Quran verses about prayer

1. إِنَّنِيٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعۡبُدۡنِي وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِكۡرِيٓ ﴿١٤﴾

   I—I am Allah. There is no god but I. So serve Me, and practice the prayer for My remembrance.

   Speaking to Moses (Musa) in the sacred valley of Tuwa, Allah tells him to worship Him and establish prayer for His remembrance.

2. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ﴿١٥٣﴾

   O you who believe! Seek help through patience and prayers. Allah is with the steadfast.

   Believers are told to seek help through patience and prayer, because Allah is with the patient.

3. ٱتۡلُ مَآ أُوحِيَ إِلَيۡكَ مِنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَۖ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَٱلۡمُنكَرِۗ وَلَذِكۡرُ ٱللَّهِ أَكۡبَرُۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَصۡنَعُونَ ﴿٤٥﴾

   Recite what is revealed to you of the Scripture, and perform the prayer. The prayer prevents indecencies and evils. And the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows what you do.

   Prayer restrains a person from shameful and wrong deeds, and the verse adds that the remembrance of Allah is greater still.

4. قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ﴿١﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ فِي صَلَاتِهِمۡ خَٰشِعُونَ ﴿٢﴾

   ¹Successful are the believers. ²Those who are humble in their prayers.

   Surah Al-Mu'minun opens by saying the believers have succeeded, and the first quality it names is humility in prayer.

5. حَٰفِظُواْ عَلَى ٱلصَّلَوَٰتِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ٱلۡوُسۡطَىٰ وَقُومُواْ لِلَّهِ قَٰنِتِينَ ﴿٢٣٨﴾

   Guard your prayers, and the middle prayer, and stand before Allah in devotion.

   Believers are told to guard their prayers, especially the middle prayer, and to stand before Allah in devotion.

6. فَإِذَا قَضَيۡتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ قِيَٰمٗا وَقُعُودٗا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمۡۚ فَإِذَا ٱطۡمَأۡنَنتُمۡ فَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَۚ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ كَانَتۡ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ كِتَٰبٗا مَّوۡقُوتٗا ﴿١٠٣﴾

   When you have completed the prayer, remember Allah, standing, or sitting, or on your sides. And when you feel secure, perform the prayer. The prayer is obligatory for believers at specific times.

   Prayer is described as prescribed at set times, and believers are told to remember Allah standing, sitting and lying down once it is finished.

7. وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ طَرَفَيِ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَزُلَفٗا مِّنَ ٱلَّيۡلِۚ إِنَّ ٱلۡحَسَنَٰتِ يُذۡهِبۡنَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِۚ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكۡرَىٰ لِلذَّـٰكِرِينَ ﴿١١٤﴾

   Perform the prayer at the borders of the day, and during the approaches of the night. The good deeds take away the bad deeds. This is a reminder for those who remember.

   Prayer at both ends of the day and in the early night is commanded, followed by the reminder that good deeds remove bad ones.

8. أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِدُلُوكِ ٱلشَّمۡسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَقُرۡءَانَ ٱلۡفَجۡرِۖ إِنَّ قُرۡءَانَ ٱلۡفَجۡرِ كَانَ مَشۡهُودٗا ﴿٧٨﴾ وَمِنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ فَتَهَجَّدۡ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةٗ لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبۡعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامٗا مَّحۡمُودٗا ﴿٧٩﴾

   ⁷⁸Perform the prayer at the decline of the sun, until the darkness of the night; and the Quran at dawn. The Quran at dawn is witnessed. ⁷⁹And keep vigil with it during parts of the night, as an extra prayer. Perhaps your Lord will raise you to a laudable position.

   The prayers from the sun's decline to the dark of night and the dawn recitation are mentioned, followed by an encouragement to pray extra at night.

9. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمُزَّمِّلُ ﴿١﴾ قُمِ ٱلَّيۡلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلٗا ﴿٢﴾ نِّصۡفَهُۥٓ أَوِ ٱنقُصۡ مِنۡهُ قَلِيلًا ﴿٣﴾ أَوۡ زِدۡ عَلَيۡهِ وَرَتِّلِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ تَرۡتِيلًا ﴿٤﴾

   ¹O you Enwrapped one. ²Stay up the night, except a little. ³For half of it, or reduce it a little. ⁴Or add to it; and chant the Quran rhythmically.

   Early in his mission, the Prophet ﷺ is told to stand in prayer for much of the night and recite the Quran slowly and carefully.

10. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوۡمِ ٱلۡجُمُعَةِ فَٱسۡعَوۡاْ إِلَىٰ ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُواْ ٱلۡبَيۡعَۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ خَيۡرࣱ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ ﴿٩﴾ فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ فَٱنتَشِرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱبۡتَغُواْ مِن فَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرٗا لَّعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ ﴿١٠﴾

    ⁹O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on Congregation Day, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and drop all business. That is better for you, if you only knew. ¹⁰Then, when the prayer is concluded, disperse through the land, and seek Allah’s bounty, and remember Allah much, so that you may prosper.

    When the call is made for the Friday prayer, believers leave their business, and after the prayer they spread out and seek Allah's bounty while remembering Him.

11. رَبِّ ٱجۡعَلۡنِي مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِيۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلۡ دُعَآءِ ﴿٤٠﴾

    “My Lord, make me one who performs the prayer, and from my offspring. Our Lord, accept my supplication.”

    Abraham (Ibrahim) prays that Allah make him and his descendants people who establish prayer.

12. فَوَيۡلࣱ لِّلۡمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَن صَلَاتِهِمۡ سَاهُونَ ﴿٥﴾

    ⁴So woe to those who pray. ⁵Those who are heedless of their prayers.

    Surah Al-Ma'un warns those who pray but are heedless of their prayers.

The Quran treats prayer less as a duty to get through and more as a place to return to several times a day. If prayer has slipped for you, these verses do not shame you. They invite you back, one prayer at a time, with whatever attention you can bring.