Prayer in Islam

All purpose-built mosques are therefore built facing the direction of Mecca with a niche (mihrab) indicating the direction of the qiblah. In the event that Muslims must perform their ritual prayers elsewhere, they use their prayer rugs in order to assure that they are praying in a clean area. In these cases they have to estimate the direction of the qiblah. Nowadays, Muslims may use a prayer compass or a qiblah app to do this. Historically, detailed qiblah tables were found published alongside works on cosmology.

How do Muslims perform and express reverence in the ritual prayer?

All of the ritual prayers in Islam consist of units or cycles (rak'ah). The shortest ritual prayer consists of two units and the longest of four units. These units are either farḍ (obligatory) or sunnah (only recommended, but generally done). While standing and facing the qiblah the worshipper makes an intention to perform the salah; this is carried out by stating which prayer is to be performed, how many units (rak'ah) and intending full-heartedly to perform that worship for the sake of God. If he or she is in a congregation following the imam then this is also specified in the intention. The intention may be articulated in any language but the rest of the prayer must be performed in Arabic. Straight after the intention, the worshipper raises his or her hands beside their head while saying Allahu Akbar ('God is the most great'). The worshipper lowers his or her hands and puts their right hand over the left hand at either the level of the chest or the navel.

19th-century Qur'an from the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula (photo: British Library).

This is followed by further words of praise to God, the recitation of al-Fatihah (the first chapter of the Qur'an) and another section of her or his choice from the Qur'an. The rest of the prayer is concluded with various prescribed movements such as bows, prostrations and sitting. The whole ritual prayer ends with the worshipper first turning his head to the right and then to the left, saying 'peace be upon you and the mercy of God'.

How is the Friday congregational prayer different?

The Friday ritual prayer (Jummah) is performed during the afternoon instead of the normal afternoon prayer, behind an imam in a congregation; it also includes a sermon (khutbah). The khutbah normally consists of quotations from the Qur'an and the Prophet, the praising of God, supplication for the Prophet and his ummah (Muslims) and normally a topic relating to Islam. Once the sermon is completed the two farḍ rak'ah are performed behind the imam. In Islam, Friday is not commonly recognised by Muslims as a resting day like the Sabbath is in Christianity and Judaism, and in most cases once the Jummah prayer is completed the usual business of the day is resumed.

In what other ways do Muslims reflect on God through worship?

At the end of a prayer the invocation (dua') is read, following Prophetic tradition (Sunnah). The dua' consists of raising one's hands, praising God, sending blessings upon the Prophet(s) and then supplicating and asking God for whatever is required; it is traditional to end the invocation by wiping the face with both hands. Many of the supplications are recorded Prophetic supplications, but the dua' is not restricted to only Prophetic supplications. The dua' may also be said at any time (not just as a conclusion to prayer) and ablution is not a requirement. The same applies to the tasbih, which is a form of dhikr (remembrance of God) at any time; it generally consists of repeating the names of God and phrases that praise and exalt God. The reciting of this is traditionally carried out on prayer beads that commonly consist of ninety-nine beads which represent the ninety-nine names of God. These beads are also known as tasbih or misbaha. Based upon Sunnah, it is common for Muslims to repeat thirty-three times three separate praises and exaltations of God on a prayer bead after the completion of the ritual prayer.

Diversity of practice

Although the ritual prayers with ablution, supplication and tasbih are the general structure of a Muslim's worship, there are also other types of prayers, mostly connected with Sufism. Most Sufis, both individually and in gatherings, use the prayer bead (misbaha) to recite litanies (wird), invocations and other remembrances of God (dhikr). In fact, the praising of the Prophet Muhammad and sending peace and blessings upon him, which is also a part of the salah, dua'and the Friday sermon, was further developed by Sufi mystics throughout Islamic history.

A devotional prayer-book, Dala'il al-khayrat (Guide to Goodness), a compilation of blessings on the Prophet. Featured here are prayers to be recited on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively (photo: British Library).

The Dala'il al-khayrat ('Guide to Goodness') is a compilation of such prayers and litanies of peace and blessings upon the Prophet. Other works such as the book Mawlid sharaf al-anam('The Birth of the Noblest of Mankind') celebrate the nativity of the Prophet Muhammad and praise him as the final Messenger of God.

Amjad M. Hussain is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Divinity at Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey. Previous to this post, Hussain worked as a Lecturer in Religious Studies at Trinity University College, Carmarthen and later as a Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Trinity Saint David, University of Wales. His published works include, A Social History of Education in the Muslim World: From the Prophetic Era to Ottoman Times (2013), The Study of Religions: An Introduction (2015), The Muslim Creed: A Contemporary Theological Study (2016) and Islam for New Muslims: An Educational Guide (2018).