Guide
How to pray salah, step by step
The prayer (salah) is the same set of movements repeated in units called rak'ahs. Once you know the shape of a single rak'ah, every prayer follows — only the number of rak'ahs and a few details change. Here is that shape, from the opening takbir to the closing salam, and how the daily prayers, Witr, Eid, and the Janazah prayer differ.
Before you begin
A valid prayer has a few conditions in place first. In brief: you should have wudu (ablution), a clean body, clothing, and place of prayer, your body suitably covered, the prayer's time must have entered, and you face the qibla — the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah. The prayer then begins with the intention (niyyah) in the heart.
The shape of one rak'ah
Every rak'ah moves through the same postures in order. This is the core you will reuse in every prayer:
- Takbir (Allahu Akbar) — begin standing, raising the hands, entering the prayer.
- Qiyam (standing) — recite the opening, then Surah al-Fatiha, followed by another passage of the Qur'an in the first rak'ahs.
- Ruku (bowing) — bow with a straight back, glorifying Allah, then rise back to standing (i'tidal).
- Sujud (prostration) — prostrate with seven points touching the ground, then sit briefly, then prostrate a second time.
- Tashahhud (sitting) — after each pair of prostrations completes the rak'ah; you sit for the testimony of faith at the appointed points.
- Taslim (salam) — the prayer ends by turning the face right and left with the greeting of peace.
A prayer with more than two rak'ahs has a sitting after the second rak'ah (the first tashahhud), then stands again to complete the rest before the final sitting and salam.
How many rak'ahs each prayer has
The five daily obligatory (fard) prayers differ only in their rak'ah count:
- Fajr — 2 rak'ahs.
- Dhuhr — 4 rak'ahs.
- Asr — 4 rak'ahs.
- Maghrib — 3 rak'ahs.
- Isha — 4 rak'ahs.
On Fridays, Dhuhr is replaced for men by the congregational Jumu'ah prayer, which has a sermon (khutbah) followed by two rak'ahs led by the imam.
Witr, Eid, and Janazah
Beyond the five daily prayers, a few prayers have their own shape. My Amaal walks through each of these step by step, but in outline:
- Witr — an odd-numbered prayer prayed at night after Isha, often three rak'ahs, and commonly including the du'a of qunut.
- Eid — two rak'ahs prayed in congregation on the morning of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, with additional takbirs.
- Janazah (funeral) — a standing prayer for the deceased with four takbirs and no ruku or sujud; it is a communal obligation (fard kifayah).
- Voluntary prayers — the sunnah rak'ahs around the fard prayers, plus Duha, Tahajjud, and Istikhara, each follow the same rak'ah shape above.
A note on differences between schools
The prayer's pillars are agreed upon, but the schools of jurisprudence (madhabs) differ on some details — where the hands rest, exact wordings, and whether certain acts are obligatory or recommended. These are long-established differences, not mistakes. Learn the way your local community and a trusted teacher follow.
Learn each prayer, step by step
My Amaal includes a guided “how to pray” walkthrough that takes you through a prayer one posture at a time — with a clear illustration for each position, the Arabic, transliteration, and translation of what to recite, and the source for every recitation. It covers Fajr through Isha, plus Witr, Eid, Janazah, Duha, Tahajjud, Istikhara, and the sunnah prayers — and every word of guidance is authentic (sahih) and referenced.
My Amaal is a personal worship companion, not a source of religious rulings. It surfaces referenced guidance and points you back to scholars — for questions about your own prayer, consult qualified scholars you trust.