shalat

Shalat, also transliterated as salah or salat and commonly written sholat in Indonesian and Malay, is the ritual prayer prescribed for Muslims and one of the five pillars of Islam. It is performed five times daily at specific times, facing the qibla toward Mecca. Each prayer consists of a sequence of units called rak’ahs and includes Qur’anic recitation, supplication, and prescribed physical movements.

Before beginning, Muslims perform wudu, a ritual ablution to attain ceremonial purity. During shawt, the practitioner stands, recites portions of the Quran (primarily in Arabic), prostrates on the ground, and sits between cycles. The opening chapter, Al-Fatiha, is recited in every rak’ah, often alongside additional verses. The sequence typically includes standing (qiyam), bowing (rukūʿ), prostration (sujūd), and sitting (jalsah).

The five daily prayers are Fajr (before dawn), Dhuhr (after solar noon), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (after sunset), and Isha (night). Optional prayers, known as sunnah or nafl, may accompany the obligatory prayers. The exact number of rak’ahs can vary by tradition, and nuances exist among different Islamic schools of thought.

Jumu’ah, a weekly congregational prayer held on Friday, often replaces the Dhuhr prayer and includes a sermon. Prayers are typically performed individually or in congregation, with gender-separated spaces in many mosques. Shalat serves as a central, structured form of worship, reinforcing submission to God and daily spiritual discipline.