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How to pray salah, step by step
Salah is prayed five times a day. Every prayer is made of units called rak'ahs: Fajr has 2 obligatory rak'ahs, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4. Here is how one two-rak'ah prayer is performed.
| Prayer | Obligatory rak'ahs | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 | Dawn until sunrise |
| Dhuhr | 4 | After midday until Asr |
| Asr | 4 | Afternoon until sunset |
| Maghrib | 3 | Sunset until dusk |
| Isha | 4 | Night until dawn |
Preparation
In a state of wudu, in a clean place and properly covered, face the qibla.
Intention and opening takbir
Intend the prayer in your heart. Raise the hands saying "Allahu akbar" to begin.
Standing (qiyam)
With hands folded, recite Subhanaka, then seek refuge and say Bismillah, recite al-Fatiha and another surah.
Bowing (ruku)
Saying "Allahu akbar", bow with hands on the knees and say "Subhana rabbiyal azim" three times.
Rising
Rise saying "Sami Allahu liman hamidah"; standing, say "Rabbana lakal hamd".
Prostration (sajda)
Saying "Allahu akbar", prostrate with forehead, nose, hands, knees and toes on the ground; say "Subhana rabbiyal a'la" three times.
Sitting and second sajda
Sit up briefly with a takbir, then make the second prostration. This completes one rak'ah.
Second rak'ah
Stand with a takbir; without Subhanaka, recite Bismillah, al-Fatiha and a surah, then bow and prostrate the same way.
Sitting (qa'dah)
Sit at the end of the second rak'ah and recite at-Tahiyyat. In the final sitting also recite the Salawat and the Rabbana duas.
Salam
Turn to the right, then to the left, saying "Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah" to end the prayer.
From the Learn section of the Mood & Dua app. Practices can differ slightly between schools; follow what you were taught.