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

Salah (the ritual prayer) is performed five times a day and is the second pillar of Islam. Each prayer follows the same core structure, repeated in units called rak'ahs. This guide walks through a single rak'ah in full, then how the five prayers differ.

Before you begin

• Wudu (ablution): you must be in a state of ritual purity — see our step-by-step wudu guide.
• Clean clothing and place: free of impurities.
• Covering (awrah): men cover from navel to knee at minimum; women cover the body and hair, leaving the face and hands.
• Facing the Qibla: the direction of the Ka'bah in Makkah — see our guide to finding Qibla.

The five daily prayers

Exact clock times shift daily with the sun — Islamic World Pro's Prayer Times page calculates them live for your location.

Step by step: one rak'ah

1. Niyyah (intention): intend in your heart which prayer you are performing.
2. Takbir al-Ihram: raise your hands and say "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is the Greatest") to formally enter the prayer.
3. Qiyam (standing): recite Surah al-Fatihah, then another surah or passage from the Qur'an (in the first two rak'ahs of most prayers).
4. Ruku (bowing): say "Allahu Akbar", bow with your back straight and hands on your knees, and say "Subhana Rabbiyal 'Azim" ("Glory be to my Lord, the Almighty") at least three times.
5. Rising from Ruku: stand up saying "Sami' Allahu liman hamidah" ("Allah hears the one who praises Him"), then "Rabbana wa lakal hamd" ("Our Lord, praise be to You").
6. Sujood (prostration): say "Allahu Akbar" and prostrate with forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes touching the ground, saying "Subhana Rabbiyal A'la" ("Glory be to my Lord, the Most High") at least three times.
7. Sitting between the two prostrations: rise briefly to a sitting position, saying "Rabbighfir li" ("My Lord, forgive me").
8. Second Sujood: prostrate again, repeating the same phrase — this completes one rak'ah.

From here, you stand for the next rak'ah and repeat, until the final rak'ah of that prayer, where you remain seated after the second prostration for the Tashahhud.

Finishing the prayer

1. Tashahhud: recite the testimony of faith while seated, in the final rak'ah (and after every two rak'ahs in a four-rak'ah prayer).
2. Salawat: send blessings on the Prophet ◾ in the final sitting.
3. Taslim (salam): turn your head to the right, saying "Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah", then to the left, repeating it — this ends the prayer.

This guide follows the general structure agreed upon across the Sunni schools of thought; some wording and details vary between schools. For your specific school of thought, or questions about a health condition affecting how you pray, consult a qualified local scholar.