How to Pray — Step by Step

This is the lesson where the pieces begin to come together.

You already know what Salah is, what a rak'ah is, and that Muslims pray five obligatory prayers each day.

Now you will learn the basic physical sequence of the prayer and the words that go with it.

Before you start

For an ordinary Salah, make sure:

• the prayer time has begun;
• you have the required ritual purification;
• your body, clothing and prayer place meet the cleanliness requirements;
• the parts of your body required to be covered for Salah are covered;
• you are facing the qiblah; and
• you know which prayer you intend to perform.

Your intention is in your heart. You do not need to announce a special intention formula aloud.

First: learn one rak'ah

A complete prayer is built from repeating a basic unit. So instead of seeing Salah as one long sequence, first learn the shape of one rak'ah.

Step 1 — Stand and begin the prayer

Stand facing the qiblah. Make the intention in your heart for the Salah you are about to perform.

Begin the prayer by saying:

This opening is called Takbirat al-Ihram.

In the commonly taught Sunnah method, the hands are raised as the prayer begins and then placed while standing. There are recognized differences in hand position and some details of raising the hands.

Step 2 — Recite while standing

The standing position is called qiyam.

The central Qur'anic recitation is Al-Fatihah.

After Al-Fatihah, additional Qur'an is recited in the places prescribed in the prayer. As a beginner, you will gradually learn short surahs for this purpose.

But I do not know Al-Fatihah yet

This is one of the most important beginner questions.

If you became Muslim today and the next Salah arrives before you have memorized Al-Fatihah, do not decide that you must wait days or weeks before beginning to pray. Start learning Al-Fatihah immediately, but pray according to what you are genuinely able to do while you are learning.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave guidance to a man who said that he could not memorize anything from the Qur'an. He taught him words of remembrance of Allah that he could say instead.

Another authentic report teaches that if a person knows some Qur'an, they should recite what they know; if they do not, they should praise Allah, declare His greatness and affirm that none has the right to be worshipped except Him.

So what should you do for your next prayer? Learn and perform the physical sequence taught on this page. If you genuinely cannot yet recite Al-Fatihah or other Qur'an, use the remembrance above as temporary beginner guidance while actively learning Al-Fatihah. Do not treat the temporary substitute as a reason to delay learning the Qur'an recitation required for Salah.

Step 3 — Bow

Say:

Then move into ruku' — the bowing position.

Bow with your hands supported on your knees and your body settled into the bow.

In ruku', say:

A commonly taught Sunnah practice is to say this three times. Do not let counting become a source of anxiety.

Step 4 — Rise from bowing

This transition is different from the others.

When rising from ruku', the person praying alone — and the Imam when leading — says:

After standing upright, say:

Step 5 — Prostrate

Say Allāhu Akbar and move into sujood.

In prostration, the forehead and nose, hands, knees and toes are placed in the prescribed position.

Say:

A commonly taught Sunnah practice is to say this three times.

Step 6 — Sit briefly

Say Allāhu Akbar and rise into a sitting position between the two prostrations.

A simple supplication taught here is:

Step 7 — Prostrate again

Say Allāhu Akbar and make the second sujood.

Again say:

You have now completed one rak'ah.

Step 8 — Begin the next rak'ah

If the prayer continues, say Allāhu Akbar and stand for the next rak'ah.

You again recite Al-Fatihah and continue through the prayer sequence.

After two rak'ahs, there is an important sitting called the tashahhud.

The tashahhud

During the sitting, Muslims recite the testimony taught by the Prophet ﷺ:

What happens after two rak'ahs?

That depends on which prayer you are performing.

Rak'ahs 3 and 4

In the third and fourth rak'ahs of the obligatory prayers, Al-Fatihah is recited and the same bowing and prostration sequence continues.

After the final rak'ah, remain sitting for the final tashahhud and the concluding recitations.

The final sitting — what do I say?

After the final rak'ah, remain sitting. The final sitting brings several recitations together, so it helps to learn them in order.

1 — Recite the tashahhud

In the final sitting, recite the full tashahhud that you learned above. Do not skip it simply because the Salat Ibrahimiyyah comes next.

2 — Send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ

After the tashahhud in the final sitting, Muslims send blessings upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. A well-known form is:

3 — Make supplication before the taslim

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught an important supplication to say after the final tashahhud before ending the prayer. In it, you seek Allah's protection from four serious trials.

Step 9 — Finish the prayer

The prayer ends with the taslim.

Turn your head to the right and say:

Then turn to the left and say it again.

Your obligatory Salah is now complete.

What do I say after the obligatory Salah?

After the taslim, you may notice Muslims remain sitting and continue remembering Allah. These are adhkar after Salah. They come after the obligatory prayer has ended; they are not additional rak'ahs or another part of the obligatory Salah itself.

You do not need to memorize all of these on your first day. Begin with the first short remembrance and add the others gradually.

1 — Ask Allah's forgiveness three times

Then say:

2 — Recite Ayat al-Kursi

Another established remembrance after each obligatory prayer is Ayat al-Kursi — Qur'an 2:255.

A hadith from Abu Umamah رضي الله عنه reports that whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer has nothing preventing entry into Paradise except death.

3 — Glorify, praise and magnify Allah

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught remembrance after every prayer using these counts:

That makes 99. Complete 100 by saying once:

4 — Recite the protecting surahs

The Prophet ﷺ commanded recitation of the Mu'awwidhat after every prayer. These are the short closing surahs you will learn in the Qur'an section:

• Surah Al-Ikhlas — Surah 112
• Surah Al-Falaq — Surah 113
• Surah An-Nas — Surah 114

The whole prayer at a glance

The ending changes depending on whether the obligatory prayer has two, three or four rak'ahs. These separate flows make that distinction clear.

See the prayer sequence

This visual brings the positions and core recitations together on one page. Use it as an orientation guide while you learn the fuller instructions above.

What if I cannot stand?

Islam does not require a person to perform a physical position they are genuinely unable to perform.

The Prophet ﷺ gave guidance to pray standing if able, sitting if unable to stand, and with further accommodation when sitting is also not possible.

If disability, injury, dizziness, pregnancy, surgery or illness affects your prayer positions, get guidance for your actual abilities rather than hurting yourself trying to imitate a position you cannot safely maintain.

What if I lose track of the rak'ahs?

This happens even to experienced Muslims.

Islam has rulings for uncertainty and mistakes in Salah, including sujood as-sahw — prostrations related to forgetfulness.

You do not need to master those rules before learning your first prayer. If you make a mistake while learning, do not panic. Learn what happened and ask for guidance when needed.

If you are praying behind an Imam

The sequence is the same, but the Imam leads the congregation.

Follow him; do not move ahead of him.

If you cannot see him, listen for the transition cues:

• Allāhu Akbar usually signals movement to the next position.
• Samiʿ Allāhu liman ḥamidah signals that the Imam is rising from ruku'.

There are important differences in what a person praying behind the Imam recites during audible and quiet prayers. Those details vary in some respects among recognized schools and should be taught with the congregational-prayer guidance rather than guessed from what neighbouring worshippers appear to be doing.

A realistic way to learn this

Instead of trying to memorize everything at once:

1. Learn the movement sequence.
2. Learn Allāhu Akbar and the short phrases for ruku', standing and sujood.
3. Work steadily on Al-Fatihah.
4. Learn the tashahhud phrase by phrase.
5. Add the final blessings and supplications.

Practise outside prayer time as well. You can rehearse the sequence without pretending that the practice itself is an obligatory Salah.

Your next step

Keep this lesson available while you practise. Do not be embarrassed to need a guide.

Next we will make the daily schedule itself clear: when each of the five prayers begins and ends, and why those times move throughout the year.