How to pray Dhuhr
Dhuhr is the first of the three afternoon prayers and anchors the middle of the workday. Four fard rak'ahs, recited silently, with four strongly-emphasized sunnah rak'ahs before and two sunnah rak'ahs after. On Fridays, the congregational Jumu'ah prayer replaces Dhuhr for men able to attend. See the dedicated Jumu'ah guide for that flow.
Just after the sun passes its zenith until Asr
Silent (sirri) in all rak'ahs. The mouth moves, no sound carries.
4 sunnah before, 4 fard, 2 sunnah after
Begins a few minutes after solar noon (when the sun starts to descend from its highest point) and runs until Asr enters. In most cities this gives a window of three to four hours.
What makes Dhuhr distinct
- 1
Four fard rak'ahs, the longest of the five in the number of rak'ahs.
- 2
Recitation is silent in every rak'ah, for both imam and individual.
- 3
A brief tashahhud sitting after rak'ah 2, before standing for rak'ah 3. Only the final tashahhud has the full salawat and dua.
- 4
The 3rd and 4th rak'ahs have only al-Fatihah (no second surah).
- 5
Replaced by Jumu'ah on Fridays at its time.
FAQs about Dhuhr
When does Dhuhr start exactly?+
A few minutes after solar noon (not clock noon). Prayer apps use the solar zenith of your exact coordinates to calculate it. On Barakah it advances slightly every day as seasons change.
Why is Dhuhr silent when Fajr is aloud?+
This is how the Prophet ﷺ prayed. Dhuhr, Asr, and the last two rak'ahs of Maghrib and Isha are recited silently. Fajr, the first two of Maghrib, and the first two of Isha are recited aloud.
If I skipped the 4 sunnah before Dhuhr, can I make them up after?+
Yes. If you enter the mosque during the fard, pray the fard first with the congregation, then pray the four sunnah before Dhuhr afterward, then the two sunnah after. This is the majority position.
On Fridays, do I still pray Dhuhr?+
If you attended Jumu'ah prayer at the mosque, you do not pray Dhuhr. Jumu'ah replaces Dhuhr. If you missed Jumu'ah, pray Dhuhr as four fard rak'ahs as normal.
Learn the full prayer
Every daily prayer builds on the same 2-rak'ah pattern: wudu, the takbir, al-Fatihah, a surah, ruku, sujud, tashahhud, and salam. Learn the complete walkthrough once and every prayer makes sense.