Prayer: Obligatory Components of Prayer
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Ayatullah Sistani
There are eleven obligatory components of the prayer:
1. Intention (niyyah);
2. Standing (qiyām);
3. Takbīrat al‑iḥrām, i.e. saying ‘allāhu akbar’ at the beginning of the prayer;
4. Bowing (rukūʿ);
5. Prostrating (sujūd);
6. Recitation (qirāʾah);
7. Declaring in rukūʿ and sujūd that Allah is free from imperfections (dhikr);
8. Testifying (tashahhud);
9. Salutation (salām);
10. Sequence (tartīb);
11. Close succession (muwālāh).