Being one of the five pillars in Islam, the Daily Prayer is a ritual that is fundamental in a Muslim’s life. The ritual is named either the Salat or the al-salah and it forms the foundation for all worship. The prayer is practiced five times a day at specific periods, with each prayer being individually named. Since the previous generations did not have access to technology they would use the sun as a guideline for their Islamic prayers, these are the five daily prayers central to Islam:
Salat al-fajr: Performed at dawn, before sunrise.
Salat al zuhr: Performed at midday, when the sun has passed its highest.
Salat al-‘asr: Performed in the late part of the afternoon
Salat al-maghrib: Performed just after sunset
Salat al-‘isha: Performed between sunset and midnight
Salat al-fajr: Performed at dawn, before sunrise.
Salat al zuhr: Performed at midday, when the sun has passed its highest.
Salat al-‘asr: Performed in the late part of the afternoon
Salat al-maghrib: Performed just after sunset
Salat al-‘isha: Performed between sunset and midnight
The Kaba Shrine, Mecca
Throughout the prayer the Muslim generally glorifies God and shows complete submission to his almightiness. Many continuous chants and motions are evident in the daily prayers. (Uzair, 2014) states “The daily prayer is much like a naughty boy visiting the principal’s office 5 times a day. This makes it near impossible for the boy to be naughty because he knows he has to give a report. The 5 daily prayers is meeting with God and speaking to him every few hours, it gives me as an individual the power to stay on the righteous path.” Another statement that corresponds with the aforementioned is (Sanseverino, 2010) which says “It’s mainly in prayer that the believer is in direct contact with the quranic revelations and it is through its regular performance that he marks his individual adherence to Islam and obedience to the divine law.” Both quotes mention individualistic significance and obedience, linking back to my hypothesis where I mention that the Daily Prayer Ritual provides a necessary individual significance and experience to a Muslim.