How to pray

Before the prayer

Wudu, the key to prayer

Prayer begins with wudu. Tap a step to see where the water goes.

• 1Intention
• 2Hands
• 3Mouth
• 4Nose
• 5Face
• 6Arms
• 7Head and ears
• 8Feet

Tap a step above.

FardFour parts are fard: the face, the arms to the elbows, a quarter of the head, and the feet to the ankles. The rest is sunnah and gives the wudu its full reward.

Get ready

Five quick checks

Before you say the first takbir, tick these off.

FardThese are conditions of the prayer. The intention is in the heart, for example: I intend to pray the two rak'ahs of Fajr.

Rak'ah 1

Stand and begin

• Stand upright, eyes towards the place of prostration.
• Raise your hands and say Allahu akbar.
• Fold your hands, right over left.
• Say the opening supplication quietly, then seek refuge in Allah and say Bismillah.
• Recite al-Fatihah and a surah. Aloud if you are the imam in Fajr, Maghrib and Isha, quietly otherwise.

Brothers: thumbs level with the earlobes, then hands folded below the navel. Feet about a hand's span apart.

Sisters: hands raised to the shoulders, then folded on the chest. Feet together.

FardThe opening takbir, standing, and reciting at least one verse. Wajibal-Fatihah and a further surah in the first two rak'ahs. Sunnahthe opening supplication and the hand position.

Rak'ah 1

Bow, then rise

• Say Allahu akbar and bow.
• Keep your back level, so a small object resting on it would not roll off.
• Hands on the knees, fingers spread. Say the tasbih three times.
• Rise upright. Alone or as imam, say Sami'allahu liman hamidah. Everyone says Rabbana lakal-hamd.

FardThe bow itself. Wajibstaying calm long enough to say the tasbih once, and standing up before going down to prostrate.

Rak'ah 1

Prostrate

• Say Allahu akbar and go down: knees first, then hands, then nose and forehead.
• Seven parts touch the ground: forehead, both hands, both knees and the toes of both feet.
• Say the tasbih three times.
• Say Allahu akbar and sit up for a calm moment. You may say Allahumma ighfir li.
• Prostrate a second time the same way.

FardPlacing the forehead and the tip of the nose on the ground, two prostrations in every rak'ah.

Rak'ah 2

Rise and sit

• Rise saying Allahu akbar and pray the second rak'ah the same way.
• Start with Bismillah and al-Fatihah. You do not repeat the opening supplication.
• After the second prostration, sit.
• In a three or four rak'ah prayer, say the tashahhud only at this first sitting, then rise with takbir.

Brothers: sit on the left foot with the right foot upright.

Sisters: sit with both legs out to the right side.

WajibThe first sitting in prayers of three or four rak'ahs, and the tashahhud in both sittings.

The ending

Tashahhud and salam

• Sit and recite the tashahhud.
• In the last sitting, add the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ and a dua.
• Turn your face to the right and say the salam, then to the left.

FardThe final sitting, for as long as it takes to recite the tashahhud. Wajibthe salam to end the prayer.

After the salam

Remember Allah

• Say Astaghfirullah three times.
• Say the supplication of peace.
• Recite Ayat al-Kursi.
• Say SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu akbar 33 times, then complete the hundred with La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir.
• Raise your hands for your own dua, starting and ending with blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.