Ibadah
Ibadah is worship and devotional obedience to God in Islam. It includes prescribed rites and other actions performed with religious intent.
Tawhid: The Islamic doctrine of God's absolute oneness and uniqueness. Ibadah is directed to God alone, reflecting tawhid.
Salah: The prescribed Muslim prayer performed at appointed times with specific words and bodily movements. This central ritual is a recurring, formally prescribed act of worship.
Takbir: The Arabic declaration “Allahu akbar,” meaning “God is greatest,” used in Islamic worship and other contexts. It marks the opening of salah and recurs within its prescribed movements.
Ritual: A patterned action performed according to convention, often carrying symbolic or social meaning. Ibadah includes rituals but also devotional conduct outside formal rites.
Ikhlas: Sincerity in worship, especially directing devotion to God without seeking other people's praise. Sincerity is a central measure of the spiritual integrity of worship.
Niyyah: An intention that gives an act its purpose and religious significance in Islam. Religious intent distinguishes devotional action from an outwardly similar ordinary act.
Sawm: Fasting, especially abstention from food, drink, and other acts from dawn to sunset during Ramadan. Ramadan fasting turns bodily discipline into a prescribed devotional practice.
Qibla: The direction Muslims face during formal prayer, toward the Kaaba in Mecca. Orientation toward the Kaaba is one of salah's defining conditions.
Islamic prayer: A broad category that includes formal salah and personal supplication in Islam. Prayer is one prominent form of ibadah, not its whole scope.
Taqwa: God-consciousness expressed through reverence, moral care, and avoidance of wrongdoing. Ibadah cultivates and expresses awareness of accountability before God.