How to pray: step by step

The prayer has a precise order taught by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). A man who prayed badly came to ask him how to pray; his answer is the basic description of every prayer:

When you stand up for the prayer, say Allahu akbar, then recite what you can of the Quran. Then bow until you are calm in the bowing, rise until you stand upright, then prostrate until you are calm in the prostration, rise until you are calm sitting, and do so throughout your prayer.

al-Bukhari 724, Muslim 397

The order of the acts in prayer is a pillar

The jurists teach that the order of the pillars belongs to the prayer itself: whoever prostrates deliberately before bowing invalidates his prayer by consensus, for he plays with the rite. Whoever forgets must go back: bow then prostrate, for the Prophet prayed in this order and said: "pray as you have seen me pray".

Bowing and prostration in prayer

Bowing and prostration are pillars by consensus, as indicated by Allah's words: "bow and prostrate" (22:77). For prostration, the Prophet specified:

I have been commanded to prostrate on 7 bones: the forehead (and he pointed to his nose), the 2 hands, the 2 knees and the tips of the 2 feet.

al-Bukhari 776, Muslim 490

Stillness in every position of the prayer

The Shafi'is, the Hanbalis and Abu Yusuf among the Hanafis make stillness (tuma'nina) a pillar, based on the hadith above. The Malikis hold that a brief stillness of the limbs suffices; the Hanbalis accept an instant of stability, and another opinion ties it to the obligatory dhikr of each position.

How many rakas in each prayer?

The 5 obligatory prayers have a fixed, consensual composition: the fajr is made of 2 rakas, the dhuhr of 4, the 'asr of 4, the maghrib of 3 and the 'isha of 4. To these obligatory rakas are added the sunna prayers surrounding them: 2 rakas before the fajr, 4 before the dhuhr and 2 after, 2 after the maghrib, 2 after the 'isha, and the witr at night; the page on supererogatory prayers details them.

Step by step, with the words

Prayer is learned by imitation: "pray as you have seen me pray" (reported by al-Bukhari). Here is the course of a 2-raka prayer, with the words transcribed; the tashahhud and the prayer upon the Prophet that conclude every prayer are developed with their full wordings in the page devoted to them.

• The intention is made in the heart. Facing the qibla, raise your hands and say: "Allahou akbar".
• Opening: "Soubhanaka Allahoumma wa bihamdika, wa tabaraka smouka, wa ta'ala jaddouka, wa la ilaha ghayrouka", glory to You, O Allah, and with Your praise; blessed is Your name, exalted Your greatness, no deity besides You (reported by Abu Dawud).
• Seek refuge: "A'oudhou billahi mina ch-chaytani r-rajim", then recite the Fatiha and say "Amine".
• Recite what you can of the Quran.
• Bowing: say "Allahou akbar", bow with a flat back, and say 3 times "Soubhana rabbiya l-'azim", glory to my Lord the Most High (reported by Muslim).
• Rise saying "Sami'a Allahou liman hamidah", Allah hears the one who praises Him, then standing: "Rabbana lakal hamd", our Lord, to You is the praise; the Prophet combined the 2 (reported by al-Bukhari).
• Prostration: say "Allahou akbar", place forehead, nose, hands, knees and toes, and say 3 times "Soubhana rabbiya l-a'la", glory to my Lord the Most Exalted (reported by Muslim).
• Sit calmly, then prostrate a second time the same way.
• For the next raka, rise saying "Allahou akbar" and repeat the course; in a prayer of more than 2 rakas you rise after the intermediate tashahhud for the following raka.
• At the final sitting, complete the tashahhud, add the prayer upon the Prophet and a supplication, then greet: "As-salamou 'alaykoum wa rahmatoullah", to the right then to the left (reported by Muslim).

Practical note on praying step by step

Slow down: most prayer faults come from haste. Take a moment of calm in each position, place the 7 members on the ground without pressing, and check that your recitation, bowing and prostration follow the order learned from the Prophet.