You start praying from the day you take your shahadah, even if you do not know a word of Arabic yet. Until you have memorized Al-Fatihah, you make the movements of salah and, in place of the recitation, you say short words of remembrance that the Prophet ﷺ taught a man who could not memorize the Quran: Subhan Allah, walhamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (Sunan Abi Dawud 832). Meanwhile you learn the Arabic of the prayer a little at a time. Salah needs only a handful of short passages, and Al-Fatihah comes first. In our one-to-one Islamic classes for adults, a teacher walks new Muslims through this from the first lesson.
Many reverts delay salah because they are afraid of doing it wrong. Allah does not ask for more than you can do: “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear” (Al-Baqarah 2:286). A short, imperfect prayer on time is better than a perfect prayer that never starts.
At Quran Ayat, people who have only just accepted Islam come to us regularly, and the first thing they need is someone to teach them how to pray, make wudu and keep themselves pure. Our female teachers take this on. One of them, Ustadha Wesam, always started new Muslim students with salah, wudu and taharah before anything else.
Key Takeaways
- Prayer starts the day you become Muslim. You do not wait until you know Arabic.
- Until you memorize Al-Fatihah, say short dhikr (Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu akbar) in its place.
- Al-Fatihah is the first thing to learn. Most of the rest of salah is a few short phrases.
- Learn in this order: takbir, Al-Fatihah, a short surah, the words of ruku and sujood, the tashahhud, the salam.
- Read the meaning in your language while you learn the Arabic, so your prayer has focus from the start.
What to do in your first prayers
- Purify yourself. Make wudu. A new Muslim also takes a full shower (ghusl) after the shahadah.
- Face the qibla (the direction of the Kaaba). A free compass app helps.
- Make the intention in your heart. No words are needed.
- Say “Allahu akbar” and raise your hands to start.
- Stand, bow, prostrate and sit in the order of the prayer, saying “Allahu akbar” each time you move.
- In each position, say the short dhikr if you do not yet know the Arabic for that position.
- End by turning your head right, then left, saying “As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah.”
This is the advice scholars give to new Muslims who cannot yet recite, as in this answer on IslamQA. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Pray as you have seen me praying” (Sahih al-Bukhari 631), so the movements matter from the start. A teacher or a trusted friend at the mosque can show you once in person.
Can you pray in English?
The recitation of salah is in Arabic. Al-Fatihah, the Quran and the fixed words of each position are said in Arabic, by the agreement of most scholars. While you are learning, use the short Arabic dhikr above, which takes a few minutes to learn. Your personal du’a, especially in sujood, can be in any language.
Reading the meaning in English is not a replacement for the Arabic, but it is a big help. Our guide on how much Arabic you need to understand the Quran shows how the meaning grows step by step.
The Arabic you need for salah, in order
| Order | What to learn | Where it is said | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allahu akbar | Start of prayer and every movement | 2 words |
| 2 | Al-Fatihah | Every rak’ah, standing | 7 verses |
| 3 | A short surah (Al-Ikhlas) | After Al-Fatihah in the first two rak’ahs | 4 verses |
| 4 | Subhana rabbiyal ‘adheem | Bowing (ruku) | 3 words, said 3 times |
| 5 | Sami’allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal hamd | Rising from ruku | 2 short phrases |
| 6 | Subhana rabbiyal a’la | Prostration (sujood) | 3 words, said 3 times |
| 7 | At-tashahhud | Sitting | About 40 words |
| 8 | As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah | End of prayer | 4 words |
The salawat on the Prophet ﷺ in the final sitting (Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad…) comes after you are comfortable with the tashahhud.
A simple 4-week plan
This plan assumes about 15 minutes a day. Go slower if you need to. There is no deadline.
- Week 1: Learn Allahu akbar, the words for ruku and sujood, and the salam. Learn the first 3 verses of Al-Fatihah. Pray with dhikr where you do not know the recitation yet.
- Week 2: Finish Al-Fatihah. Start reciting it in prayer, even with mistakes.
- Week 3: Learn Surah Al-Ikhlas and the words for rising from ruku.
- Week 4: Learn the tashahhud. Practise the full prayer, slowly.
Listen to each passage many times before you try to say it. Short daily practice beats one long session a week.
The mistakes in Al-Fatihah depend on where the student comes from. European students often struggle with ح in الْحَمْدُ and ع in الْعَالَمِينَ. Somali students in the US and the UK often turn the ط of الصِّرَاطَ into a ض. Students from Pakistan and Afghanistan often say ض like a ظ, as in وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ. Every country has its own typical mistake, shaped by the student’s language and background, and we correct each one in the lesson.
Common worries of new Muslims
“My pronunciation is bad.” Everyone starts that way. Allah rewards the effort. The Prophet ﷺ said the one who reads the Quran with difficulty “will have a double reward” (Sahih Muslim 798). Keep correcting with a teacher.
“I forget which rak’ah I am in.” Keep a simple count on your fingers at first. It becomes natural within weeks.
“I cannot read Arabic letters.” You do not need to read to start praying. Learn the words by listening. Reading can come next, with a plan like the one in our guide to learning the Quran as an adult.
“I have nobody to teach me.” Many reverts have no Muslim family. A one-to-one teacher online can show you the prayer on camera and check your recitation, without the pressure of a class.
What to learn after salah
Once your prayer is steady, most new Muslims move on to three things, in this order:
- Reading the Quran in Arabic, starting with the letters. See our Quran reading course for beginners.
- The basics of belief and worship (aqeedah and fiqh): what you believe, how to make wudu correctly, fasting, zakat. Our article on salah, the second pillar of Islam is a good next read.
- Daily du’as for morning, evening, eating and sleeping. Our Islamic dua course covers them with meanings.
If you are comparing options, our guide to online Quran classes for reverts lists what to look for in a teacher.
Learning salah with a teacher
Our one-to-one online Islamic classes for adults start from the absolute basics, in English, with no Arabic required. The beginner level covers purification and prayer first. Sisters can learn with a female teacher in our Islamic course for ladies. You can book a free trial class and ask the teacher to go through your prayer with you.
Frequently asked questions
Is my prayer valid if I don’t know Al-Fatihah yet? Yes. A new Muslim who cannot yet recite says the short dhikr in its place and keeps learning. This is what the Prophet ﷺ taught the man who could not memorize the Quran.
Can a revert pray in English? The recitation is in Arabic. Until you learn it, use the short Arabic dhikr. Personal du’a can be in English.
How long does it take to learn the prayer in Arabic? With 15 minutes a day, many new Muslims learn the essentials in about a month. Some need longer, and that is fine.
Do I have to make up prayers I missed while learning? Ask a scholar about your case. Most new Muslims are told to start from the day of their shahadah and pray every prayer from then on.
Should I learn Arabic before reading the Quran? No. Start with the prayer, then learn to read the Arabic letters. Understanding grows with a translation and tafseer.
Where should a sister learn salah if there is no women’s class nearby? One-to-one online lessons with a female teacher are a practical option.
Written by Sheikh Adel Rizk (Abu Ahmad), Quran teacher at Quran Ayat.
