Putting the units together, the five prayers

How to pray, lesson 6 of 8

These lessons are shared with the GABLVM app. Where a lesson mentions the app, this site has the same tools: Prayer Times, Qibla Finder, and the Quran Player.

Every prayer is the Rakah from lesson 5 repeated, with two additions: a short sitting after every second unit, and a closing at the very end.

The sitting is called the Tashahhud. After the second prostration of the second unit, instead of standing you stay sitting, the same sitting as between prostrations. Raise the index finger of your right hand, pointing forward, and say the Tashahhud. The words are in lesson 7.

If the prayer has only two units, which is Fajr, this sitting is also the end. Add the blessing on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also in lesson 7, then close. To close, turn your head to the right and say Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, peace be on you and the mercy of God. Then turn your head to the left and say it again. The prayer is finished. You can talk, move, and get up.

If the prayer has three or four units, say the Tashahhud after the second unit, then say Allahu Akbar, stand up, and continue. In these later units recite only Al Fatiha, nothing after it. After the last unit, sit again, say the Tashahhud and the blessing on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and close with the two turns of the head.

So the whole plan is:

1. Fajr. Two units. Sit and close after the second.
2. Dhuhr. Four units. Sit after the second, stand, two more, sit and close after the fourth.
3. Asr. Four units, the same as Dhuhr.
4. Maghrib. Three units. Sit after the second, stand, one more, sit and close after the third.
5. Isha. Four units, the same as Dhuhr.

Fajr, Maghrib and Isha are recited out loud in the first two units when praying with others. Dhuhr and Asr are always quiet. Praying alone, you may read quietly in all of them. Quiet means your lips move and you can just hear yourself.

Sources

Hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are authenticated collections. Other hadith show their grading and who graded them.

• Sahih Muslim 498. A sitting after every two units, and the closing salam.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 831. The Tashahhud.
• Sahih Muslim 580a. Raising the finger in the Tashahhud.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 3370. The blessing on the Prophet.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 776. Only Al Fatiha in the later units.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 350. Prayer was first two units, then increased.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 1091. Maghrib is three units.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 765. Reciting aloud at Maghrib.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 769. Reciting aloud at Isha.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 746. Quiet recitation in Dhuhr and Asr.
• Sahih Muslim 582. Salam to the right and to the left.
• Sunan Abi Dawud 996. The words of the salam. Grade: Sahih, al-Albani.