How we begin the prayer
1
Takbīrat al-Iḥrām Standing
Raise the hands and begin the prayer
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu Akbar
Allah is the Greatest. With this the prayer begins; after it, place the right hand over the left upon the chest.
2
Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ Opening supplication
Said quietly after the Takbīr
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ، وَتَعَالَىٰ جَدُّكَ، وَلَا إِلَٰهَ غَيْرُكَ
Subḥānaka-llāhumma wa biḥamdika, wa tabāraka-smuka, wa taʿālā jadduka, wa lā ilāha ghayruk.
Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise; blessed is Your name and exalted is Your majesty; there is no god but You.
3
Taʿawwudh & Basmala
Seeking refuge, then beginning in Allah’s name
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
Aʿūdhu billāhi mina-sh-shayṭāni-r-rajīm.
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismi-llāhi-r-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
After this, recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah — it is a pillar of every rakʿah.
۞ ۩ ۞
1
Sūrat al-Fātiḥah — “The Opening”
سُورَةُ الْفَاتِحَة
Chapter 1 · 7 verses · recited in every rakʿah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
Bismi-llāhi-r-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm.
Al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi-l-ʿālamīn.
Ar-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm.
Māliki yawmi-d-dīn.
Iyyāka naʿbudu wa iyyāka nastaʿīn.
Ihdinā-ṣ-ṣirāṭa-l-mustaqīm.
Ṣirāṭa-lladhīna anʿamta ʿalayhim ghayri-l-maghḍūbi ʿalayhim wa lā-ḍ-ḍāllīn.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path —
the path of those You have blessed, not of those who earned anger, nor of those who went astray.
After Al-Fātiḥah say “Āmīn” (آمِين), then recite one of the surahs below.
Short surahs to recite after Al-Fātiḥah
112
Al-Ikhlāṣ — “Sincerity”
سُورَةُ الْإِخْلَاص
Chapter 112 · 4 verses
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Qul huwa-llāhu aḥad.
Allāhu-ṣ-ṣamad.
Lam yalid wa lam yūlad.
Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥad.
Say: He is Allah, the One.
Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither begets nor is born.
And there is none comparable to Him.
113
Al-Falaq — “The Daybreak”
سُورَةُ الْفَلَق
Chapter 113 · 5 verses
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
Qul aʿūdhu birabbi-l-falaq.
Min sharri mā khalaq.
Wa min sharri ghāsiqin idhā waqab.
Wa min sharri-n-naffāthāti fi-l-ʿuqad.
Wa min sharri ḥāsidin idhā ḥasad.
Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak,
from the evil of what He created,
from the evil of darkness when it settles,
from the evil of those who blow on knots,
and from the evil of the envier when he envies.
114
An-Nās — “Mankind”
سُورَةُ النَّاس
Chapter 114 · 6 verses
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
مَلِكِ النَّاسِ
إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ
مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ
الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ
مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ
Qul aʿūdhu birabbi-n-nās.
Maliki-n-nās.
Ilāhi-n-nās.
Min sharri-l-waswāsi-l-khannās.
Alladhī yuwaswisu fī ṣudūri-n-nās.
Mina-l-jinnati wa-n-nās.
Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
the King of mankind,
the God of mankind,
from the evil of the retreating whisperer,
who whispers in the breasts of mankind,
from among the jinn and mankind.
108
Al-Kawthar — “Abundance”
سُورَةُ الْكَوْثَر
Chapter 108 · 3 verses · the shortest surah
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ
Innā aʿṭaynāka-l-kawthar.
Faṣalli lirabbika wanḥar.
Inna shāniʾaka huwa-l-abtar.
Indeed, We have granted you abundance.
So pray to your Lord and sacrifice.
Indeed, it is your enemy who is cut off.
103
Al-ʿAṣr — “Time”
سُورَةُ الْعَصْر
Chapter 103 · 3 verses
وَالْعَصْرِ
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
Wal-ʿaṣr.
Inna-l-insāna lafī khusr.
Illā-lladhīna āmanū wa ʿamilu-ṣ-ṣāliḥāti wa tawāṣaw bil-ḥaqqi wa tawāṣaw biṣ-ṣabr.
By time,
indeed, mankind is in loss,
except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and encourage one another to truth and to patience.
109
Al-Kāfirūn — “The Disbelievers”
سُورَةُ الْكَافِرُون
Chapter 109 · 6 verses
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ
لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
وَلَا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ
وَلَا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ
وَلَا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ
Qul yā ayyuha-l-kāfirūn.
Lā aʿbudu mā taʿbudūn.
Wa lā antum ʿābidūna mā aʿbud.
Wa lā ana ʿābidun mā ʿabadtum.
Wa lā antum ʿābidūna mā aʿbud.
Lakum dīnukum wa liya dīn.
Say: O disbelievers,
I do not worship what you worship,
nor do you worship what I worship,
nor will I worship what you worship,
nor will you worship what I worship.
For you is your religion, and for me is mine.
110
An-Naṣr — “The Help”
سُورَةُ النَّصْر
Chapter 110 · 3 verses
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ
وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا
Idhā jāʾa naṣru-llāhi wal-fatḥ.
Wa raʾayta-n-nāsa yadkhulūna fī dīni-llāhi afwājā.
Fasabbiḥ biḥamdi rabbika wastaghfirh, innahu kāna tawwābā.
When the help of Allah has come, and the victory,
and you see the people entering the religion of Allah in crowds,
then glorify the praise of your Lord and ask His forgiveness. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.
105
Al-Fīl — “The Elephant”
سُورَةُ الْفِيل
Chapter 105 · 5 verses
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ
أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ
وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ
تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ
فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُولٍ
Alam tara kayfa faʿala rabbuka biaṣḥābi-l-fīl.
Alam yajʿal kaydahum fī taḍlīl.
Wa arsala ʿalayhim ṭayran abābīl.
Tarmīhim biḥijāratin min sijjīl.
Fajaʿalahum kaʿaṣfin maʾkūl.
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?
Did He not make their plan go astray?
And He sent against them birds in flocks,
striking them with stones of baked clay,
and made them like eaten straw.
106
Quraysh — “Quraysh”
سُورَةُ قُرَيْش
Chapter 106 · 4 verses
لِإِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ
إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ
فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَٰذَا الْبَيْتِ
الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ
Liʾīlāfi Quraysh.
Īlāfihim riḥlata-sh-shitāʾi wa-ṣ-ṣayf.
Falyaʿbudū rabba hādha-l-bayt.
Alladhī aṭʿamahum min jūʿin wa āmanahum min khawf.
For the accustomed security of Quraysh —
their accustomed security in the journey of winter and summer —
let them worship the Lord of this House,
who fed them against hunger and made them safe from fear.
107
Al-Māʿūn — “Small Kindnesses”
سُورَةُ الْمَاعُون
Chapter 107 · 7 verses
أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ
فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ
وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ
الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ
وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ
Araʾayta-lladhī yukadhdhibu bid-dīn.
Fadhālika-lladhī yaduʿʿu-l-yatīm.
Wa lā yaḥuḍḍu ʿalā ṭaʿāmi-l-miskīn.
Fawaylun lil-muṣallīn.
Alladhīna hum ʿan ṣalātihim sāhūn.
Alladhīna hum yurāʾūn.
Wa yamnaʿūna-l-māʿūn.
Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense?
That is the one who drives away the orphan,
and does not encourage the feeding of the poor.
So woe to those who pray,
but are heedless of their prayer,
those who make a show of it,
and withhold small kindnesses.
111
Al-Masad — “The Palm Fibre”
سُورَةُ الْمَسَد
Chapter 111 · 5 verses
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ
سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ
فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ
Tabbat yadā abī lahabin wa tabb.
Mā aghnā ʿanhu māluhu wa mā kasab.
Sayaṣlā nāran dhāta lahab.
Wamraʾatuhu ḥammālata-l-ḥaṭab.
Fī jīdihā ḥablun min masad.
May the hands of Abū Lahab perish, and may he perish.
His wealth will not avail him, nor what he gained.
He will burn in a Fire of blazing flame,
and his wife, the carrier of firewood,
around her neck a rope of palm fibre.
A note on transliteration: the Latin spellings are an aid to pronunciation only. For correct recitation (tajwīd), learn from a qualified teacher and rely on the Arabic text. The English is a plain rendering of the meaning, not a substitute for the Qurʾān itself.