صلّى
Ṣallā
To perform the ritual prayer of Islam, which every adult Muslim must offer five times a day at set hours.
What it means
The verb ṣallā means to perform the ṣalāh, the ritual prayer of Islam. It has a fixed form of standing, recitation, bowing, prostration and sitting, and it is performed at five set times: dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and night. Every adult Muslim who is of sound mind must offer it, and it is the second pillar of Islam. The Quran commands, “Establish the prayer”
(2:43), and says that prayer is prescribed at fixed times (4:103). The noun is ṣalāh, the plural ṣalawāt. The word is also used when God and the angels “send blessings” on the Prophet (33:56), where it means mercy and blessing. Faruqi lists it as a term to be kept in Arabic form, because “to pray” in English covers any petition.
Often misunderstood as
The English verb “to pray” covers any request addressed to God, while ṣallā names one specific act of worship with a set form and set times.
What the sources say
Jurists rely on the prophetic practice for the details of the prayer. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his Companions, “Pray as you have seen me pray” (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 36, listed as ṢALLĀ. The definition is restated here.