What Must Be in Place Before the Takbir?

Before beginning the prayer, the worshipper verifies the following:

• The prayer time has begun.
• Ritual purity has been attained through wudu, ghusl when required, or tayammum when its valid cause exists.
• Any known impurity that can be removed has been removed from the body, clothing, and place of prayer.
• The ‘awrah is covered with clean, concealing clothing.
• The qiblah is faced when one is able.
• The intention is present in the heart without pronouncing it aloud.

For more detail, see Conditions, Pillars, and Obligatory Acts of Salah and How to Make Wudu Correctly.

It is also prescribed for the imam and a person praying alone to pray toward a nearby sutrah when possible, and not to choose a place that distracts them or exposes them to people passing between them and the sutrah.

Number of Rak‘ahs in the Obligatory Prayers

• Fajr: two rak‘ahs.
• Dhuhr: four rak‘ahs.
• ‘Asr: four rak‘ahs.
• Maghrib: three rak‘ahs.
• ‘Isha’: four rak‘ahs.

The imam recites aloud in the two rak‘ahs of Fajr and the first two rak‘ahs of Maghrib and ‘Isha’. He recites quietly in Dhuhr and ‘Asr, the third rak‘ah of Maghrib, and the third and fourth rak‘ahs of ‘Isha’. A person praying alone generally follows the same pattern. A follower listens to the imam after reciting al-Fatihah, as explained below.

When Are the Hands Raised?

Raising the hands is established in four places:

• At takbirat al-ihram.
• When saying the takbir to bow.
• When rising from bowing.
• When standing for the third rak‘ah after the first tashahhud.

According to the strongest established Sunnah in this matter, the hands are not raised when descending into prostration or rising from it.

What Do the Imam, Follower, and Individual Worshipper Say?

• The imam and the person praying alone say when rising from bowing, “Allah hears the one who praises Him,” and then, “Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise.”
• The follower says while rising, “Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise.”
• The follower moves after the imam moves and must not deliberately precede him or move simultaneously with him.
• According to the stronger view, the follower recites al-Fatihah quietly and then listens to the imam in an audible prayer.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

For details, see Congregational Prayer in Islam.

Does a Woman Pray Differently from a Man?

The basic rule is that a woman prays in the same manner in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed, because his statement, “Pray as you have seen me pray,” is general. She says the takbir, recites, bows, prostrates, sits, and recites the tashahhud in the manner described above.

The rulings of covering differ. An adult woman must cover her body in prayer except her face when no non-mahram man is present. She covers her hair, neck, arms, lower legs, and feet. There is a well-known scholarly disagreement regarding the hands, and covering them is more cautious. If a non-mahram man is present, she also covers her face.

A special prayer posture that differs from a man’s should not be assigned to women without authentic evidence.

What Is the Practical Difference Between a Pillar, an Obligation, and a Sunnah?

Jurists differ in classifying some actions of the prayer. In the well-known classification of the Hanbali school and a group of verifying scholars, the practical difference is:

• A pillar: It is not waived intentionally or forgetfully, and sujood al-sahw alone does not compensate for it. It and what follows must be performed according to the point at which one remembers. Examples include bowing, prostration, and tranquility.
• An obligatory act: Deliberately omitting it invalidates the prayer. If forgotten, the worshipper completes the prayer and compensates with sujood al-sahw. In this classification, examples include the first tashahhud and the transitional takbirs.
• A Sunnah: Omitting it intentionally or forgetfully does not invalidate the prayer, though it completes the prayer and increases its reward. Examples include the opening supplication and reciting a surah after al-Fatihah.

A person who forgets a pillar cannot simply say, “Sujood al-sahw is enough.” A person who forgets an obligatory act follows the ruling applicable to when it was remembered and performs sujood al-sahw. Because the details vary, see Sujood al-Sahw: Before or After Salam?.

Tranquility Is a Pillar Without Which the Prayer Is Invalid

Tranquility means that the worshipper’s limbs visibly settle in each pillar: becoming tranquil while bowing, standing upright, becoming tranquil while prostrating, and becoming tranquil while sitting between the two prostrations. It is not enough to touch each posture for an instant and move immediately.

Khushu means the heart is present, the worshipper recognizes the greatness of standing before Allah, and the limbs are calm. It is the spirit of the prayer and a cause of its complete reward. Occasional distraction does not invalidate the prayer, but it reduces khushu and reward. See What Is Khushu in Salah and How Can You Achieve It?.