salah

(, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic [t͡sˤaˈloːh], ( or Old Arabic [t͡sˤaˈloːtʰ] in construct state) ), also known as, is worship performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba with respect to those praying, Muslims pray first standing and later kneeling or sitting on the ground, reciting prescribed prayers and phrases from the Quran as they bow and prostrate themselves in between. is composed of prescribed repetitive cycles of bows and prostrations, called. The number of s, also known as units of prayer, varies from prayer to prayer. Ritual purity and are prerequisites for performing the prayers. can be performed either in solitude, or collectively (known as ). When performed in , worshippers line up in parallel rows behind a leader, known as the Imam ("leader"). Special prayers are exclusively performed in congregation, such as the Friday prayer and the Eid prayers, and may be coupled with two sermons each, delivered by the Imam. The daily obligatory prayers collectively form the second of the five pillars in Islam, observed three or five times (the latter being the majority) every day at prescribed times. These are usually (observed at dawn), (observed at noon), (observed late in the afternoon), (observed after sunset), and (observed at dusk). Etymology is an Arabic word that means to pray. The word is used primarily by English speakers only to refer to the five obligatory prayers of Islam. This term is spelled as in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, in Somalia, and in Tanzania and by other Swahili speakers.