Asr Prayer
The afternoon prayer and the third of the five obligatory daily prayers in Islam.
What is Asr prayer?
Asr is the third of the five obligatory daily prayers in Islam. It is performed in the afternoon, after the time of Dhuhr has ended and before sunset.
The obligatory Asr prayer consists of four rak'ahs. Its timing is closely connected to the changing length of shadows during the afternoon.
Asr at a glance
Why is Asr important?
Asr comes during a busy part of the day, when people are often occupied with work, travel, study, business, or family responsibilities.
Like Dhuhr, Asr interrupts worldly activity and calls the believer back to worship. Its position later in the day also serves as a reminder that prayer remains central even as the day moves toward sunset.
Authentic hadith give Asr particular emphasis, and the Prophet ﷺ warned against neglecting it.
Asr in the Qur'an and Sunnah
The Qur'an repeatedly commands believers to guard the prayers, and the Sunnah gives special attention to the afternoon prayer.
In authentic hadith, the Prophet ﷺ taught that the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at Fajr and Asr.
The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr and Asr prayers.Sahih al-Bukhari
When does Asr begin?
Asr begins after the Dhuhr prayer period ends. Its start time is traditionally determined by the length of an object's shadow.
There are two well-known juristic methods used to calculate the beginning of Asr, which is why many prayer-time applications include a Shafi and Hanafi setting.
Shafi and Hanafi Asr times
In the Shafi, Maliki, and Hanbali traditions, Asr generally begins when an object's shadow reaches the equivalent of its length, in addition to the shadow present at solar noon.
In the Hanafi tradition, Asr generally begins later, when the object's shadow reaches twice its length, again in addition to the noon shadow.
Asr begins earlier in the afternoon based on the standard shadow-length calculation.
Asr begins later based on the longer shadow-length calculation.
When does Asr end?
The Asr prayer period ultimately continues until sunset, when the time for Maghrib begins.
Muslims are encouraged not to delay Asr unnecessarily until the final moments before sunset.
How many rak'ahs are in Asr?
The obligatory Asr prayer consists of four rak'ahs.
Asr and the transition toward evening
Asr occupies the final major period of daylight before sunset. It comes after the midday Dhuhr prayer and before Maghrib.
In the daily cycle of worship, Asr marks the movement from the busy afternoon toward the close of the day.
Key points
- Asr is the third obligatory prayer of the day.
- The obligatory prayer contains four rak'ahs.
- Asr is performed during the afternoon.
- Shafi and Hanafi methods differ in calculating when Asr begins.
- The Asr prayer period ends when the sun sets.
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