Salah

What Does Salah Mean in Detail?

Salah is the most important obligation in Islam after the declaration of faith (shahada). نبی کریم Muhammad said: 'The first thing a person will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment is salah.' The five daily نمازs are: Fajr (2 rakaat, before sunrise), Dhuhr (4 rakaat, after midday), Asr (4 rakaat, mid-afternoon), Maghrib (3 rakaat, after sunset), and Isha (4 rakaat, nighttime). Prerequisites include: tahaarah (ritual purity), facing the qiblah (direction of the کعبۃ اللہ), covering the awrah, praying within the prescribed time, and making intention. During حج, salah takes on additional significance — نمازs at مسجد الحرام are multiplied 100,000 times in reward according to hadith. Pilgrims traveling for حج may shorten and combine نمازs (qasr and jam'). The unique experience of praying directly facing the physical کعبۃ اللہ is one of the most moving aspects of حج.