Summary: Every day millions of Muslims turn toward Mecca and pray. They are required to pray five times a day ndash; at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening, although there are some Muslims who combine prayers. The prayers are said in Arabic, no matter what the personrsquo;s native tongue. Prayer in Islam is ritualized, with some critics saying the ritual takes away from the spiritual. But Muslims donrsquo;t see it that way. The five prayers, together with the movements involved in them, are designed to combine meditation, devotion, moral elevation and physical exercise. The prayers can be said together at mosque or alone. The prayer is begun by saying ldquo;Allahu akbarrdquo; or ldquo;God is most greatrdquo; ndash; then Muslims recite the first 7 verses of Chapter 1 of the Qurrsquo;an. Before a prayer can be said, though, Muslims must go through a ritual cleansing ndash; this to ensure they are both physically and spiritually pure before going before Allah.
