Muslims must perform five obligatory salat prayers each day.
The five prayers are Fajr before dawn, Dhuhr after midday, Asr in the afternoon, Maghrib just after sunset, and Isha at night. Their exact clock times change with location and season because they are linked to the sun’s position.
Prayer usually begins with ritual purification, called wudu, and is performed facing the Kaaba in Mecca. Each prayer contains a prescribed sequence of standing, bowing, prostration, and sitting, organized into units called rak‘ahs.
The five daily prayers are distinct from optional prayers, including additional worship during Ramadan. Muslims may pray individually or in congregation, and Friday’s congregational prayer, Jumu‘ah, has a special place in the weekly religious calendar. The number five refers to obligatory prayer times, not to the number of individual movements or rak‘ahs.