Prayer guide

The Contact Prayers (Salat)

A practical guide to the five daily contacts with God: where they come from, when they are observed, how to prepare, and how to perform each unit.

Origin

The original source of the Contact Prayers

The Quran presents Submission as the religion of Abraham, and Muhammad is commanded to follow Abraham's way. The core religious practices, including Salat, Zakat, fasting, and Hajj, are preserved from Abraham rather than introduced later.

The Contact Prayers and obligatory charity are connected to Abraham's legacy. The Quran also shows prayer positions such as standing, bowing, and prostrating.

“Our Lord, make me one who consistently observes the Contact Prayers (Salat), and also my children. Our Lord, please answer my prayers.”
Sura 14:40

The religious duties instituted by God nourish the soul. Belief in God does not by itself guarantee redemption; the soul must grow through worship, righteousness, and obedience (, ).

Each contact prayer is valid from the time it becomes due until the next prayer becomes due. Once missed, a prayer is a missed opportunity. One can repent and ask forgiveness, but the lost appointment cannot be recreated.

Keep the prayer for God alone

The proof that Salat was already established through Abraham is found in . The Quran commands that contact prayers be devoted to God alone.

Commemorating Muhammad, Abraham, or their families during the prayer redirects a rite that belongs to God (, , ).

Specified times

The five times are specified in the Quran

01

Dawn

FajrBefore sunrise
Units2
Quran
02

Noon

ZuhrWhen the sun declines
Units4
Quran
03

Afternoon

AsrMidway between noon and sunset
Units4
Quran
04

Sunset

MaghribImmediately after sunset
Units3
Quran
05

Night

IshaAfter twilight
Units4
Quran

The Pre-Prayer Rituals

Purification Ritual

The 4 Steps of Ablution

Pre-requisite: The Intention

Before beginning, silently state your intention to perform ablution. For example: “I intend to perform ablution” or “Nawaytu al-wudu”.

النِّيَّة
Wash Face
01
غَسْلُ الْوَجْه

Wash Face

The first physical step is to wash your face completely.

Ensure water reaches all parts of the face, from hairline to chin and ear to ear.

1 / 4
Major Ablution (Ghusl)

If you were unclean due to sexual orgasm, you shall bathe.

Dry Ablution (Tayammum)

If you are ill, or traveling, or had any digestive excretion (urinary, fecal, or gas), or had (sexual) contact with the women, and you cannot find water, you shall observe the dry ablution (Tayammum) by touching clean dry soil, then rubbing your faces and hands.

Purpose of Purification

GOD does not wish to make the religion difficult for you; He wishes to cleanse you and to perfect His blessing upon you, that you may be appreciative.

Scriptural Compliance

“O you who believe, when you observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), you shall:(1) wash your faces,(2) wash your arms to the elbows,(3) wipe your heads, and(4) wash your feet to the ankles.If you were unclean due to sexual orgasm, you shall bathe. If you are ill, or traveling, or had any digestive excretion (urinary, fecal, or gas), or had (sexual) contact with the women, and you cannot find water, you shall observe the dry ablution (Tayammum) by touching clean dry soil, then rubbing your faces and hands. GOD does not wish to make the religion difficult for you; He wishes to cleanse you and to perfect His blessing upon you, that you may be appreciative.”

Examine Verse

The Call to Prayer (Azaan)

Azaan is not part of the Contact Prayer and is not required when praying alone. It is a public call used when a group is ready to pray.

Correct Form
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
La Elaaha Ella Allah.

The Contact Prayer (Salat)

The five daily prayers consist of varying units:

  • Dawn (2 units)
  • Noon (4 units)
  • Afternoon (4 units)
  • Sunset (3 units)
  • Night (4 units)

All the 4-unit prayers are done the same way. The only difference is that the intention is for the specific prayer (e.g., "I intend to pray the Noon Prayer" or "I intend to pray the Afternoon Prayer" or "I intend to pray the Night Prayer"). Everything else is identical for those three prayers. The unique ones are Dawn (2 units) and Sunset (3 units).

Missed Prayers Are Gone

When you miss a prayer at its appointed time, it is gone and cannot be “made up.” You must seek forgiveness from God for neglecting your contact with Him, and be steadfast in ensuring you observe the next prayers on time.

Sura 4:103
Scriptural Instruction

"Once you complete your Contact Prayer (Salat), you shall remember GOD while standing, sitting, or lying down. Once the war is over, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat); the Contact Prayers (Salat) are decreed for the believers at specific times."

Tone of Voice

Do not be too loud or completely silent. Maintain an intermediate tone.

Sura 17:110
Scriptural Instruction

"Say, 'Call Him GOD, or call Him Most Gracious; whichever name you use, to Him belongs the best names.' You shall not utter your Contact Prayers (Salat) too loudly, nor secretly; use a moderate tone."

The Group Prayer

Two or more people may observe the Contact Prayers together. One person leads the group prayer, uttering “The Key” (Al-Fatiha) in a loud enough voice to be heard by everyone in the group. Other utterances must be silent.

Anyone may join the group late, in the middle of the prayer. He or she must make the same moves as the group, then, at the end of the prayer, he or she must stand up and make up whatever portion was missed.

The Friday Prayer

The Friday Congregational Prayer (Salat Al-Jum'ah) is so important, a whole sura is entitled “Friday” (Jum'ah) and a commandment is decreed in verse nine to observe this prayer. Every Submitter (man, woman, and child) is commanded by God to observe the Friday Congregational Prayer.

The Friday Prayer replaces the Noon Prayer every Friday. Instead of 4 units, the Friday Prayer consists of listening to two sermons delivered by the Imam, and two units of prayer. Each sermon must begin with “Al-Hamdu Lillah” (Praise be to God), “Laa ElaahaElla Allah” (No other god beside God). Each sermon should last 10-15 minutes and must be delivered in the language of the congregation.

At the end of the first sermon, the congregation is asked to repent, “Tooboo Ela Allah.” The Imam then sits down for about a minute and makes his repentance together with the congregation, then stands up for the second sermon. The second sermon ends by asking one of the people to say the Azaan. The Imam then leads the 2-unit prayer.

Sura 62:9
Scriptural Instruction

"O you who believe, when the Congregational Prayer (Salat Al-Jumu'ah) is announced on Friday, you shall hasten to the commemoration of GOD, and drop all business. This is better for you, if you only knew."

How to Pronounce Al-Fatiha (The Key)

0:000:00

Bismillaahir raḥmaani-r raḥeem

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Pronunciation Tips

Sounds not in English:

  • ḥ — breathe out warmly from deep in your throat
  • ṣ/ṭ — emphatic; flatten tongue against bottom of mouth
  • gh — soft gargle at back of throat
  • dh — heavy "th" (as in "the")

Rhythm:

Arabic is connected—don't pause between words. Long vowels (underlined) are held twice as long.

Significance

We learn from 2:37 that we can establish contact with God by uttering the specific Arabic words given to us by God. Sura 1, The Key, is a mathematically composed combination of sounds that unlocks the door between us and God. The first sura in the Quran is mathematically composed in a manner that challenges and stumps the greatest mathematicians on earth.

Now we appreciate the fact that when we recite Sura 1, "The Key," during our Contact Prayers, something happens in the universe, and we establish contact with our Creator. The result is perfect happiness, now and forever.

By contacting our Almighty Creator 5 times a day, we nourish and develop our souls in preparation for the Big Day when we meet God. Only those who nourish their soul will be able to withstand and enjoy the physical presence of Almighty God. All submitters, of all nationalities, recite the words of "The Key" which were written by God Himself, and given to us to establish contact with Him (2:37).

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