I say, and with Allah's success: Prayer linguistically: Prayer is an active form from the root 'salla', derived from 'sala', which means the bone on which the buttocks rest; because the one who prays moves his bones in bowing and prostration. It also means supplication; as He, the Exalted, said: (And pray for them) At-Tawbah: 103: meaning invoke for them, and supplication is called prayer because it is part of it. It also means mercy and blessing, as in His saying (peace be upon him): "O Allah, send blessings upon the family of Abu Awfa," in Sahih Muslim 2: 756, and Sahih Bukhari 2: 544: meaning bless them, or have mercy on them. Prayer, in a technical sense, is a set of specific pillars and known remembrances with restricted conditions at designated times. See: Al-Maghrib p. 272, Al-Misbah Al-Munir p. 347, Al-Ikhtiyar 1: 51, Maraqi Al-Falah p. 172, and Fath Bab Al-Ianaya 1: 175, and Allah knows best.