Prayer is one of the central elements of Islam, regarded as necessary to the spiritual life as food is to the physical life. Boys and girls are taught to practice the formal ritual prayer five times a day. They are encouraged also to pray in supplication at any time and place, seeking grace, mercy, abundance, and forgiveness.

Muslims regard prayer as unmediated communication with Allah (God) who hears and responds to everything that is said. Muslims believe that every human being is of interest to God.

The hijab, or head covering for Muslim girls and women, is regarded as not just a piece of cloth that covers the hair, but is reverently worn as a protective covering of the whole self.