Salah Guide
A complete, source-linked guide to the essential prayer sequence and recitations.
Before Salah
Prayer begins with sincere intention in the heart. Face the Qiblah, ensure the prayer time has begun, and prepare with purity according to your school/teacher. There is no need to invent a fixed Arabic intention formula.
Opening Takbir
Raise the hands as established in the Sunnah and say:
Opening Supplication (Sana)
After the opening takbir, one established opening supplication is:
Ta‘awwudh
Before Qur’an recitation, seek refuge from Shaytan:
Bismillah
Begin the recitation of the surah with:
Surah Al-Fatihah
Recite Al-Fatihah completely. It is an essential part of the prayer.
Amin and Additional Qur’an
After Al-Fatihah, say Amin. In the first two rak‘ahs, recite additional Qur’an according to the established practice and your school/teacher.
Ruku‘
Say Allahu Akbar while moving into bowing, settle calmly, and recite:
Rising from Ruku‘
Rise calmly and say:
Standing after Ruku‘
While standing, say:
First Sujood
Say Allahu Akbar while going down. Prostrate on the prescribed seven body parts and say:
Sitting between Two Sujoods
Sit calmly and say:
Second Sujood
Perform the second prostration and repeat the sujood dhikr.
Next Rak‘ah
Stand for the next rak‘ah with Allahu Akbar. Repeat the recitation sequence. In later rak‘ahs, the recitation pattern differs by prayer and school; follow a qualified teacher for those details.
Tashahhud
At the appropriate sitting, recite the complete Tashahhud:
Durood Ibrahim
In the final sitting, after Tashahhud, recite the established Durood Ibrahim:
Dua before Salam
After Tashahhud and Durood, make a proven supplication. One authentic example is seeking refuge from four things:
Salam
Turn to the right and left and conclude the prayer with the established salam.
After Salah
After the obligatory prayer, say Astaghfirullah three times and the established peace supplication, then continue with authentic adhkar.
Post-Salah Du‘a
A further authentic supplication after each prescribed prayer is:
Rak‘ah structure at a glance
These are the obligatory fard rak‘ahs of the five daily prayers. Sunnah, nafl and witr details can vary by school and should be learned from a qualified teacher.