The Seven Obligatory Acts of Prayer (Fard of Salah)
Estimated Reading Time: 14 min read
Most of us learn the movements of Prayer (Salah) by watching our mothers and grandmothers long before we ever open a book of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). But there comes a point in every sincere worshipper's life when a simple question surfaces: which of these movements can never be skipped, no matter what? Knowing the answer with certainty removes a surprising amount of everyday anxiety, especially on the days when illness, travel, tiredness, or plain forgetfulness make the ordinary movements of Salah harder than usual.
In Fiqh, these non-negotiable actions are called the Obligatory Acts (Fard) of Salah. According to Hanafi Fiqh specifically, the number of these acts is fixed at seven. Unlike the Sunnah (recommended practice) or Mustahab (preferable) parts of prayer, none of these seven acts can be left out, whether by mistake or by choice. Missing even one of them, without a valid Shar'i (Islamic legal) excuse, means the entire prayer must be repeated.
How Many Obligatory Acts Are There in Prayer (Salah)?
Before looking at each one individually, it helps to see the complete list in one place, since seeing all seven together makes the individual rulings that follow much easier to place in context. According to Hanafi Fiqh, seven acts are Fard within the structure of every prayer.
Opening Takbir (Takbir Tahrima) — the phrase that formally opens the prayer.
Standing (Qiyam) — standing upright in obligatory prayers, where able.
Recitation (Qira'at) — reciting a portion of the Quran in the prayer.
Bowing (Ruku) — bending until the hands are able to reach the knees.
Prostration (Sajdah) — placing the forehead and nose on the ground, twice in every unit of prayer (Rak'ah).
Final Sitting (Qa'dah Akhira) — sitting long enough to recite the Testimony of Faith (Tashahhud).
Ending the Prayer Through One's Own Action (Khuruj bi Sun'ihi) — deliberately closing the prayer with the concluding greeting (Salam).
The Opening Takbir (Takbir Tahrima): Why Pronunciation Matters
This is the very first thing said in prayer, so it is worth slowing down on — a mispronounced word here can undo everything that follows it. In reality, scholars place the Opening Takbir among the conditions (Shurut) that must be met before prayer, rather than among the acts (Arkan) performed within it. Even so, it is counted among the obligatory acts (Fard), because the prayer itself only comes into existence the moment it is pronounced correctly — the entire structure of Salah begins with it. Before saying it, every other condition of prayer must already be fulfilled: purity (Tahara), covering the body appropriately (Sitr al-Awrah), facing the Qiblah (Istiqbal-e-Qiblah), being within the correct prayer time (Waqt), and having the intention to pray (Niyyah).
All five conditions — purity (Tahara), covering the body (Sitr al-Awrah), facing the Qiblah (Istiqbal-e-Qiblah), the correct time (Waqt), and intention (Niyyah) — must already be present before the Opening Takbir is said. If even one of these conditions was not fulfilled before saying "Allahu Akbar," the prayer will not have started at all, no matter how correctly the rest of the prayer is performed afterward.
Durr al-Mukhtar, Radd al-MuhtarNothing other than the exact wording "Allahu Akbar" fulfils the Opening Takbir; using different words in its place does not begin the prayer correctly. Mispronunciation changes the ruling too — saying "Allah" in a way that alters it (such as "Alla"), or saying "Akbar" as "Akhbar," changes the meaning of the words, and the prayer does not begin. This is especially worth checking with children and new reverts who are still learning correct Arabic pronunciation.
Durr al-MukhtarStanding (Qiyam): When Is It Excused?
Many women feel guilty for sitting through part of a prayer while unwell, without realising that Islam already accounts for this. Standing (Qiyam) means remaining upright to the extent that, if the arms were left hanging at the sides, the fingertips would not reach the knees. This is the measure of complete standing in Fiqh.
Standing is obligatory (Fard) in the obligatory prayers (Fard), in the odd-numbered night prayer (Witr), and in the recommended prayer (Sunnah) of Fajr. Praying these while sitting, without a valid excuse, is not correct and such a prayer should not be offered this way.
Durr al-Mukhtar, Radd al-MuhtarA person who has the ability to stand and pray is permitted to sit and offer a voluntary prayer (Nafl) instead, but standing remains better. A Hadith mentions that the one who prays sitting, despite being able to stand, receives half the reward of the one who prays standing.
Bahar-e-Shariat, Jawahir al-IkhtiyarStanding is not Fard when a person cannot stand at all, cannot go on to perform Bowing (Ruku) and Prostration (Sajdah) once standing, when standing would genuinely worsen an illness or cause real difficulty, or when on a moving ship or boat where standing carries a real fear of dizziness. In such cases, prayer should be offered sitting.
If a person can stand only by leaning on a wall or something similar, and cannot stand without that support at all, then it is sufficient to stand leaning on it just long enough to say the Opening Takbir, and then sit down for the rest of the prayer — the obligation of standing will still be considered fulfilled.
Necessary Reminder: It has become common these days to see people sit through prayer because of slight weakness or a mild fever, even though they are fully capable of standing. Praying sitting in such a state is not permissible — rather it is impermissible (Haram) to do so without a genuine excuse. Once the ability to stand returns, these prayers should be repeated, and one should ask Allah Ta'ala to grant the ability to fulfil this properly.
Recitation (Qira'at): How Loud Should It Be?
A surprising number of sisters recite so softly out of shyness or habit that, strictly speaking, this part of the prayer is not fulfilled at all — so this is worth reading carefully. Recitation (Qira'at) means reciting a portion of the Quran with each letter pronounced from its correct point of articulation (Makhraj), so that every letter comes out distinctly and can be recognised separately.
Wherever recitation is required, the standard is that it must be loud enough for the person praying to hear it themselves. Reciting so quietly, or merely moving the lips, that the person cannot hear their own voice does not count as valid recitation. If, for some reason, a person cannot even hear their own recitation, this obligation is not considered fulfilled.
AlamgiriReciting in the first two units (Rak'ahs) of an obligatory prayer (Fard) is obligatory. In the voluntary prayer (Nafl), the odd-numbered night prayer (Witr), and the recommended prayer (Sunnah), reciting in every single unit is obligatory. However, a follower does not recite behind an Imam at all — not even Surah Al-Fatihah is recited behind the Imam, as the Imam's recitation stands in place of the follower's own.
Durr al-Mukhtar, Alamgiri, and othersBowing (Ruku): What Changes for Women?
This is one of the shortest positions in the prayer, yet its minimum measure is often misunderstood, and the difference for women in particular is rarely explained clearly. Bowing (Ruku) is fulfilled by bending forward until the hands reach the knees; this is the minimum measure of a valid bow, and bending less than this does not count as valid Ruku. As a matter of Sunnah, women are taught not to straighten the back fully in Ruku, keeping it slightly less than a man's full bow, while still ensuring the hands reach the knees.
A person whose back has already become bent, such as due to old age, to the point that it naturally reaches the measure of Ruku, must still lower the head a little further as a deliberate sign of entering Ruku, so that the position is clearly distinguishable from ordinary standing.
AlamgiriProstration (Sajdah): What Exactly Must Touch the Ground?
This is the position most closely associated with humility before Allah, and it also happens to be the one where small details of placement matter most. Prostration (Sajdah) means placing the forehead on the ground; this is the reality of it, and along with it, placing the nose on the ground is also necessary. If, due to a genuine excuse, only the forehead can be placed on the ground and not the nose, then the forehead alone is sufficient. Where the nose is placed, it is not merely bringing it close to the ground — the tip of the nose must actually touch the ground.
Performing two prostrations in every unit (Rak'ah) is obligatory (Fard). If even one Sajdah is left out — whether deliberately or by genuine forgetfulness — the prayer remains incomplete and does not count as valid. This cannot be corrected through the Prostration of Forgetfulness (Sajda Sahw), which only compensates for certain minor errors, not for a missing Sajdah itself.
Durr al-MukhtarProstrating on something soft — such as grass, a carpet, or a mattress — is valid as long as the forehead is pressed down firmly enough that there is no further give left in the surface. If it is not pressed down to that degree, the Sajdah is not valid.
AlamgiriOn sleeper berths of trains or similar raised sleeping compartments, one should come down onto the berth itself and perform a proper prostration, rather than merely gesturing towards Sajdah from a seated or reclined position, wherever this is at all possible.
Bahar-e-ShariatIf the surface used for Sajdah is raised more than about twelve finger-widths (roughly twelve inches) above the place where the feet are standing, the prostration performed on it is not valid; if it is raised less than this, the prostration is valid.
Durr al-MukhtarThe Final Sitting (Qa'dah Akhira): What If I Fall Asleep Mid-Prayer?
Long Tarawih nights or an exhausting day can make this final moment of the prayer the hardest to stay alert through, which is exactly why its timing matters so much. The Final Sitting (Qa'dah Akhira) means, after completing the units of the prayer, sitting for at least as long as it takes to recite the complete Testimony of Faith (Tashahhud, also called At-Tahiyyat). Sitting for this measure of time is obligatory, whether or not the Tashahhud itself is actually recited during it.
After offering four units, if a person forms a strong impression that only three had been completed and stands up, but then remembers that four were in fact already offered, they should sit back down and complete the concluding greeting (Salam). In either case — whether they realise immediately or after standing briefly — the prayer will still be valid, since the Final Sitting had already been completed before the mistaken standing.
Durr al-MukhtarIf the entire Final Sitting passes by while asleep, and upon waking there is uncertainty as to whether standing, bowing, recitation, and both prostrations of that unit were properly completed, one should not simply rely on assumption; the safer course is to repeat the position in question if there is genuine doubt about whether it was completed, and to seek clarity rather than assume. People commonly become careless about this, especially during the night prayers of Ramadan (Tarawih), and should pay closer attention.
Bahar-e-ShariatIf someone falls asleep during the Final Sitting and it is cut short as a result, they should sit again upon waking and complete the Tashahhud; if they had already stood up before waking, the remaining recitation should be completed once this is realised.
In a four-unit obligatory prayer, if a person forgets the Final Sitting after the fourth unit and mistakenly stands up for a fifth, going all the way to completing its prostration, the correct course differs by prayer. In Zuhr, Asr, and Isha (the four-unit Fard prayers other than Maghrib), one should sit and complete the sitting after finishing that fifth unit's Sajdah, then add one more unit so that the fifth and sixth together count as a voluntary (Nafl) pair, and perform the Prostration of Forgetfulness (Sajda Sahw) before the final Salam — this way the obligatory four units remain valid and the extra two are counted as a separate Nafl prayer. In Maghrib, however, this adjustment is not possible, since Maghrib cannot be paired into an extra Nafl set in the same way; the safer course here is to seek guidance from a local, qualified scholar on how to complete such a prayer correctly.
Durr al-Mukhtar, Radd al-MuhtarEnding the Prayer Through One's Own Action (Khuruj bi Sun'ihi)
It can feel like a small technicality, but how a prayer actually closes carries its own ruling, distinct from everything that came before it. The seventh obligatory act is that the prayer must be brought to a close through a deliberate action performed by the worshipper themselves — turning the head to each side and saying the concluding greeting (Salam). This closing act, performed through the worshipper's own effort, is called Khuruj bi Sun'ihi, meaning "exiting the prayer by one's own doing."
If, after the Final Sitting, a person deliberately does something other than the Salam to end the prayer — some intentional act that would nullify the prayer — the prayer must be repeated, because the prayer was not closed through the required action of the Salam.
Durr al-Mukhtar and othersIf, without any intention on the worshipper's part, something occurs after the Final Sitting that would ordinarily nullify the prayer — for example, an involuntary act that breaks one's ablution (Wudu) — the obligatory portion of the prayer is nevertheless considered to have been discharged, since the obligatory sitting had already been completed before this happened. Even so, this is a nuanced area where practice can vary by situation, so it is best to raise the specific case with a qualified local scholar rather than rely on a general rule alone.
Durr al-Mukhtar and othersHow Should a Sick, Elderly, or Postpartum Woman Adjust These Obligatory Acts?
None of the rulings above are meant to make prayer feel like a burden during difficult seasons of life. Islam builds real flexibility into these very same obligatory acts (Fard), so that prayer remains possible in almost every circumstance.
During Illness or Severe Weakness
Standing (Qiyam), Bowing (Ruku), and Prostration (Sajdah) may all be performed through gestures (Ishara), to whatever degree is physically possible, without any sin attached to what genuinely cannot be done.
In Old Age
A person whose body no longer allows a full bow may simply lower the head slightly further than usual to indicate Ruku, and the same principle applies to Sajdah when the ground cannot be reached.
After Childbirth or During Recovery
If standing or bending causes real difficulty during this period, prayer may be offered sitting until strength returns, without any need to repeat the missed positions afterward.
Knowing the exact obligatory acts of prayer (Fara'iz of Salah), along with the detailed rulings attached to each one, is not about turning worship into a checklist — it is about standing before Allah with the confidence that what we are offering Him is complete, correct, and accepted. May Allah grant every one of us the knowledge and the ability to act upon it. If this guide helped clarify something for you, pass it on to a sister who may need the same reminder.
If any of the seven obligatory acts is missed, whether knowingly or by mistake, the prayer becomes invalid and must be repeated. A missed Sajdah, in particular, cannot be corrected through the Prostration of Forgetfulness.
In Hanafi Fiqh, a follower does not recite the Quran while praying behind an Imam, including Surah Al-Fatihah, because the Imam's recitation stands in place of the follower's own recitation.
Yes, when standing is genuinely not possible or would worsen an illness, prayer may be offered sitting. Mild fatigue or a slight fever, however, is not considered a valid excuse, and such a prayer should be repeated.
Prostrating on soft surfaces such as carpet or a mattress is valid as long as the forehead is pressed down firmly enough that it cannot sink any further, and the surface must not be raised more than about twelve finger-widths above the place where the feet are standing.
The Final Sitting is only counted as fulfilled once enough time has passed to recite the complete Testimony of Faith. If it is shortened, whether through forgetfulness or falling asleep, it must be corrected as soon as this is realised.
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