How to Pray Salah: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

To pray salah, a Muslim in a state of wudu faces the qibla, makes the intention, says "Allahu akbar", recites Surah al-Fatihah, bows, rises, prostrates twice, and repeats that cycle — one rak'ah — two, three or four times depending on the prayer. After every second rak'ah and at the end there is a sitting for the tashahhud, and the prayer closes with "as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah" to the right and to the left. The five daily prayers contain seventeen obligatory rak'ahs: Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4.

Prayer is the second of the five pillars of Islam (Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16), and the Quran describes it as "a duty prescribed at fixed times" (4:103). The method below is the one the Prophet ﷺ taught when he said, "Pray as you have seen me praying" (Sahih al-Bukhari 631). Where the four schools differ, the difference is noted.

Before You Start

Five conditions come before the prayer itself:

• Purity. Wudu, or ghusl where it is due. "The prayer of one who has broken his wudu is not accepted until he performs wudu" (Sahih al-Bukhari 135). See how to perform wudu.
• Clean body, clothes and place. A prayer mat is not required; any clean surface will do.
• Covering. For men, at least from the navel to the knees; for women, the whole body except the face and hands, with some schools also excepting the feet.
• The time. Each prayer has a window, and praying before it begins does not count.
• The qibla. Face the Kaaba in Makkah (Quran 2:144). Away from Makkah, facing its direction is enough.

How a Prayer Is Built

Every prayer is made of rak'ahs, and every rak'ah has the same shape: standing and reciting, bowing, rising, and two prostrations. What differs between the five prayers is the number of rak'ahs and whether the recitation is aloud.

• Fajr: 2 rak'ahs, recited aloud.
• Dhuhr: 4 rak'ahs, silent.
• Asr: 4 rak'ahs, silent.
• Maghrib: 3 rak'ahs, the first two aloud.
• Isha: 4 rak'ahs, the first two aloud.

Aisha explained that the prayer was first prescribed as two rak'ahs; the traveller's prayer stayed that way and the resident's was increased (Sahih al-Bukhari 350). Learn one rak'ah fully and you have learned the prayer; the rest is repetition and a fixed ending.

One Rak'ah, Step by Step

Stand facing the qibla and form the intention in your heart for the particular prayer — for example, the two rak'ahs of Fajr. It does not need to be spoken.

Raise your hands and say "Allahu akbar". This opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram) begins the prayer; from now on, ordinary speech, eating and turning away are set aside. Ibn Umar described the Prophet ﷺ raising his hands to the level of his shoulders (Sahih al-Bukhari 735; Sahih Muslim 390); in other reports the hands reach the ears.

Place the right hand over the left. Sahl ibn Sa'd said people were instructed to do this in prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 740). The Hanafi school places the hands below the navel for men, the Shafi'i school below the chest and above the navel, and the Hanbali school usually below the navel; many Malikis let the arms hang at the sides (sadl), which is the well-known position of their school in obligatory prayers.

Recite an opening supplication, which is recommended in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools. Several are authentic, such as "Allahumma ba'id bayni wa bayna khatayaya…" (Sahih al-Bukhari 744) and "Wajjahtu wajhiya…" (Sahih Muslim 771). Then seek refuge in Allah and say Bismillah.

Recite Surah al-Fatihah. "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book" (Sahih al-Bukhari 756; Sahih Muslim 394). The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools make it a pillar of every rak'ah; the Hanafi school makes some Quran recitation obligatory and the Fatihah itself wajib. Say "Amin" at the end.

In the first two rak'ahs, recite another passage after the Fatihah — a short surah such as al-Ikhlas or al-Kawthar is enough. In the third and fourth rak'ahs, the Fatihah alone is recited.

Say "Allahu akbar" and bow (ruku'). The back is level, the hands rest on the knees, and you say "Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great), as Hudhayfah reported (Sahih Muslim 772). Three times is the common practice. Stay still long enough for the body to settle.

Rise, saying "Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah" (Allah hears whoever praises Him), and once fully upright, "Rabbana wa lakal-hamd" (Our Lord, and to You belongs praise). Stand straight and still for a moment before going down.

Say "Allahu akbar" and prostrate (sujud). Seven parts touch the ground: the forehead with the nose, both palms, both knees, and the toes of both feet (Sahih al-Bukhari 812; Sahih Muslim 490). Say "Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) (Sahih Muslim 772). "The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so make much supplication" (Sahih Muslim 482).

Rise to sitting with "Allahu akbar" and pause until settled. Hudhayfah reported the Prophet ﷺ saying here "Rabbighfir li" (My Lord, forgive me), in a hadith recorded by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i and graded sahih by al-Albani.

Prostrate a second time in the same way, then stand with "Allahu akbar" for the next rak'ah. That completes one rak'ah.

The Sitting and the Ending

After the second rak'ah, sit and recite the tashahhud. The wording taught by Ibn Mas'ud, used in the Hanafi and Hanbali schools, begins: "At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat, as-salamu alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh…" and ends with the testimony of faith (Sahih al-Bukhari 831; Sahih Muslim 402). The Shafi'i school prefers the wording of Ibn Abbas (Sahih Muslim 403), and the Maliki school the wording Umar taught from the pulpit, recorded in al-Muwatta. All are authentic.

In Fajr, this sitting is the last. In Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha it is a short middle sitting: after the tashahhud you stand for the remaining rak'ahs.

In the final sitting, the tashahhud is followed by the prayer on the Prophet ﷺ, the salat Ibrahimiyyah: "Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ala Ibrahim…" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3370; Sahih Muslim 406). It is obligatory in the final sitting in the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools and sunnah in the Hanafi and Maliki schools. A supplication of your choice may follow.

End by turning your face to the right and saying "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah", then to the left and saying it again. The hadith describes the prayer as entered by the takbir and left by the taslim (Sunan Abu Dawud 61, Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3; graded hasan sahih by al-Albani).

How you sit also differs. Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi described the Prophet ﷺ sitting on his left foot with the right foot upright in the middle sitting, and in the final sitting putting the left foot forward and sitting on the ground (tawarruk) (Sahih al-Bukhari 828). The Hanafi school has men sit on the left foot in both sittings; the Shafi'i school uses tawarruk in the final sitting of every prayer; the Hanbali school only in the final sitting of prayers with two tashahhuds; and the Maliki school in every sitting.

Where the Schools Differ

Beyond what is noted above, three differences come up most:

• Raising the hands. The Hanafi school, and the Maliki school in its well-known position, raise the hands only at the opening takbir. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools also raise them before bowing and on rising from it, following the hadith of Ibn Umar (Sahih al-Bukhari 735).
• Reciting behind an imam. The Shafi'i school requires the follower to recite the Fatihah in every rak'ah; the Maliki and Hanbali schools have the follower recite in silent rak'ahs and listen in loud ones; the Hanafi school has the follower stay silent.
• Women's posture. The Hanafi school describes a more compact posture for women in bowing, prostration and sitting; the other schools have fewer distinctions.

None of these affects whether a prayer is valid in its own school. Follow one school's practice consistently rather than mixing positions.

The Prayer Times

The Prophet ﷺ gave the boundaries: Dhuhr from when the sun passes its zenith until a person's shadow equals his height; Asr until the sun turns yellow, its preferred limit; Maghrib until the twilight has gone; Isha until the middle of the night; and Fajr from dawn until sunrise (Sahih Muslim 612). The Hanafi school, following Abu Hanifa, begins Asr when the shadow is twice the object's height. A timetable such as the one on the prayer times page calculates these boundaries for your location.

If You Are Just Starting

A man once prayed in front of the Prophet ﷺ and was sent back three times with "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." What he was then taught was not perfection but the essentials: recite what you can of the Quran, and in each position stay until you are at rest (Sahih al-Bukhari 757; Sahih Muslim 397). Calm, unhurried movement is part of the prayer, not an extra.

Two things make the start easier. Learn one rak'ah completely before worrying about the rest. And learn the Fatihah and a short surah in Arabic while reading their meaning in your own language.

Missed prayers are made up, not written off: "Whoever forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 597; Sahih Muslim 684).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pray in Arabic?

The four schools require the Fatihah and the other recitations to be in Arabic. Someone who has just accepted Islam and cannot yet recite is not excused from praying: they say what remembrance of Allah they can and learn the Fatihah as quickly as possible. A man who told the Prophet ﷺ he could not learn any of the Quran was taught to say "Subhan Allah, al-hamdu lillah, la ilaha illallah, Allahu akbar" in its place (Sunan Abu Dawud; graded hasan by al-Albani).

What if I lose count of the rak'ahs?

Build on what you are certain of. If you are unsure whether you prayed three or four, count three, complete the prayer, and make two prostrations of forgetfulness before the salam (Sahih Muslim 571). The Hanafi school first asks the person to act on their stronger impression if they have one.

Can I pray sitting down?

Standing is a pillar of the obligatory prayer for anyone able to stand. The Prophet ﷺ told Imran ibn Husayn, who was ill: "Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; if you cannot, then on your side" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1117).

How long does a prayer take?

A two-rak'ah prayer at a calm pace takes about three to five minutes, a four-rak'ah prayer a little longer. Speed is not the measure; the man in the hadith above was sent back for hurrying.

Can I read the words from a paper or phone while learning?

The Hanafi school holds that reading the Quran from a written page during the prayer invalidates it; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools allow it, particularly in voluntary prayers. Learning short surahs by heart avoids the question.

References

• Quran 2:144; 4:103
• Sahih al-Bukhari 8, 135, 350, 597, 631, 735, 740, 744, 756, 757, 812, 828, 831, 1117, 3370
• Sahih Muslim 16, 390, 394, 397, 402, 403, 406, 482, 490, 571, 612, 684, 771, 772
• Sunan Abu Dawud 61; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3