Including: Salah (Arabic: ٱلصَّلَاةُ, romanized: aṣ-Ṣalāh) is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily.Facing the Kaaba in Mecca, it consists of units known as rak'ah, which include a specific set of physical postures, recitation from the Quran, and prayers from the Sunnah.Some concessions are made for Muslims who are physically unable to perform the salah in its original form, or are travelling.Similar terms are used to refer to the prayer in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Somalia, Tanzania, and by some Swahili speakers.[12][13] Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) divides human actions into five categories, known as "the five rulings" (al-aḥkām al-khamsa), and acts of worship will be classified accordingly; mandatory (farḍ or wājib), recommended (mandūb or mustaḥabb), neutral (mubāḥ), reprehensible (makrūh), and forbidden (ḥarām).[24] However, even if today's dominant understanding defines the abandonment of worship as sinfulness, does not approve of giving worldly punishment for them.In practice, since early on in Islamic history, criminal cases were usually handled by ruler-administered courts or local police using procedures which were only loosely related to Sharia.Some schools of Islamic jurisprudence hold that intending to pray suffices in the heart, and some require that the intention be spoken, usually under the breath.[6] This is followed by raising the hands to the head and recitation of the takbir, an action known as the Takbirat al-Ihram (Arabic: تكبيرة الإحرام, romanized: Takbīrat al-Iḥrām).This is followed by another takbir after which the person praying bows down their waist in a position known as ruku with their hands on their knees (depending on the madhhab, rules may differ for women).[34] Many Sunni scholars, including Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab[37] and Al-Albani[38] hold that the right index finger should be raised when reciting the prayers in this sitting position,[34] Once the worshipper is done praying in the sitting position in their last rak'a, they perform the taslim, reciting lengthened versions of the Islamic greeting As-salamu alaykum, once while facing the right and another time while facing the left.[39][40][41] Mistakes and doubts in salah are compensated for by prostrating twice at the end of the prayer, either before or after the taslim depending on the Madhab .In Islamic belief, performing salah in congregation is considered to have more social and spiritual benefits than praying alone.[44]When praying in congregation, the people stand in straight parallel rows behind one person who leads the prayer service, called the imam.In this situation, women are typically forbidden from assuming this role with unanimous agreement within the major schools of Islam.Several hadith narrations quote the Islamic prophet Muhammad saying that a person who slept past the prescribed time or forgot to perform the obligatory salah must pray it as soon as they remember.[62] A minority view within the Sunni schools holds that listening to the khutbah compensates for the spiritual reward of the 2 rak'a that are discounted from the prayer.Within the schools of jurisprudence in Sunni Islam, there is a difference of opinion regarding the range of reasons that permit one to perform jam'.[66][67] Some Salafis ascribing to the Ahl-i Hadith movement also permit jam' without reason while preferring that the prayers be performed separately.[70] Exclusively when traveling, a Muslim may shorten the Zuhr, Asr, and Isha prayers, which normally consist of 4 rak'a, to two.Number and Timing of Sunan ar-Rawatib[citation needed] According to most scholars, there are 12 units (rak'ahs) of Sunnah Mu'akkadah in total, associated with the five daily prayers.In conclusion, the Sunan ar-Rawatib are a valuable part of a Muslim’s daily worship routine, supplementing the obligatory prayers and enhancing one's connection to Allah.Within Sunni schools of jurisprudence, Tahajjud (Arabic: تَهَجُّد) refers to night-time prayers generally performed after midnight.[73] Tarawih salah (Arabic: صلاة التراويح) is a sunnah prayer performed exclusively during Ramadan by Sunnis.[citation needed] The word istikharah is derived from the root ḵ-y-r (خير) "well-being, goodness, choice, selection".[83] Common differences, which may vary between schools and gender, include the position of legs, feet, hands and fingers, where the eyes should focus, the minimum amount of recitation, the volume of recitation, and which of the principal elements of the prayer are indispensable, versus recommended or optional.
Women performing the Friday prayer at a mosque,
Ohio
, US
Display showing
salah
times in a Turkish mosque
Friday prayer for Muslims in the streets of
Dhaka
, Bangladesh
A Sunni Muslim (left) and
Shia
Muslim (right) performing the
Friday prayer
in
Tehran
. Some Sunnis perform
salah
with the hands clasped ("qabd"), while Shia offer
salah
with their hands at their sides ("sadl").
A
turbah
or mohr is a small piece of soil or clay, often a clay tablet, used during
salah
to symbolize earth.