How to Pray (Salah)

Begins at true dawn (al-fajr al-sadiq), the moment the horizontal white light first spreads across the eastern horizon, and ends at sunrise. Performed before the sun's disc appears. It is the only daily prayer prayed while it is still dark, marking the transition from night to day.

Two rak'ahs of fard. Preceded by two rak'ahs of confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah al-Fajr), which the Prophet ﷺ never abandoned at home or on journey, calling it "better than the world and all it contains." Recitation is aloud (jahri) for both rak'ahs.

Fajr is described in the Quran as "witnessed", the angels of the night and the angels of the day both attend it together, with no other prayer sharing this honour. It is the dividing line between the sincere believers and the hypocrites, who find it heaviest. It opens the day with the surrender of one's faculties to Allah before the worldly demands begin, and the Prophet ﷺ said the one who prays it is "in the protection of Allah" until evening.

Recited aloud (jahri). The Sunnah is to lengthen the recitation here more than any other prayer, often 60 to 100 verses in total. The Prophet ﷺ frequently recited Surah Qaf (50), al-Waqi'ah (56), al-Mursalat (77), at-Takwir (81), or similar surahs of the latter half of the Quran. On Friday Fajr specifically, the Sunnah is to recite Surah as-Sajdah (32) in the first rak'ah and Surah al-Insan (76) in the second, the only two surahs reported to contain Sunnah sujud al-tilawah in this prayer.

In the two Sunnah rak'ahs of Fajr, the Prophet ﷺ recited very short surahs: in the first rak'ah Surah al-Kafirun (109) or "Qulu amanna billahi..." (2:136), and in the second Surah al-Ikhlas (112) or "Qul ya ahla al-kitab..." (3:64). Make the two Sunnah rak'ahs short and the two fard long. Between the two Sunnah and the fard, supplicate quietly; the dawn is one of the times du'a is most accepted. Before the prayer, on rising from sleep, say "Alhamdu lillahi-lladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana wa ilayhin-nushur".

After the fard salam, in addition to the universal post-prayer adhkar: the morning adhkar (adhkar al-sabah) are due now and remain valid until sunrise. Among them: Ayat al-Kursi, the three Quls each three times with blowing into the palms, "Hasbiyallahu la ilaha illa huwa, 'alayhi tawakkaltu wa huwa Rabbul-'Arshil-'Azim" (seven times), and "Allahumma bika asbahna wa bika amsayna...". After completing the morning adhkar, remain seated in the place of prayer until sunrise, then pray two rak'ahs of "Ishraq"; the Prophet ﷺ said this carries the reward of a complete Hajj and Umrah.

Praying Fajr in congregation has the reward of standing the entire night in prayer (Muslim 656). Standing in prayer between Fajr and sunrise is described by the Prophet ﷺ as "more beloved to me than freeing four slaves." The morning hours after Fajr are blessed: the Prophet ﷺ supplicated, "O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings." The hypocrites are identified by their inability to attend Fajr, "the heaviest prayers on the hypocrites are Isha and Fajr; if they knew what they contain, they would crawl to them." (Bukhari 657, Muslim 651).

Avoid praying any voluntary prayer (other than greeting the mosque or the omitted Sunnah al-Fajr) from sunrise until the sun has fully risen and risen "the height of a spear" (approximately 15-20 minutes after sunrise). If a person misses Fajr by sleep or genuine forgetfulness, he prays it as soon as he wakes, the Prophet ﷺ did this once on a journey when the army overslept, and said: "There is no failure (lit. 'no negligence') in sleep; failure is in wakefulness." (Muslim 681). The two Sunnah rak'ahs can also be prayed immediately after the fard if missed beforehand, or after sunrise (Tirmidhi 423).

Begins the moment the sun passes its zenith (zawal), no longer perpendicular to the earth and beginning to decline westward, and lasts until the shadow of an upright object equals its own length (the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali view) or twice its length (the Hanafi view). On Friday it is replaced by the Jumu'ah prayer for those who attend. It is the prayer that wakes the world from the noonday heat to the remembrance of Allah.

Four rak'ahs of fard. The standard Sunnah Mu'akkadah is four rak'ahs before (in two sets of two with one tasleem) and two rak'ahs after. The Prophet ﷺ said about the four before Dhuhr: "There is no Muslim who prays four rak'ahs before Dhuhr after the sun has passed its zenith except that the gates of heaven are opened for him." (Ibn Majah 1157, graded hasan). Recitation is silent (sirri) in all four rak'ahs.

Dhuhr is the central pivot of the believer's day, it interrupts the height of worldly activity (markets, work, trade) with submission to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ identified the moment of zawal (when the sun has just passed its zenith) as the time when the gates of heaven are opened, which is why he loved to pray voluntary prayers then. The prayer's silent recitation reflects the inward focus required to turn the heart away from the heat and noise of the day. Historically, it was the first prayer prayed openly in congregation after the command to do so came down, marking it as the public, visible declaration of Islam.

Silent (sirri) in all four rak'ahs. The Sunnah length is medium-to-long: the Prophet ﷺ would recite around the length of Surah as-Sajdah (32, about 30 verses) in the first two rak'ahs, and roughly half of that in the third and fourth. He varied the surahs but often selected from the middle section of the Mufassal (chapters from al-Buruj 85 onward), though longer surahs are equally Sunnah. In the third and fourth rak'ahs only Surah al-Fatihah is recited, with no additional surah, in the standard view.

The 4 Sunnah before Dhuhr are prayed as two sets of two with one tasleem each (per the authentic Sunnah). In them recite any moderate-length surah. The 2 Sunnah after Dhuhr the Prophet ﷺ used to pray at home; if you must pray in the masjid, that is permitted. Some narrations also mention two further rak'ahs (totalling four after); both are reported. The Sunnahs before Dhuhr are particularly emphasised, on a long Friday "before" they can be substituted by reading Surah al-Kahf, but on weekdays they are kept. Make du'a between the Sunnah and the fard, as zawal is a time of acceptance.

In addition to the universal post-prayer adhkar, the time after Dhuhr until Asr is a recommended time for reading Quran, voluntary du'a, and reviewing one's day. The Prophet ﷺ would often take a brief midday rest (qaylulah) before or shortly after Dhuhr, this is itself a Sunnah, and the morning's productive work is enhanced by it. The 2 Sunnah after Dhuhr should ideally be prayed at home; the Prophet ﷺ taught that the best prayers (after the fard) are those a person performs in his house. Avoid praying nafl in the few minutes immediately before Dhuhr's start (during the heat of zawal itself, before the sun has clearly passed its zenith).

Dhuhr stands at the doorway of "the better half" of the day after zawal, the half in which sustenance is sought, with prayer at its threshold to keep the heart anchored. The Prophet ﷺ said the angels of heaven open the gates of the sky at zawal, and praying four rak'ahs of voluntary worship at that moment is a beloved act. Praying Dhuhr in congregation in the Prophet's mosque carries the reward of one thousand prayers, in al-Masjid al-Haram one hundred thousand. In general, every fard prayer in any congregation is twenty-seven times the reward of praying alone (Bukhari 645, Muslim 650).

Avoid voluntary prayer at the absolute peak of zawal (the moment the sun is at the exact zenith, before it has clearly begun to decline), this is one of the three times the Prophet ﷺ forbade prayer. The window is small (a few minutes) and once the sun has clearly passed zenith, Dhuhr begins. In extreme heat the Prophet ﷺ allowed delaying Dhuhr (ibrad) until the heat softens; this is for the well-being of the worshippers, not a separate ruling for cool climates. If Dhuhr is missed, pray it as a qada' (makeup) before Asr begins, the Prophet ﷺ said the missed prayer must be prayed as soon as one remembers, with no other valid expiation.

Begins when the shadow of an upright object equals its own length (or twice its length per the Hanafi view), continuing until sunset. The preferred (chosen) time ends when the sun begins to turn yellow; from then until sunset is permissible but disliked without excuse. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever delays Asr until the sun has turned yellow, that is the prayer of the hypocrite." (Muslim 622). Pray it early in its window unless a valid reason prevents.

Four rak'ahs of fard. The Sunnah ghayr mu'akkadah (recommended but not strongly confirmed) is four rak'ahs before Asr, the Prophet ﷺ said: "May Allah have mercy on one who prays four rak'ahs before Asr." (Tirmidhi 430). There is no confirmed Sunnah after Asr. Recitation in all four rak'ahs is silent (sirri), as in Dhuhr.

Asr is "the middle prayer" of the five (al-salat al-wusta) and the test of the believer's day, it falls at the very moment when work, fatigue, and inattention peak together. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever misses Asr, his deeds are nullified." (Bukhari 553), meaning his deeds for that day. It is the prayer the previous communities lost first, becoming the marker that the Muslims must guard most carefully so that they do not follow the same path. It is also the second of "the two cool prayers" whose preservation guarantees Paradise.

Silent (sirri) in all four rak'ahs. Shorter than Dhuhr, the Sunnah length is to recite around half of what is recited in Dhuhr in the first two rak'ahs. The Prophet ﷺ often selected from the Mufassal section (chapters from al-Buruj 85 onward) but kept it medium-short. In the third and fourth rak'ahs only Surah al-Fatihah is recited, with no additional surah, in the standard view. The relatively shorter recitation reflects that Asr falls when the worshipper's energy is at its lowest point in the day; Allah eased the burden while still requiring its complete preservation.

In the recommended four rak'ahs before Asr, the Prophet ﷺ would separate them with a tasleem after every two rak'ahs ("the prayer of the night and the day is two and two", Tirmidhi 597). Recite a moderate-length surah in each. There is no confirmed Sunnah after Asr; in fact, voluntary prayer between Asr and Maghrib (specifically once the sun starts turning yellow) is among the times forbidden by the Prophet ﷺ. The "missed Sunnahs" exception is for the two rak'ahs of Sunnah Dhuhr that one missed; those may be made up after the Asr fard.

In addition to the universal post-prayer adhkar, the time after Asr until Maghrib is the second of the two prime times for "evening adhkar" (adhkar al-masa'). They have the same content as the morning adhkar and are due now; recite them while the sun is still visible. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever says the morning adhkar in the morning and the evening adhkar in the evening will not be harmed by anything in between." (Abu Dawud 5074). Sitting in remembrance of Allah after Asr until sunset carries the reward of freeing four slaves from the children of Isma'il, according to the hadith. Avoid sleep, distracting conversation, and meaningless work in this window if possible.

Asr is half of "the two cool prayers" whose guard guarantees Paradise (Bukhari 574). Praying it in congregation has its own immense reward; the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever prays Asr in congregation, then sits down remembering Allah until sunrise the next morning, no, until Maghrib, has done a great act." Mu'adh ibn Jabal (ra) was taught by the Prophet ﷺ to say after every prayer: "Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik" (O Allah, help me remember You, thank You, and worship You well), and this prayer was given to him specifically after an Asr. Faithful preservation of Asr is a sign of true Iman; its loss is the first crack in a believer's day.

Two forbidden times bracket Asr: the first is the few minutes immediately before sunset (once the sun has clearly begun to set, the disc reddening), the second is shortly after sunrise. Voluntary prayer between Asr and Maghrib is generally disallowed; the exceptions are (a) a missed obligatory prayer, (b) a prayer with a clear cause such as tahiyyat al-masjid or the prayer of wudu, in the view of the majority. If Asr is delayed past sunset for a valid reason (sleep, true forgetfulness, urgent excuse), pray it as soon as one is able, it still counts as that day's Asr if performed before sleeping again. Combining Asr with Dhuhr during travel, illness or fear is allowed by the agreement of the four schools, with their respective conditions.

Begins the instant the entire disc of the sun has disappeared below the horizon and continues until the red afterglow (shafaq al-ahmar) fades from the western sky, the Maliki/Shafi'i/Hanbali view, or until the white afterglow fades, per the Hanafi view. Pray it early. The Prophet ﷺ said: "My nation will remain in goodness as long as they do not delay Maghrib until the stars appear." (Abu Dawud 418). It is the shortest window of all five prayers, so guard it from delay.

Three rak'ahs of fard, the only fard prayer with an odd number of rak'ahs. It is called "the witr of the day" (the odd-numbered prayer of daylight). Followed by two rak'ahs of confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu'akkadah) prayed at home. Recitation is aloud (jahri) in the first two rak'ahs and silent in the third. The first sitting (after the second rak'ah) holds the first tashahhud; the second sitting (after the third rak'ah) holds the final tashahhud and salam.

Maghrib is "the prayer of the breaker of the fast" (salat al-saim), the prayer at which the fasting person breaks his fast, the prayer at which the worker returns home, the prayer at which evening begins. It is the seal of the day's deeds: whatever a person has earned of good or ill that day is enclosed by this prayer. Its three rak'ahs make it the "witr of daylight", Allah preserved an odd-numbered prayer in the day so that the day, like the night, ends on a single, indivisible affirmation of His oneness. The Prophet ﷺ used to hurry to it and forbade delaying it without a valid reason.

Recited aloud (jahri) in the first two rak'ahs and silently in the third. The Sunnah length is the shortest of the five, the Prophet ﷺ often selected from the short Mufassal (Surah ad-Duha 93 onward, the final juz') in keeping with people's hunger and the day's transition; he also sometimes recited the longest of the long, such as Surah al-A'raf (7) split between the two rak'ahs. Both are Sunnah, but the shorter is the prevailing daily practice. In the third rak'ah only Surah al-Fatihah is recited.

In the 2 Sunnah rak'ahs after Maghrib, the Prophet ﷺ recited Surah al-Kafirun (109) in the first and Surah al-Ikhlas (112) in the second (Tirmidhi 431). He prayed them at home. There is also a strongly recommended 2-rak'ah "ghayr mu'akkadah" before Maghrib (between the adhan and iqamah), the Prophet ﷺ said three times "Pray before Maghrib," then said on the third "for whoever wishes" so people would not take it as obligatory (Bukhari 1183). Make du'a between sunset and the iqamah: this is one of the times du'a is not refused.

Immediately after Maghrib, before standing for the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ would say seven times: "Allahumma ajirni minan-nar" (O Allah, save me from the Fire). Whoever says this and dies that night dies a martyr-like death (Abu Dawud 5079). The evening adhkar (adhkar al-masa') if not completed after Asr are still valid now until full darkness. Also recite the ten-times-shahadah formula "La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, yuhyi wa yumitu wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir", for both Fajr and Maghrib, this multiplies a hundred good deeds and erases a hundred sins.

Maghrib is the prayer at which the Prophet ﷺ used to hasten his recitation in consideration for those who had been fasting and breaking their fast. The strongly recommended Awwabin prayer (the prayer of "the oft-returning") falls in the window between Maghrib and Isha: any voluntary rak'ahs prayed then are called salat al-awwabin, "the prayer of those who turn back to Allah." Six rak'ahs is the strongly reported number; the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever prays six rak'ahs after Maghrib without speaking any evil in between, it is equivalent to twelve years of worship." (Tirmidhi 435, the chain is weak but the meaning is widely supported by other reports).

Maghrib's window is the shortest of the five, guard against delay; once the red afterglow fades, you have entered Isha's time. Combining Maghrib with Isha is permitted during travel, illness, or severe rain by the agreement of the four schools (with their respective conditions). Do not delay Maghrib for the breaking of a fast unless absolutely necessary; the Sunnah is to break the fast with a few dates or sips of water, then pray, then eat fully. If Maghrib is missed, pray it as a qada' before Fajr, the Prophet ﷺ taught that one who misses a prayer in genuine sleep or forgetfulness has no expiation but to pray it as soon as he remembers (Muslim 684).

Begins when the red afterglow (shafaq al-ahmar) disappears from the western sky, the Maliki/Shafi'i/Hanbali view, or when the white afterglow fades (the Hanafi view), and the preferred (chosen) time ends at the middle of the night (calculated from Maghrib to Fajr). The permissible time extends until Fajr begins, but praying after midnight without excuse is disliked. The Prophet ﷺ loved to delay Isha when it was not burdensome on the community.

Four rak'ahs of fard. Followed by two rak'ahs of confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu'akkadah) prayed at home, and then witr (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 odd rak'ahs) which seals the night's prayers. Tahajjud and any voluntary night prayer flow from Isha onward until Fajr. Recitation in the fard is aloud (jahri) in the first two rak'ahs and silent in the last two.

Isha and Fajr are paired in the words of the Prophet ﷺ as "the most burdensome prayers on the hypocrites; if they knew what they contain they would crawl to them" (Bukhari 657). To pray Isha in congregation is reckoned as half the night spent in prayer, and to add Fajr in congregation makes it the whole night (Muslim 656). Isha closes the day of public worship; Witr seals what comes after; Tahajjud opens the secret world of the night with one's Lord.

Four rak'ahs of fard. In the first two: Surah al-Fatihah aloud, followed by a medium-length surah aloud (typically the muffassal range, Surah al-A'la, al-Tin, al-Inshiqaq, or similar). In the last two: Surah al-Fatihah recited silently with no additional surah, then ruku' and sujud as usual. The Prophet ﷺ would also at times recite Surah al-Tin in Isha, Jabir ibn Samurah said: "I never heard a more beautiful voice or recitation than his ﷺ" (Bukhari 767).

Pray two rak'ahs of confirmed Sunnah (mu'akkadah) after the fard, ideally at home, Ibn Umar (ra) said: "I memorised from the Prophet ﷺ ten rak'ahs... two after Isha at his home." (Bukhari 937, Muslim 729). Recommended in these two: Surah al-Kafirun in the first and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second, mirroring the Sunnah of Maghrib. After the Sunnah, pray Witr (1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 odd rak'ahs), Witr is the seal of the night's prayers and the Prophet ﷺ said: "Make the last of your prayer at night Witr." (Bukhari 998). If you fear missing it before sleep, pray it straight after Isha; if confident of rising, delay it to the last third of the night.

Recite Ayat al-Kursi (Qur'an 2:255) before sleeping, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi when going to bed, an angel will keep guard over him from Allah, and no devil shall come near him until morning." (Bukhari 2311). Recite the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah ("Amana al-Rasul..." 2:285-286), "Whoever recites the two verses at the end of Surah al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him." (Bukhari 4008). Recite Surah al-Mulk before sleep, "It intercedes for its companion until he is forgiven." (Tirmidhi 2891). Blow into the palms and wipe over the body after reciting al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas three times each (Bukhari 5017). Sleep on the right side. Say the bedtime du'a: بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا, "In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live." (Bukhari 6324).

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever prays Isha in congregation, it is as if he stood in prayer half the night; whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he stood the whole night." (Muslim 656). Tahajjud (the late-night prayer) is the supreme nawafil, "The best prayer after the prescribed prayers is the night prayer." (Muslim 1163). The descent of the Lord to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night is the most sacred hour: "Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, saying: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?" (Bukhari 1145).

The preferred time ends at the middle of the night (calculated from Maghrib to Fajr). The permissible time extends until Fajr but praying after midnight without excuse is disliked. If travelling, Isha may be combined with Maghrib (jam' taqdim at Maghrib's time, or jam' ta'khir at Isha's time) and shortened to two rak'ahs. Witr can be made up if missed: pray it before Fajr if you remember, or as soon as you wake (with even rak'ahs added to make it even, then a single odd, according to the Hanafi, other madhahib qada' as-is). Sleeping through Isha is a major shortfall: the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no sleep that is heavier on the hypocrites than Isha and Fajr; if they knew what they contain..." (Bukhari 657). Set arrangements to never miss it.