Guide to Islamic Prayers

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"“And your Lord (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!"” (Reference: Qur'ân 40:60)


Overview on Praying
Praying (salat, صلاة) is an important part of worship for Muslims. It is said that no other act of worship is dearer to Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) than salat. The roots of the Arabic word salat indicate ‘connection’, sending a message from one person to another or one place to another; or to arrive or achieve one's destination. Salat is one’s communication and connection with God (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى). During salat, all worldly matters are to be shut out of one's mind and all focus should be directed toward praise and worship and the request for guidance.

Guidance is provided in the Qur'ân and hadith (حديث, reports of sayings, doings, or contentions of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) regarding the frequency, timing, and manner of the ritual prayers to ensure this important institution is preserved accurately. It is obligatory (fard) for Muslims men and women of a state of ‘mental discrimination’ (about 7 years old) to conduct the ritual prayer at least 5 times every day and at prescribed times. This requirement is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is stated in the Qur'ân and hadith. Hadith mentioning the five prayers include: Bukhari Book 1, Volume 2, Hadith 44; Bukhari Book 1, Volume 3, Hadith 63; Bukhari Book 1, Volume 10, Hadith 522; Bukhari Book 2, Volume 23, Hadith 478; Bukhari Book 2, Volume 24, Hadith 537; Bukhari Book 2, Volume 24, Hadith 573; Bukhari Book 3, Volume 31, Hadith 115; Bukhari Book 3, Volume 48, Hadith 843; Bukhari Book 4, Volume 54, Hadith 444; Bukhari Book 5, Volume 59, Hadith 344; Bukhari Book 5, Volume 59, Hadith 634; Bukhari Book 6, Volume 60, Hadith 40; Bukhari Book 6, Volume 60, Hadith 209; Bukhari Book 9, Volume 86, Hadith 88.

"And perform as-salât (iqâmat-as-salât), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e. the five compulsory salât (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice)." (Reference: Qur'ân 11:114)

"Perform as-salât (iqamât-as-salât) from mid-day till the darkness of the night (i.e. the Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha' prayers), and recite the Qur'ân in the early dawn (i.e. the morning prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur'ân in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night)." (Reference: Qur'ân 17:78)

"So bear patiently (O Muhammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم)) what they say, and glorify the praises of your Lord (Allâh, SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) before the rising of the sun, and before its setting, and during some hours of the night, and at the ends of the day (an indication for the five compulsory congregational prayers), that you may become pleased with the reward which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) shall give you." (Reference: Qur'ân 20:130)

The Qur'anic reference regarding each prayer is as follows: (1) The Dawn Prayer (Fajr فجر) is mentioned by name in Qu'ran Verse 24:58 ; (2) The Noon Prayer (Dhuhr ظهر) is noted in Qu'ran Verse 17:78 ; (3) The Afternoon Prayer (Asr عصر) is noted in Qur'an Verse 2:238 ; (4) The Sunset Prayer (Maghrib مغرب) is mentioned in Qur'an Verse 11:114 ; (5) The Night Prayer (Isha عشاء) is mentioned in Qur'an Verse 11:114 , and is mentioned by name in Qu'ran Verse 24:58 .

Praying 5 times a day means that throughout your day, you will stop what you are doing and pray with millions of other Muslims in the same manner. You will take a pause from your routine, praise and thank God (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى), ask that your sins be forgiven, and seek guidance. You may be surprised at how these regular prayers will impact your mood and actions throughout the day.

The ritual prayer obligation begins immediately after your conversion. As a convert/revert the prayers will likely have a notable impact on your daily routine and will require some time to understand and memorize. Unlike casual praying in other religions, the 5 daily prayers are to be conducted in a specific manner. The Prophet (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) demonstrated the prayer to Muslims, instructed people to 'Pray as you have seen me praying' (source: Hadith by Malik in Bukhari Volume 9, Book 91, Number 352. Muslims have thus continued teaching the ritual prayer in the same manner to generation after generation.

Muslims may also say personal prayers in addition to the five ritual prayers, and these personal prayers do not follow a ritual form, may be conducted at any time, and are encouraged as part of maintaining a relationship with God.

Some physical motions that are part of the ritual Islamic prayer are similar to motions mentioned in both the Old Testament and New Testament:

"Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed." (Matthew 26:39)

"And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid." - New Testament (Matthew 17:6)

"And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped­." - Old Testament (Tanakh) (Exodus 34:8)

“And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregati­on, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.” - Old Testament (Tanakh) (Numbers 20:6)

"And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground." - Old Testament (Tanakh) (Nehemiah 8:6)

"And Jehoshapha­t bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitant­s of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshippin­g the LORD." - Old Testament (Tanakh) (2 Chronicles 20:18)

"And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying," - Old Testament (Tanakh) (Genesis 17:3)


Determining when each prayer is to be conducted

"...Verily, As-Salât (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours." (Reference: Qur'ân 4:103)

The 5 Muslim prayers are: salat (صلاة) al (ال): Fajr (فجر), Dhuhr (ظهر), Asr (عصر), Maghrib (مغرب), and Isha (عشاء).The prayers are each to be conducted at their prescribed times. This Sunna webpage provides an overview of determining the timeframes for each prayer. This Islamicfinder webpage can be used to determine the exact timeframes in which each prayer must be performed and even have a compass. The first prayer Fajr cannot be said before the time listed in the first column and must be completed before the time listed in the second column titled “Sunrise”, although it is encouraged to perform all prayers at the earliest permissible time. The starting time for Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha are listed, and each prayer must be completed before the next prayer time begins.

Many smartphones like the iPhone or Android have downloadable applications that list prayer times, have alarms at the onset of each prayer, and also have a compass that points to Kabba (كعبة, located in the Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Mekkah).


How to pray
1. Purify/ clean prior to praying (wudu وضوء or ghusl غُسْل)

"O you who believe! When you intend to offer as-salât (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to ankles. If you are in a state of janâba (i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourself (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse) and you find no water, then perform tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) does not want to place you in difficulty, but He (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) wants to purify you, and to complete His (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) Favour to you that you may be thankful." (Reference: Qur'ân 5:6; Surah Al-Maeda)
This Sunna webpage and this StreetOrDeen webpage provide excellent step-by-step instructions on how to perform wudu and requirements for performing ghusl. One of these two cleaning rituals must precede prayers.

Video demonstrating wudu:

2. Prepare prayer location and mind for prayer
  • When praying, you must face the direction of Mecca (the Q’ibla) - in Chicago that direction is northeast. Lay your prayer mat (or a clean towel) at a northeast angle when praying.
  • Prior to praying, you should clear your mind, focus on what you are about to do, and state which prayer you will conduct. Each prayer has a different number of sections (rakats) to be performed. This Sunna webpage provides an overview of the number of raka'ats (ركعات) of each prayer.
3. Males recite the call to prayer (athan, أذآن)
For more information on the athan, please visit our Athan Guide page.

4. Perform the prayer (salat, صلاة)
There are some portions of the prayer which can be said with simpler verses for a person new to praying - a step-by-step guide for a prayer for new converts is available at this Muslim Converts webpage.

For a standard step-by-step guide on performing the prayers, we recommend this Muslim Living webpage.This Islam Way webpage also provides audio and video clips for each section of the prayer. In addition, below are videos demonstrating the prayers.

Note that it is sunnah (سنة, sayings, actions, and general way of life of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم), including instances when he endorsed actions he saw being done by others) to recite out loud the Fajr prayer and the first two raka’at of the Maghrib and Isha prayers, whether praying alone or leading a prayer. For more information on this, visit this Islam QA webpage or this Islam QA webpage. However, women in the presence of non-mahram (marriagable) men must conduct the prayer silently, as is explained in this Islam QA webpage.

2 raka'at: 4 raka'at:

3 raka'at:

Please contact us If you would like someone to explain or demonstrate how to perform the prayer or the cleansing (wudu).


Must I say the prayers in Arabic?
All scholars agree that anyone who offers prayers must read Al-Fatihah (“the opening”) and the Qur'ân in Arabic. It is not permissible to use translation. If a person does not know the Fatihah, but knows another passage of the Qur'ân, he is required to say in each rak'ah a passage of similar length to the Fatihah. If he does not know any part of the Qur'ân in Arabic, he must learn. You can recite everything else in your supplication after prayer in your language.

The Arabic prayers will initially be difficult to learn. Fortunately, the Arabic words have been sounded out (transliterated) and written on websites such as the ones recommended above. Until you have the prayer memorized, we recommend printing out the prayer guide and laying it on the floor and following it while praying or having a laptop on the floor next to where you are praying. This Quran 101 sound clip of portions of the prayer may also help you memorize the Arabic. Several smart phones like the iPhone and the Android also have Qur'ân applications with recitations - you can use this to learn how to recite the Qur'ân verses for praying. You will likely be quite slow in reciting the Arabic, and that is not only acceptable it is recommended. In addition to memorizing the Arabic words, it is important to memorize the meaning of each part of the prayer. Take your time in pronouncing the prayer, in contemplating the meaning, and performing it correctly.


What if I miss a prayer?
If you miss a prayer, you must make up the prayer.

Are there additional optional prayers or other types of prayers?
In addition to the 5 obligatory (fard) prayers (salah) and the optional structured prayers that follow them, a person can pray an informal prayer to God (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) any time throughout the day/night. This prayer is referred to as a ‘Du’a’ (دعاء, also spelled Dua or Dua’a) or supplication.

Du’as do not require ablution and can be spoken in any language. Muslims should make du’a in all conditions - in hardship and in prosperity. Du’as are recommended to be offered throughout daily activities, such as before eating, before and after wudu, etc. and during specific situations. A du’a can be a personal plea to God (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) and does not need to be structured; however, a person can recite one of many du’as of various prophets as documented in the Qur'ân or hadith. A list of essential documented du’as and how to pronounce them is available on this Islam webpage. Documented du’as for specific situations can also be found online at on this Duas webpage.

Additional information regarding du’as is available on this Zawaj webpage.


How can I manage praying during the day when I am at work?
If you work during prayer hours and there is not a precedence at your employer on praying, you may be worried about finding ways to integrate into your work schedule praying at the allotted times, worried about performing wudu in a public restroom, or worried about praying at work without causing a disruption or fearing repercussions. In addition, as a new convert, your peers may not know about your religion or the religious practices of Muslims. All of this may take careful thought and planning on your part. You will need to decide if it is best for you to declare your conversion and religious practices or keep it confidential.

If you work where there is a large public restroom and desire to be more conspicuous about wudu, you may be able to ‘draw out’ the wudu activities as people come in and out of the bathroom. Alternatively, you may choose to perform wudu on a different office floor where people may not know you and therefore you may not face ‘talk’ or discrimination.

You may be able to speak with your manager about reserving an unused (clean) storage room or meeting room at work for specific time periods - in fact you may simply be able to state that you have ‘personal’ or ‘religious’ reasons for needing the room and not need to go into more details. You may want to speak with your manager about scheduling break times during the times of the prayers. You may find it best to ‘combine’ the Dhuhr and Asr prayers and say them during your lunch break. Also, you may be able to conduct your prayers sitting down if you work at a desk.


I am afraid my parents will find out I'm Muslim when I pray. How can I pray without them noticing?
The 5 prayers are mandatory (fard) on all Muslims, but there are several actions one can take to minimize the possibility of being noticed while praying. This Islam QA webpage provides several recommendations.


Additional links:
- Prayer rugs can be purchased cheap online or in some mosque stores. A Google search should provide a wide variety of companies which sell and ship prayer rugs. (Example websites: Hilal Plaza, Islamic Place) .