Getting Started with Salah

The Minimum Requirements

This section is for beginners who are curious about the five times a day prayer known as salah, but who have not made any formal commitment to become a student of Sufism or Islam. The intention of giving you the bare minimum requirements is just to make it easy to taste what prayer is like in the Sufi way. If you have ever heard the call to prayer (adhan) and felt compelled to explore the prayer, then this short version will help you get started with learning the basics.

Sidi used to say, “Any Sufi who does not pray is not a real Sufi.” At its essence, prayer is an intimate moment with Allah on the inner. Yet on the outer, it can feel awkward and overwhelming for those learning how to formally pray in the Sufi way. The Sufi path is a path of attraction. Prayer is the most intimate way one can connect sincerely to Allah. Prayer is your special time with Allah. Prayer facilitates that intimate connection between you and Allah. Please be leery of any voice that distracts you from praying or causes you to stop praying. This is usually the deceptive voice of the shaytan attempting to pull you away from the protection and love of your Beloved.

Salah is rich with meaning and has many layers and components that have been added over time. It’s best to start with the simplest form of salah and slowly add the bits and pieces later as you learn more.

Prepare for Salah

1. Perform wudu, a spiritual way to wash your hands, head, arms, and feet.
2. Make the adhan, the call to prayer.
3. Lay out your prayer rug, a large scarf or blanket, or any clean piece of cloth.
4. Set your intention to pray by saying, for example, “I intend to pray 2 rak’ah of fajr prayer.”
5. Stand facing the direction of prayer, the qibla. Apps can help you determine the exact direction but in North America it is generally NNE.

Salah

1. Raise your hands up to your ears, open them facing forward and say, “Allahu Akbar.”
2. Cross your hands comfortably across the belly (men), or across the upper chest (women), right over left.
3. Recite the Fatiha. 
4. Say “Allah Akbar”
5. Bow, bending at the waist with your hands on your knees.
6. Return to standing and say, “Allahu Akbar” as you rise up.
7. Say, “Allahu Akbar”
8. Drop to your knees and prostrate with your forehead touching the floor, with both of your hands beside your head.
   While in prostration, open your heart and surrender your whole being over to Allah. Stay there as long as it feels right.  Usually 3-10 seconds.
9. Say, “Allahu Akbar” and kneel with your back straight, knees bent under you.
10. Pause briefly and ask for forgiveness while sitting.
11. Say, “Allahu Akbar” and return to prostration, same as step #8.
12. Return to standing and say, “Allahu Akbar” as you rise up.
    Congratulations! You just completed one rak’ah of prayer.
13. Repeat steps 1-11 to complete a second rak’ah.
14. Then, instead of standing, sit upright and face your Lord. Take a moment to be grateful and drink in the Love in this moment of intimacy, for at least 15-30 seconds.
15. Then say, “Ashadu an la ‘ilaha illa-llah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasūluh.”
    (I testify that there is no god but God and Muhammad is a Messenger of God.)
16. Now you have completed two full rak’ah of prayer.

Rak’ah Required For Each Prayer

For Fajr, the morning prayer, two rak’ah is all that is required.

For Dhuhr, the noon prayer, ‘Asr, the mid afternoon prayer, and ‘Isha, the evening prayer, you repeat the entire process for two rak’ah twice, making it four rak’ah total for each of those prayers.

For Maghrib, the sunset prayer, it is three rak’ah. So instead of repeating the entire round of two rak’ah, you stop at the third round and finish with step 11.

The final mandatory step to complete the salah is:

17. At the end of each prayer, while still seated, turn your head to the right and say, “As salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah,” then turn head to the left and say, “As salamu ‘alaykum  wa rahmatullah.” (may the peace and blessings of God be upon you). 

Over time, you can begin to incorporate those extra little verses and the extra suras from the Qur’an after you have this basic version of salah mastered.

Once you have become comfortable with the salah, then you can work on adding the after prayer practice that Sidi encouraged us to do immediately following each of the five daily prayers.

Hadith

Once the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, entered the masjid. A man came in, offered the salat, and greeted the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned his greeting and said to him, “Go back and pray again, for you have not prayed.”

The man offered the salah again, came back to greet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He said to him, “Go back and pray again, for you have not prayed.” 

The man offered the salat again, came back to greet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He said to him, “Go back and pray again, for you have not prayed.”

The man said, “By Him Who has sent you with the Truth! I do not know a better way of praying. Kindly teach me how to pray.”

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When you stand for salah, say, ‘Allahu akbar’ and then recite from the Qur’an what you know, and then bow with calmness until you feel at ease, then rise from bowing until you stand straight. Afterwards, prostrate calmly until you feel at ease, and then rise and sit with calmness until you feel at ease, and then prostrate with calmness until you feel at ease in prostration, and do the same in your whole prayer.” 

— Sahih al-Bukhari