Salah — The Muslim Prayer

Salah (Arabic: الصلاة) is pronounced sa-LAAH. You may also see it written salat.

Meaning

Salah is the ritual prayer of Islam. Muslims pray five times a day: Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (midday), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (just after sunset) and Isha (night). Before praying, they wash in a set way called wudu, then face the Kaaba in Makkah and stand, bow, prostrate with their forehead on the ground and sit, reciting the Qur’an and praising God. When God called Moses, He told him the purpose of prayer:

إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِكْرِىٓ ﴿١٤﴾

Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.

How Muslims use it

Salah is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam and the first thing a new Muslim learns to practise. It can be prayed almost anywhere clean — at home, at work, in a park — though praying together in a mosque is especially rewarded. Muslims distinguish salah from du’a, the personal prayer or request a believer can make at any time, in any language.

Example

“Excuse me for ten minutes — it’s time for salah.”

To learn more, read How Do Muslims Pray? and The Five Pillars of Islam.