QurrahHow to pray salah: a step-by-step guide for kids with pictures
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Pray as you have seen me praying.” Here is one full rak‘ah in eight steps with pictures, from the opening takbir to the salam, with what the child says in each step, then a game to put them in order and earn a medal.
1Opening takbir
I face the qibla and intend the prayer in my heart, then I raise my hands and say: Allahu Akbar.
2Standing and reciting
I place my right hand over my left on my chest, and recite al-Fatiha, then a surah I know.
3Bowing (ruku) 3 times
I say Allahu Akbar and bow, my back straight and my hands on my knees, and say: Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim.
4Rising from ruku
I stand up straight and say: Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah, then: Rabbana wa lakal-hamd.
5Prostration (sujud) 3 times
I say Allahu Akbar and prostrate on my forehead and nose, my palms, my knees and my toes, and say: Subhana Rabbiyal-A‘la.
6Sitting between the two prostrations
I rise saying Allahu Akbar, sit and say: Rabbighfir li, then prostrate a second time like the first.
7The tashahhud
At the end of the prayer I sit and recite the tashahhud, “At-tahiyyatu lillah…”, pointing with my finger, then I send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.
8The salam
I turn to the right and say: As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah, then to the left the same.
Common mistakes in salah
✗ Rushing
Mistake: Praying fast, like pecking, without settling in ruku and sujud.
✓ The right way: Be calm: stay in each step until your body is still, and say the words slowly.
The Prophet ﷺ told a man who prayed fast: “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed,” then taught him to be calm (al-Bukhari 757, Muslim 397).
✗ A bent back in ruku
Mistake: Bending only a little, head up, back slanted.
✓ The right way: Make your back flat and level, your head in line with it, your hands on your knees.
“A prayer is not valid in which a man does not straighten his back in ruku and sujud” (Abu Dawud 855, at-Tirmidhi 265).
✗ Forearms on the floor
Mistake: Laying the forearms flat on the floor in sujud.
✓ The right way: Put your palms on the floor and lift your forearms and elbows off it.
“Be balanced in sujud, and let none of you spread his forearms like a dog” (al-Bukhari 822, Muslim 493).
✗ Feet lifted in sujud
Mistake: Lifting the feet off the floor while in sujud.
✓ The right way: Prostrate on seven: forehead with nose, both palms, both knees and the toes of both feet.
“I was commanded to prostrate on seven bones” (al-Bukhari 812, Muslim 490).
✗ Looking around
Mistake: Turning and looking around during the prayer.
✓ The right way: Look at the place of your sujud, with your heart with Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ was asked about looking around in prayer and said: “It is something Shaytan snatches from the servant’s prayer” (al-Bukhari 751).
✗ Looking up
Mistake: Raising the eyes to the ceiling or the sky in prayer.
✓ The right way: Lower your eyes to the place of your sujud.
“People must stop raising their eyes to the sky in prayer” (al-Bukhari 750, Muslim 428).
✗ Fidgeting
Mistake: Playing with clothes and moving a lot during the prayer.
✓ The right way: Be still in your prayer, and move only when you need to.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Be still in the prayer” (Muslim 430).
✗ Yawning with an open mouth
Mistake: Yawning with the mouth wide open.
✓ The right way: If you yawn, hold it back as much as you can and put your hand over your mouth.
“When one of you yawns, let him put his hand over his mouth” (Muslim 2995).
✗ Walking in front of someone praying
Mistake: Walking right in front of someone who is praying.
✓ The right way: Wait, or walk behind him; do not cross between the one praying and his place of sujud.
“If the one who passes in front of someone praying knew what he bears, standing forty would be better for him than passing in front of him” (al-Bukhari 510, Muslim 507).
From the description of the Prophet’s ﷺ prayer: “Pray as you have seen me praying” (al-Bukhari 631), and the hadith of the man the Prophet ﷺ taught to pray (al-Bukhari 757, Muslim 397).
Put the steps of salah in order in Qurrah
In “Learn”, then “Salah”, your child hears each step, puts them in order with the pictures, and earns the “Little worshipper” medal when they are all right. Free, with no ads.
Open salah in QurrahFrequently asked questions
- What is the order of salah for kids?
- The opening takbir, standing and reciting al-Fatiha and a surah, ruku, rising from it, sujud, sitting between the two prostrations, the second sujud, and at the end the tashahhud and the salam.
- When should a child start praying?
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Instruct your children to pray when they are seven.” Children can pray beside their parents before that, out of love and imitation.
- What does a child say in ruku and sujud?
- In ruku: “Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim”, and in sujud: “Subhana Rabbiyal-A‘la”, three times.
- How many rak‘ahs are in each prayer?
- Fajr two, Dhuhr four, Asr four, Maghrib three and Isha four.
More sections
Arabic letters for kids · Names of Allah · Wudu for kids · Pillars of Islam · Juz Amma for kids · Coloring pages · Duas for kids · Quran stories · Tajweed for kids · The surahs