The short answer
How to pray Dhuhr (also spelt Zuhr): four obligatory rak'ahs with no recitation aloud, the count al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm says the general body of Muslims handed down. In the first two rak'ahs the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, recited Al-Fatihah and a surah, at times letting a verse be heard (Sahih al-Bukhari 762, sahih).
How do you pray Dhuhr, step by step?
Here is how to read zuhr namaz, step by step. The stages below follow the report of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, in which the Prophet taught a man how to pray 2. That report gives the stages, not the number of rak'ahs: the four come from Kitab al-Umm 13. For the whole prayer, see how to pray Salah, and for preparation see how to perform wudu.
- Say the opening takbir, Allahu akbar. 2
- Standing: recite Al-Fatihah. The report says there is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book. Then recite a surah, as the Prophet did in the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr. 31 Kitab al-Umm gives Zuhr no recitation aloud. 13
- Bow, and stay calm until you settle in the bow. 2
- Rise until you stand straight. 2
- Prostrate, and stay calm in the prostration. 2
- Rise and sit calmly until settled, between the two prostrations. 2
- Prostrate again, and stay calm. That completes the first rak'ah. 2
- Pray the second rak'ah in the same way, with Al-Fatihah and a surah. 12
- After the second rak'ah, sit and recite the tashahhud (the testimony said while seated). See the tashahhud lesson. 4
- Stand for the third and fourth rak'ahs, with the same stages, reciting Al-Fatihah in each. 5
- After the fourth rak'ah, sit for the tashahhud, then finish with the salam to the right and to the left. Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, saw the Prophet turn enough for the whiteness of his cheek to be seen. 46
2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 793
Is Dhuhr recited aloud or silently?
Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm gives Zuhr as four rak'ahs with nothing of the recitation said aloud 13. The reports show the Prophet letting a verse be heard at times, so the no-aloud rule is al-Shafi'i's reading of the count. Two reports in Sahih al-Bukhari, both sahih by inclusion, describe the recitation. Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked whether the Prophet recited in Zuhr and Asr; he said yes, and that they knew it from the movement of his beard (Sahih al-Bukhari 761) 7. Abu Qatadah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the Prophet recited the Opening of the Book and a surah in each of the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr. At times he let them hear the verse (Sahih al-Bukhari 762) 1.
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 762
In another wording, Abu Qatadah adds that the Prophet recited Al-Fatihah alone in the last two rak'ahs of Zuhr and made the first rak'ah longer than the second (Sahih al-Bukhari 776) 5. The reports name no particular surah. Learn Al-Fatihah with its meaning in the Al-Fatihah lesson; a short surah to learn next is Al-Ikhlas.
Al-Fatihah 1:1 to 7
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement, You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path, The path of those whom You have favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray.
5AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 776
The words said in bowing, rising and prostration
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, describes a long night prayer in which the Prophet said these words (Sahih Muslim 772, sahih by inclusion) 8. The report describes what he heard. It does not make the words compulsory, and it gives no number of repetitions.
Bowing, Sahih Muslim 772
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna rabbiyal-ʿaẓīm
Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent.
Rising, Sahih Muslim 772
سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ
Samiʿa Allāhu liman ḥamidah
Allah hears whoever praises Him.
Prostration, Sahih Muslim 772
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأَعْلَى
Subḥāna rabbiyal-aʿlā
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.
8AuthenticSahih Muslim 772
How many rakats are in Dhuhr, with the sunnah?
Dhuhr itself is four rak'ahs (also written rakats) in Kitab al-Umm, the count al-Shafi'i says the community handed down 13. That is a Shafi'i work; this guide does not cite the other three schools' works for the four. The voluntary rak'ahs before and after Dhuhr are separate from those four.
Two reports in Sahih al-Bukhari, both sahih by inclusion, give different numbers before Dhuhr. Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, memorised from the Prophet two rak'ahs before Zuhr and two after it (Sahih al-Bukhari 1180) 9. 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reports that he never left out four rak'ahs before Zuhr (Sahih al-Bukhari 1182) 10. Each school's named work lists the voluntary rak'ahs in its own way:
| School | Before Dhuhr | After Dhuhr | What the named work says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | Four | Two | Al-Shurunbulali's Maraqi al-Falah lists four before Dhuhr and two after it among the emphasised sunnah prayers (sunnah mu'akkadah). 14 |
| Maliki | No fixed number; four is the fullest | No fixed number; four is the fullest | Al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir says voluntary prayer is recommended, with emphasis, before and after Dhuhr, with no fixed number: two, four or six may be prayed, and the most complete is four before and four after. 15 |
| Shafi'i | Two (another view: four) | Two (another view: four) | Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin lists two before Dhuhr and two after among the regular sunnah prayers, with other views of four before, four after and four before Asr; it says all of them are sunnah, and the difference is only over which are emphasised. 16 Al-Nawawi's al-Majmu', explaining al-Shirazi's al-Muhadhdhab, gives the least complete set of regular sunnah prayers as ten rak'ahs besides Witr, with two before Dhuhr and two after it, and the fullest as eighteen, which has four before Dhuhr, four after it and four before Asr; it also says all of this is sunnah and the difference is only over which are emphasised. 21 |
| Hanbali | Two | Two | Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni gives the regular sunnah prayers as ten rak'ahs, among them two before Dhuhr and two after it. 17 |
Ilmwell does not decide between these lists. The table of all five prayers is on how many rakats are in each prayer, and the terms are explained in sunnah and nafl prayers.
9AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1180
10AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1182
When does Dhuhr start and end?
Asked about the times of prayer, the Prophet said the time of Zuhr is when the sun has passed the middle of the sky, for as long as Asr has not come. The report is in Sahih Muslim 612e, sahih by inclusion 11. The report gives no clock time and no shadow length. The schools' named works agree on the start and give the end in shadow lengths:
| School | Start and end in the named work |
|---|---|
| Hanafi | Al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah: it begins when the sun passes its zenith. For Abu Hanifa it ends when a thing's shadow is twice its length, not counting its shadow at the zenith. For his two companions, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani, it ends when the shadow equals the thing, which is also reported from Abu Hanifa. 18 |
| Maliki | Al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir: its chosen time runs from the zenith until a thing's shadow equals it, not counting the zenith shadow. The work sets this chosen time against a separate time of necessity. 15 |
| Shafi'i | Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin: it begins at the zenith and ends when a thing's shadow equals it, besides the zenith shadow, which is also when Asr begins. 16 |
| Hanbali | Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni: the scholars agreed it begins when the sun passes its zenith, and it ends when a thing's shadow equals it beyond the zenith shadow, the answer Ahmad gave when asked. 17 |
The end of Dhuhr is the start of Asr (Sahih Muslim 612e), so the difference carries over to the Asr guide. For today's times where you are, use the prayer times tool or your mosque's timetable, and see zawal and the forbidden times for the moment the sun is at its height.
11AuthenticSahih Muslim 612e
What changes on a Friday or when travelling?
On a Friday, the congregational Jumu'ah prayer has its own rules. Al-Nawawi's al-Majmu' gives it as two rak'ahs with two khutbahs (sermons) before it 19, and Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni says a worshipper who catches less than one rak'ah of it with the imam prays Dhuhr 20. The Jummah prayer guide gives each school's named work.
When travelling, 'Aisha reports that the prayer was first made two rak'ahs, and that the travelling prayer stayed at two while the resident's prayer was increased (Sahih al-Bukhari 350, sahih by inclusion) 12. The report does not name Dhuhr. Shortening and joining Dhuhr with Asr while travelling have their own guides: qasr and prayer while travelling and combining prayers while travelling.
12AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 350
If you are unsure
The schools' named works differ on the sunnah rak'ahs around Dhuhr and on when its time ends. This guide does not cover recitation behind an imam, illness, or missed prayers. For your own situation, ask a teacher you trust.
My first office job had no prayer room, so I booked a small meeting room every day for Dhuhr and called it focus time in the calendar. A colleague walked in once, apologised and backed out. Later she asked me about it, and it turned into a good conversation.
Try it: the reports
Three checks, each with its source.
1In Sahih al-Bukhari 776, what did the Prophet recite in the last two rak'ahs of Zuhr?
Answer: Al-Fatihah only. The report says Al-Fatihah and a surah in the first two rak'ahs, and Al-Fatihah in the last two. Source 5
2How did Khabbab say they knew the Prophet recited in Zuhr and Asr (Sahih al-Bukhari 761)?
Answer: From the movement of his beard. Khabbab answered that they knew it from the movement of his beard. Source 7
3In Sahih al-Bukhari 1182, how many rak'ahs before Zuhr did the Prophet never leave out?
Answer: Four. 'Aisha reports that he never left out four rak'ahs before Zuhr or two before the morning prayer. Source 10
Questions people ask
How many rakats are in Zuhr?
Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm gives four rak'ahs for Zuhr, with no recitation aloud, as the count the general body of Muslims handed down (a Shafi'i work; the other schools' works are not cited for this count). The voluntary rak'ahs before and after it are separate from the four. The schools' named works list them differently: four before and two after in a Hanafi work, two before and two after in a Shafi'i and a Hanbali work, and no fixed number in a Maliki work.
When does Zuhr end?
The schools' named works differ. Al-Hidayah gives Abu Hanifa's view that Zuhr lasts until a thing's shadow is twice its length, besides its shadow at the zenith, and his two companions' view of once its length. Al-Nawawi's Minhaj, al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir and Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni give once its length. The works quoted here give no clock time, so check a local timetable for your date and place.
When can the sunnah of Zuhr be prayed?
Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin, a Shafi'i work, says the regular sunnah prayers before an obligatory prayer begin with its time, those after it begin once it is prayed, and both last until its time ends. The other schools' works are not cited for this point. For your own situation, ask a teacher you trust.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
Abu Qatadah reports that the Prophet recited the Opening of the Book and a surah in each of the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr, and sometimes let them hear the verse.
Sahih al-Bukhari 762 Book 10, Hadith 156
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 2
The Prophet taught a man the stages of prayer: takbir, recitation, bowing, rising, prostration, sitting, prostration, and calm in each.
Sahih al-Bukhari 793 Book 10, Hadith 188
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 3
The Prophet said there is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fatihat al-Kitab).
Sahih al-Bukhari 756 Book 10, Hadith 150
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 4
Aishah describes the Prophet reciting the tahiyyah at the end of every two rak'ahs and ending the prayer with the salam.
Sahih Muslim 498 Book 4, Hadith 272
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 5
In Zuhr the Prophet recited Umm al-Kitab with another surah in the first two rakahs, and Umm al-Kitab in the last two.
Sahih al-Bukhari 776 Book 10, Hadith 171
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 6
'Amir ibn Sa'd reported from his father, Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to see the Prophet give the salam to his right and to his left.
Sahih Muslim 582 Book 5, Hadith 153
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 7
Khabbab ibn al-Aratt told Abu Ma'mar that the Prophet recited in Zuhr and Asr, and that they knew his recitation from the movement of his beard.
Sahih al-Bukhari 761 Book 10, Hadith 155
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 8
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported praying one night behind the Prophet, who recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa' and Al 'Imran slowly, glorifying at verses of glory, asking at verses of asking and seeking protection at verses of protection, then bowed saying 'Glory be to my Mighty Lord' for about as long as he had stood, rose saying sami'a Allahu liman hamidah and stood about as long, then prostrated saying 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most High' for about as long.
Sahih Muslim 772 Book 6, Hadith 242
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 9
Ibn 'Umar memorised ten rak'ahs from the Prophet: two before and two after Zuhr, two after Maghrib in his house, two after Isha in his house, and two before Fajr.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1180 Book 19, Hadith 58
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 10
Aishah reports that the Prophet never missed four rak'ahs before Zuhr or two before Fajr
Sahih al-Bukhari 1182 Book 19, Hadith 59
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 11
Asked about the prayer times, the Prophet said the time of Zuhr is when the sun has passed the middle of the sky, as long as Asr has not come, and the time of Asr is as long as the sun has not turned pale.
Sahih Muslim 612e Book 5, Hadith 223
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 12
'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, mother of the believers, said that when Allah made the prayer obligatory it was two rak'ahs in residence and while travelling; the prayer while travelling stayed as it was and the prayer of the resident was increased.
Sahih al-Bukhari 350 Book 8, Hadith 2
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 13
Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm, Kitab al-Salah, 'Adad al-salawat al-khams: the general body of Muslims handed down the count of each prayer: Zuhr four rak'ahs with no aloud recitation, Asr four with no aloud recitation, Maghrib three (aloud in two, quiet in the third), Isha four (aloud in two, quiet in two) and Subh (Fajr) two, aloud in both.
- 14
Al-Shurunbulali (Hanafi), in Maraqi al-Falah, lists the emphasised sunnah prayers (sunnah mu'akkadah) around the daily prayers as: two before Fajr; two after Dhuhr; two after Maghrib; two after Isha; and four before Dhuhr. The commentary on the same page records that al-Marghinani narrated from Abu Hanifa that the two before Fajr are wajib.
- 15
Al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir on Mukhtasar Khalil (Maliki): the chosen time (al-mukhtar) of Dhuhr runs from the sun's zenith to the end of the qamah, meaning until each thing's shadow equals it, without counting the zenith shadow, and is set against a necessity time (al-daruri); voluntary prayer is recommended, and emphasised after Maghrib, after Dhuhr and before it, and before Asr, with no fixed number, though the most complete is what is reported: four before Dhuhr and four after it.
- 16
Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin (Shafi'i): the time of Dhuhr begins at the sun's zenith (zawal) and ends when a thing's shadow equals it, besides the shadow at the zenith; among the regular sunnah prayers (rawatib) are two rak'ahs before Dhuhr and two after it, with other views of four before Dhuhr, four after it and four before Asr; all of these are sunnah, and the difference is only over which are the emphasised regular ones.
- 17
Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni (Hanbali), explaining al-Khiraqi: the scholars agreed that Dhuhr begins when the sun passes its zenith, as Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn 'Abd al-Barr report; it ends when each thing's shadow equals it, beyond the shadow at the zenith, which Ahmad gave as the end when al-Athram asked him; the regular sunnah prayers with the obligatory ones are ten rak'ahs, among them two before Dhuhr and two after it.
- 18
Al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah (Hanafi): the time of Dhuhr begins when the sun passes its zenith (zawal); for Abu Hanifa it ends when the shadow of each thing is twice its length, not counting the shadow at the zenith, while his two companions (Abu Yusuf and Muhammad) hold that it ends when the shadow equals the thing, which is also a report from Abu Hanifa.
- 19
Al-Nawawi's al-Majmu (Shafi'i): Friday prayer is fard 'ayn for accountable Muslims who have no excuse among those named, a woman and a traveller are not obliged, the Friday prayer is two rakats, two khutbahs must come before it and it is not valid without them, and whoever catches the bowing of the second rak'ah with the imam has caught the Jumu'ah, while otherwise it is lost.
- 20
Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni (Hanbali): Friday prayer is not obligatory on a traveller, a slave or a woman, and most scholars hold that a traveller is not obliged; it is better for a traveller to attend; the khutbah is a condition of Friday prayer and it is not valid without it; a worshipper who catches one rak'ah with its two prostrations with the imam adds another and completes the Friday prayer; one who catches less than one rak'ah builds Dhuhr.
- 21
Al-Nawawi's al-Majmu' (Shafi'i), explaining al-Shirazi's al-Muhadhdhab: the regular sunnah prayers that go with the obligatory ones are, at the least complete, ten rak'ahs besides Witr (two before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, two after Isha and two before Fajr), and at the fullest eighteen, which add four before Dhuhr, four after it and four before 'Asr in place of the two before and two after Dhuhr; all of this is sunnah, and the difference is only over which are emphasised.
Quran text: the Tanzil Project (CC BY 3.0), reproduced verbatim. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930).
Next
- How to pray Salah: the whole prayerGuide
- How to pray AsrGuide
- How to pray FajrGuide
- How many rak'ahs in each prayerGuide
- Sunnah and nafl prayers: how they fit togetherGuide
- Jummah prayerGuide
- How to perform wuduGuide
- Tashahhud and Attahiyat: words and meaningWords lesson
- Al-Fatihah: Arabic and meaningQuran lesson
- Prayer times where you areTool
- The five daily prayersGuide
- Combining prayers while travellingGuide
- Prayer and PurificationThe hub
For your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
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