Salah: how and why Muslims pray
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 2 · The School
Five prayers, spread through the day
Muslims pray five times a day. FAJR comes before sunrise. DHUHR comes after midday. ASR is in the afternoon. MAGHRIB is just after sunset. ISHA is at night. The times follow the sun, not the clock. So they shift through the year, and they differ from place to place. That is why prayer timetables are printed locally rather than nationally.
What the prayer looks like
Each prayer is made of units called RAKAHS. Within a rakah the worshipper stands and recites. Then they bow, which is called ruku. Then they stand again. Then they prostrate, putting the forehead to the ground, which is called sujud. Then they sit. Then they prostrate once more. Prayer faces the Kaaba in Makkah. That direction is called the QIBLA. So worshippers everywhere face one point.
Washing first
Before praying, a Muslim performs WUDU. That means washing the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head and feet, in that order. It is a preparation rather than a cleaning of dirt. It marks the move from ordinary activity to prayer. If water is genuinely unavailable, there is an alternative using clean earth. It is called tayammum.
A timetable for one December day in London: Fajr 06:12, sunrise 08:03, Dhuhr 11:53, Asr 13:38, Maghrib 15:52, Isha 17:22. Notice that Fajr's window ENDS at sunrise, so it is not a long one. Notice how close Asr and Maghrib sit in winter. Now find the same city in June and the whole shape stretches. The printed time is when the window OPENS, not a deadline.