Salah - The Daily Prayers

Define Salah

Prayer with and in worship of God, performed under conditions set by the prophet Muhammad

How many times a day must Sunni Muslims pray?

5

What times should Sunni Muslims pray?

Fajr - Just before sunrise

Zuhr - Just after midday

Asr - Afternoon

Maghrib - Just after sunset

Isha - Night

How are Shi’a Muslims prayer timings different?

Shi’a Muslims combine the midday prayer and the afternoon prayers, and the sunset and night prayers, so they only pray three times a day

Define Wudu

The ritual washing before prayer. It is done under running water rather than using a basin

Which direction must Muslims face when praying?

Towards the holy city of Makkah. They do this so that they are physically and mentally focusing on one place associated with God, in the same way that all Muslims should focus every part of their lives on Allah

Define Mihrab

A niche in a walk that indicates the direction of Makkah

What is the Qibla Wall?

The wall in the mosque that contains the mihrab

Define Rak’ah

A sequence of movements in ritual prayer

First step of Rak’ah

While standing, Muslims recite the first chapter of the Qur’an

Second step of Rak’ah

While bowing, Muslims say in Arabic “Glory tar to my Lord who is the very greatest” three times. The bowing position shows they believe God to be great.

Third step of Rak’ah

Returning to an upright position, they make a recitation praising God

Define Recitation

Repeating a passage of text from memory

Fourth step of Rak’ah

They then kneel with their forehead, noes a, hands, knees and toes touching the floor. This is called prostration and shows complete obedience to God. They recite “How perfect is my Lord the most high”.

Fifth step of Rak’ah

Muslims then sit while reciting “God id the greatest”, and after pausing for a few seconds, prostrate themselves once more while repeating “God is the greatest”.

Define Jummah Prayer

A weekly communal prayer performed after midday on Friday, which includes a sermon