Learn how to perform Muslim prayer
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As-salâm ‘alaykoum wa rahmatullâhi wa barakâtuh
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Welcome to this page entirely dedicated to learning the Muslim prayer, called As-Salât.
If you have never prayed before, the amount of information may seem substantial, but know that it is quite simple and quick to memorize everything if you establish the five daily prayers.
You will become self-sufficient after a few weeks of practice and will be able to perform it for the rest of your life, so do not be discouraged!
A practical guide for new Muslims
If you are new to Islam—whether you are a convert or on your journey—know that you are at home here. This guide is designed to accompany you step by step in learning the ritual prayer, with simple texts, phonetic recitations, and tips for memorizing along the way.
You can follow this article in real time during your prayer, whether to practice or to recite simultaneously, until you feel comfortable praying without any support.
Before praying: you must be in a state of purity
Before performing the prayer, it is obligatory to be in a state of ritual purity (tahâra), that is to say:
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Having performed ablution (al-wudu’)
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Wearing clean clothes
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Being in a pure place
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And of course, praying in the direction of the Qibla (the Ka‘ba in Mecca)
Are all these conditions met? Then you are ready to pray!
How to perform Muslim prayer?
1st Rak’a
1. Takbîrat al-Ihrâm (entering the prayer)
Raise your hands to shoulder or ear level and say Allahu Akbar.
You thus enter the prayer.
Allahu Akbar
(اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ)
Translation: Allah is the Greatest
2. Recitation of Al-Fâtiḥah
Place your arms against your stomach, right arm over the left.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
ٱلْـحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Al-ḥamdu lillāhi Rabbi-l-‘ālamīn
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Ar-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm
The Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Māliki yawmi-d-dīn
Master of the Day of Judgment.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
Iyyāka na‘budu wa iyyāka nasta‘īn
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Ihdina ṣ-ṣirāṭa-l-mustaqīm
Guide us to the straight path,
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ
Ṣirāṭa l-ladhīna an‘amta ‘alayhim
The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor,
غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
ghayri-l-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim wa la ḍ-ḍāllīn
Not of those who have incurred Your anger nor of those who are astray.
Amīn
→ O Allah, accept.
3. Recitation of a surah (e.g., al-Kauther, which you can learn by clicking here)
Stay in the same position, start with “Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm,” then recite the surah.
إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ
Innā a‘ṭaynāka al-kawthar
Indeed, We have granted you abundance.
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ
Fa-ṣalli li-Rabbika wanḥar
So pray to your Lord and sacrifice
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ
Inna shāni’aka huwa-l-abtar
Indeed, the one who hates you is the one without posterity.
4. Bowing (rukū‘)
You bow at a 90° angle, hands on your knees, and say three times:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna Rabbīya-l-‘Aẓīm
Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great.
5. Rising back up
You stand up straight and say:
سَمِعَ اللّٰهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ
Sami‘a Allāhu liman ḥamidah
Allah hears the one who praises Him.
Then :
رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ
Rabbana wa laka-l-ḥamd
Lord, to You belongs the praise.
6. Prostration(sujūd)
This is where you truly converse with our Lord, but just before: place your forehead and nose on the ground (careful, not the elbows) and say three times:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى
Subḥāna Rabbīya-l-A‘lā
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.
7. Sitting between two prostrations
You straighten up saying “Allahu akbar,” remain on your knees, and say
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي
Rabbī ighfir lī
Lord, forgive me.
8. Second prostration
You say “Allahu akbar” and prostrate again, then recite the same formula as in the first prostration; when you have finished, rise (saying “Allahu akbar” again) to return to step 2 (Al-Fatiha) and begin the second rak‘a:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى
Subḥāna Rabbīya-l-A‘lā
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.
2nd Rak’a
Here, you repeat exactly the same as the first rak‘a, so you go through the entire sequence from point 2 to 8 again, reciting, if you can, a different surah.
10. Tashahhud final et prières sur le Prophète ﷺ et sa famille
Après la deuxième prosternation de la dernière rak’a, tu restes assis, tu lèves l’index de la main droite en l’air tout en gardant tes deux mains sur tes genoux, et tu récites :
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَوَاتُ، وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ،
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَىٰ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ،
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ،
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ،
كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،
إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ،
كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،
إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
At-taḥiyyātu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalawātu, waṭ-ṭayyibāt.
As-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhan-nabiyy, wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
As-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh,
wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh.Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad,
kamā ṣallayta ʿalā Ibrāhīm, wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm,
innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd.
Allāhumma bārik ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad,
kamā bārakta ʿalā Ibrāhīm, wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm,
innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd.
Les salutations sont pour Allah, ainsi que les prières et les bonnes œuvres.
Que la paix soit sur toi, ô Prophète, ainsi que la miséricorde d’Allah et Ses bénédictions.
Que la paix soit sur nous et sur les pieux serviteurs d’Allah.
J’atteste qu’il n’y a de divinité digne d’adoration qu’Allah,
et j’atteste que Muhammad est Son serviteur et Son messager.Ô Allah, prie sur Muhammad et sur la famille de Muhammad,
comme Tu as prié sur Ibrahim et sur la famille d’Ibrahim.
Tu es, en vérité, Digne de louange et de gloire.
Ô Allah, bénis Muhammad et la famille de Muhammad,
comme Tu as béni Ibrahim et la famille d’Ibrahim.
Tu es, en vérité, Digne de louange et de gloire.
9. Tashahhud
After the second prostration of the 2nd rak‘a, remain seated, raise the index finger of your right hand in the air while keeping both hands on your knees, and recite:
ٱلتَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ، وَٱلصَّلَوَاتُ وَٱلطَّيِّبَاتُ. ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ. ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَىٰ عِبَادِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ. أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.
At-taḥiyyātu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalawātu waṭ-ṭayyibāt.
As-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhā-n-nabiyyu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
As-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh,
wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh.
All greetings are for Allah, as well as prayers and good things. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, along with 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 deity except Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
3rd and 4th Rak‘ahs
Then, you perform two more rak‘ahs in exactly the same way as the first two, except that this time you do not recite any verse from the Qur’an.
10. Tashahhud final et prières sur le Prophète ﷺ et sa famille
Après la deuxième prosternation de la dernière rak’a, tu restes assis, tu lèves l’index de la main droite en l’air tout en gardant tes deux mains sur tes genoux, et tu récites :
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَوَاتُ، وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ،
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَىٰ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ،
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ،
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ،
كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،
إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ،
كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،
إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
At-taḥiyyātu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalawātu, waṭ-ṭayyibāt.
As-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhan-nabiyy, wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
As-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh,
wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh.Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad,
kamā ṣallayta ʿalā Ibrāhīm, wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm,
innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd.
Allāhumma bārik ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad,
kamā bārakta ʿalā Ibrāhīm, wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm,
innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd.
Les salutations sont pour Allah, ainsi que les prières et les bonnes œuvres.
Que la paix soit sur toi, ô Prophète, ainsi que la miséricorde d’Allah et Ses bénédictions.
Que la paix soit sur nous et sur les pieux serviteurs d’Allah.
J’atteste qu’il n’y a de divinité digne d’adoration qu’Allah,
et j’atteste que Muhammad est Son serviteur et Son messager.Ô Allah, prie sur Muhammad et sur la famille de Muhammad,
comme Tu as prié sur Ibrahim et sur la famille d’Ibrahim.
Tu es, en vérité, Digne de louange et de gloire.
Ô Allah, bénis Muhammad et la famille de Muhammad,
comme Tu as béni Ibrahim et la famille d’Ibrahim.
Tu es, en vérité, Digne de louange et de gloire.
10. Final Tashahhud and prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ and his family
After the second prostration of the final rak‘a, remain seated, raise the index finger of your right hand while keeping both hands on your knees, and recite:
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَوَاتُ، وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ،
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَىٰ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ،
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ،
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ،
كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،
إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ،
كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،
إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
At-taḥiyyātu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalawātu, waṭ-ṭayyibāt.
As-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhan-nabiyy, wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
As-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh,
wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh.Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad,
kamā ṣallayta ʿalā Ibrāhīm, wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm,
Wa bārik ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad,
kamā bārakta ʿalā Ibrāhīm, wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm, fil’alamin
innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd.
All greetings belong to Allah, as well as the prayers and good deeds.
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 deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, just as You sent prayers upon Abraham and the family of Abraham. You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious.
O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham. You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious.
11. The final Salām: end of the prayer
First turn your head to the right, then to the left, repeating the formula each time.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh
May the peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.
What you also need to know…
The Subh prayer (1st)
It consists of only 2 rak‘at, so at the end of the second, you do the final tashahhud and the salutations (points 10 and 11).
It is recited entirely aloud.
The Dohr and Asr prayers (2nd and 3rd)
They do contain all 4 rak‘at, you have to complete the entire sequence.
They are recited quietly.
The Maghreb prayer (4th)
It contains 3 rak‘at, so after the intermediate tashahhud, instead of doing 2 more like in Dohr and Asr, you do only one, then you do the final tashahhud and the salutations.
The first two rak‘at are recited aloud.
The Isha prayer (5th)
It does contain all 4 rak‘at, you have to complete the entire sequence.
The first two rak‘at are recited aloud.