Learn How to Pray in Islam

Introduction
The five prayers are among the best acts of worship that the Muslim performs. Performing them is the best deed after having the correct belief in God and His Messenger. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah raise his rank, was asked what the best deed was and he said it was performing the obligatory prayers at the beginning of their times (al¬-Bayhaqiyy):
روى البيهقي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سئيل عن أفضل الأعمال فقال: "الصلاة لوقتِها" أي في أول وقتها.
When we say "prayers" we are referring to an act of worshipping God which has a specific format as God revealed to Prophet Muhammad, may Allah raise his rank. The prophets from Prophet Adam to Prophet Muhammad, may Allah raise their rank, ordered their followers to pray as per God's orders.
Since the prayer is the most important matter of Islam after having the correct belief in God and His Messenger, one must plan his life around the prayer. It would be a great sin to neglect praying when at work if a prayer was required at that time. If a believer is shopping at the mall or waiting at the airport and there is no way to get home or to a mosque, he is still obligated to perform the prayer within its due time instead of purposely leaving out or delaying the prayer. This indicates the importance of the obligatory prayer. Doing the obligatory prayer on time takes priority over other non-obligatory matters.

Invalidators of the Prayer
In addition to leaving out the obligatory parts, there are other matters that invalidate the prayer. They must be known to be avoided. Among these matters are:
1. Saying words other than the words of the prayer intentionally, remembering that one is praying, and knowing that it is forbidden to do so.
2. Making many moves for a time that is enough to make one rak^ah .
3. Performing an excessive move, such as an excessive jump.
4. Adding an extra obligatory action such as making two ruku^s or three sujuds in one rak^ah, on purpose and while remembering that one is praying.
5. Making one move with the intention of playing, such as to extend one's tongue or to wink playfully.
6. Eating or drinking even a small amount while remembering one is praying.
7. Invalidating one's ablution, such as passing gas or urine.
8. Intending in the heart to interrupt the prayer. Intending to interrupt it if a specific matter happens, such as if one holds: "if the door bell rings I will interrupt my prayer", invalidates the prayer immediately.