The five daily prayers, in detail

The five daily prayers each have a time window and a number of rakahs. Here they are, in order through the day.

Fajr — dawn

• Time: from true dawn (fajr sadiq), ends when the sun rises.
• Rakahs: 2 fard (obligatory). The Prophet ﷺ also prayed 2 sunnah before Fajr, strongly recommended.
• Recitation out loud.

Fajr is the hardest prayer for most new Muslims. The promise for it, though, is heavy. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever prays Fajr is under Allah's protection that day (Sahih Muslim 657).

Dhuhr — just past noon

• Time: starts when the sun has just passed its zenith. Ends when Asr begins.
• Rakahs: 4 fard. 4 sunnah before, 2 sunnah after are strongly recommended.
• Recitation silent.

Asr — late afternoon

• Time: starts when the shadow of an object equals its own length (plus the length at zenith). Ends just before sunset.
• Rakahs: 4 fard. 4 sunnah before are recommended (not emphasised sunnah).
• Recitation silent.

Asr is spoken of with particular gravity in the Quran (2:238). Do not let it slip through the cracks of a busy afternoon.

Maghrib — just after sunset

• Time: starts immediately after sunset. Ends when the red twilight disappears (roughly 45-90 minutes after sunset depending on season and latitude).
• Rakahs: 3 fard. 2 sunnah after are strongly recommended.
• Recitation out loud in the first two rakahs, silent in the third.

The time window for Maghrib is the shortest. It is the prayer most likely to be missed because you think you have more time than you do. Pray it promptly.

Isha — night

• Time: starts when the red twilight disappears. Ends at true dawn (technically), but praying it before midnight is the strong recommendation.
• Rakahs: 4 fard. 2 sunnah after. And witr after that — 1, 3, 5, or 7 rakahs — strongly recommended, which closes the day.
• Recitation out loud in the first two rakahs, silent in the third and fourth.

A note on sunnah prayers

The fard (obligatory) prayers are what you must do. The sunnah prayers are what the Prophet ﷺ consistently prayed on top of the fard. Skipping sunnah is not a sin, but including them is where the real reward compounds. Many scholars describe them as repairs that make up for deficiency in the fard.

For your first month as a Muslim, focus on the fard. Once the five are stable, gradually add the sunnah prayers. Barakah will show you all of them with times once your location is set.