Muslims pray five times a day. Why? Because it’s one of Allah’s commands. The things we’re commanded to do are beneficial for us compared to the things we’re told to avoid. In a way, the five prayers show gratitude for all the blessings Allah provides EVERY day without being asked.

And these prayers are physical, involving the movement of the body as well as focus of the mind. But there’s a WHOLE system behind this daily ritual than just kneeling and prostrating, and muttering a few Arabic words.

The five prayers:

• Fajr—prayed before the sunrise (predawn)
• Zuhr—prayed a few minutes after high noon
• ‘Asr—prayed in the late afternoon
• Maghrib—prayed a few minutes after sunset (twilight)
• ‘Isha—prayed when the sky is dark (at least an hour and a half after sunset)

First, let’s see if your Muslim character is required to pray. If they meet the following, then they’re required to pray (called salaah in Arabic, namaz in Urdu/Bengali):

• Reached puberty and is sound of mind and body
• Puberty in Islam: 15 lunar years (males and females can reach puberty/hormonal changes before this time; if one hasn’t had any signs of physical changes, then upon reaching 15 lunar years old, they are required to pray and follow the rest of the Islamic teachings)
• Females are exempt from praying, fasting, and reading the Qur’an when they are menstruating or experiencing post-natal bleeding (they aren’t required to make up any missed prayers for these times, but must make up any missed fasts)

Before praying, one must be physically AND ritually pure. This means that they must wash themselves to remove any impurities (e.g., blood, urine, feces) from the body first before commencing with a specific ablution called wudhu, followed by supplications.

When water isn’t available, a Muslim can perform tayyamum, or dry ablution. This ritual purification is shorter and follows the first two steps of intention and reciting “bismillah.” Tayyamum is done by rubbing the hands on a rock (unglazed) or clay (unbaked) before wiping the full face once, then the hands, followed by the same supplications for wudhu.

One remains in the state of wudhu until one breaks it using the toilet, passing gas, losing consciousness, falling asleep, forgetting if one has wudhu, vomiting more than a mouthful, or bleeding. If any of these occur, then wudhu must be performed again. For tayyamum, one must perform tayyamum for each prayer.

There aren’t special clothing for prayer; clothes must be clean and devoid of any impurities mentioned above. Females must be covered from head to toe with the exception of their face, hands, and feet. Males must be covered at a minimum from their navel to their knees (these areas must not be visible).

A prayer mat is used to pray on, though any place that is clean and devoid of impurities can be pray upon.

The qibla, or direction of prayer, is the same for every Muslim: the Ka’aba in the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. This is where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed towards. Above (in the final layer of the heavens) the Ka’aba (the cube-like stone building) is where Allah’s throne sits.

Prayer direction is determined from one’s location. Someone in Antarctica would face generally north since the Ka’aba is north of Antarctica. If you’re in the east coast of the United States, you’d generally pray eastward. In general, the direction, which is closest to the Ka’aba, is the direction a Muslim would face when they pray.

Prayers are recited in Arabic (it’s the language in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed, and there aren’t equivalents to many of the Arabic words in other languages).

Any prayers that are missed must be made up later when one is able to, or it’s a big sin (since prayer is one of the pillars of Islam). 

How is Prayer Completed?

Each prayer has “units” called rakaat. There are mandatory (called Fardh) units, Sunnah (prayed by the Prophet peace be upon him) units, and optional (called nafl) units. Mentioned here are the mandatory units: Fajr has two, Zuhr has four, Asr, has four, Maghrib has three, Isha has four, plus three called witr.

The prayers are recited in Arabic; supplications (dua) can be made in one’s language.

Hands and sitting positions will slightly vary due to one’s gender (i.e., a male’s hands will be held together lower than a female’s, and a female would sit with her legs folded to the right) and will also vary depending on which Islamic rulings one follows, but the rest of the positions and recitations for prayers are the same for both males and females.

Shown below are the steps for a two-unit prayer.