How to pray Salah: the complete guide for all 5 daily prayers.

Salah is the second pillar of Islam and the first thing every Muslim is asked about on the Day of Judgement. There are five obligatory prayers each day, performed at specific time windows, in a specific way. This guide walks you through exactly how, including the niyyat, the rakat count for each, what to recite in each position, and the most common mistakes.

What you need before praying

Five conditions must be met before salah is valid:

1. Tahara (purity): You must be in a state of wudu (ablution). If you've had major impurity, perform ghusl. Our wudu guide here.
2. Covering the awrah: Men must cover from navel to knee; women must cover the entire body except hands and face.
3. Clean place and clothes: Your prayer area and clothing should be free of impurity (najis).
4. Facing the Qibla: Face the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca. If unsure, use a Qibla compass.
5. The prayer time has entered: Each of the five prayers has a specific window. Pray outside the window and the prayer is qadha (missed).

The five prayer time windows

The five obligatory prayers and when they're performed:

The exact times depend on your location and the calculation method used by local scholars. In Indonesia, Kemenag is the reference. In Türkiye, Diyanet. In North America, ISNA. FivePrayer auto-picks the right method for your country and computes accurate times within ±1 minute.

Rakat count for each prayer

"Rakat" means one full cycle of standing, bowing, prostrating. The number of rakat per prayer:

• Fajr, 2 fard rakat (+ 2 sunnah before, recommended)
• Dhuhr, 4 fard rakat (+ 2 or 4 sunnah before, 2 sunnah after, recommended)
• Asr, 4 fard rakat (+ 4 sunnah before, optional)
• Maghrib, 3 fard rakat (+ 2 sunnah after, recommended)
• Isha, 4 fard rakat (+ 2 sunnah after, recommended; followed by witr)

This guide focuses on the fard (obligatory) rakat. For sunnah prayers, see our sunnah rawatib guide.

Step-by-step: how to pray one rakat

A rakat has these positions, in order:

1. Qiyam: standing

Stand facing the Qibla. Make niyyat (intention) silently in your heart for the specific prayer ("I intend to pray the four rakat of fard Dhuhr for Allah"). Raise both hands to the ears (men) or shoulders (women) and say Allahu Akbar. This is the takbiratul ihram, it enters you into the prayer.

Then place your right hand over your left, just below the chest, and recite:

Du'a al-Iftitah (opening supplication, optional but recommended):
Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabarakas-muka, wa ta'ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk.

Ta'awwudh: A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajeem.

Bismillah: Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem.

Surah Al-Fatihah (mandatory in every rakat):
Alhamdu lillahi rabbil-'alameen. Ar-Rahmanir-Raheem. Maliki yawmid-deen. Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'een. Ihdinas-siratal-mustaqeem. Siratal-ladheena an'amta 'alayhim, ghayril-maghdoobi 'alayhim wa lad-daalleen. Ameen.

In the first two rakat only, follow Al-Fatihah with another surah or some ayat from the Quran. Short surahs like Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas are common for beginners.

2. Ruku: bowing

Say Allahu Akbar and bow forward, placing hands on knees, back parallel to the ground. Say three times:
Subhana Rabbiyal-Adheem. ("Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great.")

3. Standing back up (i'tidal)

Rise from ruku saying: Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah. ("Allah hears those who praise Him.")

When fully standing: Rabbana wa lakal-hamd. ("Our Lord, all praise is for You.")

4. Sujood: first prostration

Say Allahu Akbar and go down into sujood, forehead, nose, both palms, both knees, and toes of both feet touching the ground. Say three times:
Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la. ("Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.")

5. Sitting between sujood (jalsa)

Rise from sujood saying Allahu Akbar, sit briefly, and say:
Rabbighfir li. ("My Lord, forgive me.")

6. Sujood: second prostration

Repeat the prostration: Allahu Akbar, go down, say Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la three times.

That completes one rakat. Stand up saying Allahu Akbar for the next rakat, or move to tashahhud if it's the final rakat.

How to pray a 2-rakat prayer (Fajr)

1. Stand, make niyyat, takbiratul ihram, recite Al-Fatihah + a surah, then ruku and two sujood, that's rakat 1.
2. Rise and pray rakat 2 the same way.
3. After the second sujood of rakat 2, sit for tashahhud:
   At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat. As-salamu 'alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadillahis-saliheen. Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasooluh.
4. Then recite salawat (Durood Ibrahim):
   Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama sallayta 'ala Ibraheema wa 'ala ali Ibraheem, innaka hameedun majeed. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama barakta 'ala Ibraheema wa 'ala ali Ibraheem, innaka hameedun majeed.
5. End with salam: turn head to the right and say As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah, then to the left and repeat.

How to pray a 3-rakat prayer (Maghrib)

1. Rakat 1 and 2 the same as a 2-rakat prayer (with Al-Fatihah + a surah in each).
2. After the second sujood of rakat 2, sit for the first tashahhud (only the first paragraph, ending at "rasooluh"), then stand for rakat 3.
3. In rakat 3, recite only Al-Fatihah (no additional surah).
4. After the second sujood of rakat 3, sit for the final tashahhud + salawat, then give salam.

How to pray a 4-rakat prayer (Dhuhr, Asr, Isha)

1. Rakat 1 and 2 the same as a 2-rakat prayer.
2. After the second sujood of rakat 2, sit for the first tashahhud, then stand for rakat 3.
3. In rakat 3 and 4, recite only Al-Fatihah (no additional surah).
4. After the second sujood of rakat 4, sit for the final tashahhud + salawat, then give salam.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Rushing. Each position needs to be held until you've actually said the dhikr at least three times. Tuma'ninah (calm) is a condition of valid salah.
• Looking around. Eyes should stay on the place of sujood.
• Speaking outside the recitations. No talking during salah, even quietly.
• Praying before the time enters. If you pray Dhuhr before the sun passes zenith, it doesn't count. Use an accurate prayer time app, FivePrayer won't let the streak count if you mark a prayer before its window opens.
• Forgetting niyyat. Niyyat is in the heart, but you must consciously intend the specific prayer (which prayer, fard or sunnah, how many rakat).
• Praying without wudu. If you broke wudu, repeat ablution before praying.

Frequently asked questions

What if I forget how many rakat I've prayed?

Go with the lower count (assume you've prayed fewer rakat than you think) and complete what's left. Then perform sujood as-sahw, two extra prostrations after the final tashahhud, before salam, to compensate for the doubt.

Can women pray during menstruation?

No. Women do not pray during menstruation or postpartum bleeding. These prayers are not made up later, they're waived entirely. This is the consensus across the major schools of fiqh.

What if I don't know Arabic?

The recitations must be in Arabic, they are the words Allah sent down. Use transliteration to learn pronunciation, and audio recordings to practice. Within weeks, you'll have memorized Al-Fatihah and a few short surahs. That's enough to start praying.

What if I miss a prayer?

Make it up as qadha as soon as you remember. See our qadha guide for details. The best fix, though, is not missing in the first place, that's what FivePrayer's gentle lock at adhan is for.

How do I know if my prayer was accepted?

You don't, that's Allah's. Your responsibility is to perform the prayer with the conditions met (purity, time, qibla, niyyat) and with concentration. Sincerity + correctness is what's asked of you. Acceptance is between you and Allah.