Prayer, which literally means invocation and supplication and is referred to with the word "salat" in the Qur'an, terminologically means showing servitude to Allah by means of certain acts.
By performing the ritual prayer, people remember their Lord, express their love and respect to Him, and invoke and strive to express their gratitude to Him.
Prayer is obligatory upon every sane and pubescent Muslim. It is comprised of takbir, tawhid (expression of oneness of God), tasbih (glorification of Allah), hamd (expressing gratitude), shukr (praise), humbleness, supplication and invocation for all the believers, and sending blessings (salawāt) upon our Prophet (saw).
It is stated in the Qur'an, "Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and establish the prayer. Surely prayer keeps away indecency and evil." [Ankabut, 29: 45]
Prayer accustoms the person to gratitude, moves the human being closer to Allah, helps the believer gain thawab, and is an avenue for the redemption of minor sins.
It is stated in a hadith: "Five daily prayers and Friday prayer, from one Friday to the next, are expiation for the sins committed between them, so long as one does not commit any major sin." [Muslim, Taharah, 14-15; Tirmidhi, Mawaqit, 46.]
One day the Prophet (saw) asked his Companions, "If there was a river at the door of anyone of your houses and he took a bath in it five times a day, would there remain any dirt?" When they answered "No", the Prophet (saw) stated, "That is the example of the five daily prayers with which Allah blots out evil deeds." [Bukhari, Mawaqit, 6; Nasai, Salat, 7.]
The closest moment of the servants to Allah in this world is the position of prostration during prayer. The peace and tranquility gained by performing prayer cannot be gained by any other worship.
Prayer consists of twelve obligatory acts. Six of them are called conditions of prayer (shurut al-salat) because they are required to be fulfilled before beginning to perform the prayer, which are:
1) Taharah min al-Hadath (Purification from spiritual impurities),
2) Taharah min al-Najasah (Purification from material impurities)
3) Satr al-Awrah (Rules of Modesty),
4) Istiqbal al-Qiblah (Turning towards the direction of Mecca)
5) The Timing for the Prayer
6) Intention
The other six obligatory acts are called essential parts of the ritual prayer (rukn al-salat). These requirements must be fulfilled while performing the prayer. These are:
1) Takbir al-Iftitah (Opening Takbir)
2) Qiyam (Standing)
3) Qira'ah (Recitation of the Qur'an)
4) Ruku (Bowing Down)
5) Sajdah (Prostration)
6) Qadah al-Akhirah (The Final Sitting)
