The fiqh of salah
Conditions, pillars, what invalidates the prayer, and the differences you'll notice at the masjid.
10 minute read · SunnahPanda
Salah is the second pillar of Islam and the first deed a person will be asked about on the Day of Judgement. Its fiqh falls into three layers: the conditions that must be met before you begin, the pillars that make up the prayer itself, and the things that invalidate it.
Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at specified times.
Conditions: before you start
- Being Muslim, sane, and old enough to understand (it becomes obligatory at puberty).
- The time for the prayer has started.
- Purity from minor and major impurity: wudu, and ghusl when required.
- A clean body, clean clothes and a clean place to pray.
- Covering the 'awrah: for men, at least from the navel to the knees; for women, everything except the face and hands, and the feet in the Hanafi school.
- Facing the qiblah, the direction of the Ka'bah.
- The intention for the specific prayer.
The prayer itself, in order
- 1
Opening takbir
Raise the hands and say Allahu Akbar. This opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram) is a pillar in every school. From here, everyday speech and movement are forbidden until the salam.
- 2
Standing and reciting
Stand (in obligatory prayers, if able). Recite al-Fatihah, then, in the first two units, some more of the Qur'an.
- 3
Bowing (ruku')
Bow with the back straight and the hands on the knees. Say SubhanaRabbiyal-'Azim, usually three times.
- 4
Rising
Stand back up saying Sami'Allahu liman hamidah, then Rabbana wa lakal-hamd, and pause upright.
- 5
Prostration (sujud)
Prostrate on seven bones: the forehead with the nose, both hands, both knees and the toes of both feet (Sahih al-Bukhari 812). Say SubhanaRabbiyal-A'la.
- 6
Sitting, then a second prostration
Sit briefly between the two prostrations, then prostrate again. That completes one unit (rak'ah).
- 7
Tashahhud
After every second unit, sit and recite the tashahhud. In the final sitting, add the salawat on the Prophet ﷺ.
- 8
Salam
Turn the head right and then left, saying Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah.
Fard and wajib in the Hanafi school
Hanafis divide required acts into fard, which invalidates the prayer if missed at all, and wajib, which if missed by mistake is made up with the prostration of forgetfulness (sujud as-sahw). Reciting al-Fatihah, for example, is wajib for Hanafis but a pillar for the other three schools.
Differences you'll notice at the masjid
| Hanafi | Maliki | Shafi'i | Hanbali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reciting al-Fatihah | Wajib (some Qur'an is fard) | Pillar, every rak'ah | Pillar, every rak'ah | Pillar, every rak'ah |
| Reciting behind the imam | The follower stays silent | Recites in silent prayers only | Recites al-Fatihah in every prayer | Recommended in silent prayers and pauses |
| Raising the hands | Opening takbir only | Opening takbir only | Also before and after ruku' | Also before and after ruku' |
| Where the hands rest | Below the navel (men) | At the sides, commonly | Below the chest, above the navel | Below the navel |
| Ending the prayer | The salam is wajib | First salam is a pillar | First salam is a pillar | Both salams are pillars |
Swipe the table to see every column →
Each of these positions is grounded in hadith and the practice of the early Muslims. If the person next to you prays a little differently, they are almost certainly following a different school, not doing it wrong.
What invalidates the prayer
- Leaving out a pillar or a condition, for example losing your wudu.
- Speaking deliberately with words that are not part of the prayer.
- Eating or drinking.
- Turning the chest away from the qiblah without a valid reason.
- A lot of continuous movement unrelated to the prayer.
- Laughing out loud.
Forgot something? Sujud as-sahw
If you add or leave out something by mistake, or are unsure how many units you have prayed, you make two extra prostrations near the end of the prayer. The schools differ on whether these come before or after the salam, but all agree on the principle. If unsure of the count, build on the lower number, which you are certain of (Sahih Muslim 571).
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