← All guides
How to pray: step by step
This guide walks you through a 2-rak‘ah prayer, like Fajr. Every prayer is built from the same steps.
Before you start: make wudu, wear clean clothes that cover you properly, stand on a clean place, and face the Qibla.
1. Intention and “Allahu Akbar”
Intend in your heart which prayer you are praying. Raise your hands to your ears (or shoulders) and say:
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُAllāhu Akbar“Allah is the Greatest.”
Place your hands on your chest or stomach, right hand over left.
2. Standing: recite Al-Fatiha
Recite the opening chapter of the Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha. Every rak‘ah needs it.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣﴾ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٤﴾ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴿٥﴾ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ﴿٧﴾
Bismillāhir-raḥmānir-raḥīm. Al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbil-‘ālamīn. Ar-raḥmānir-raḥīm. Māliki yawmid-dīn. Iyyāka na‘budu wa iyyāka nasta‘īn. Ihdinaṣ-ṣirāṭal-mustaqīm. Ṣirāṭal-ladhīna an‘amta ‘alayhim, ghayril-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim wa laḍ-ḍāllīn.
“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path: the path of those You have blessed, not of those who earned anger, nor of those who went astray.”
Say “Āmīn” at the end. In the first two rak‘ahs, then recite any other short part of the Quran, for example Surah Al-Ikhlas.
3. Bowing (ruku‘)
Say “Allāhu Akbar” and bow, with hands on your knees and back straight. Say three times:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِSubḥāna rabbiyal-‘aẓīm“Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great.”
4. Standing up again
Rise and say:
سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ ، رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُSami‘allāhu liman ḥamidah. Rabbanā wa lakal-ḥamd.“Allah hears the one who praises Him. Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.”
5. Prostration (sujud)
Say “Allāhu Akbar” and go down: forehead and nose, both palms, both knees and toes touch the ground. Say three times:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَىٰSubḥāna rabbiyal-a‘lā“Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.”
6. Sit, then prostrate again
Say “Allāhu Akbar” and sit up briefly. You may say “Rabbighfir lī” (“My Lord, forgive me”). Then say “Allāhu Akbar” and make a second prostration, the same as the first.
That completes one rak‘ah. Stand up with “Allāhu Akbar” and repeat steps 2 to 6 for the second rak‘ah.
7. Sitting: tashahhud
After the second prostration of the second rak‘ah, stay sitting and recite the tashahhud:
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَىٰ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
At-taḥiyyātu lillāhi waṣ-ṣalawātu waṭ-ṭayyibāt. As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh. As-salāmu ‘alaynā wa ‘alā ‘ibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn. Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāh, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ‘abduhū wa rasūluh.
“All greetings, prayers and good things are for Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
In the final sitting, also send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ (the Salat al-Ibrahimiyyah), which you can learn from your local mosque or a prayer book.
8. Ending the prayer (taslim)
Turn your head to the right, then to the left, saying each time:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِAs-salāmu ‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāh“Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.”
Prayers with 3 or 4 rak‘ahs
For Maghrib (3) and Dhuhr, Asr and Isha (4): after the tashahhud in the second rak‘ah, stand up and pray the remaining rak‘ahs. In these extra rak‘ahs you recite only Al-Fatiha. Then sit for the final tashahhud and end with taslim.
Just starting? It is normal to read from a card or phone while you learn. Allah rewards your effort. Keep going, and it will become easy.