How to pray Salah: learn the sequence

Sources

Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.

1. 1

   Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that a man prayed in the mosque, greeted the Prophet, and was told three times to go back and pray because he had not prayed; the man asked to be taught, and the Prophet told him: when you stand for prayer, say takbir, then recite what you know of the Quran, then bow until at ease, rise until standing straight, prostrate until at ease, sit until at ease, and do the same in all his prayers.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 757 Book 10, Hadith 151

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

2. 2

   Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that a man prayed in the mosque and was told more than once to go back and pray because he had not prayed; asked to be taught, the Prophet said: when you stand for prayer, perform wudu well, face the qibla, say takbir, recite what is easy of the Quran, bow until at ease, rise until standing straight, prostrate until at ease, sit until at ease, prostrate again until at ease, sit until at ease, and do the same throughout the prayer.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 6251 Book 79, Hadith 25

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

3. 3

   Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, sending the young men who had stayed with him for twenty days back to their families, told them to teach their families and order them to do good, and added: pray as you have seen me praying, and when the time for prayer comes, one of you should call the adhan and the eldest of you should lead.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 631 Book 10, Hadith 28

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

4. 4

   Two Followers (named in the notes) reported that Abu Hurayrah used to say takbir in every prayer, obligatory or voluntary: on standing, on bowing; then sami'a Allahu liman hamidah, then rabbana wa laka l-hamd before prostrating; then 'Allahu akbar' on going down to prostrate, and takbir on raising the head, on the second prostration, on raising the head again, and on standing from the sitting after two rak'ahs, doing the same in every rak'ah; and he said that his prayer was the closest in resemblance to the Prophet's, and that this was his prayer until he left the world.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 803 Book 10, Hadith 198

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

5. 5

   Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet raised his hands to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer, when saying takbir for bowing, and when raising his head from bowing (saying sami'a Allahu liman hamidah, rabbana wa laka l-hamd), and did not do so in prostration.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 735 Book 10, Hadith 129

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

6. 6

   Sahl ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, said that people were ordered to place the right hand on the left forearm in the prayer; Abu Hazim said he knew the order was from the Prophet.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 740 Book 10, Hadith 134

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

7. 7

   The Prophet said there is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fatihat al-Kitab).

   Sahih al-Bukhari 756 Book 10, Hadith 150

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

8. 8

   When the imam says ghayri l-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin, say Amin; whoever's Amin matches the angels' is forgiven.

   Sahih al-Bukhari 782 Book 10, Hadith 177

   Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

9. 9

   Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported praying one night behind the Prophet, who recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa' and Al 'Imran slowly, glorifying at verses of glory, asking at verses of asking and seeking protection at verses of protection, then bowed saying 'Glory be to my Mighty Lord' for about as long as he had stood, rose saying sami'a Allahu liman hamidah and stood about as long, then prostrated saying 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most High' for about as long.

   Sahih Muslim 772 Book 6, Hadith 242

   Authentic: in Sahih Muslim

10. 10

    Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi, may Allah be pleased with him, among companions discussing the Prophet's prayer, described it: hands level with the shoulders at the takbir; in bowing, the hands set firmly on the knees and the back bent level; on rising, standing until every vertebra returned to its place; in prostration, the hands placed neither spread out nor clutched in, with the toes of the feet facing the qibla; in the sitting after the two rak'ahs, sitting on the left foot with the right foot upright; in the last rak'ah, the left foot brought forward, the other upright, sitting on the seat.

    Sahih al-Bukhari 828 Book 10, Hadith 222

    Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

11. 11

    Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said: 'I was ordered to prostrate on seven bones', the forehead (he pointed to his nose with his hand), the hands, the knees and the ends of the feet, 'and we do not gather (wa la nakfita) the clothes or the hair'.

    Sahih al-Bukhari 812 Book 10, Hadith 207

    Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

12. 12

    'Amir ibn Sa'd reported from his father, Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to see the Prophet give the salam to his right and to his left.

    Sahih Muslim 582 Book 5, Hadith 153

    Authentic: in Sahih Muslim

13. 13

    'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, mother of the believers, said that when Allah made the prayer obligatory it was two rak'ahs in residence and while travelling; the prayer while travelling stayed as it was and the prayer of the resident was increased.

    Sahih al-Bukhari 350 Book 8, Hadith 2

    Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

14. 14

    In Zuhr the Prophet recited Umm al-Kitab with another surah in the first two rakahs, and Umm al-Kitab in the last two.

    Sahih al-Bukhari 776 Book 10, Hadith 171

    Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari

15. 15

    Al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah (Hanafi): the hands are raised with the opening takbir to the earlobes (al-Shafi'i, he notes, raises them to the shoulders); the right hand is placed on the left below the navel; the basmala is recited in a low voice, with the ta'awwudh, and not aloud (al-Shafi'i recites it aloud in aloud prayers); the imam and the follower say amin after the Fatihah, in a low voice; the hands are raised only at the first takbir, not in bowing or on rising from it (against al-Shafi'i); the sitting after the second rak'ah is on the left foot with the right foot upright, and the last sitting is done as the first (against Malik's sitting on the hip); the prayer ends with the salam to the right and to the left. On the Fatihah: the Fatihah and a surah (or three verses) are recited, and the Fatihah is not fixed as a pillar for the Hanafis, who still call the Fatihah and the surah necessary (wajib). On rising from bowing: the imam says sami'a Allahu liman hamidah and not rabbana wa laka l-hamd (Abu Hanifa; his two companions have him say it to himself), the follower says rabbana laka l-hamd, and the one praying alone says both.

    al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah 1/48 to 1/54 Record: scholarly-salah-hanafi. Read on shamela.ws.

16. 16

    Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin (Shafi'i): the intention is in the heart, and saying it aloud before the takbir is recommended; the hands are raised to the level of the shoulders at the opening takbir, in bowing and on rising from bowing; the basmala is part of the Fatihah, which is recited in every rak'ah; amin after the Fatihah is sunnah, said with the imam's amin and aloud (in the more correct view); the first sitting is iftirash and the last is tawarruk; the longer salam is 'al-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah' twice, right then left; the hands are placed under the chest, right holding left. After rising from bowing the worshipper says sami'a Allahu liman hamidah while rising and rabbana laka l-hamd on standing straight; the Fatihah is fixed (tata'ayyan) in every rak'ah except a latecomer's.

    al-Nawawi, Minhaj al-Talibin, pp. 25 to 30 Record: scholarly-salah-shafii. Read on shamela.ws.

17. 17

    Al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir on Khalil's Mukhtasar, with al-Dasuqi's Hashiya (Maliki): the hands are raised to the shoulders with the opening takbir only, not in bowing, on rising from it, or on standing from two rak'ahs; amin is said by the one praying alone, by the imam in the quiet prayers (not in the aloud ones) and by the follower, who says it after the imam's 'wa la d-dallin' (even in an aloud prayer, if he hears it), and all say it in a low voice; letting the hands hang at the sides (sadl) is recommended for every worshipper, and holding one hand with the other in an obligatory prayer is disliked; the basmala (and the ta'awwudh) is permitted in a voluntary prayer and disliked in an obligatory one; every sitting is recommended with the left hip on the ground, the right foot upright over the left (tawarruk). The Fatihah is one of three spoken pillars (with the opening takbir and the salam). After sami'a Allahu liman hamidah, rabbana wa laka l-hamd is recommended for the follower and the one praying alone, and the imam does not add it. Amin is recommended (mandub), and the follower says it at the imam's 'wa la d-dallin'.

    al-Dardir, al-Sharh al-Kabir 1/231, 1/247 to 251, with al-Dasuqi's Hashiya Record: scholarly-salah-maliki. Read on shamela.ws.

18. 18

    Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni (Hanbali), explaining al-Khiraqi's Mukhtasar: the hands are raised to the roots of the ears or the level of the shoulders at the opening takbir and again in bowing and on rising from it; al-Khiraqi has the hands placed below the navel, and Ahmad is reported with that view and with placing them above the navel; the basmala is recited at the start of the Fatihah and of each surah but not aloud; reports from Ahmad differ on whether it is a verse of the Fatihah that must be recited; amin is a sunnah for the imam and the follower, said aloud where the recitation is aloud; and the last sitting, in the second tashahhud, is tawarruk. The Fatihah must be recited in every rak'ah in the sound view of the school, with a report from Ahmad that it is needed in only two. Raising the hands on rising from bowing is argued from Ibn 'Umar's report and Ahmad's answer. Rabbana wa laka l-hamd is said by every worshipper in the well-known report from Ahmad; the follower says it and does not say sami'a Allahu liman hamidah.

    Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni 1/339 to 353, 1/358, 1/365 to 367, 1/386 Record: scholarly-salah-hanbali. Read on shamela.ws.

19. 19

    Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm, Kitab al-Salah, 'Adad al-salawat al-khams: the general body of Muslims handed down the count of each prayer: Zuhr four rak'ahs with no aloud recitation, Asr four with no aloud recitation, Maghrib three (aloud in two, quiet in the third), Isha four (aloud in two, quiet in two) and Subh (Fajr) two, aloud in both.

    al-Shafi'i, Kitab al-Umm, 'Adad al-salawat al-khams Record: scholarly-salah-counts-shafii. Read on ar.wikisource.org (an online transcription).

20. 20

    Al-Nisa 4:103 in part, in English.

    Tanzil Project English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.