Skip to content
قQuranicpediaEncyclopedia of the Glorious Qur’an

Salah الصَّلَاة

In review — pending scholar verification

The five daily ritual prayers obligatory on every adult Muslim — the second of the Five Pillars and the most repeated act of worship in Islam, performed at five appointed times facing the Kaaba.

Overview

Salah (Arabic: الصَّلَاة) is the formal ritual prayer of Islam — a sequence of standing, bowing, and prostrating before Allah with prescribed recitations and supplications. It is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam, after the Shahada, and the most-repeated act of worship in a Muslim's life. Five obligatory prayers are performed daily — Fajr, Dhuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, and ʿIshāʾ — at appointed times tied to the position of the sun, with additional voluntary prayers (nawāfil) recommended.

Salah is performed facing the qiblah — the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca — preceded by the ritual washing called wudu. It was made obligatory upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on the night of the Isrāʾ wa-l-Miʿrāj, the journey from Mecca to Bayt al-Maqdis and ascension through the seven heavens — initially as fifty daily prayers, reduced to five through the Prophet's ﷺ repeated requests at Musa's urging, with the reward of fifty preserved (Sahih al-Bukhari 349; Sahih Muslim 162).

The Prophet ﷺ taught: "The first of his deeds for which a servant will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection is his prayer; if it is sound, the rest of his deeds are sound; and if it is corrupt, the rest of his deeds are corrupt" (Jami at-Tirmidhi 413, graded Sahih by al-Albani). Surah Al-Ankabut 29:45 identifies salah's ethical purpose: "Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing."

Etymology and meaning

The Arabic word ṣalāh derives from the root ṣ-l-w, conveying connection, supplication, and reverent attention. Linguistically it means "supplication" (duʿāʾ); in religious usage it has been narrowed to the formal ritual prayer. In Surah Al-Ahzab 33:56 the same word is used of Allah's sending blessings (yuṣallī) upon the Prophet ﷺ and of believers' invocation of blessings upon him; the verb thus carries the broad sense of reverent connection across categories.

Quranic basis

Salah is commanded in the Quran more than seventy times, often in pair with zakat:

  • Surah Al-Baqarah 2:43 — "And establish prayer and give zakat and bow with those who bow."
  • Surah Al-Baqarah 2:45 — "And seek help through patience and prayer; indeed it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]."
  • Surah Al-Baqarah 2:153 — "O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer; indeed Allah is with the patient."
  • Surah An-Nisa 4:103 — "Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times."
  • Surah Hud 11:114 — "And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night; indeed good deeds wipe away bad deeds."
  • Surah Al-Isra 17:78–79 — "Establish prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and the Quran of dawn — indeed the Quran of dawn is ever witnessed. And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station."
  • Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:1–2, 23:9–11 — successful believers "who in their prayer are humbly submissive… and who carefully maintain their prayers — those are the inheritors who will inherit al-Firdaws."
  • Surah Al-Ankabut 29:45 — "Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer; indeed prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing."
  • Surah Al-Maʿarij 70:22–23 — "Except for those who pray — those who are constant in their prayer."
  • Surah Al-Bayyinah 98:5 — "And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakat. And that is the correct religion."
  • Surah Al-Maʿun 107:4–7 — Warning against negligence in prayer.

The five daily prayers

PrayerTimeObligatory rakʿahsCommon Sunan/Nafl Fajr (الفجر)Dawn until sunrise22 sunnah before Dhuhr (الظهر)From the sun's zenith decline until ʿAṣr44 sunnah before, 2 after (or 4 + 2) ʿAṣr (العصر)From shadow equal to object's length until sunset42 or 4 sunnah before (recommended) Maghrib (المغرب)From sunset until red twilight disappears32 sunnah after ʿIshāʾ (العشاء)From red twilight's disappearance until midnight (preferable) or dawn42 sunnah after, witr at end

The exact times are derived from the Prophet's ﷺ practice as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 521–528, 547–551 and Sahih Muslim 612–614. The Prophet ﷺ said, comparing the five prayers to a flowing river: "What do you think if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he washed five times daily? Would any dirt remain on him? They said: No dirt would remain on him at all. He ﷺ said: That is the example of the five prayers; through them Allah erases sins." (Sahih al-Bukhari 528; Sahih Muslim 667).

Conditions of salah

Classical jurists list nine conditions that must be met before salah is valid:

  1. Islam — the worshipper must be Muslim.
  2. Sanity — the obligation lifts from the insane.
  3. Discernment — generally from age seven, formally obligatory at puberty.
  4. Removal of major and minor ritual impurity — by wudu, ghusl, or tayammum.
  5. Cleanliness of body, garments, and place of prayer.
  6. Covering of the ʿawrah — for men, navel to knee; for women, all but the face and hands per the majority view.
  7. Entry of the time — each prayer has its appointed window.
  8. Facing the qiblah — the Kaaba.
  9. Intention (niyyah) — held in the heart, not voiced.

The acts of salah

A single unit (rakʿah) consists of:

  1. Takbīrat al-Iḥrām — the opening "Allāhu akbar" raising hands
  2. Qiyām — standing while reciting Surah Al-Fātiḥah and (in the first two rakʿahs) another portion of the Quran
  3. Rukūʿ — bowing, with the recitation "Subḥāna Rabbiya al-ʿAẓīm"
  4. Iʿtidāl — standing erect after rukūʿ
  5. Sujūd — prostration, twice per rakʿah, with "Subḥāna Rabbiya al-Aʿlā"
  6. Julūs — sitting between the two prostrations

After every two rakʿahs (and at the end), the worshipper sits for the tashahhud — a formula of testimony, blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, and du'a. The prayer concludes with at-taslīm — turning the head right and left, saying "as-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmat Allāh".

Surah Al-Fatihah — recited in every rakʿah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ۝ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ۝ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ۝ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ۝ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ۝ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

Hadith on salah

Malik ibn al-Ḥuwayrith reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "Pray as you have seen me pray." — Sahih al-Bukhari 631
Jabir ibn ʿAbd Allah reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "Between a man and shirk and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer." — Sahih Muslim 82
Abu Huraira reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing for which a servant of Allah will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer. If it is in order, he will succeed and prosper; and if it is wanting, he will fail and lose." — Jami at-Tirmidhi 413 (graded Sahih by al-Albani); Sunan an-Nasaʾi 466
Ibn ʿUmar reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees superior to prayer offered alone." — Sahih al-Bukhari 645; Sahih Muslim 650
Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "The worst of thieves is the one who steals from his prayer." They asked: "How does one steal from his prayer?" He ﷺ said: "By not completing its rukūʿ and sujūd." — Musnad Ahmad 22642 (graded Sahih by al-Albani); also recorded by al-Ḥākim

What invalidates salah

  • Loss of wudu during the prayer
  • Deliberate speech (other than recitation)
  • Eating or drinking
  • Excessive movement unrelated to the prayer
  • Turning the chest from the qiblah without need
  • Loud laughter
  • Apostasy (riddah)

Special prayers

  • Jumuʿah — the Friday congregational prayer; replaces Dhuhr; preceded by a sermon (khuṭbah); obligatory on adult Muslim men.
  • Eid prayers — ʿEid al-Fiṭr (end of Ramadan) and ʿEid al-Aḍḥā (during Hajj) — two rakʿahs followed by a sermon.
  • Tarāwīḥ — voluntary night prayers in Ramadan, traditionally 8 or 20 rakʿahs.
  • Witr — odd-numbered prayer (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 rakʿahs) at the end of ʿIshāʾ or before Fajr.
  • Tahajjud / Qiyām al-Layl — voluntary night prayer; emphasised in Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:1–6 and Al-Isra 17:79.
  • Janāzah — funeral prayer; four takbīrs, no rukūʿ or sujūd; communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah).
  • Istikhārah — guidance prayer when seeking Allah's help in a decision (Sahih al-Bukhari 1162).
  • Travel prayer — shortening (qaṣr) Dhuhr, ʿAṣr, ʿIshāʾ from 4 to 2 rakʿahs while travelling.

Significance

Salah structures the Muslim day. It interrupts work, study, leisure, and sleep at fixed intervals to return the worshipper's attention to Allah, modelling submission with the body alongside the heart. The Prophet ﷺ described it as "the comfort of my eyes" (Sunan an-Nasaʾi 3940, graded Sahih by al-Albani). Surah Ṭāhā 20:14 frames its spiritual function: "Indeed I am Allah; there is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance." Beyond its individual function, congregational salah is the founding act of Muslim community: every masjid exists for it, the day's rhythm is built around it, and the city's adhan announces it.

See also

References

  1. The Quran (Sahih International translation): Surahs Al-Fātiḥah; Al-Baqarah 2:43, 2:45, 2:153, 2:238; An-Nisa 4:103; Hud 11:114; Al-Israʾ 17:78–79; Ṭāhā 20:14; Al-Mu'minun 23:1–11; Al-Ankabut 29:45; Al-Maʿarij 70:22–23; Al-Muzzammil 73:1–6; Al-Bayyinah 98:5; Al-Maʿun 107:4–7.
  2. Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith nos. 8, 349, 521–528, 547–551, 631, 645, 1162. Trans. M. Muhsin Khan.
  3. Sahih Muslim, hadith nos. 82, 162, 612–614, 650, 667. Trans. Abdul Hamid Siddiqui.
  4. Jami at-Tirmidhi 413, graded Sahih by al-Albani; Sunan an-Nasaʾi 466, 3940.
  5. al-Nawawi, al-Adhkār (the rememberances of salah and outside it).
  6. Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, al-Mughnī, Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāh.
  7. al-Albani, Ṣifat Ṣalāt an-Nabī ﷺ (The Prophet's Prayer Described).
  8. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz, Risālat aṣ-Ṣalāh.
  9. al-Bukhari's al-Adab al-Mufrad, sections on devotional ethics surrounding the prayer.