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Salāt

The ritual prayer

الصَّلَاة

Summary

To perform the five daily prayers at their prescribed times.

Five obligatory prayers: Fajr, Dhuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, ʿIshā'.
Preceded by ritual purification (wuḍū' or ghusl).
Oriented toward the Kaʿba in Mecca (qibla).
A direct daily link between the servant and his Lord.

« …and establish the Salāt: indeed, the Salāt prohibits immorality and wrongdoing. »
— Sourate Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:45

The five prayers

Each prayer has a precise time based on the sun's position:

1.Fajr — at dawn, before sunrise (2 rakaʿāt)
2.Dhuhr — after the zenith (4 rakaʿāt)
3.ʿAṣr — mid-afternoon (4 rakaʿāt)
4.Maghrib — just after sunset (3 rakaʿāt)
5.ʿIshā' — at night, after twilight fades (4 rakaʿāt)

Preconditions

Prayer requires ritual purity (wuḍū'), cleanliness of body, garment and place, observance of the prescribed time, orientation toward the qibla, covering the ʿawra, and intention (niyya).

The pillars (arkān) of prayer

Without any one of these acts, the prayer is invalid:

1.The opening takbīr (Allāhu akbar)
2.Standing (qiyām) when able
3.Recitation of Sūrat Al-Fātiḥa
4.Bowing (rukūʿ) with stillness
5.Rising from bowing (iʿtidāl)
6.The two prostrations (sujūd) with stillness
7.Final tashahhud and salutations (taslīm)

Supererogatory prayers (nawāfil)

In addition to obligatory prayers, the Prophet ﷺ recommended the sunan rawātib (12 rakaʿāt daily around the prayers), the nightly Witr, morning Ḍuḥā, Tahajjud, as well as Jumuʿa, Eid, eclipse and rain (Istisqā') prayers.

Wisdom and benefits

Beyond ritual, the Salāt punctuates the day with the remembrance of Allah, develops spiritual concentration (khushūʿ), disciplines body and soul, and preserves the believer from moral lapses. It is the first thing about which the servant will be questioned on the Day of Judgment.

Prophetic ḥadīths

« The first thing the servant will be called to account for on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer: if it is sound, the rest of his deeds will be sound. »
— Tirmidhī, ḥadīth ṣaḥīḥ

« Between a man and shirk and disbelief stands the abandonment of prayer. »
— Muslim

Views of the legal schools

Overview of the main positions (madhāhib) on certain aspects.

Ḥanafī

Hands folded below the navel; basmala not recited aloud; qunūt in Witr all year.

Mālikī

Hands at the sides in obligatory prayers; basmala not recited; isbāl forbidden.

Shāfiʿī

Hands folded over the chest; basmala recited aloud; qunūt at Fajr.

Ḥanbalī

Hands folded below the navel; silent basmala; transitional takbīrs marked.