How to Pray Salah

One rakat, step by step

A rakat is one complete cycle: standing, bowing, two prostrations. Fajr is this cycle twice. Dhuhr and Asr, four times. Maghrib, three. Isha, four. Learn the cycle once and you have learned all five prayers.

1. Make the intention, then say Allahu Akbar

Stand facing the qibla. In your heart, know what you are about to pray — “two rakats of Fajr fard,” for example. No words needed aloud.

Raise your hands to your ears and say:

This is the opening takbir, and from this moment you are in prayer. No talking, no looking around. Rest your right hand over your left.

2. The opening praise (Thana)

Sunna, not obligation. If you don't know it yet, keep praying and learn it gradually.

3. Recite Surah al-Fatiha

Say silently: A'udhu billahi mina sh-shaytani r-rajim (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan), then Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim. Then recite al-Fatiha — required in every single rakat:

4. Add a short surah (first two rakats only)

After al-Fatiha in rakats one and two, recite another passage — al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, or an-Nas are the beginner classics. Rakats three and four: al-Fatiha alone.

5. Ruku — bowing

Say Allahu Akbar and bow, back flat, hands gripping your knees. Say three times:

6. Rising from ruku

Then, standing fully upright:

7. Sujud — prostration

Say Allahu Akbar and go down. Seven points touch the ground: forehead and nose, both palms, both knees, the toes of both feet. Elbows up off the floor. Say three times:

This is the closest a servant gets to their Lord — the Prophet ﷺ said to make plenty of dua here.

8. Sit, then prostrate again

Rise saying Allahu Akbar, sit briefly on your left foot (right foot upright), and say:

Then Allahu Akbar, prostrate again, and repeat Subhana Rabbiya l-A'la three times. That is one rakat, complete.

Joining rakats into the five prayers

After the second rakat of every prayer, stay seated for the tashahhud — the full text lives on our Attahiyat page with transliteration and translation. Then:

• Fajr (2 rakats): after the second rakat, tashahhud + salawat on the Prophet ﷺ + close with salam. Done.
• Maghrib (3): after rakat two, the short tashahhud only, then stand. Rakat three is al-Fatiha alone. Sit, full tashahhud + salawat + salam.
• Dhuhr, Asr, Isha (4): same as Maghrib but with two extra rakats — al-Fatiha only in each — before the final sitting.

The closing salam: turn your head right, saying As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah, then left, repeating it. The prayer ends. Personal dua afterwards? Any language you like.

For the sunnah rakats that wrap around each fard — and the exact counts — see the prayer rakats chart. Witr after Isha has its own page: dua qunoot.

When you make a mistake

Everyone slips. The prayer has a built-in repair: sujud as-sahw — two extra prostrations before the final salam. Forgot a rakat? Added one? Act on what you believe is more likely, finish, add the two prostrations, done. Do not restart for a small recitation slip.

The mistakes worth actively guarding against:

• Rushing. Each position needs stillness — tuma'ninah is part of the prayer's validity, not decoration. One prayer prayed calmly beats five rushed. This is also exactly what khushoo is about.
• Praying before the time enters. Set accurate prayer times for your city.
• Speaking after the takbir. Anything other than the prescribed words breaks the prayer. If you genuinely forget and speak, redo your wudu-and-takbir — simply repeat the prayer.
• Saying the niyyah aloud. It lives in the heart. Full stop.

What if I don't know Arabic yet?

The recitations are in Arabic — that does not change. But the path there is shorter than you think: al-Fatiha is seven short verses, and most beginners have it in two to three weeks of nightly repetition. Use the transliterations on this page to train your tongue, and audio from any Quran app to train your ear.

Until then, keep praying with what you know and add one line at a time. Sincerity while learning covers the gap — the Prophet ﷺ's companions were learning too, once.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pray salah in English?

The obligatory recitations are Arabic; personal duas after the prayer are in any language. Learn via transliteration + audio, line by line.

How long does salah take?

Five to seven minutes for a four-rakat fard prayed with proper stillness. Fajr with its two sunnah: ten to fifteen.

What if I miss a prayer entirely?

Pray it the moment you remember — “whoever forgets a prayer, let him pray it when he remembers it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 597). No ritual, no penalty stack. Just make it up.

Which prayer should a beginner start with?

Whichever comes next. But many new Muslims start anchoring the habit with Fajr or Maghrib — our Fajr guide walks the two-rakat prayer in full.