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Lesson 3 of 5
How to pray
The prayer, slowly and simply.
Muslims pray five times a day, facing the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca (the Qibla). Each prayer is made up of units called rak’ahs. Fajr has 2, Maghrib has 3, and Zuhr, Asr and Isha each have 4.
| Prayer | Arabic | When |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | الفجر | Dawn — before sunrise |
| Zuhr | الظهر | Midday — after the sun passes its peak |
| Asr | العصر | Afternoon |
| Maghrib | المغرب | Just after sunset |
| Isha | العشاء | Night |
Times vary by location. A prayer timetable app such as Muslim Pro shows your local times.
To find your Qibla direction, visit qibla.msafran.com.
In the Qur’an
أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا
Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’ān [i.e., recitation] of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.
حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ
Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle [i.e., ʿaṣr] prayer and stand before Allāh, devoutly obedient.
Grounded with quran.ai: fetch_translation(17:78, en-sahih-international); fetch_translation(2:238, en-sahih-international)
Step by step
Putting it together: 2, 3 and 4 rak’ahs
The steps above are one rak’ah — one full cycle. A prayer is that cycle repeated. Here is what each prayer length looks like:
One rak’ah is one full cycle of the steps above:
Stand & recite
Bow
Rise
Prostrate
Sit
Prostrate
2 rak’ahs · Fajr
| 1 Rak’ah 1 | |
|---|---|
| 2 Rak’ah 2 | |
| Finish |  Final sitting (Tashahhud) Salam |
3 rak’ahs · Maghrib
| 1 Rak’ah 1 | |
|---|---|
| 2 Rak’ah 2 | |
| Sit | Sit for the first Tashahhud, then rise |
| 3 Rak’ah 3 | |
| Finish | Final sitting (Tashahhud)Salam |
4 rak’ahs · Zuhr, Asr & Isha
| 1 Rak’ah 1 | |
|---|---|
| 2 Rak’ah 2 | |
| Sit | Sit for the first Tashahhud, then rise |
| 3 Rak’ah 3 | |
| 4 Rak’ah 4 | |
| Finish | Final sitting (Tashahhud)Salam |
This is the common shape of each prayer. In the third and fourth rak’ahs only al-Fatiha is recited, and a scholar at your local mosque can guide the finer points.