Ensure the area is clean and free of impurities

Ensure the area is clean and free of impurities. This includes your body, your clothes, and the place of prayer itself.

• Perform Ablution if necessary. You must be ritually pure before you go about praying. If you're not, it's good to perform Wudu before you do. If since your last prayer you have urinated, defecated, passed gas, bled excessively, fallen asleep lying down, leaned against something, projectile vomited, or fainted, off to the bathroom you go.
• Make sure all of your necessary parts are covered. The nakedness of a man is considered to be between the navel and the knees; for a women, her entire body except the face and palms.
• If you are praying in a masjid (mosque), which is preferred, enter quietly--other fellow Muslims might still be praying and you don't want to disturb them. Stand in a free space away from the entrance/exit.
  • If you are unsure of the cleanliness of your area, spread a mat or cloth on the floor for good measure. This mat (or prayer rug) is very important to islamic culture.