How Many Rakats Each Prayer? A Complete Guide

Guided Exploration

Before discussing the Prayer number of Rakat (How many Rakats each prayer) we need to know what are the five daily prayers.

Our five daily prayers are:

Fajr (prayed at dawn)
Dhuhr (prayed at midday)
Asr (prayed in the afternoon)
Maghrib (prayed at sunset)
Isha (prayed at night)

Those prayers are obligatory worship for all Muslims and it affects their daily lives. It should be performed during the prescribed times with some conditions and prerequisites that Muslims should follow to pray correctly according to Quran teachings. The times for each prayer vary depending on your location. And now the key question is How many Rakats each prayer?

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The following paragraphs will answer your question about How many Rakats each prayer.

Fajar Rakats (Morning Prayer)

Al-Fajar prayer is the first Salah in the day, as you start your day with. It is considered to be two Rakkats performed as a Fard, preceded by two Rakkats performed as a Sunnah.

However, It is difficult to wake up so early in the morning, yet waking up to worship Allah will make your day more lively and lighter. There is a hadith in Muslim Bukhari which says;

“Whoever offers the Fajr prayer, Allah will protect him throughout the day.”

“من صلى صلاة الصبح، فهو في ذمة الله”.

So, Pray Fajr regularly, since it will keep you from damnation. Furthermore, Allah rewards them throughout the day and protects them from harm. As a result, Fajr prayer must be offered every day and never skipped for whatever reason. Furthermore, it is claimed that offering Fajr Salat boosts Rizq.

Zuhur Rakats (Noon Prayer)

Al-Zuhur Salah timing starts in the afternoon when the sun has passed the median point of the sky. It is considered to be four Rakaats Fard and six Rakaats Sunnah divided into four Rakaats before the Fard and two Rakaats after the Fard.

Other Nawafils can be served after it. When it comes to the significance of this, a hadith states that “Verily, gates of heavens are opened when the sun begins to decline. They do not begin to close until the noon prayer is completed. Thus, I love for my good deeds to ascend to the heavens”

“فإنَّ أبوابَ السماءِ تُفْتحُ إلى زوالِ الشمسِ ، فلا تُرْتَجُ حتى يُصلَّى الظهرُ ، فأحبُّ أن يُصعدَ لي فيها خيرٌ”.

So it is vital to give Zuhar’s prayer and perform good deeds during this period. Allah Almighty showered his blessings on those who completed this Salat until Asar’s prayer. Furthermore, whoever performs Zuhar’s Salat on time and consistently will be spared the fires of hell on the day of judgment. There are no rewards for those who skip any of the prayers.

Read also about : How Long Does Prayer Last for Muslims?

Asar Rakats (Afternoon Prayer)

Al-Asar Salah timing starts halfway between noon and sunset, and it is four Rakaats Fard.

After Zuhar’s Salat, the Asar’s prayer takes place starting in the afternoon. As it is mentioned in a hadith about the Asar prayer’s importance, our Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever offers Fajr and Asar prayer will enter Jannah.”

“من صلى البردين دخل الجنة”.

This Salat opens the gates of heaven for those who perform it and keeps them safe from hell. According to numerous hadiths, this Salat is critical to Muslims’ success. The Asar prayer ensures that you and your family live a healthy and prosperous life in this world and the next. Also, offering Asar prayer regularly enhances your wealth and Rizq.

Maghrib Rakats (Evening Prayer)

Al-Maghrib prayer time comes after sunset immediately and it has to be offered before getting dark outside, it is considered to be three Rakaats Fard and two Rakaat Sunnah performed after the Fard.

The Maghrib prayer is as important as the other five daily prayers. It is an obligation that every sane adult Muslim must perform at a specified time.

Isha Rakats (Night Prayer)

Al-Ishaa prayer time comes when it is dark outside till Fajr prayer as it is the last prayer of the day, and it is four Rakaat Fard. The Ishaa Prayer has two Rakats Sunnah Muakkad and other scholars have mentioned that you can pray the other two Rakaats to be four Rakaats Sunnah and Nwafil after the Fard. One who offers this prayer will be kept in blessings till morning, and Allah will set angles to protect the person till Fajr Salat. Also, as this prayer is performed before sleeping, so it will make your night peaceful; therefore, it’s necessary to offer your Salat before sleep.

Mentioned above are the five obligatory prayers that Muslims, in any case, should perform.

Jummah or Friday Rakats

Jummah prayer is on Friday, and it is two rak’ahs instead of the noon prayer, in which the worshipper performs two Rakaat if he prays it and does not miss it. However, if the worshipper is late or misses it, he prays the Zuhur prayer as four Rakaat.

The Jummah prayer is a loud prayer, unlike the Zuhur prayer.

One of the conditions of Friday prayer is that the imam delivers two sermons for it.

The Jummah prayer is obligatory for healthy adult men, but it is recommended to train children to perform it from an early age by taking them to the mosques.

The Jummah prayer is not obligatory for women, the sick, and travelers, so they can perform the Zuhur prayer instead of the Jummah prayer.
The Jummah prayer begins at the appointed time, i.e. afternoon. The imam begins the Friday sermon, which consists of two sermons, in which the imam sits for a short break between them. The subject is instructive, urging people on matters of their religion and their worldly affairs. The two sermons are obligatory and are a condition for the validity of the Jummah prayer. Then the worshipers follow the imam in the two-rakaat prayer of Jummah.

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Other Prayers – Extar Prayer (Nawafil)

However, there are other prayers as well that are recommended for Muslims to offer with compulsory prayers. Those prayers are as follows.

Tahhjjud Prayer or Qiyam Al-Layl

Tahajjud and Qiyam al-Layl are two names with the same meaning: voluntary prayer at night after sunset and before dawn. However, Tahajjud is after waking up from sleep, and Qiyam al-Layl is before and after sleeping. So every Tahajjud is a Qiyam al-Layl, not the other way around. Qiyam and Tahajjud do not have a specific Witr. Rather, the Witr after Isha is the same as the Witr of Qiyam, but it is recommended to delay it until after Qiyam if he thinks he will most likely wake up for Qiyam. It is not a compulsory prayer and has no specific Rakat number. Where the Muslim prays it two Rakats, two Rakats, as much as he can.

Tarawih Prayer

This prayer is recited during the holy month of Ramadan. It contains eleven Rakats of Sunnat Tarawih. As it was mentioned in the hadith: From Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, Ibn Abbas, and a group. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray ten rak’ahs at night, saying the tasleem after every two, then he would pray Witar with one. She, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not pray more than eleven rak’ahs in Ramadan or at any other time. He would pray four and not ask about their beauty and length, then he would pray four, and not ask about their beauty and length, then he would pray three. Agreed upon.

قالت عائشة رضي الله عنها: كان رسول الله ﷺ يصلي من الليل عشر ركعات، يُسلِّم من كل اثنتين، ثم يوتر بواحدةٍ وقالت رضي الله عنها: ما كان رسول الله ﷺ يزيد في رمضان ولا في غيره على إحدى عشرة ركعة، يُصلي أربعًا، فلا تسأل عن حسنهنََّ وطولهنَّ، ثم يصلي أربعًا، فلا تسأل عن حسنهنَّ وطولهنَّ، ثم يصلي ثلاثًا. (متفق عليه).

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