prayer in islam
Recite, what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.
Salah (salat) is the Arabic term for the ritual prayer that is obligatory for Muslims to perform five times a day. It is the second pillar of Islam.
Salah is an integral part of the lifestyle of a Muslim. Through prayer, Muslims are required each day to ponder on the verses of the Qur’an, the Shahadah (the declaration of faith), and Allah’s attributes.
Muslims across the world unite in prayer at five specified times each day in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, as a means of connecting to Allah and their purpose in life – to remember and worship Him.
People can pray wherever is convenient, so long as it is clean. This can be at home, or where you work. For men, it is preferred they make the effort to pray in congregation at their local mosque. This is why most mosques are open for the five daily prayers.
There are so many benefits in performing regular prayers. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said, “If there was a river at your door and you took a bath in it five times a day, would you notice any dirt on you?” They said, “Not a trace of dirt would be left.” The Prophet said, “That is the parable of the five prayers by which Allah removes sins.”
The five prayers are:
Fajr, which takes place at pre-dawn
Dhuhr (Dhur, Zhur), which takes place just after the sun reaches its zenith
Asr, which takes place between noon and sunset
Maghrib, which takes place just after sunset
Isha, which takes place during the night/at night-time.
Other prayers
The midday prayer on Friday is special, and follows a sermon given by the Imam. It is compulsory for men to attend, but optional for women.
There are special prayers at other times, like on each of the two Eid mornings, when the whole family is encouraged to go to prayer.
The Sunnah Salah (prayers) are ones in which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to habitually offer as voluntary worship at specified times and places.
Nafl Salah are voluntary prayers that a Muslim may offer at any time as a form of extra Ibadah (worship).
Our Masjid is open every day of the year for people to use our prayer facilities, including all five daily prayers, and the special prayers for Ramadan and Eid. Our congregational prayers are held at specific times, which you can find listed in our prayer timetable.