Salah Prayers! (Obl.+Reg.+Opt.)

3-The Five Obligatory (Obl.) Prayers

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Regular (Reg.)

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Optional Prayers (Opt.)

Allah, the Most High, Says:

"Verily, Salah (Prayers) is enjoined on the believers- to be performed-at fixed times."
[Qur'an 4:103]

The Prayers are

Prayer	Time	Reg* or Opt** (before the Obligatory) Units	Obligatory Units	Reg* or Opt** (following the Obligatory) Units
Fajr (early morning); 2 Obligatory units	dawn - sunrise	2*	2	-
Thuhr (noonday); 4 obligatory units.	zawaal (sun passing its zenith) – time of next prayer ('Asr)	2* & 2*	4	2 (2**)
'Asr (late afternoon), 4 obligatory units.	time when shadow of a vertical stick equals its length - sunset	4**	4	-
Maghrib (sunset); 3 obligatory units.	sunset – disappearance of red twilight (glow) in the sky.	2**	3	2*
Ishaa' (night); 4 obligatory units	disappearance of the red glow – midnight	2*	4	2*, 2*, 1*

One Unit of Prayer (Rak'ah) constitutes certain actions: standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting, and prostrating.
If one misses an obligatory prayer due to sleep or forgetfulness, then the person must perform it a s soon as he/she wakes up or when he/she remembers it.

What Is To Be Done Before Performing Salah

1-Ritual Purity (Wudhu' or Ghusl depending on the state of impurity; see File on Wudhu on the site www.understand-islam.net)
2-Clean place.
3-Men to perform Obligatory Salah at the Mosque (except for a legal excuse; illness, etc.); rest of prayers at home.
4-Women to perform Salah in the innermost places at home (they are allowed to pray at the Mosques, but not mandatory).
5-Wearing loose clothes that does not shape the private parts for men (and extend down until above the ankle), while women cover their entire bodies except face and hands.
6-Standing close to a Sutrah in front of the Musalee (person in prayer) [Sutrah: an object like a pillar, sticking or laying down on the ground, set so that no human or animal can walk in front of the person performing Salah].

General Guidelines:
1-learn direction of Qiblah & times of prayer in your location (contact closest Sunni Mosque)
2-Learn the movements and shorter sentences. Practice what is to be said in prayers.
3-Work to learn the Recitation of the Opening Chapter in the Qur'an (the Faatiha).