Dhuhr Prayer
The midday prayer and the second of the five obligatory daily prayers in Islam.
What is Dhuhr prayer?
Dhuhr is the second of the five obligatory daily prayers in Islam. It is performed after the sun passes its highest point in the sky and begins moving toward the west.
Dhuhr consists of four obligatory rak'ahs. It falls near the middle of the day, interrupting ordinary work, study, travel, and other activities with a period of worship and remembrance.
Dhuhr at a glance
Why is Dhuhr important?
Dhuhr comes during the active part of the day, when people are often occupied with work, business, school, travel, or family responsibilities.
Its position in the middle of the day gives it an important spiritual function: worldly activity is interrupted so that the believer can return attention to Allah.
Rather than restricting worship to the beginning or end of the day, Dhuhr places prayer directly into the center of everyday life.
When does Dhuhr begin?
Dhuhr begins after the sun passes its highest point in the sky, known as solar noon or zawal.
Prayer schedules therefore calculate Dhuhr based on the position of the sun rather than simply assigning the same clock time every day. The exact time changes with location, season, longitude, and local timekeeping.
The Dhuhr prayer window continues until the beginning of Asr.
How many rak'ahs are in Dhuhr?
The obligatory Dhuhr prayer consists of four rak'ahs. Additional Sunnah prayers are also traditionally performed around Dhuhr.
Dhuhr and Friday prayer
Friday has a special relationship to the midday prayer. For Muslim men who are obligated and able to attend, the congregational Jumu'ah prayer takes the place of the regular Dhuhr prayer on Friday.
Jumu'ah includes a sermon and a congregational prayer and is one of the major weekly acts of communal worship in Islam.
Those for whom Jumu'ah is not required, or who are unable to attend it, perform Dhuhr in the normal manner.
Dhuhr and the rhythm of the day
Each of the five daily prayers corresponds to a changing stage of the day. Fajr accompanies dawn, Dhuhr follows the sun's highest point, Asr comes in the afternoon, Maghrib begins at sunset, and Isha arrives at night.
Dhuhr therefore occupies the central daylight position in this sequence. It reminds the believer that remembrance of Allah is not limited to quiet or convenient moments.
Dhuhr and Asr are separate prayer times
Dhuhr begins shortly after solar noon and continues until Asr time begins. Asr is a separate obligatory prayer later in the afternoon.
Begins after the sun passes its highest point in the sky.
Begins later in the afternoon according to the applicable juristic method.
Key points
- Dhuhr is the second obligatory prayer of the day.
- The obligatory prayer contains four rak'ahs.
- Dhuhr begins after the sun passes solar noon.
- Its prayer window ends when Asr begins.
- On Friday, Jumu'ah replaces Dhuhr for those obligated to attend the congregational Friday prayer.
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