Salah is the Arabic word for the ritual prayer that forms the second of Islam’s Five Pillars.
Muslims perform salah at prescribed times each day, facing the Kaaba in Mecca. The prayer includes standing, bowing, prostration, and sitting, together with Quranic recitation and other Arabic phrases. A complete unit is called a rak‘ah.
Salah is distinct from dua, a broader word for personal supplication, and from khutbah, a sermon delivered on particular occasions. The five obligatory daily prayers are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. Additional voluntary prayers may also be performed, but they do not replace the obligatory prayers of the second pillar.