What a condition is

Before you start a prayer, some things must already be in place. Scholars call these the shurut (conditions) of salah. One of them is a shart.

A condition is different from a rukn (pillar):

• A condition is outside the prayer. It comes before you start, and it must last until you finish. Wudu is an example.
• A pillar is a part inside the prayer, like ruku (bowing) or sujud (prostration).

Both matter in the same way: if a condition or a pillar is missing, the prayer does not count, and you pray it again.

Think of it like a house. The pillars are the walls and roof. The conditions are the ground it stands on. Without either, there is no house.

The list at a glance

1. Islam, a sound mind and age

Salah is worship, so it only counts from a Muslim. A new Muslim starts praying from the day they accept Islam. They do not make up prayers from before.

The person must also have a sound mind. Someone who has lost their mind does not have to pray¹.

Salah becomes a must at puberty. But a younger child's prayer still counts, and is rewarded, once the child is old enough to understand it. Nabi ﷺ told parents to teach children to pray at seven². See Why salah, who must pray, and the times for more.

2. Purity from hadath (wudu and ghusl)

Hadath is the state you are in after using the toilet, passing wind, or sleeping deeply. It is not dirt you can see. It is lifted by wudu (washing for prayer). A bigger hadath, after intimacy or after a period ends, is lifted by ghusl (a full bath).

Allah tells us to wash before prayer³. Nabi ﷺ said: no prayer is accepted without purification⁴. And: the prayer of someone who has broken their wudu is not accepted until they make wudu again⁵. He also said: the key to salah is purification⁶.

• If you have no water, or cannot use it because of illness, you do tayammum (wiping with clean earth) instead⁷.
• If you lose your wudu during the prayer, the prayer stops counting. Leave, make wudu, and pray again.
• If you prayed and then remembered you had no wudu, pray it again. All scholars agree on this. If you were the imam, you repeat. Most scholars say the people behind you do not. Hanafis say they repeat too.
• If you have wudu and only doubt whether you lost it, you still have it. Doubt does not break wudu.

To learn how to make wudu step by step, see our Wudu guide.

3. Clean of najasa: body, clothes and place

Najasa means filth that Islam counts as unclean. The main ones are urine, stool, blood that flows, vomit, and the urine and dung of animals whose meat is not eaten.

Allah says: and keep your clothes clean⁸. Before you pray, three things must be free of najasa:

• Your body. For example, after using the toilet, clean yourself well.
• Your clothes. Wash off any najasa. A woman came to Nabi ﷺ about period blood on her clothes. He said: rub it, wash it with water, and then she can pray in it⁹.
• Your prayer place. The spot where you stand, kneel and put your head down. Nabi ﷺ said the whole earth was made a place of prayer for his ummah¹⁰, except the graveyard and the bathroom¹¹.

Things that make it easier

• Everything is clean until you know it is not. If you are not sure whether something touched najasa, it is clean. Do not let doubts take over.
• A baby boy's urine. If a baby boy who only drinks milk wets your clothes, sprinkle water over the spot. Nabi ﷺ did this when a baby boy wet his clothes¹². Shafi'is and Hanbalis follow this. For a baby girl, they say wash it. Hanafis and Malikis say wash it in both cases.
• Small amounts that are hard to avoid are forgiven, like a tiny speck of blood. Hanafis forgive najasa up to about the size of a small coin (a dirham) on your clothes, though washing it is still better.
• A prayer mat is not required. Any clean floor, carpet or grass is fine.

If you find najasa during or after the prayer

Once, Nabi ﷺ was leading the prayer and took off his sandals in the middle of it. The people did the same. Afterwards he explained: Jibril came to me and told me there was filth on them¹³. He took them off and carried on. He did not start again.

• You notice it during the prayer and can remove it quickly, like taking off a sock or a jacket: take it off and carry on. If you cannot remove it, stop and fix it, then pray again.
• You notice it after the prayer, and you did not know it was there: scholars differ.

• Maliki: your prayer counts. It is good to pray again if the time has not ended.
• Hanafi and Shafi'i: pray it again (for Hanafis, if it was more than the small amount that is forgiven).
• Hanbali: the main view is pray it again, but many Hanbali scholars say it counts, because of the sandals hadith.

If you were not sure when it got there, you do not need to repeat. Follow your local masjid or a scholar you trust.

4. Covering the awrah

The awrah is the part of the body that must be covered. In salah it must be covered for the whole prayer. Allah says: wear your good clothing at every place of prayer¹⁴.

Men

• The awrah of a man is from the navel to the knee.
• Hanafi: the knee itself is part of the awrah. The other schools say the navel and knee are not, but you cover a little of them to be sure.
• Shoulders: Nabi ﷺ said: do not pray in one piece of cloth with nothing on your shoulders¹⁵. Hanbalis say a man must cover at least one shoulder in a fard prayer. The other schools say it is strongly preferred. In practice: wear a shirt.
• Malikis say the most serious part is the private parts. If those are covered but the thighs are not, the prayer counts, but it is good to pray again within the time.

Women

• The awrah of a woman in salah is her whole body except the face and hands. This is the view of most scholars.
• Nabi ﷺ said: Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty without a khimar (head covering)¹⁶¹⁷. So the hair, neck and ears must be covered.
• Hanafi: the feet do not have to be covered in salah either.
• Hanbali: the main view is that only the face may show, but many Hanbali scholars also allow the hands.
• Maliki: if her hair, chest or arms showed by mistake, the prayer counts, but it is good to pray it again within the time.
• A woman praying alone at home still covers the same way. The rule is for salah, not for who is watching.

See-through and tight clothes

• See-through: if the color of the skin can be seen through the cloth, that part is not covered. Thin leggings, sheer scarves and light white cloth when wet are common examples. Nabi ﷺ warned about women who are dressed but look undressed¹⁸.
• Tight: clothes that cover the skin but show the shape of the body still count as covering. But they are disliked in prayer. Wear something loose on top if you can.
• If part shows by accident, for example the wind lifts a sleeve, and you cover it straight away, your prayer is fine.

Jeans, work clothes and uniforms

• You can pray in jeans, trousers or work clothes, as long as they are clean and cover the awrah.
• Men in low jeans: check your back when you bow and put your head down. If your lower back and the top of your underwear show, the awrah is uncovered. Wear a longer shirt or a belt.
• Women at work: a long top or a light abaya over trousers, plus a scarf, is enough. Many sisters keep a prayer outfit in a bag or at their desk.

5. Facing the qibla

The qibla is the direction of the Kabah in Makkah. Allah says: turn your face towards al-Masjid al-Haram, and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it¹⁹. Nabi ﷺ told the man he taught to pray: make wudu, face the qibla, and say Allahu akbar²⁰.

For the first months in Madinah, the Muslims faced Jerusalem. Then Allah changed the qibla to the Kabah. When the news reached people at Quba, they were in the middle of Fajr. They turned around right there, inside the prayer, and carried on²¹. Others at another masjid turned while they were bowing²².

How exact do you need to be?

• If you can see the Kabah, you must face the building itself.
• If you are far away, most scholars say facing the general direction is enough. Nabi ﷺ said to the people of Madinah: what is between east and west is qibla²³, because the Kabah was to their south. So a small error does not matter.
• Shafi'is say you should aim, as best you can, for the Kabah itself, not just the general direction.

How to find it

• Follow the masjid, or the prayer lines in a prayer room.
• Use a qibla app or compass on your phone. Keep the phone flat and away from metal for a better reading.
• Ask a local Muslim you trust.
• Use the sun: it rises roughly in the east and sets roughly in the west. In North America the qibla is roughly northeast. In the UK and most of Europe it is roughly southeast.

When you cannot know

If none of these are possible, think about it carefully, choose the direction you believe is right, and pray. That is all Allah asks of you.

Once, on a journey, on a very dark night, the Companions could not tell the qibla. Each man prayed in the direction he thought was right. In the morning they told Nabi ﷺ, and this ayah came down: wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah²⁴²⁵.

• You learn you were wrong during the prayer: turn to the right direction and carry on, like the people of Quba²⁶.
• You learn you were wrong after the prayer: most scholars say your prayer counts, because you did your best. Malikis say it is good to pray again if the time has not ended. Shafi'is say pray again if you are sure you were wrong.
• If you did not even try to find it, and could have, pray again.

On a plane, train, bus or car

• Extra (voluntary) prayers: you can pray them sitting in your seat, facing whatever way you are going. Nabi ﷺ prayed voluntary prayers and witr on his camel, facing wherever it went, and bowed with a nod of the head²⁷²⁸.
• Fard (required) prayers: Nabi ﷺ got down from his camel for these and faced the qibla²⁹. So for a fard prayer, try to face the qibla and stand. On a plane, the galley or an empty space near the doors often works. Ask the crew.
• If you can pray after you land or arrive before the time ends, or join two prayers as a traveller, that is often easier.
• If none of that is possible and the time is running out, pray in your seat as best you can. Do not let the time pass. Allah says: fear Allah as much as you are able³⁰. Some scholars, mainly Shafi'is, say to pray it again later if you could not stand or face the qibla.
• In a car, pull over at a safe place if you can and pray outside or in a rest area.

The same goes for anyone who cannot turn, like a patient in a hospital bed. Pray facing whatever way you can. Allah does not ask a soul for more than it can bear³¹.

6. The prayer time has come

Allah says: salah is a duty at set times³². A fard prayer prayed before its time has begun does not count, even by one minute. You must pray it again once the time comes.

• If you are not sure the time has started, wait until you are sure.
• The one exception is a traveller or someone with a reason who joins two prayers, for example praying Asr early with Dhuhr. That is explained in the travel chapter.

For the full times and windows, see Why salah, who must pray, and the times and our Prayer times page.

7. The intention (niyyah)

Nabi ﷺ said: actions are judged by intentions, and each person gets what they intended³³. Allah says that people were only told to worship Him sincerely³⁴.

The niyyah (intention) is simply knowing in your heart which prayer you are about to pray, and that you are praying it for Allah.

• The intention is in the heart. If you got up, made wudu and stood to pray Dhuhr, you already have the intention.
• For a fard prayer, know which one it is: Dhuhr, Asr and so on. For a general voluntary prayer, meaning to pray is enough.
• It should be there when you say the first Allahu akbar, or just before it.
• If you are praying behind an imam, you also intend to follow him.

Do I say it out loud?

No, you do not need to. All four schools agree the intention is in the heart. There is no report that Nabi ﷺ or his Companions said the intention out loud before the prayer.

• Some Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali scholars say that saying it quietly to yourself, like "I am praying four rakat of Dhuhr", is good because it helps the heart focus.
• Malikis say it is better not to say it.
• Saying it loudly, so it disturbs the people next to you, is disliked by all.

Common questions

I found a small spot of blood on my shirt after I prayed. Do I pray again?

A small spot of blood is forgiven by most scholars, so your prayer is fine. If it was a lot, see the section on najasa above: the schools differ, and repeating is the safer choice if the time has not ended.

I prayed at work and later found out my qibla app was off by a bit.

Your prayer counts. Facing the general direction is enough when you are far away³⁵. Fix the direction for next time.

My hair showed a little from under my scarf during the prayer.

If you fixed it quickly, your prayer is fine. If a lot of it was showing for a long part of the prayer, most scholars say pray it again. Malikis say it is good to repeat within the time.

My child sat on my lap in a wet diaper while I was praying.

A diaper that holds everything in does not spoil your prayer. Nabi ﷺ even carried his little granddaughter Umamah while he prayed. He put her down when he went into sujud and picked her up when he stood³⁶. If urine actually leaked onto your clothes, wash that spot.

I am a new Muslim. Do I have to make up the prayers from before I took shahada?

No. Nabi ﷺ said: Islam wipes out what came before it³⁷. Start with the next prayer, and learn as you go. Allah is pleased with every step.

Can I pray in a room with pictures or a TV on the wall?

Your prayer counts. But it is better to pray where nothing in front of you will distract you. Turn the TV off, or face a plain wall.

I prayed Maghrib, then saw the timetable was set to the wrong city and I was five minutes early.

A prayer before its time does not count, so pray Maghrib again. It is not a sin, because you did not know. Check your location in your app.

I keep doubting if my intention was right, and I start the prayer again and again.

Stop. If you stood up to pray a prayer, you intended it. Do not restart because of doubts. Shaytan uses these doubts to tire you out. Ignoring them is the cure.