The obligatory acts of prayer (wajibat)

You must recite Surah Al-Fatiha once in every rak'ah of a two-rak'ah prayer, and in every rak'ah of other prayers, before any other surah.

After Al-Fatiha, you must recite another surah (or at least three short verses), but only in the first two rak'ahs of a longer prayer, and in every rak'ah of a two-rak'ah prayer.

The extra surah must be recited in the first two rak'ahs. Reciting it in the third or fourth rak'ah instead does not fulfil this wajib.

Things that repeat each rak'ah, like the two sajdahs, must stay in order: the second sajdah right after the first, not moved to a later rak'ah.

You must pause calmly and still in bowing and sujood, long enough to say one full tasbih each time, and stand up straight after bowing and sit fully between the two sajdahs, again for at least one tasbih.

In a prayer of three or four rak'ahs, you must sit after the second rak'ah for long enough to say the Tashahhud. You also do not say Durood in that first sitting: stand up as soon as the Tashahhud is done. Saying it there by mistake means sajdah sahw at the end.

You must say the Tashahhud once in every sitting.

An imam must recite out loud in the first two rak'ahs of Fajr, Maghrib and Isha, and in Jumu'ah, Eid, Taraweeh and Ramadan Witr.

Everyone must recite quietly in every rak'ah of Zuhr and Asr, and in the later, silent rak'ahs of Maghrib and Isha.

Ending the prayer by saying "As-Salamu Alaikum" is wajib, and saying it twice (turning right, then left) is wajib too.

Saying a Dua Qunoot in the Witr prayer is wajib, and so is saying the Takbir before it.

In each Eid prayer, saying three extra Takbirs in each of the two rak'ahs (six in total) is wajib, along with the Takbir said before bowing in the second rak'ah.

Reciting the surahs in the order they come in the Quran is also obligatory: the surah in the second rak'ah should be one that comes after the surah in the first. The manual's list of twelve above does not name this one; see the page on the disliked acts in prayer.

Surah Al-Fatiha must be recited once in every rak'ah of the two-rak'ah prayers, and in all rak'ahs of the other prayers, and it must be recited before any other Surah. If there is a fear of running out of time, reciting a single verse in its place fulfils the obligation, but the prayer should be repeated once time allows, since the wajib was omitted. Memorising Al-Fatiha is obligatory for every sane, mature Muslim.

After Al-Fatiha, reciting another Surah is obligatory in the two-rak'ah prayers and in every rak'ah of other prayers; reciting the Surah before Al-Fatiha does not fulfil the obligation. The Surah must be at least three short verses long (or equivalent, such as one long verse like Ayat al-Kursi, or two medium verses); fewer than that is disliked. Memorising at least one short Surah is obligatory for every Muslim.

It is obligatory that this additional recitation be specified to the first two rak'ahs; recitation done instead in the third or fourth rak'ah does not fulfil the obligation.

For actions that repeat every rak'ah, such as the two sajdahs, keeping them in order is obligatory: the second sajdah must follow the first immediately. If someone misses the second sajdah and only makes it up in the last rak'ah, the prayer remains valid but the wajib of order is missed. Someone joining a prayer in a rak'ah where the imam has already begun should still perform their own missed rak'ahs afterward in the correct order.

Pausing long enough in Ruku and Sujood to say one full tasbih (Subhana Rabbiyal Azeem in Ruku, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la in Sajda) is obligatory, as is standing up straight after Ruku (Qawma) and sitting fully between the two prostrations (Jalsa), each again for the length of a tasbih.

The first sitting, after both prostrations of the second rak'ah in prayers of three or four rak'ahs, is obligatory, whether the prayer is fard, sunnah or voluntary; it must last long enough to recite the Tashahhud. Staying seated longer than necessary means the obligation is exceeded and Sajdah Sahw becomes necessary. Durood is not recited in this sitting: after the Tashahhud one rises directly to the third rak'ah, and remaining seated to send blessings upon the Prophet, though its virtue is immense in its own place, delays the next integral and makes Sajdah Sahw necessary.

Reciting the Tashahhud (At-Tahiyyat) once in every sitting is obligatory. Repeating it more than once in a single sitting requires Sajdah Sahw for the extra repetition.

The Imam must recite aloud in the first two rak'ahs of Fajr, the first two of Maghrib and Isha (on time or as qadha), and in Jumu'ah, Eid, Taraweeh and Ramadan Witr. An individual (Munfarid) may choose to recite aloud or quietly in Fajr, Maghrib and Isha, except when making up a missed daytime prayer, when quiet recitation is required. In nafl prayers at night, the individual may choose either, but an imam leading them must recite aloud. Someone who joins a prayer where the Imam is reciting aloud must also recite aloud from then on, even if they had been reciting quietly before. The volume should be enough for someone nearby to hear.

Both the Imam and an individual must recite quietly in every rak'ah of Zuhr and Asr, in the third rak'ah of Maghrib, and in the third and fourth of Isha, as well as in every daytime voluntary prayer. Quiet enough means loud enough only for the person themselves to hear their own voice.

Ending the prayer by saying "As-Salamu Alaikum" is obligatory, and saying it twice, turning the head right and then left, is obligatory. Adding "wa Rahmatullah" is a sunnah addition on top of the wajib.

Reciting a Dua Qunoot in the Witr prayer is obligatory, whether it is the well-known "Allahumma inna nasta'eenuka" or another dua; saying the Takbir that precedes the Qunoot is likewise obligatory.

In the Eid prayers, saying three extra Takbirs in each rak'ah (six in total across the prayer, in addition to the ordinary Takbirs) is obligatory, as is the Takbir said before going into Ruku' in the second rak'ah.

Keeping the suras in the order in which the Qur'an arranges them is likewise wajib: the sura recited in the second rak'ah should follow, in the Qur'anic sequence, the one recited in the first. It is not among the twelve the manual lists above; the rules on it, and the exceptions, are on the page for the disliked acts in prayer.

Al-Fātiḥah is recited once in every rakʿah of the two-rakʿah prayers, and in every rakʿah of the others, and must precede any additional sūrah. Where time is genuinely feared to be running out, a single āyah in its place discharges the wajib for that prayer, but repetition (iʿādah) is required once time allows, since the wajib was left short. Memorising al-Fātiḥah is obligatory (farḍ al-ʿayn) on every mukallaf.

Ḍamm al-sūrah, annexing a further sūrah after al-Fātiḥah, is wajib in the two-rakʿah prayers and in every rakʿah of the others; reversing the order does not discharge it. The minimum is three short āyāt or their equivalent (one long āyah such as Āyat al-Kursī, or two middling āyāt); less than this is makrūh. Memorising at least one short sūrah is likewise farḍ al-ʿayn.

Taʿyīn, confining ḍamm al-sūrah to the first two rakʿāt of a longer prayer, is itself a distinct wajib; performing it instead in the third or fourth rakʿah does not discharge the obligation, since it belongs specifically to the first two.

Tartīb among the acts repeated each rakʿah, the second sajdah immediately following the first, is wajib; a sajdah deferred and made up only in the final rakʿah leaves the prayer valid (since no rukn was thereby omitted) but the wajib of order itself unfulfilled. One who joins a rakʿah already in progress must, on completing it afterward, restore the correct sequence of his own rakʿāt.

Ṭumaʾnīnah (also termed taʿdīl al-arkān), pausing in rukūʿ and sujūd for at least the time of one complete tasbīḥ (Subḥāna Rabbiya'l-ʿAẓīm in rukūʿ, Subḥāna Rabbiya'l-Aʿlā in sujūd), is wajib, as is qawmah (standing fully upright after rukūʿ) and jalsah (sitting fully between the two sajdahs), each likewise for the duration of one tasbīḥ.

Al-qaʿdah al-ūlā, following both sajdahs of the second rakʿah in a prayer of three or four rakʿāt, is wajib regardless of whether the prayer is farḍ, sunnah or nafl, for the duration of the tashahhud. Prolonging this sitting beyond the tashahhud exceeds the wajib and itself necessitates sajdat as-sahw. Durūd is not recited in this qaʿdah: the Tashahhud is followed directly by rising to the third rakʿah, and remaining seated to send blessings, whatever its virtue elsewhere, is a taʾkhīr of the next rukn and necessitates sajdah sahw.

Reciting the tashahhud once in every qaʿdah is wajib; reciting it a second time in the same sitting is an addition requiring sajdat as-sahw.

Jahr is wajib upon the imam in the first two rakʿāt of Fajr, the first two of Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ (whether adāʾ or qaḍāʾ), and throughout Jumuʿah, ʿĪd, Tarāwīḥ and Witr in Ramaḍān. A munfarid has the choice of jahr or sirr in Fajr, Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ, save that qaḍāʾ of a daytime prayer is read silently regardless of the original prayer's timing. In night nawāfil the individual chooses, but an imam leading them must recite aloud. A latecomer joining a jahrī prayer already underway must himself recite aloud from that point, even if he had begun the same prayer silently elsewhere. The volume required is that a person standing nearby could hear it.

Sirr is wajib on both imam and munfarid in every rakʿah of Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr, in the third rakʿah of Maghrib, in the third and fourth of ʿIshāʾ, and throughout the daytime nawāfil. The standard for sirr is that the reciter himself can hear his own voice.

Concluding with "as-Salāmu ʿAlaykum" is wajib, and its repetition, turning right then left, is likewise wajib; the addition of "wa Raḥmatullāh" is a sunnah refinement layered on the wajib, not itself the wajib.

Qunūt in Witr is wajib, whether recited as the well-known "Allāhumma innā nastaʿīnuka" or any other duʿāʾ; the takbīr preceding the qunūt is likewise wajib.

The takbīrāt of ʿĪd (three additional takbīrs in each of the two rakʿāt, six in total beyond the ordinary takbīrs of the prayer) are wajib, as is the takbīr preceding the rukūʿ of the second rakʿah.

Tartīb as-suwar is likewise wājib: the sura of the second rakʿah should stand after that of the first in the arrangement of the muṣḥaf. It is not among the twelve the manual enumerates above; its detail and its exceptions are set out on the page for the makrūhāt of prayer.