This is a list of
prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...
s
for various religions.
Christian prayers
Common to several denominations
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Epiclesis
The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis; from grc, ἐπίκλησις "surname" or "invocation") refers to the invocation of one or several gods. In ancient Greek religion, the epiclesis was the epithet used as the surname given to a deity in reli ...
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Glory Be to the Father
The Gloria Patri, also known as the Glory Be to the Father or, colloquially, the Glory Be, is a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian liturgies. It is also referred to as the Minor Doxology ''(Doxologia Minor)'' or Lesser ...
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Good Friday Prayer
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Grace at Meals, including some non-Christian versions
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Litany
Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''lit ...
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Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
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Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...
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Serenity Prayer
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Trinitarian formula
The Trinitarian formula is the phrase "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" ( grc-x-koine, εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, e ...
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Magnificat
The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...
(Song of Mary)
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Nicene Creed
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Compline
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Vespers
Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meanin ...
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Vigil
A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' ( Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become gener ...
Catholic prayers
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Angelus
The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ o ...
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Compline
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Confiteor
The (; so named from its first word, Latin for 'I confess' or 'I acknowledge') is one of the prayers that can be said during the Penitential Act at the beginning of Mass of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. It is also said in the Luther ...
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Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...
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Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
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Magnificat
The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...
(Song of Mary)
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Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
The anonymous text that is usually called the Prayer of Saint Francis (or Peace Prayer, or Simple Prayer for Peace, or Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace) is a widely known Christian prayer for peace. Often associated with the Italian Saint Fr ...
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Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
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Memorare
Memorare ("Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin Mary") is a Catholic prayer seeking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It first appears as part of a longer 15th-century prayer, "Ad sanctitatis tuae pedes, dulcissima Virgo Maria." Memorare ...
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Morning Prayers
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Nicene Creed
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Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
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Rosary
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Vespers
Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meanin ...
Triduum Marian
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Act of Contrition
An Act of Contrition is a Christian prayer genre that expresses sorrow for sins. It may be used in a liturgical service or be used privately, especially in connection with an examination of conscience. Special formulae for acts of contrition ar ...
* Prayer for all Sorts and Conditions
* For General Thanksgiving
Eastern Orthodox prayers
Christian prayers specific to the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
and those
Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...
which follow the
Byzantine Rite:
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Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer,; syr, ܨܠܘܬܐ ܕܝܫܘܥ, translit=slotho d-yeshu'; syr, label= Amharic, Geez and Tigrinya, እግዚኦ መሐረነ ክርስቶስ, translit=igizi'o meḥarene kirisitosi. "Note: We are still searching the Fathers for ...
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Akathist
An Akathist Hymn ( el, Ἀκάθιστος Ὕμνος, "unseated hymn") is a type of hymn usually recited by Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic Christians, dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The ...
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Axion Estin
''Axion estin'' (Greek: , Slavonic: Достóйно éсть, ''Dostóino yesť''), or It is Truly Meet, is a megalynarion and a theotokion, i.e. a magnification of and a Hymn to Mary used in the Divine Services of the Eastern Orthodox and ...
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Theotokion
A Theotokion (; pl. ) is a hymn to Mary the Theotokos (), which is read or chanted ( troparion or sticheron) during the canonical hours and Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the praises of the Or ...
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Ektenia
An ektenia (from el, ἐκτενής , translit=ektenés; literally, "diligence"), often called by the better known English word litany, consists of a series of petitions occurring in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic liturgies. The pr ...
Other denominations
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Wesley Covenant Prayer
The Covenant Renewal Service, or simply called the Covenant Service, was adapted by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, for the purpose of the renewal of the Christian believer's covenant with God. Wesley's ''Directions for Renewing Our Coven ...
(
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
)
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Daily Prayer for Peace
The Daily Prayer for Peace is a spiritual discipline unique to Community of Christ and practiced at the Independence Temple in the church's headquarters campus in Independence, Missouri. It falls within the most common category of Christian prayer ...
(
Community of Christ)
Prayers of the Theotokos ("Mary, Mother of God")
*It Is Truly Meet
*O Virgin Pure
Islamic prayers
Salaah
(, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba wi ...
, ritual Islamic prayer, prescribed five times daily:
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Fajr – the dawn prayer. It is a two
Rakat
A Rak'ah ( ar, ركعة ', ; plural: ') is a single iteration of prescribed movements and supplications performed by Muslims as part of the prescribed obligatory prayer known as salah. Each of the five daily prayers observed by Muslims consis ...
Salaah.
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Dhuhr – the early afternoon prayer. It is a four Rakat Salaah.
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Asr
The Asr prayer ( ar, صلاة العصر ', "afternoon prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Asr prayer is technically the fifth prayer of the day. If counted from midnight, it is ...
– the late afternoon prayer. It is a four Rakat Salaah.
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Maghrib
The Maghrib Prayer ( ar, صلاة المغرب ', "sunset prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Maghrib prayer is technically the first prayer of the day. If counted from midni ...
– the sunset prayer. It is a three Rakat Salaah.
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Isha'a – the night prayer. It is a four Rakat Salaah.
Besides the five daily prayers, other notable forms of ''salaah'' include:
:*
Jumu'ah
In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day accordin ...
– weekly congregational prayer (replaces ''dhuhr'' on Fridays two rakat along with
khutba
''Khutbah'' ( ar, خطبة ''khuṭbah'', tr, hutbe) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.
Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition ...
)
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Sunnah - These prayers are recommended to be performed as by
the Prophet on a regular basis throughout the lifetime; missing once or twice so that it does not become fard is called Sunnat.
:**2 Rak'ats Sunnat for Fajr. (The
Fajr sunnat is offered before Fajr prayers, and
Duha prayer after sunrise.)
:**6 Rak'ats Sunnat for Zuhr. (The Zuhr sunnat is 4 rakats before Zuhr and 2 rakats after zuhur.)
:**2 Rak'ats Sunnat for Maghrib. (The sunnat for maghrib should be offered after Maghrib prayers.)
:**2 Rak'ats Sunnat for Isha. (The sunnat for Isha is 2 rakat after Isha and another 2 rakat named
Chafa'a and followed by 1 rakat of
Witr
Witr ( ar, وتر) is an Islamic prayer (''salat'') that is performed at night after ''Isha'' (night-time prayer) or before '' fajr'' (dawn prayer). Witr has an odd number of ''raka'at'' prayed in pairs, with the final raka'ah prayed separately ...
.)
:**However, there is no Sunnat for Asr
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Nafil Salaah
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Salaat al-Layl
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Salat of Ja’far e Tayyar (as) - The best time to perform it is on Friday before noon. It is four Rakat Salat, divided into two parts 2 x 2 rakat.
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Salaat -e-Gufaila - Ghufayla prayers is one of the Mustahab prayers which is offered between Maghrib and Isha prayers.
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Namaz/Salaat of Eid/festival
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Eid Salaah – performed during the two primary Islamic festivals,
Eid al-Fitr and
Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah's com ...
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Tarawih
''Tarawih'' ( ar, تراويح, tarāwīḥ), also rendered in English as ''Taraweeh'', is derived from the Arabic root ر و ح related to rest and relaxation. Tarawih prayers are special Muslim prayers involving reading long portions of the ...
– lengthy night-time prayers during
Ramadan
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Dua
In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God.
Role in Islam
Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...
, or "
supplication
Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., "Please spare my life.") or on behalf of someon ...
"
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Dhikr
''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to remem ...
, or "remembrance of God", often involving various repeated phrases, most notably:
** ''
Subhanallah''
** ''
Alhamdulillah
''Alhamdulillah'' ( ar, ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ, ') is an Arabic phrase meaning "praise be to God", sometimes translated as "thank God". This phrase is called ''Tahmid'' ( ar, تَحْمِيد, lit=Praising, link=no). A longer varian ...
''
** ''Allahu akbar'' – see
takbir
The Takbir ( ar, تَكْبِير, , "magnification f God) is the name for the Arabic phrase ' (, ), meaning "God is the greatest".
It is a common Arabic expression, used in various contexts by Muslims and Arabs around the world: in formal Salah ...
** ''
La ilaha ill Allah'' – see
Six Kalimas
The Six Kalimah ( ar, , rtl=yes ''al-kalimāt as-sitt'', also spelled ''qalmah''), also known as the Six Traditions or the Six Phrases, are six Islamic phrases ( prayers) often recited by Muslims. The phrases are taken in part from hadiths.
...
** ''
Astaghfirullah''
Hindu prayers
* Prayer or worship is considered to be an integral part of the Hindu religion. The chanting of mantras is the most popular form of worship in Hinduism. Yoga and meditation are also considered as a form of devotional service. The adjacent picture represents the Om sign, which is a sacred sound and a spiritual symbol in Hinduism.
The Vedas are a collection of liturgy (mantras, hymns). Stuti is a general term for devotional literary compositions, but literally means praise.
The Hindu devotional Bhakti movements emphasizes repetitive prayer. Stemming from the universal Soul or Brahman, prayer is focused on the personal forms of Devas and/or Devis, such as Vishnu, or Vishnu's Avatars, Rama and Krishna, shiva as well as Shakti, or Shakti's forms such as Lakshmi or Kali. Ganesha is also a popular deity in Bhakti.
Before the process of ritual, before the invoking of different deities for the fulfillment of various needs, came the human aspiration to the highest truth, the foundational monism of Hinduism, pertaining ultimately to the one Brahman. Brahman, which summarily can be called the unknowable, true, infinite and blissful Divine Ground, is the source and being of all existence from which the cosmos springs. This is the essence of the Vedic system. The following prayer was part and parcel of all the Vedic ceremonies and continues to be invoked even today in Hindu temples all over India and other countries around the world, and exemplifies this essence.
Jain prayers
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Namokar Mantra
The Ṇamōkāra mantra or Navkar Mantra is the most significant mantra in Jainism, and one of the oldest mantras in continuous practice. This is the first prayer recited by the Jains while meditating. The mantra is also variously referred to ...
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Bhaktamara Stotra
Bhaktamara Stotra is a famous Jain Sanskrit prayer. It was composed by Acharya Manatunga (7th century CE). The name Bhaktamara comes from a combination of two Sanskrit names, "Bhakta" (Devotee) and "Amar" (Immortal).
The prayer praises '' ...
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Uvasagharam Stotra
Uvasaggaharam Stotra is an adoration of the twenty-third ''Tīirthankara Parshvanatha''. This Stotra was composed by ''Acharya Bhadrabahu'' who lived in around 2nd–4th century AD. It is believed to eliminate obstacles, hardships, and mise ...
Jewish prayers
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List of Jewish Prayers and Blessings
Listed below are some Hebrew prayers and blessings that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. Most prayers and blessings can be found in the Siddur, or prayer book. This article addresses Jewish liturgical blessings, which general ...
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Tefillah
Jewish prayer ( he, תְּפִלָּה, ; plural ; yi, תּפֿלה, tfile , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with i ...
prayers prescribed 3 times a day by observant Jews and 4 times a day during every
Shabbat service:
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Shacharit
''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers.
Different traditions identify different primary components o ...
- Dawn/Morning prayer
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Mincha
Mincha ( he, מִנחַה, pronounced as ; sometimes spelled ''Minchah'' or ''Minḥa'') is the afternoon prayer service in Judaism.
Etymology
The name ''Mincha'', meaning "present", is derived from the meal offering that accompanied each sacri ...
- Afternoon prayer
**
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''.
The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms ...
- Evening prayer
**
Mussaf
Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to th ...
- Additional prayer that is recited on
Shabbat,
Yom Tov
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...
, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh.
*Shema Yisrael
*V'ahavta
*Amidah
*
Kaddish
Kaddish or Qaddish or Qadish ( arc, קדיש "holy") is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy, different version ...
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Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre (also known as Kol Nidrey or Kol Nidrei; Aramaic: ''kāl niḏrē'') is a Hebrew and Aramaic declaration which is recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). Strictly ...
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Aleinu
''Aleinu'' (Hebrew: , lit. "upon us", meaning " t isour duty") or ''Aleinu leshabei'ach'' (Hebrew: " t isour duty to praise Names_of_God_in_Judaism">God.html" ;"title="Names_of_God_in_Judaism.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Names of God in Judaism">God"> ...
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Selichot
Selichot ( he, סְלִיחוֹת, səlīḥōt, singular: , ''səlīḥā'') are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy ar ...
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Ne'ila
Ne'ila ( he, נעילה, lit=locking), the ''concluding service'', is a special Jewish prayer service that is held only on Yom Kippur. It is the time when final prayers of repentance are recited at the closing of Yom Kippur. Neilah marks the fifth ...
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Berakhah
In Judaism, a ''berakhah'', ''bracha'', ', ' ( he, בְּרָכָה; pl. , ''berakhot'', '; "benediction," "blessing") is a formula of blessing or thanksgiving, recited in public or private, usually before the performance of a commandment, or th ...
(Jewish blessings) According to
Jewish tradition
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites"" ...
, religious Jews are required to recite 100 berakhot (blessings) each day.
Sikh prayers
The Sikhs believe in going to bed early, then waking up early the next morning. The Sikhs call early morning as Amrit wela. Most of the Sikhs (especially baptized) wake up at this time of day and pray
Morning prayers
In the morning most of the Sikhs recite the path by sitting in their family or sitting alone. They recite 5 paths (holy chapters) as directed by the tenth guru of Sikhs Sri Guru Gobind Singh.
The list of 5 paths is:
#Japji Sahib
#Jaap Sahib
#Tav Prasad Savaiye
#Chaupai Sahib
#Anand Sahib
They try to perform these prayers on a daily basis.
Evening prayers
In the evening the Sikhs perform the path of Rehraas Sahib.
Night prayers
During night time the Sikhs recite Kirtan Sohila before sleeping.
Though the Sikhs pray these special prayers they are always in touch with their God by reciting Waheguru for the whole day, follow the orders of their Guru Nanak Dev Ji to do work but keep their attention towards God.
References
{{Prayers of the Catholic Church
*list
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