Ṣalāh is the second pillar of Islam and the central daily act of worship in a Muslim’s life. It carves five fixed moments out of the day in which a believer steps away from everything else and stands before Allah.

Allah ties prayer directly to His remembrance in the words He addressed to Prophet Mūsā:

إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِكْرِىٓ

Meaning: Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.

What are the five obligatory prayers?

  • Fajr — the morning prayer, before sunrise.
  • Ẓuhr — the midday prayer, after the sun passes its highest point.
  • ʿAṣr — the afternoon prayer.
  • Maghrib — immediately after sunset.
  • ʿIshāʾ — the night prayer.

The Prophet ﷺ taught that five prayers are required in every day and night. Voluntary prayers carry further reward, but they never stand in place of these five.

The Qur’an states that prayer is fixed to appointed times:

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا ٱطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَـٰبًا مَّوْقُوتًا

Meaning: Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.

You can check today’s times for your own city on the prayer times page.

How does a beginner establish prayer?

Take it in order, and do not wait until you feel ready:

  • Learn how to perform wuḍūʾ — there is an illustrated step-by-step guide here.
  • Check the correct prayer times for where you live.
  • Face the direction of the Kaʿbah — the Qibla finder works on your own device.
  • Learn Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, which is recited in every unit of prayer.
  • Learn the standing, bowing, prostrating and sitting positions, with the prayer guide.
  • Protect each prayer time in your daily schedule rather than fitting it around what is left.

The Qur’an gives the principal instruction for purification before prayer in Sūrah al-Māʾidah:

“O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows…” (al-Māʾidah 5:6)

Do not abandon prayer because you are still learning it. Begin carefully, correct your mistakes as you go, and take guidance from a knowledgeable and trustworthy teacher.

Ṣalāh is not a box to tick. It is a repeated return to Allah, a discipline for the day, and a standing reminder of why any of it matters. Once the five are steady, building a daily habit with the Qur’an becomes far easier.