Prayer 5 min read
Muslims pray five times a day: Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha. Each prayer is made of units called rak'ahs (cycles), and every rak'ah follows the same basic steps. This guide explains the order so that a beginner can follow it with confidence. The four schools of law agree on the main shape of the prayer and differ only in some details, which are mentioned briefly below.
Allah says that prayer is prescribed for the believers at fixed times (Quran 4:103). The Prophet ﷺ taught that these are five prayers in every day and night (Sahih al-Bukhari 46; Sahih Muslim 11). They are Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (midday), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (just after sunset) and Isha (night).
The number of obligatory (fard) rak'ahs in each prayer is:
Prepare yourself first. You need to be in wudu (ablution), because the Prophet ﷺ said that Allah does not accept the prayer of a person who has broken their wudu until they perform it again (Sahih al-Bukhari 135). You also need clean clothes that cover the body properly, a clean place to stand, and to face the Qibla (the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah).
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Pray as you have seen me praying" (Sahih al-Bukhari 631). So it helps to learn the steps slowly and exactly.
Follow these steps in order. The first two apply only at the start of the prayer.
Now you have finished one rak'ah. Stand up for the next one, or move to the ending if this was the last.
After the second rak'ah of any prayer you sit and recite the tashahhud. This is the greeting to Allah that includes the testimony of faith (Sahih Muslim 402). In a prayer of three or four rak'ahs you then stand and complete the rest, and in these later rak'ahs it is enough to recite only al-Fatihah, as the Prophet ﷺ did (Sahih al-Bukhari 776).
In the final sitting you also send blessings on Prophet Muhammad ﷺ after the tashahhud. Scholars differ on whether this is a pillar or a sunnah. Then you end the prayer with the taslim. Turn your head to the right and say Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah (peace and mercy of Allah be upon you). Do the same to the left (Sahih Muslim 582).
The most important mistake to avoid is rushing. The Prophet ﷺ told a man who prayed hastily, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed", and taught him to be calm and still in each part of the prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 757). Be still for a moment in each position.
If you are unsure what to do after a mistake in the prayer, ask a qualified local scholar. Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear (Quran 2:286).
General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.
Updated 7 October 2026
There are 17 in total: 2 in Fajr, 4 in Dhuhr, 4 in Asr, 3 in Maghrib and 4 in Isha. Many Muslims also pray extra voluntary (sunnah) prayers, which are not counted here.
Scholars hold that the Quran recited in the prayer, and the words of the prayer, are in Arabic. If you are new and still learning, start with the short parts and ask a qualified teacher or scholar what to say while you learn. In the meantime, the Prophet ﷺ taught a man who could not yet learn any Quran to say "SubhanAllah, wal-hamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illa Allah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (Sunan Abi Dawud 832).
