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Salah (other terms and spellings exist) (Arabic: صلاه , Old (Qur'an) Arabic: صلوة ) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It refers to the five daily ritual prayers that Muslims offer to Allah (God). Being a Pillar of Islam, it is compulsory (fard) upon every Muslim.
The salah must be performed in Arabic language even if the person neither speaks nor understands Arabic (in such a case, the prayers are to be recited by heart).
Under some circumstances, Muslim males are obliged to perform the Salah in congregation, behind an Imam. At other times it may be performed individually. Outside of the daily salat there are special prayers offered on Fridays (Al-Jumu'ah الجمعه), 'ID al-Fitr and Id al-Adha.
The call to prayer (adhan) announces the time of prayer; when far from a mosque, the time can be inferred from the position of the sun in the sky.
The five prescribed daily prayers are:
- Fajr (dawn prayer)
- Zuhr (mid-day)
- Asr ( Late afternoon)
- Maghrib (sunset)
- Isha' (nightfall)
It is essential that all prayers be conducted at their precise times. This observance is especially stressed for the Asr prayer, as there is a surah in the Qur'an named Al-Asr.
However, prayers can be said later if missed; for example, when the time for night prayer has arrived, one can still comply with, say, the afternoon and sunset prayers.
Prayer can only be conducted after a Muslim has performed the Wudu (a ritual ablution). In wudu, the Muslim washes his face, teeth, nose, arms and feet three times in a particular order.
When no water is available, sand may be used. (If the cleansing was done using water, the Muslim is considered to have cleansed him or herself from the physical manifestations of sin in a lasting fashion that extends between prayers; unless the Muslim does something to remove this cleanliness, the cleansing would not need to be repeated before the next prayer. When sand is used, the cleansing is only temporary and regardless of whether or not the Muslim commits any physical acts of uncleanliness he or she will need to undergo the ceremonial cleansing immediately before the next prayer.)
The prayer starts by stating which prayer one is currently praying, and by reciting the first surah of the Qur'an (Al-Fatiha - The Opening), followed by a few short verses. Then, the Muslim kneels and says something and stands upright again, only to reach the prayer mat and sit on his legs. He places his hands and face on the mat and sits up, repeating this once more before standing up and repeating the entire sequence. Each such action is called a rakah; there are two in Fajr, four for Zuhr and Asr, three for Maghrib, and again four for 'Isha'. In each position, something is being said.
The session ends with looking right and left to say "Peace be unto you, and on you be peace" in Arabic to the believers sitting with you. (If alone, the Muslim greets his right angel and then his left angel. Muslims believe there is one angel on each shoulder, the one on the left noting every sin you commit, and the one on the right noting every good deed. Prayer removes a sin.)
Apart from the five daily obligatory prayers, there are also Sunneh prayers, which are between the other prayers' times and an early prayer (between midnight and Fajr) where two or more raka'ahs may be performed.
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