---
title: "Salah — The Muslim Prayer | Islam Is Mercy"
description: "Salah is the ritual prayer Muslims perform five times a day, facing Makkah. It is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam."
lang: en
url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/salah/
---

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3.  Salah — The Muslim Prayer

# Salah — The Muslim Prayer

Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review

## The short answer

Salah is the ritual prayer that Muslims perform five times every day — at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and night. It is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam and a direct, personal meeting with God.

## On this page

1.  Meaning
2.  How Muslims use it
3.  Example

**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.

[Qur'an, Taa-Haa 20:14](https://quran.com/20?startingVerse=14&translations=20)Saheeh International

## 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?](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-pray/) and [The Five Pillars of Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/five-pillars-of-islam/).

## Key takeaways

-   Salah is the formal prayer performed five times a day.
-   It includes standing, bowing and prostrating, facing the Kaaba in Makkah.
-   It is different from du'a, the personal prayer a Muslim can make at any time.

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## Sources

-   [Qur'an, Taa-Haa 20:14](https://quran.com/20?startingVerse=14&translations=20)

## Talk to a Muslim

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## Keep reading

[Becoming Muslim

### How to Pray: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

A simple, step-by-step guide to the Muslim prayer (salah) for beginners — from ablution to the final greeting — sticking to what Muslims agree on.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-pray/)[Start Here

### The Five Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam — faith, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage — explained simply: what they are, how Muslims practise them, and why.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/five-pillars-of-islam/)[Glossary

### Sawm — Fasting in Islam

Sawm is the Islamic fast: no food, drink or marital relations from dawn to sunset. Fasting in Ramadan is the fourth Pillar of Islam.

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