Salah is the second pillar of Islam and the heart of a Muslim's daily life. Praying five times a day at set times keeps a Muslim's awareness of Allah throughout the day.

The Five Prayers

Fajr - before dawn.
Zuhr - just after midday.
Asr - mid-afternoon.
Maghrib - just after sunset.
Isha - night.

The Qur'an does not name the five times directly; they were established by Muhammad's own practice.

Wudu

Before prayer, Muslims perform wudu: washing the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms (up to the elbows), hair and feet (up to the ankles) in order. This is both physical cleaning and spiritual purification.

Performing Salah

Muslims stand on a clean prayer mat, facing the qibla (direction of Mecca).
They state their intention silently (niyyah).
Each prayer is made up of a set number of rak'ah - cycles of standing, bowing, kneeling and pressing the forehead to the ground (sujud).
They recite Qur'anic verses in Arabic, beginning with the opening surah al-Fatihah.

Friday Prayer (Jummah)

On Fridays, Muslim men gather in the mosque for the midday Jummah prayer, which includes a sermon (khutbah) from the imam. Friday prayer in congregation is more rewarding than praying alone, and pulls the local Muslim community together each week.

Y9 Islam

Salah - Daily Prayer