How to Pray in Islam
Ensure the area is clean and free of impurities., Face the Qibla., Pray at the proper time.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ensure the area is clean and free of impurities.
This includes your body, your clothes, and the place of prayer itself.
Perform Ablution if necessary.
You must be ritually pure before you go about praying.
If you're not, it's required to perform Wudu before you do.
If since your last prayer you have urinated, defecated, passed gas, bled excessively, fallen asleep lying down, leaned against something.
In case you vomited, passed seminal fluid, ejaculated or fainted, then you have to bathe in the Islamic way.
Make sure all of your necessary parts are covered.
The nakedness of a man is considered to be between the navel and the knees; for a woman, her entire body except the face and palms.
If you are praying in a masjid (mosque), which is preferred, enter quietly--other fellow Muslims might still be praying and you don't want to disturb them.
Stand in a free space away from the entrance/exit.
If you are unsure of the cleanliness of your area, spread a mat or cloth on the floor for good measure.
This mat (or prayer rug) is very important to Islamic culture. -
Step 2: Face the Qibla.
This is the direction all Muslims face to turn in prayer toward Kabah.
The Holy Mosque in Mecca is the most revered place of worship for Muslims around the entire world.
At the center of the mosque is the Ka'ba.
All Muslims are required to face the Ka'ba five times every day when offering their prayers. , The five prayers of each day take place at very specific times.
For each one, there is a brief period of time it can be performed, determined by the rising and falling of the sun.
Each salah takes about 5 to 10 minutes from start to finish, but should never be hurried.The five prayers are Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.
They are at dawn, immediately after noon, in the mid-afternoon, at sunset, and at night, respectively.
They are not at the same time each day as they are timed by the sun, which changes path throughout the seasons.
These are the amount of rakat (rounds, more or less) for each of the 5 salah:
Fajr
- i) First two rakat Sunnah Mo'akadda, ii) Two rakat Fard Zuhr
- i) Four rakat Sunnah Mo'akadda, ii) Four rakat Fard, iii) Two rakat Sunnah Mo'akadda, iv) Two rakat Nafl (Optional but spiritually beneficial) Asr
- i) Four rakat sunnah ghair mo'akadda (Optional but spiritually beneficial), ii) Four rakat Fard Maghrib
- i) Three rakat Fard, ii) Two rakat Sunnat Mo'akadda, iii) Two rakat nafl (Optional but spiritually beneficial) Isha
- i) Four rakat sunhat e Ghair Mokadda (Optional but spiritually beneficial), ii) Four rakat Fard, iii) Two Rakat Sunnat Mokadda, iv) Two rakat Nafil (Optional but spiritually beneficial), v) Three rakat Wajib, vi) Two rakat Nafil (Optional but spiritually beneficial) -
Step 3: Pray at the proper time.
Detailed Guide
This includes your body, your clothes, and the place of prayer itself.
Perform Ablution if necessary.
You must be ritually pure before you go about praying.
If you're not, it's required to perform Wudu before you do.
If since your last prayer you have urinated, defecated, passed gas, bled excessively, fallen asleep lying down, leaned against something.
In case you vomited, passed seminal fluid, ejaculated or fainted, then you have to bathe in the Islamic way.
Make sure all of your necessary parts are covered.
The nakedness of a man is considered to be between the navel and the knees; for a woman, her entire body except the face and palms.
If you are praying in a masjid (mosque), which is preferred, enter quietly--other fellow Muslims might still be praying and you don't want to disturb them.
Stand in a free space away from the entrance/exit.
If you are unsure of the cleanliness of your area, spread a mat or cloth on the floor for good measure.
This mat (or prayer rug) is very important to Islamic culture.
This is the direction all Muslims face to turn in prayer toward Kabah.
The Holy Mosque in Mecca is the most revered place of worship for Muslims around the entire world.
At the center of the mosque is the Ka'ba.
All Muslims are required to face the Ka'ba five times every day when offering their prayers. , The five prayers of each day take place at very specific times.
For each one, there is a brief period of time it can be performed, determined by the rising and falling of the sun.
Each salah takes about 5 to 10 minutes from start to finish, but should never be hurried.The five prayers are Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.
They are at dawn, immediately after noon, in the mid-afternoon, at sunset, and at night, respectively.
They are not at the same time each day as they are timed by the sun, which changes path throughout the seasons.
These are the amount of rakat (rounds, more or less) for each of the 5 salah:
Fajr
- i) First two rakat Sunnah Mo'akadda, ii) Two rakat Fard Zuhr
- i) Four rakat Sunnah Mo'akadda, ii) Four rakat Fard, iii) Two rakat Sunnah Mo'akadda, iv) Two rakat Nafl (Optional but spiritually beneficial) Asr
- i) Four rakat sunnah ghair mo'akadda (Optional but spiritually beneficial), ii) Four rakat Fard Maghrib
- i) Three rakat Fard, ii) Two rakat Sunnat Mo'akadda, iii) Two rakat nafl (Optional but spiritually beneficial) Isha
- i) Four rakat sunhat e Ghair Mokadda (Optional but spiritually beneficial), ii) Four rakat Fard, iii) Two Rakat Sunnat Mokadda, iv) Two rakat Nafil (Optional but spiritually beneficial), v) Three rakat Wajib, vi) Two rakat Nafil (Optional but spiritually beneficial)
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Gloria Kennedy
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