Every Word You Say in the Prayer
Pick a position or a prayer to see what you say there, one word at a time: the Arabic, how to say it and what it means. Tap a word for its meaning. In sujud it is three words.
A position
Or a whole prayer
Sujud
Said 3 times or more, in each of the two sujud of every rakat. The Prophet said it in sujud (Hudhayfa, Sahih Muslim 772).
In sujud: 3 words, said 3 times
Subhana Rabbiyal A'la
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.
- 3 words, said 3 times: 9 words.
- In the five daily prayers: said 102 times, 306 words.
- All five obligatory prayers: 17 rakat, 2,040 words, 618 of them recited from the Quran.
- Al-Fatiha 17 times (493 words), Allahu akbar 94 times, Subhana Rabbiyal A’la 102 times.
- Counted as the pray-along steps go, with the optional dua before salam left out. Yours may be a little different: see how we counted, below.
77,433 words in the Quran. Your first prayer needs 29.
Each dot below is one word of the Quran, from the first at the top right to the last. The gold ones are Al-Fatiha, the opening surah. It is the only part of the Quran you must recite in every rakat, so it is the Quran your first prayer needs: 29 words, about 0.04% of the whole.
0 words of the Quran
0 in gold
Al-Fatiha starts at the top right.
A short surah after Al-Fatiha in the first two rakat is sunnah, and wajib in the Hanafi school, so learn one next. Al-Kawthar is just 10 words. The rest of the prayer is dhikr, short phrases of two to four words, plus the tashahhud and salawat in the sitting.
All the words, position by position
In the order you say them in a prayer. Arabic first, then how to say it and what it means.
Takbir
Said to begin the prayer, with your hands raised, and again with every move down or up. Rising from ruku is the one move with other words.
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allahu akbar
Allah is the Greatest. (2 words)
Opening
Said quietly once, after the first takbir and before Al-Fatiha. Many Shafi’is say a different opening dua, and Malikis say none in the obligatory prayer.
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ وَلَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ
Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabarakasmuka, wa ta'ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk
Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god but You.. (10 words)
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast. (5 words)
Al-Fatiha
Recited standing, in every rakat of every prayer. Then Amin, which is not part of the surah.
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
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil 'aalameen, Ar-Rahmanir Raheem, Maliki yawmid-deen, Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'een, Ihdinas-siratal mustaqeem, Siratal ladhina an'amta 'alayhim, ghayril maghdubi 'alayhim wa lad-dalleen
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 upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have earned Your anger or of those who are astray. (29 words)
آمِين
Amin
O Allah, answer. (1 word)
A short surah
In the first two rakat, after Al-Fatiha: any surah or a few verses. These two are among the shortest. It is sunnah, and wajib (required) in the Hanafi school.
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Qul huwa Allahu ahad, Allahus-samad, Lam yalid wa lam yulad, Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad
Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent. (15 words)
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ
Innaa a'taynakal kawthar, Fasalli li rabbika wanhar, Inna shaani'aka huwal abtar
Indeed, We have granted you Al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice. Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off. (10 words)
Ruku
Said 3 times or more while bowing. The Prophet said it in ruku (Hudhayfa, Sahih Muslim 772).
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ
Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem
Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great. (3 words, 3 times)
Rising
The first while you come up from ruku, the second once you stand straight (Abu Hurayra, Sahih al-Bukhari 789). Praying behind an imam, many say only the second.
سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ
Sami'Allahu liman hamidah
Allah hears those who praise Him. (4 words)
رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ
Rabbana wa lakal hamd
Our Lord, to You is all praise. (3 words)
Sujud
Said 3 times or more, in each of the two sujud of every rakat. The Prophet said it in sujud (Hudhayfa, Sahih Muslim 772).
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى
Subhana Rabbiyal A'la
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High. (3 words, 3 times)
Between sujud
Said sitting up between the two sujud (Hudhayfa, Ibn Majah 897: the Prophet said it twice). In the Hanafi school it is mostly said in voluntary prayers, and many Hanafis sit quietly here.
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي
Rabbighfir li
My Lord, forgive me. (3 words, 2 times)
Tashahhud
Said sitting, after the second rakat and in the last one. This is the wording of Ibn Mas’ud (Sahih al-Bukhari 831). Shafi’is often use the close wording of Ibn Abbas (Sahih Muslim 403).
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat, As-salamu 'alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, As-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadillahis-salihin, Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh
All greetings, prayers, and good things are for Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. (28 words)
Salawat
In the last sitting, after the tashahhud (Ka’b ibn Ujra, Sahih al-Bukhari 3370).
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aali Muhammad, Kama sallayta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala aali Ibrahim, Innaka Hamidun Majeed, Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aali Muhammad, Kama barakta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala aali Ibrahim, Innaka Hamidun Majeed
O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad. As You sent prayers upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. As You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. (34 words)
Salam
Turn your head to the right, then to the left, each time saying it (Ibn Mas’ud, Abu Dawud 996).
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. (4 words, 2 times)
How we counted
A word is a written Arabic word, the letters between two spaces. Arabic joins small words on: وَبِحَمْدِكَ, wa bihamdika, “and with Your praise”, is one word. Quran word counts use the same rule.
The Quran. We counted the Tanzil Uthmani text of the Hafs reading (the one most mushafs print), with 6,236 verses: 77,433 words, leaving out the pause marks and the basmala written above 112 surahs, which is not a numbered verse there. Counts differ by method: the Quranic Arabic Corpus gives 77,429, and 77,430, 77,437, 77,449 and 77,797 are all quoted. The simpler modern spelling of the same Tanzil text gives 77,800, mostly because it writes the “ya” of calling apart.
Al-Fatiha is 29 words with the basmala as its first verse, as the Kufan verse count printed in the Hafs mushaf has it, and 25 without it.
The prayers follow the steps of pray along: the obligatory rakat, ruku and sujud dhikr 3 times, Rabbighfir li twice, salam to both sides, the optional dua before salam left out, and “Allahu akbar” at every move (22 in four rakat, Sahih al-Bukhari 788). Your own count can differ a little, and every one of these is a valid prayer:
- You may say the ruku and sujud dhikr 5, 7 or more times, or a longer dhikr the Prophet also said.
- Any surah can follow Al-Fatiha; a longer one means more words.
- The opening dua differs by school, and Malikis say none in the obligatory prayer.
- Shafi’is say the qunut dua in Fajr, and use the tashahhud of Ibn Abbas.
- Praying behind an imam, you listen to his recitation in the loud rakat rather than recite yourself, in most schools.
Sources: the Quran text from Tanzil (Tanzil Project, CC BY 3.0), counted with a small script; hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah as cited on this page, in the sunnah.com numbering. The word meanings are our own word-by-word renderings, close to the line meanings; for a full translation, read a translation of the Quran.
Questions about the words of the prayer
What do you say in sujood?
Subhana Rabbiyal A’la (سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى): "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High". Three words. Say it 3 times or more in each sujud. Hudhayfa heard the Prophet say it in sujud (Sahih Muslim 772). After it you may also make dua in your own words, since the Prophet said a servant is nearest to his Lord in sujud (Sahih Muslim 482). In a day of five prayers you go into sujud 34 times and say it 102 times. Pray along, step by step
What do you say in ruku?
Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem (سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ): "Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great". Three words, said 3 times or more while bowing (Sahih Muslim 772). Coming up you say Sami’Allahu liman hamidah, "Allah hears those who praise Him", and standing straight Rabbana wa lakal hamd, "Our Lord, to You is all praise".
How many words are in Al-Fatiha?
29 words in 7 verses, counting the basmala (Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem) as its first verse, as the Hafs mushaf most Muslims read does. Without the basmala it is 25 words, and the other count still has 7 verses because it splits the last one in two. The schools differ on the basmala in prayer: Shafi’is recite it as part of Al-Fatiha, Hanafis and Hanbalis say it quietly before it, and Malikis usually leave it out in the obligatory prayer. Learn Al-Fatiha line by line
How many words are in the Quran?
About 77,430, but the exact number depends on what you count as one word. We count 77,433 in the Tanzil Uthmani text of the Hafs reading, every written word between spaces, without the basmala above the surahs. The Quranic Arabic Corpus gives 77,429, and books quote 77,430, 77,437, 77,449 and 77,797. In the simpler modern spelling the same text has 77,800 words, mostly because it writes the "ya" of calling (as in "ya ayyuha", O you) as a word of its own.
What do Muslims say when they pray?
Takbir (Allahu akbar) to begin and at each move, Al-Fatiha and a short surah standing, Subhana Rabbiyal Adheem in ruku, Sami’Allahu liman hamidah rising, Subhana Rabbiyal A’la in sujud, the tashahhud and salawat sitting, and salam to finish. All in Arabic. In the five daily prayers that is about 2,040 words, 618 of them from the Quran. What to say in prayer, explained
I do not know the Arabic yet. Can I still pray?
Yes. Pray while you learn. A man told the Prophet he could not learn anything of the Quran, and he taught him to say SubhanAllah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illallah, Allahu akbar, and la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (Abu Dawud 832). Start with Al-Fatiha, then the short phrases, which are only a few words each. How to pray before you know Al-Fatiha
How many times do you say Subhana Rabbiyal A’la?
Three times is the usual minimum to aim for, and you can say it more. Saying it once is enough for the prayer to count. The Hanbali school holds that once is required; the Hanafi and Shafi’i schools hold it is sunnah, with 3 as the least that is complete. The hadith that names 3 (Ibn Mas’ud, Abu Dawud 886, Tirmidhi 261) has a broken chain, but scholars of all the schools teach the number.
How many times do you say Allahu akbar in the prayer?
Twenty two times in a prayer of four rakat: once to begin, and at every move down or up except rising from ruku. Ibn Abbas called it the way of the Prophet (Sahih al-Bukhari 788). That is 11 in Fajr, 17 in Maghrib and 94 in the five prayers.
Keep going: learn the prayer by heart, pray along step by step, the full prayer guide and the tashahhud explained.