Start praying five times a day

Learn the five prayer times

• Fajr (Glossary): before sunrise, usually the quietest one of the day.
• Dhuhr (Glossary): after the sun passes its peak, early afternoon.
• Asr (Glossary): late afternoon.
• Maghrib (Glossary): just after sunset.
• Isha (Glossary): at night, once the twilight has gone.
• Use the prayer times page on this site, a prayer time app, or your local masjid's timetable to get the times where you live in Canada.

Learn how to wash before prayer (wudu (Glossary))

• Wudu is the wash you do before prayer: hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, a wipe over the head, then the feet.
• Washing each part once is the minimum and three times is the Sunnah. Wiping the head is done once.
• Make sure the water reaches everywhere it needs to.
• Your wudu stays valid until something breaks it, such as using the bathroom, passing gas or deep sleep. The schools differ on things like bleeding.

Memorize Surah Al-Fatiha (Glossary)

• Al-Fatiha is the opening chapter of the Quran and it is recited in every unit (rak'ah (Glossary)) of prayer.
• Start by reading the transliteration alongside the Arabic text.
• Listen to a slow recitation and repeat it phrase by phrase.
• Practice a few lines each day. Most people have it within one or two weeks.
• Until you know it, the salah companion explains what the schools allow in the meantime, such as short Arabic phrases of remembrance.

Learn the basic prayer movements

• Standing (qiyam): recite Al-Fatiha and a short surah.
• Bowing (ruku (Glossary)): bend at the waist with your hands on your knees and say 'Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem' (Glory to my Lord, the Most Great).
• Prostration (sujud): forehead, nose, palms, knees, and toes on the ground, saying 'Subhana Rabbiyal A'la' (Glory to my Lord, the Most High).
• Sitting (juloos): sit between the two prostrations.
• These movements repeat to form one unit (rak'ah). Different prayers have different numbers of rak'at.

Know the number of rak'at for each prayer

• Fajr: 2 rak'at.
• Dhuhr: 4 rak'at.
• Asr: 4 rak'at.
• Maghrib: 3 rak'at.
• Isha: 4 rak'at.
• Start with the obligatory (fard) prayers. The extra voluntary (sunnah) rak'ahs you see at the masjid can come later, one at a time. The prayer topic explains them.

Pray your first salah

• Find a clean, quiet spot. Use a prayer mat or a clean towel.
• Face the qiblah (Glossary), the direction of the Ka'bah in Makkah. From most of Canada it is roughly to the northeast, and the qibla finder on this site shows the direction from where you are.
• Begin with the intention in your heart, raise your hands, and say 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest).
• Follow the movements you have learned. Glancing at a guide beside you is fine.
• End by turning your head right and left, saying 'As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah' (Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you).