Terminology

Because of the very definite procedures followed by Muslims during the prayer, including specified body movements, the straightforward English translation “prayer” is not usually considered adequate. The prayer has been variously called “the contact prayer”, “the obligatory prayer”, “the formal prayer”, and so on, but normal academic practice is now to refer to the prayer by its Arabic name ṣalāt.

Among Muslims various terms are used to refer to the prayer depending on the language (sometimes culture) of the speaker. In many parts of the world, including many non-Arab countries such as Indonesia, the Arabic term ṣalāt is used. The other major term is namāz (نماز‎), used by speakers of the Indo-Iranian languages (e.g., Persian, Bengali, and Urdu), the South Slavic languages and Turkic languages. The word namāz derives from an Indo-European root meaning 'to bow or prostrate'. Other minor examples include Pashto munz.

A Muslim worshipper is a muṣallī or مصلى, and the prayer mat, a muṣalla.