times” (Quran 4:103); “Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater” (Quran 29:45). Allah said to Moses (Musa): “So worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance” (Quran 20:14). The Prophet ﷺ compared the five prayers to a river flowing past a man’s door in which he bathes five times a day: no dirt would remain on him. “That is the example of the five prayers, by which Allah wipes out sins” (Sahih al-Bukhari 528). He also said: “Prayer is light” (Sahih Muslim 223).

Prayer is also the first deed to be examined on the Day of Resurrection: “if it is sound, he will have succeeded and been saved; if it is deficient, he will have failed and lost” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 413; Sunan Abi Dawud 864). The Prophet ﷺ warned against abandoning it: “The covenant between us and them is prayer; whoever abandons it has disbelieved” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2621; Sunan an-Nasa’i 463). Scholars differ on the scope of this hadith: for some, someone who abandons prayer entirely leaves Islam; for the majority, someone who neglects it without denying that it is obligatory commits a very grave sin but does not cease to be a Muslim. On the Day of Judgement, the people of Hell will say: “We were not of those who prayed” (Quran 74:43).

The meaning of prayer: heart, tongue and body

Scholars such as Shah Waliullah of Delhi, in his work Hujjat Allah al-Baligha, show that prayer brings together three forms of worship. The heart humbles itself as it contemplates Allah’s majesty and power; the tongue expresses this through praise, recitation and supplication; and the whole body submits through its postures. Prayer combines three postures of growing humility: standing before one’s Lord in intimate conversation; bowing (a bent neck is, among all peoples, a sign of submission, as in the verse “their necks would remain humbled”, Quran 26:4); and finally prostrating, placing on the ground the face, the noblest part of the body. “The closest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so increase your supplications then” (Sahih Muslim 482).

This union of heart and movement makes prayer accessible to everyone: believers able to concentrate deeply find contemplation in it, while those whose attention wanders are supported by the recitation and movements, which bring their minds back to Allah. This is why prayer is the foremost act of worship. The Quran praises “the believers… who are during their prayer humbly intent” (Quran 23:1–2). When a Companion, Rabi’ah ibn Ka’b, asked the Prophet ﷺ to be his companion in Paradise, he replied: “Then help me to achieve this for you by prostrating often” (Sahih Muslim 489).

People often say that “prayer is the believer’s ascension (mi’raj)”. This phrase is not an authentic hadith, but it expresses a true idea: prayer raises believers up and prepares them to meet their Lord. Looking at the full moon, the Prophet ﷺ said: “You will see your Lord as you see this moon… So if you can, do not let yourselves be distracted from the prayer before sunrise and the prayer before sunset”, meaning Fajr and Asr (Sahih al-Bukhari 554; Sahih Muslim 633). And every prayer offered sincerely wipes away sins, for “good deeds do away with misdeeds” (Quran 11:114).

Who must pray, and under what conditions?

Prayer is obligatory for every Muslim who has reached puberty and is of sound mind. Children are taught to pray from the age of seven (Sunan Abi Dawud 495). A woman who is menstruating or experiencing post-natal bleeding does not pray and does not have to make up those prayers (Sahih al-Bukhari 321). Anyone who forgets a prayer or sleeps through it makes it up as soon as they remember (Sahih al-Bukhari 597; Sahih Muslim 684).

For prayer to be valid, it requires:

• ritual purity: having performed ablution (wudu), or the full bath (ghusl) when it is due;
• cleanliness of the body, clothes and place of prayer;
• covering the awrah: for men, at least from the navel to the knees; for women, the whole body except the face and hands, according to most scholars;
• facing the qiblah, the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah (Quran 2:144);
• the time of the prayer having begun;
• the intention, made in the heart: knowing which prayer one is performing.

The five prayers and their times

Prayer times depend on the position of the sun, so they change every day and from one city to another. Their definition comes from the Prophet’s teaching (reported notably in Sahih Muslim 612):

That makes seventeen obligatory units a day. The “middle prayer”, which the Quran asks believers to guard with particular care (Quran 2:238), is the Asr prayer, according to the hadith in Sahih Muslim (628). It is better to pray at the start of the time, except for Isha, which may be delayed a little. Voluntary prayers are discouraged at three times: from Fajr until the sun has fully risen, when it is at its zenith, and from Asr until sunset (Sahih al-Bukhari 586; Sahih Muslim 831).

Fajr and Isha are calculated from how far the sun is below the horizon, and institutions do not all use the same angle: 12° for Muslims of France (formerly UOIF), 15° in North America (ISNA), 18° for Fajr and 17° for Isha according to the Muslim World League, 18.5° for Fajr in Makkah (Umm al-Qura calendar), 19.5° in Egypt, and so on. At European latitudes, including the UK, the difference can exceed an hour in summer. The simplest approach is to follow your local mosque’s timetable. You can also check the prayer times for your city, choosing the calculation method that suits you.

Ablution (wudu) and the full bath (ghusl)

Ablution

Ablution is prescribed by the Quran:

“O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.” (Quran 5:6)

Following the way taught in the Sunnah:

1. make the intention in your heart and say “Bismillah” (in the name of Allah);
2. wash your hands three times;
3. rinse your mouth, then draw water into your nose and blow it out, three times;
4. wash your face three times, from the top of the forehead to the chin and from ear to ear;
5. wash your arms up to and including the elbows, right then left, three times;
6. wipe your wet hands over your head, from front to back and back again, then wipe your ears;
7. wash your feet up to and including the ankles, right then left, three times;
8. say: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger” (Sahih Muslim 234).

The four acts mentioned in the verse are obligatory in every school. Depending on the school, the following are added: the intention (Malikis, Shafi’is, Hanbalis), keeping the order (Shafi’is, Hanbalis), continuity without interruption (Malikis, Hanbalis) and rubbing (Malikis). The rest, such as washing three times, is Sunnah.

Ablution is broken by anything that leaves the body through the natural passages (urine, faeces, wind and so on), by deep sleep and by loss of consciousness. Other causes are debated between the schools: touching one’s private parts with the hand, touching a person of the opposite sex (Shafi’is, and Malikis or Hanbalis if there is desire), heavy bleeding or vomiting (Hanafis), and eating camel meat (Hanbalis). The Prophet ﷺ allowed wiping over leather socks (khuffs) put on in a state of purity, for one day and night for a resident and three days for a traveller (Sahih Muslim 276).

The full bath

Ghusl is obligatory after sexual intercourse or ejaculation (the state of janabah), at the end of menstruation and post-natal bleeding, and, according to several schools, on embracing Islam. At a minimum, it consists of making the intention and letting water run over the whole body (including, for the Hanafis and Hanbalis, the inside of the mouth and nose). According to the Sunnah, one first washes the hands, then the private parts, performs ablution as for prayer, works water into the roots of the hair, pours three handfuls of water over the head, then washes the rest of the body, starting with the right side (Sahih al-Bukhari 248; Sahih Muslim 316). Ghusl is also recommended on Fridays (Sahih al-Bukhari 877; some scholars even consider it obligatory on the basis of hadith 879), for the two Eids and before entering ihram.

Dry ablution (tayammum)

When there is no water, or when using it would be harmful because of illness, one performs dry ablution: strike clean earth (or a surface of stone or sand) with the palms, then wipe the face and hands (Quran 4:43 and 5:6). “Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you,” the verse adds.

How to pray, step by step

“Pray as you have seen me praying,” said the Prophet ﷺ (Sahih al-Bukhari 631). Here is how a two-unit prayer, such as Fajr, is performed:

1. Stand facing the qiblah, in a state of purity, with the intention in your heart.
2. Say the opening takbir: “Allahu akbar” (Allah is the Greatest), raising your hands to the level of your shoulders or ears. You are now in prayer: you no longer speak or attend to anything else.
3. Recite while standing, with the right hand placed over the left (on the chest or below the navel, depending on the school; many Malikis keep their arms by their sides). You may say the opening supplication: “Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabaraka smuka, wa ta’ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk” (Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise; blessed is Your name and exalted Your majesty; there is no god but You), reported in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (243). Then seek Allah’s protection from Satan, recite Surah al-Fatiha, which is obligatory in every unit (“There is no prayer for one who does not recite al-Fatiha”, Sahih al-Bukhari 756), say “Amin”, then recite another surah or a few verses, for example Surah al-Ikhlas.
4. Bow (ruku’) saying “Allahu akbar”, with your back straight and hands on your knees, and say three times: “Subhana Rabbiya l-Adhim” (Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent).
5. Rise saying “Sami’a Llahu li-man hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him), then, standing, “Rabbana wa laka l-hamd” (Our Lord, to You belongs all praise).
6. Prostrate (sujud) saying “Allahu akbar”, on seven parts of the body: the forehead with the nose, both hands, both knees and the toes of both feet (Sahih al-Bukhari 812). Say three times: “Subhana Rabbiya l-A’la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). This is a special moment for supplication.
7. Sit between the two prostrations saying “Allahu akbar”, then “Rabbi ghfir li” (My Lord, forgive me), reported in Sunan Ibn Majah (897).
8. Prostrate a second time in the same way, then rise saying “Allahu akbar” for the second unit, which is performed like the first.
9. Sit for the tashahhud after the two prostrations of the second unit (see below). In a prayer of three or four units, you then stand up for the remaining units, in which only al-Fatiha is recited, and then sit for the final tashahhud.
10. Finish with the prayer for the Prophet ﷺ and a supplication, then the closing greeting (taslim): “As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah” (Peace and the mercy of Allah be upon you), turning your head to the right and then to the left (a single taslim among the Malikis).

The most widely used tashahhud, transmitted by Ibn Mas’ud (Sahih al-Bukhari 831), is:

“At-tahiyyatu lillahi wa s-salawatu wa t-tayyibat. As-salamu alayka ayyuha n-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadi Llahi s-salihin. Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh.” All greetings, prayers and good things are for Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

In the final tashahhud, one adds the prayer for the Prophet ﷺ (as-salat al-ibrahimiyyah), which he taught his Companions: “O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You sent prayers upon Abraham and the family of Abraham; You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham; You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3370).

In the Fajr, Maghrib and Isha prayers, the imam recites aloud in the first two units; Dhuhr and Asr are recited silently. Anyone who forgets part of the prayer, or is unsure how many units they have prayed, performs two prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud as-sahw) before or after the closing greeting (Sahih al-Bukhari 1224). After the prayer, it is recommended to glorify Allah: thirty-three times “Subhana Llah”, thirty-three times “Al-hamdu lillah” and thirty-three times “Allahu akbar”, completing a hundred with the declaration of Allah’s oneness (Sahih Muslim 597).

The schools of law differ on certain details: raising the hands when bowing, where the hands are placed, reciting behind the imam, the number of closing greetings, and so on. These differences are all based on the Sunnah and should not divide believers: follow the teaching of your mosque or of a scholar you trust. To improve your recitation, see our article How to read or recite the Quran.

Congregational prayer and Friday prayer

Praying in congregation

“Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than prayer offered alone” (Sahih al-Bukhari 645; Sahih Muslim 650, from Ibn Umar). Other authentic narrations speak of twenty-five degrees (Sahih al-Bukhari 646 and 647). Each step towards the mosque raises a person one degree and wipes away one sin, and the angels pray for whoever stays seated in their place of prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 647). For men, congregational prayer is an individual obligation according to the Hanbalis, a collective obligation according to the Shafi’is, and a strongly recommended Sunnah according to the Hanafis and Malikis. Women may go to the mosque: “Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from going to the mosques of Allah” (Sahih al-Bukhari 900; Sahih Muslim 442), while the Prophet ﷺ also said that their homes are better for them (Sunan Abi Dawud 567).

In congregation, rows are kept straight, shoulder to shoulder, and worshippers follow the imam without ever going ahead of him (Sahih al-Bukhari 691). Latecomers join the imam in whatever position he is in; according to most scholars, they have caught a unit if they join him in the bowing. They then complete the missed units on their own after the imam’s closing greeting.

Friday prayer (Jumu’ah)

“O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.” (Quran 62:9)

Friday prayer replaces Dhuhr. It consists of two sermons followed by two units recited aloud. It is obligatory for adult men who are residents; women, children, the sick (Sunan Abi Dawud 1067) and travellers are exempt and pray Dhuhr instead, but their Friday prayer is valid if they attend. It is recommended to take a bath, wear perfume, arrive early and listen to the sermon in silence: “If you say to your neighbour ‘Be quiet!’ while the imam is preaching, you yourself have spoken idly” (Sahih al-Bukhari 934). The Prophet ﷺ warned that whoever misses three Friday prayers out of negligence will have a seal placed on his heart (Sunan Abi Dawud 1052; Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 500). Many Muslims also read Surah al-Kahf on that day, a practice recommended in a hadith reported by al-Hakim.

Voluntary prayers (Sunnah)

• The regular Sunnah prayers (rawatib): “Whoever prays twelve units a day in addition to the obligatory prayers, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise” (Sahih Muslim 728): four before Dhuhr and two after, two after Maghrib, two after Isha and two before Fajr (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 415). Ibn Umar mentions ten, with only two units before Dhuhr (Sahih al-Bukhari 1180). The two units before Fajr “are better than this world and all it contains” (Sahih Muslim 725).
• Witr, the odd-numbered night prayer (from one to eleven units), which closes the night prayers (Sahih al-Bukhari 998). It is obligatory (wajib) according to the Hanafis and strongly recommended according to the other schools.
• The night prayer (qiyam al-layl or tahajjud), and during the month of Ramadan the tarawih prayers.
• The forenoon prayer (duha), between sunrise and the zenith.
• Two units to greet the mosque on entering, before sitting down (Sahih al-Bukhari 444).
• The prayer for guidance (istikharah), two units followed by a supplication asking Allah to guide a decision (Sahih al-Bukhari 1166).
• Occasional prayers: the two Eid prayers, the prayer for rain (istisqa), the eclipse prayer and the funeral prayer.

Prayer when travelling

“And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer” (Quran 4:101). Aisha reported that prayer was first prescribed as two units, after which the travel prayer stayed that way while the resident’s prayer was completed (Sahih al-Bukhari 1090). In practice:

• travellers shorten the four-unit prayers (Dhuhr, Asr, Isha) to two; Fajr and Maghrib do not change. Shortening is obligatory according to the Hanafis and recommended according to the other schools;
• the distance accepted by most scholars is about 80 km. Someone who intends to stay somewhere for more than four days prays normally according to the Malikis, Shafi’is and Hanbalis; from fifteen days according to the Hanafis;
• travellers may combine Dhuhr with Asr, and Maghrib with Isha, at the time of the first or the second (Sahih al-Bukhari 1107 and 1111); the Hanafis allow this only at Arafah and Muzdalifah during Hajj;
• a traveller praying behind a resident imam prays as he does, with four units;
• when travelling, the Prophet ﷺ did not pray the regular Sunnah prayers (Sahih al-Bukhari 1101), but he never left the two units before Fajr (Sahih al-Bukhari 1159), nor, according to scholars, the witr.

Prayer when ill

Prayer is never dropped as long as one is conscious, but it adapts to each person’s abilities, for “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity” (Quran 2:286). The Prophet ﷺ told a sick Companion: “Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot, then lying on your side” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1117). Someone who can neither bow nor prostrate makes these movements by lowering the head, a little lower for prostration; praying on a chair is allowed. If water would harm them, the sick perform dry ablution, and several schools allow them to combine two prayers in cases of great difficulty. The sick and the traveller can take comfort in this: “When a servant falls ill or travels, he is credited with the equivalent of what he used to do when healthy and at home” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2996). For particular situations, ask a qualified scholar, and for health questions, your doctor.

Going further

The Quran often pairs prayer with almsgiving: “And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow” (Quran 2:43). Read our articles on zakat and on the pilgrimage to Makkah, and listen to the recitation of the Quran by the greatest reciters to learn the surahs you will recite in your prayers.