The morning prayer (Al-Fajr)
The noon prayer (Al-Zohr)
The afternoon prayer (Al-'Asr)
The sunset prayer (Al-Maghrib)
The after-sunset prayer (Al-'Ashaa')
HOW TO PERFORM PRAYERS Prayers begin with the intention to perform them. Intention should not be expressed in words, for its place is in the heart.

The worshipper should face the Qibla (niche) with the inward resolve to perform the prayers. then he has to raise his hands on both sides of the face saying "Allahu Akbar".
Then he should put the right hand on the left one and recite the "Fatiha" and a short Chapter of the Quran, or some of its verses.
The hands are again to be raised on both sides of the face and the words "Allahu Akbar" should be uttered as the worshipper prepares to bow. When he straightens himself up after the bow, he should again raise his hands on both sides of the face and say: "Allah listens to whoever thanks Him", followed by "Our Lord, thanks be to Thee".
The bow should be from the hips, so that the back would be in straight horizontal posture. the hands are placed, fingers spread on the knees and upper parts of the legs. The worshipper silently repeats three times "Glory be to my Lord, the Great".
Saying "Allahu Akbar", the worshipper genuflects, bending his knees before his hands.
Then the worshipper prostrates himself twice, with his nose and forehead placed on the ground between the palms of his hands.
While prostrating himself in prayer, the worshipper should straddle his hands and thighs, pointing the fingers and toes towards the Qibla. The worshipper repeats three times, "Glory be to my Lord, the Highest".
Between the two prostrations, the worshipper should sit upright, saying "Allahu Akbar", putting his hands on his thighs near the knees.
When seated to recite "Al-Tashahood" (testimony), the worshipper, in the first sitting, should sit with the right foot upright and the left foot flat under him. In the second sitting of the final rak'ah, he should put his left foot under his right leg, sitting on the latter and supporting himself on his bottom. This posture is known as "Tawarrok". During the recital of "Al-Tashahood", when the worshipper says, "I bear witness that there is no God except Allah", he should raise the forefinger of the right hand.
Then the worshipper should turn his head to the right, until his right cheekbone may be seen, and say "Assalmu Alaykom Wa Rahmatullah".
He should then turn his head to the left, until his left cheekbone may be seen, and say again, "Assalmu Alaykom Wa Rahmatullah".
The Significance of Prayer Prayer helps man to realize the Divine in him, and that realization not only urges him to do disinterested service for humanity but also makes him attain the highest degree of moral and spiritual perfection. In the Holy Quran prayer is frequently mentioned along with Zakah or charity; the two are considered the manifestation of piety most loved by God. Prayer is also the means of levelling all differences of rank, color and nationality, and the means of bringing about a cohesion and unity among men. Prayer is made an institution by Islam. It was not left to individual choice to resort to prayer when and how one liked. It is made as purification of the mind, and this is attained by resorting to the remembrance of God time after time in the midst of one's worldly pursuits. The times of prayer are fixed by Divine ordinance. The language of prayer is Arabic. The bond of a common language is one of the greatest factors toward unification, and this bond Islam has established by the use of a common language at the Divine Service. This language could be none other than Arabic, the language of the Holy Quran. Moreover, it is very difficult to convey God's words with their full significance in a translation. Prayer should be performed with concentrated attention.

The Conditions of Its Prescription

 Islam
 Sanity of Reason
 Adolescence
 The freedom of women from menstruation and confinement

The Conditions of Its Validity The prayer cannot be be valid unless the following conditions are fulfilled:

 The purification of the body, the clothes, and the place from pollution or defilement
 The dress worn should fulfill the legal regulations which aim at the covering of private parts. This means that for men the body must be covered from the navel to the knees. For women the whole body, except the face, hands and feet.
 The ablution
 The intention
 Facing the "Qiblah" or the direction of the Ka'bah' at Mecca. This can be known inside the Mosques by what is called "Mehrab" which indicates the right direction; by adjusting one's compass by these "Mehrabs", or by the sun, since from it we know the direction of the East and the West, and once these are fixed we can know the North and the South. In this way people anywhere can adjust themselves to face the correct direction.

The Times of Prayers Each prayer has a fixed time. If it is performed before this time it will not be valid. The prayer can be delayed after its time for legal reason. (See how the prayer is made up later).

For accurate knowledge of the times of the five prayers, there are calendars computed in the Islamic countries according to their local times. These calendars are based on the following basis:

 The time of the morning prayer begins when the dawn is bright and lasts until the sun brightens.
 The time of the noon prayer begins when the sun is declining from the meridian and ends when a shadow of an object is the exact length of this object.
 The time of afternoon prayer is from the end of the noon prayer time till sunset.
 The time of the sunset prayer is directly after sunset until the redness in the horizon disappears.
 The time of after-sunset prayer is fromt he time of the disappearance of the redness in the horizon until the beginning of the morning prayer, i.e. till the dawn is bright.

These times are computed exactly by hours and minutes in the calendars. Roughly speaking, the times of the sunset and sunrise can be known from the daily newspapers; according to this we can know when the morning and sunset prayers are to be performed. For example, in Washington, D.C, the noon prayer time begins from 12:00 noon in the winter time. The time of afternoon prayer begins from 3:00 pm in the winter time. The after sunset prayer is about two hours after the setting of the sun. (In other places or cities the differences of time should be observed.) See the Muslim Prayer page to find prayer times for your area

Remember that it is preferable to perform the prayers at the beginning of their own times, and that it is abominable to commence the prayer purposely when the sun is setting or when it is rising.

The Essential Memorized Recitations for Prayer The following things should be memorized and said in their Arabic original in the prayer. They are given here transliterated and translated:

AL-FATIHA - The opening chapter of the Quran:
Bismellahi-r-rahmani-r-raheem
Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbel-alameen
Ar-rahmani-r-Raheem
Maliki yawmi-d-deen
Iyyaka na'abudoo wa-Iyyaka nasta-'ain
Ihdina-s-siratal-motaqeem
Seratal-lathina an-'amta 'alayhim ghair-el-maghdoobi 'alaihim walad-dalleen
This means:

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.
Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
Show us the straight way.
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose portion is not wrath, and who go not astray.
Short suras, i.e., chapters of the Holy Quran or some verses thereof. We give here two short suras as examples:
Sura of 'Asr (chapter CIII)
Bismillah-r-Rahman-r-Raheem

Wal-'asr
Inna-l-insana lafee khosr
Illa-l-latheena aamanoo wa-'amilo-s-saalihaati wa-tawasaw bel-haqqi wa twasaw be-s-sabr
This sura bears this meaning:

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

By (the token of) time (through the ages)
Verily Man is in loss
Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of Patience and Constancy.
Sura of Iklas (chapter CXII)
Bismillah-r-Rahman-r-Raheem

Qul howAl-lahoo Ahad
Allahoo-s-Samad
Lam yalid walam yoolad
Walam yakon lahaoo kofwan abad
The meaning:

In the name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Say: He is God, the One and Only
God, the Eternal, Absolute
He begets not, nor is He begotten
And there is none like unto Him.
The Performance of Prayer To perform prayer, one should purify his garments, body and the place of prayer, perform ablution, face towards the Qiblah, i.e., the direction of Mecca. Then, he should proclaim the intentions that the proposed act is for purposes of worship, and the kind of prayer he is about to perform. The intention can be delivered secretly or in a low voice.

1. The MORNING Prayer "Salat al-Sobh"
Posture 1 One stands in a reverent way, with the palms of his hands raised to the ears, and says in a low voice: "Allahu Akbar" which means "God is the Greater than all."
 
Posture 2 Still standing, the arms are lowered and the right hand placed over the left one.

He reads in a low or audible voice Al-Fatiha which we have mentioned above.

He then recites in the same voice a portion of the Quran, either a short sura as one of those we have mentioned before or other verses or suras.
 
Posture 3
(Ruku)
 He says "Allahu Akbar".

His body is bent forward at right angles, the hands are lowered and placed on the knees, he says in a low voice: "Sobhana rabbiya-al 'azeem" which means "Glory to my Lord, the Exalted". (Repeated thrice or more).
 
Posture 4 The standing position is resumed saying: "Sami-'a-al-lahu liman hamidah" which means: "God accepts him who is grateful to Him".
 
Posture 5
(Sujud)
 He kneels down, his body lowered over, supported with the hands on the ground, palms downwards, his head lowered so that his brows touch the ground.

He then says "Sobhana Rabbi-yal a'alaa" which means "Glory to my Lord, the Most High". (Repeated thrice or more).
 
Posture 6 A sitting-kneeling position follows with the hands resting on the knees, saying "Allahu Akbar".
 
Posture 7 A bow will be repeated once more saying "Allahu akbar" with the same words which were said in the first bow.
 

 This concludes the first item of the devotion, and is called a Rak'ah. Prayers are some of two, some of three, some of four Rak'ahs.
 After the first Rak'ah in the morning prayer, the worshipper will perform another one reciting a portion from the Quran after Al-Fatiha other than that which was recited in the first Rak'ah.
 After finishing the last Rak'ah, the worshipper sits down in a sitting kneeling position reciting in a low voice "At-tashahhood" with its two parts. (see below)
 Finally he turns his head to the right with the Greeting: "As-salamu 'alaykom wa rahmatullah" which means "peace be with you and the mercy of God". Then he turns his head to the left with the same greeting.

2. The NOON Prayer (Four Rak'ahs)
 He performs two Rak'ahs just as he does in the morning prayer.
 He recites the Al-Fatiha and the portion of the Quran after it in a low voice.
 After the second Rak'ah, he sits down and recites the first part of At-tashahhood.
 He resumes standing, performing another two Rak'ahs without rectiing the portions from the Quran after Al-Fatiha in these last two Rak'ahs.
 After the fourth Rak'ah, he sits down and recites At-tashahhood with its two parts.
 Then, finally he makes the Greeting.

3. The AFTERNOON Prayer (Four Rak'ahs)
 Just like the Noon Prayer

4. The SUNSET Prayer (Three Rak'ahs)
 Just as the Noon or Afternoon Prayer, except that the fourth Rak'ah is excluded;
 Al-Fatiha and the portion of the Quran recited after it in the first two Rak'ahs can be said in a low or audible voice.

5. The AFTER-SUNSET Prayer (Four Rak'ahs)
 Just like the Noon or Afternoon Prayer except that Al-Fatiha and the portion of the Quran recited after it in the first two Rak'ahs can be said in a low or audible voice.

At-Tashahhood (it is a religious call, not Quran)
The first part:

Attahiyyatu-lillahi wa-s-salawatu wa-t-tayyibat.

Assalamu 'alayka ayyoha-n-nabiyyu wa rahmatu-l-laahi wa barakaatoh.

Assalamu 'alayna wa-'alaa 'abadi-l-laah-s-saaliheen.

Ashhadoo alla ilaaha illa-l-laah wahdahoo la shareeka lah wa ash-hadu anna sayyidana Mohammadan 'abduhoo wa-rasooloh.

The second part:

Allahomma salli 'alaa sayyidina Mohammad wa 'alaa aali sayyidina Mohammad -- Kamaa sallayta 'alaa sayyidina Ibraheem wa 'alaa aali sayyidinda Ibraheem.

Wa baarik'ala sayyidina Mohammad wa 'ala aali sayyidina Mohammad -- Kama baarakta 'ala sayyidina Ibraheem wa 'alaa aali sayyinad Ibraheem -- fi'l'aalameena innaka hamidun majeed.

The meaning of the first part:

All services rendered by words and bodily actions are due to God.

Peace be to thee O Prophet, and the mercy of God and His blessings.

Peace be to us and the righteous servants of God.

I bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped but God, and I bear witness that Mohammad is His servant and His Messenger.

The meaning of the second part:

O God! Exalt Mohammad and the true followers of Mohammad as thou didst exalt Abraham and the true followers of Abraham.

O God! Bless Mohammad and the true followers of Mohammad as Thou didst bless Abraham and the true followers of Abraham, for Thou art Praised, Magnified.