The following eight steps are the pillars or essential elements of Salah, the ritual prayer. All observance of salah includes these essential elements. We have a single-page PDF you can download & print out.
The following format is valid for a sunnah prayer, a traveller's prayer, and any voluntary prayer of two rak‘ah. As you become with the basics, start to add the additional sunnah elements and look in your heart for the great blessings of keeping the five prayers in their correct times.
1. After a ritual ablution with water (wudu), make the intention to pray. Stand facing the House of God. (The Qiblah, ritual facing, is usually considered north-east in North America.)
2. Raise your hands to ear level, palms open, and say ALLÂHU AKBAR, God is Supreme!
3. Lower your hands. Recite the Fatihah, the Opener, in Arabic. Get pronunciation help here.
al-hamdu
li-llâhi rabbi-l-‘âlamîn |
All praise is to Allah, Lord of
the Worlds |
4. Bow from the waist, keeping your back straight. Put your weight on your knees with your hands. Be still and glorify Allah in your heart for a moment. Return to standing.
5. Prostrate onto the earth on your toes, knees, palms and face. Be still and glorify Allah for a moment, then sit up. Ask for mercy and forgiveness, then prostrate again as before.
6. One rak‘ah or cycle is done. Stand up. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for a second rak‘ah.
7. After the second prostration, remain kneeling. Say (minimum is in italics):
at-tahiyyâtu li-llâh! as-salâmu ‘alayka ayyuha-n-nabiyyu wa rahmatu-llahi wa barakâtuh as-salâmu ‘alaynâ wa ‘alâ ‘ibâdi-llâhi-s-sâlihin. ash-hadu an lââ ilâha illa-llâ wa ash-hadu anna muhammadan ‘abduhû wa rasûluh |
Greetings be to God! Peace be upon you, oh prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing. Peace be upon us all and upon all holy servants of God. I witness there is no god but Allah, God And I witness that Muhammad is His Slave and His Messenger. |
8. You have completed two rak‘at. Close the salah, turning your head to the right and left, saying:
| as-salâmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatu-llâh | Peace be upon you, and the Mercy of Allah! |
After the salah, sit in remembrance of Allah & supplicate to Him.
