Prayer

How to Pray: the Salah Step by Step

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Pray as you have seen me pray” (Sahih al-Bukhari). This guide follows the description of his prayer reported by the Companions, step by step, for a prayer of two rak‘ahs, then explains how three- and four-rak‘ah prayers continue.

Before the prayer

Make sure you are in a state of purity (wudu), that your body, clothes and place are clean, that your ‘awrah is covered and that you face the Qibla. Check that the time of the prayer has begun: our prayer times pages give it for every city.

The first rak‘ah

Stand facing the Qibla and make the intention in your heart for the specific prayer.
Raise your hands to the shoulders or ears and say “Allahu akbar” (the opening takbir).
Place the right hand over the left on the chest and recite the opening supplication silently.
Seek refuge (a‘udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim), say the basmalah and recite Surat al-Fatihah.
Recite another surah or some verses of the Qur’an.
Say “Allahu akbar” and bow (ruku‘), hands on the knees, back straight: “Subhana rabbiyal-‘adhim” three times.
Rise saying “Sami‘allahu liman hamidah”, then standing: “Rabbana wa lakal-hamd”.
Say “Allahu akbar” and prostrate (sujud) on seven parts: forehead with nose, both palms, both knees and the toes: “Subhana rabbiyal-a‘la” three times.
Sit up saying “Allahu akbar” and say “Rabbighfir li”.
Prostrate a second time in the same way.

The second rak‘ah and the end of the prayer

Stand up for the second rak‘ah and repeat the same steps from al-Fatihah. After the second prostration, sit and recite the tashahhud (at-tahiyyatu lillah…), then the salat ibrahimiyyah and a supplication. End the prayer by turning the head to the right saying “As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah”, then to the left.

Prayers of three and four rak‘ahs

In Maghrib (three rak‘ahs) and in Dhuhr, Asr and Isha (four), recite only the first tashahhud after the second rak‘ah, then stand up. In the remaining rak‘ahs recite al-Fatihah alone, and finish with the final tashahhud and the taslim.

Fajr: 2 rak‘ahs (recited aloud).
Dhuhr: 4 (silent).
Asr: 4 (silent).
Maghrib: 3 (first two aloud).
Isha: 4 (first two aloud).

Khushu‘: presence of the heart

Pray calmly, without rushing the positions: the Prophet ﷺ told a man who prayed hastily to repeat his prayer because he had not prayed (Sahih al-Bukhari). Understanding what you recite, looking at the place of prostration and remembering that you stand before Allah help to pray with concentration.

Mistakes that spoil the prayer

Rushing through the positions: the Prophet ﷺ called the worst thief the one who steals from his prayer by not completing its bowing and prostration (Ahmad).
Raising the eyes to the sky, which he strongly forbade (al-Bukhari).
Moving before the imam: “Does the one who raises his head before the imam not fear that Allah may turn his head into that of a donkey?” (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
Spreading the forearms flat on the ground in prostration like an animal (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
Passing in front of someone who is praying.

In brief

Pray as the Prophet ﷺ prayed: calmly, facing the Qibla, in a state of purity.
Each rak‘ah has standing with al-Fatihah, bowing, rising and two prostrations.
The first tashahhud comes after the second rak‘ah, the final one before the salam.
Fajr has two rak‘ahs, Maghrib three, and Dhuhr, Asr and Isha four.
Calmness and presence of heart are the soul of the prayer.

Questions and answers

What if I do not know al-Fatihah by heart yet?

Learn it as a priority. Until then, repeat what you know of it or say “Subhanallah, al-hamdu lillah, la ilaha illallah, Allahu akbar”, as the Prophet ﷺ taught a man who could not yet recite (Abu Dawud).

Do women pray differently?

The prayer is essentially the same. Women pray at home or at the mosque, covering the whole body except the face and hands.

What do I recite in the third and fourth rak‘ahs?

Al-Fatihah only, silently, in every prayer including Maghrib and Isha, whose first two rak‘ahs are recited aloud.