22nd October 2026
What is salah? Salah is the ritual prayer Muslims perform five times a day, the second pillar of Islam and an obligation on every adult Muslim. To pray salah, you purify yourself with wudu, face the Qibla, make your intention and then move through a set sequence of standing, bowing, prostrating and sitting while reciting from the Quran.
Whether you’re new to Islam, teaching your children or want to check your prayer against the Sunnah, the steps can feel daunting at first. This guide walks you through everything, from wudu to the final salam, with a printable checklist at the end. And as you perfect your own prayer, remember the families in Gaza who hold firmly to their prayers every day, and help bring them food, clean water and shelter: support our Gaza Emergency Appeal.
Salah is the obligatory prayer Allah commanded for every Muslim who has reached puberty and is of sound mind. It is the second of the five pillars of Islam, after the declaration of faith, and the first deed we will be asked about on the Day of Judgement.
There are five daily prayers, each made up of units called rak‘ahs:
Prayer | Time | Obligatory rak‘ahs | Recitation |
Fajr | Dawn, before sunrise | 2 | Aloud |
Dhuhr | After midday | 4 | Silent |
Asr | Late afternoon | 4 | Silent |
Maghrib | Just after sunset | 3 | Aloud in the first 2 |
Isha | Night | 4 | Aloud in the first 2 |
For salah to be valid, certain conditions must be met: being Muslim and of sound mind, having reached the age of puberty, being in a state of purity, having the body, clothes and place of prayer clean, covering the body appropriately, facing the Qibla, praying within the prayer’s time and making the intention.
Make sure your body, clothes and prayer space are clean. Men must, at a minimum, cover from the navel to the knee, and women everything except the face and hands (and, according to some scholars, the feet), in loose-fitting clothing. You must also be in a state of wudu (ablution). Salah is not accepted without it, and wudu also washes away minor sins.
How to perform wudu:
Make the intention to perform wudu, and say Bismillah.
Wash both hands up to the wrists three times, including between the fingers.
Rinse your mouth three times.
Sniff water into your nose and blow it out three times, using your left hand.
Wash your face three times, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
Wash your right arm from the fingertips to the elbow three times, then your left.
Wipe over your head once with wet hands, from front to back and back again.
Wipe your ears once: index fingers inside, thumbs behind.
Wash your right foot up to and including the ankle three times, including between the toes, then your left.
Recite: “Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.”
If water isn’t available or you can’t use it for health reasons, you can perform tayammum (dry ablution) instead.
Face the Qibla, the direction of the Ka‘bah in Makkah. In the UK, this is roughly south-east. Lay out a prayer mat or any clean surface to pray on.
Make the intention (niyyah) in your heart for the specific prayer you are about to pray, for example the two rak‘ahs of Fajr. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Actions are judged by intentions” (Bukhari and Muslim). Then turn your full attention to Allah.
These steps describe a two-rak‘ah prayer, such as Fajr. The variations for other prayers follow in the next section. Anyone who cannot stand may pray sitting down.
Raise your hands to your shoulders or ears and say “Allahu Akbar” (Takbirat al-Ihram). This begins the prayer.
Place your right hand over your left on your chest (some schools place them below the navel), and look at the place where you will prostrate.
(Optional) Recite the opening supplication: “Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabarakasmuka, wa ta‘ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghairuk” (Glory and praise are Yours, O Allah; blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god but You).
Say “A‘udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim” and “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim”.
Recite Surah Al-Fatihah in full, then say “Ameen”.
Recite another surah or a few verses of the Quran, such as Surah Al-Ikhlas.
Say “Allahu Akbar” and bow, keeping your back straight and your hands on your knees. Say “Subhana Rabbiyal-‘Azim” (Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent) three times.
Rise to standing, saying “Sami‘allahu liman hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him), then, once upright, “Rabbana wa lakal-hamd” (Our Lord, to You belongs all praise).
Say “Allahu Akbar” and go down into prostration, with your forehead and nose, both palms, both knees and the toes of both feet touching the ground. Say “Subhana Rabbiyal-A‘la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) three times.
Say “Allahu Akbar” and sit up, resting on your left foot with your right foot upright. Say “Rabbighfir li” (My Lord, forgive me). Then say “Allahu Akbar” and make a second sujud, as before.
Say “Allahu Akbar” and stand for the second rak‘ah. Repeat the recitation, ruku, i‘tidal, sujud and jalsa (you don’t repeat the opening takbir or supplication). After the second sujud of the second rak‘ah, remain seated and recite the Tashahhud:
“At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat. As-salamu ‘alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-salamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibadillahis-salihin. Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.”
This means: 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 messenger.
Still seated, recite the Salawat Ibrahimiyyah: “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid.”
Make a short dua, such as: “Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘adhaban-nar.”
Turn your head to the right and say “As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah”, then to the left and repeat. Your prayer is complete.
Prayers with three or four rak‘ahs follow the same steps, with two differences: after the second rak‘ah you recite only the Tashahhud and then stand up, and in the third and fourth rak‘ahs you recite only Surah Al-Fatihah, silently.
Prayer | Rak‘ahs | First Tashahhud | Final Tashahhud and Tasleem | Recite aloud |
Fajr | 2 | – | After 2nd rak‘ah | Both rak‘ahs |
Dhuhr | 4 | After 2nd rak‘ah | After 4th rak‘ah | None (all silent) |
Asr | 4 | After 2nd rak‘ah | After 4th rak‘ah | None (all silent) |
Maghrib | 3 | After 2nd rak‘ah | After 3rd rak‘ah | 1st and 2nd rak‘ahs |
Isha | 4 | After 2nd rak‘ah | After 4th rak‘ah | 1st and 2nd rak‘ahs |
Recitation aloud applies to the imam or someone praying alone; those praying behind an imam listen.
Step | Done? |
Wudu performed; body, clothes and place clean | ☐ |
Body covered appropriately | ☐ |
Facing the Qibla | ☐ |
Intention made for the correct prayer | ☐ |
Takbirat al-Ihram (Allahu Akbar) | ☐ |
Surah Al-Fatihah (+ another surah in the first two rak‘ahs) | ☐ |
Ruku: Subhana Rabbiyal-‘Azim ×3 | ☐ |
I‘tidal: Sami‘allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal-hamd | ☐ |
Two sujud: Subhana Rabbiyal-A‘la ×3, with jalsa between | ☐ |
Tashahhud after the 2nd rak‘ah (and final rak‘ah) | ☐ |
Salawat Ibrahimiyyah and dua | ☐ |
Tasleem to the right and left | ☐ |
Scholars agree on the main framework of salah, though there are minor differences between schools of thought, such as where to place the hands. All the major schools are valid. The following are supported by authentic hadith in Bukhari and Muslim:
➔ Intention in the heart, facing the Qibla and the opening takbir
➔ Raising the hands at the takbir, and placing the right hand over the left
➔ Reciting Al-Fatihah in every rak‘ah and saying Ameen
➔ Reciting an additional surah in the first two rak‘ahs
➔ Saying takbir when moving between positions
➔ Ruku with a straight back and hands on the knees
➔ Sujud on seven parts of the body
➔ The Tashahhud of Ibn Mas‘ud and the Salawat Ibrahimiyyah
➔ Seeking refuge from the punishment of the grave, the Fire, the trials of life and death and the Dajjal before the salam
➔ The tasleem to the right and left, and the number of rak‘ahs for each prayer
Beyond the five daily prayers, the Prophet ﷺ prayed 12 voluntary rak‘ahs every day. Find out more in our guide to the top 10 sunnah deeds.
We pray because Allah commanded it, and because salah is a gift: five daily moments to stand before Him, seek His mercy and ask for what we need. Allah says that prayer restrains from shameful and evil deeds (Surah Al-Ankabut, 29:45).
Families in Gaza hold firmly to their prayers. Remember them in your duas, and give to our Gaza Emergency Appeal to deliver food, clean water and shelter where it’s needed most. Here for every human. And here for as long as it takes.
Since October 2023, Human Appeal has provided over 13 million hot meals, 150 million litres of clean drinking water, 116,704 food parcels and provided medical treatment to 154,398 people through our mobile clinics in Gaza.
May Allah accept your prayers and make salah a source of comfort for you and for all Muslims.
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Beginners pray salah by first making wudu, facing the Qibla and making the intention, then saying Allahu Akbar, reciting Al-Fatihah and a short surah, bowing (ruku), standing, prostrating twice (sujud), and repeating for each rak‘ah before sitting for the Tashahhud and ending with salam. Start with Fajr (two rak‘ahs) and use our checklist to keep track.
Salah means prayer or connection, and it is the second pillar of Islam. It is obligatory five times a day and is the first deed a person will be asked about on the Day of Judgement.
The conditions of salah are being Muslim, sane and of age; being in a state of purity (wudu); clean body, clothes and place; covering the body appropriately; facing the Qibla; praying within the prayer’s time; and making the intention.
To perform salah according to the authentic Sunnah, follow the core elements reported in Bukhari and Muslim: the opening takbir with raised hands, right hand over left, Al-Fatihah in every rak‘ah, ruku and sujud with stillness, the Tashahhud, the Salawat Ibrahimiyyah and the tasleem to both sides.
