How to Pray Salah as a Beginner (Illustrated, Not a Fatwa)

If you are new to salah, the internet will try to turn you into a jurist by dinner. This page does the opposite: one illustrated set of movements, a fard rak‘ah table, then a full Fajr example. It is not a fatwa. Ask a teacher you trust for details that depend on your school of thought.

The five daily prayers are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. The clock is local. A student in London and a worker in New York pray the same rak‘ahs on different minutes — many UK mosques print the London Unified Prayer Timetable; in North America, ISNA angles are common on boards and apps. Open your city page for today; do not screenshot a generic “world times” graphic.

Before you stand

1. Wudu if you need it — clean water, intention, the usual order your teacher showed you.
2. Qibla — face the Kaaba. Use the in-app compass or a trusted qibla tool for your coordinates.
3. Intention (niyyah) — in the heart, which prayer you are about to pray. You do not have to say it aloud.
4. Place — a clean surface. A prayer mat helps; it is not magic.

Prayer times are a separate page from prayer movements. Bookmark prayer times for your city before you worry about memorising every surah.

The eight positions (learn once)

Every fard rak‘ah reuses the same skeleton. Sunnah before or after fard adds rak‘ahs — see how many rak‘ahs for a mosque-style wall chart. Below is the inside one rak‘ah flow.

1. Opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram)

Raise both hands to ear level (or shoulder level — both exist), say Allahu Akbar, and enter the prayer. Everything after this is salah until salam.

2. Standing (qiyam)

Right hand over left on the chest or navel (schools differ). Recite the opening supplication quietly if you know it, then Fatiha and a short surah or verses in the first two rak‘ahs of most prayers. If you only know Fatiha, start there — a local imam can expand your recitation later.

3. Bowing (ruku)

Say Allahu Akbar, bow with a straight back, hands on knees. The minimum dhikr here is Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem (or similar) three times. Stand up saying Sami Allahu liman hamidah; when upright add Rabbana lakal hamd.

4. Prostration (sujud)

Say Allahu Akbar, go down: forehead, nose, both palms, both knees, toes on the ground. Dhikr quietly — Subhana Rabbiyal A‘la three times is common. Each rak‘ah has two prostrations with a short sit between them.

5. Sitting between the two sujud (jalsa)

Rise from the first prostration to a brief sit, then prostrate again. In the second rak‘ah (and the last rak‘ah of any prayer), this sit becomes the tashahhud sit — see below.

6. Final sitting (tashahhud) and salam

In the last rak‘ah, sit and recite the tashahhud (and blessings on the Prophet if you know them). End with salam to the right, then the left: As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah.

Fard rak‘ahs — five daily prayers

Counts below are fard only. Your mosque may add emphasised sunnah before or after — follow the board in the building you pray in.

Prayer	Fard rak‘ahs	Notes
Fajr	2	Both recited aloud in congregation (imam leads).
Dhuhr	4	First two rak‘ahs: Fatiha + surah; last two: Fatiha only (usual Hanafi/Shafi‘i pattern).
Asr	4	Asr time differs by school (shadow length). Check your masjid clock, not a Twitter thread.
Maghrib	3	Third rak‘ah is often quieter/faster in congregation.
Isha	4	Witr is separate — usually after Isha, odd rak‘ahs.

Worked example: Fajr (2 rak‘ahs)

Use this once you know the eight positions. Times for Fajr today: London · New York.

1. Intention for Fajr fard. Takbir al-ihram.
2. First rak‘ah: qiyam (Fatiha + short surah) → ruku → sujud ×2 with jalsa between.
3. Stand for second rak‘ah: qiyam → ruku → sujud ×2.
4. After the second sujud, sit for tashahhud (Fajr ends here — no third rak‘ah).
5. Salam right and left. Done.

Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha add rak‘ahs and change what you recite sitting vs standing. Same bones; longer map. When you are ready, read the full rak‘ah chart or pray once behind an imam and copy the pacing.

What this page will not do

• Pick a madhhab for you, or settle Hanafi vs Shafi‘i Asr shadow length.
• Invent a hadith reference. If a source is not in your hand, it stays out.
• Tell you a missed prayer is “fine” or “ruined.” That is pastoral, not SEO.

Check the clock, then test yourself

Namaz Buddy is not another “7 tips” list. After today’s times, open the salah articles or the in-app quiz and miss a question on purpose. Hal (mood) and dua sit next to play — they are not a mufti chat.

UK cities: United Kingdom hub. US cities: United States hub. Bookmark the city you actually pray in. Then create an account if you want the quiz streak — the site stays a guide, the app is where you play.

We are not scholars. Movements above match what most teachers show beginners; your local imam owns the details.