How to Pray — Step by Step

Once Wudu is done, the prayer time has entered, and you are facing the Qiblah, Salah follows a fixed sequence of positions. Each rak’ah (unit) repeats most of this sequence; the example below describes a single rak’ah.

1. Takbir — raise the hands and say “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) to begin the prayer.
2. Qiyam — stand and recite Al-Fatihah, followed in the first two rak’ahs by a portion of the Qur’an (see the next lesson for what is recited).
3. Ruku’ — bow with hands on the knees and back straight, saying “Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem” (Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent) at least once.
4. Qawmah — rise back to standing, saying “Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah” (Allah hears whoever praises Him), then “Rabbana wa lakal hamd” (Our Lord, praise be to You).
5. Sujood — prostrate with forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes touching the ground, saying “Subhana Rabbiyal A’la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) at least once.
6. Jalsah — sit briefly between the two prostrations.
7. Sujood (second prostration) — repeated as above.

This completes one rak’ah. The sequence then repeats for the remaining rak’ahs, with Tashahhud (a seated recitation) added after the second rak’ah, and again at the end of the prayer, followed by Salam — turning the head to the right and then the left, saying “As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah” (peace and mercy of Allah be upon you), which ends the prayer.

Reading this list is a starting point, not a substitute for watching and practising with someone who already prays, ideally alongside a teacher, until the movements and timing feel natural.