The five daily prayers
Salah (prayer) is the second pillar of Islam. Muslims pray five times a day, at times set by the movement of the sun.
The prayers at a glance
| Prayer | When it starts | Obligatory rak‘ahs |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr الفجر | At dawn, when light first spreads across the horizon | 2 |
| Dhuhr الظهر | Just after midday, when the sun passes its highest point | 4 |
| Asr العصر | In the afternoon, when shadows grow long | 4 |
| Maghrib المغرب | Right after sunset | 3 |
| Isha العشاء | At night, when the red glow of sunset has gone | 4 |
A rak‘ah is one unit of prayer: standing, bowing, two prostrations. Many Muslims also pray extra voluntary (sunnah) rak‘ahs before or after these, but the numbers above are the required ones.
When does each prayer end?
- Fajr ends at sunrise. That is why we show sunrise in the timetable — it is not a prayer, but the end of Fajr time.
- Dhuhr ends when Asr begins.
- Asr ends at sunset. It is best not to delay it until the sun turns yellow.
- Maghrib ends when Isha begins. Its time is short, so try to pray it soon after sunset.
- Isha is best prayed before the middle of the night, though many scholars allow it until Fajr when needed.
Why are there two Asr times?
Scholars use two ways to measure the afternoon shadow. Most schools (Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali) start Asr when an object’s shadow equals its own length (plus its midday shadow). The Hanafi school starts it when the shadow is twice the length, so Hanafi Asr is later. You can pick either in .
Friday: Jumu‘ah prayer
On Fridays, men pray Jumu‘ah in congregation at the mosque in place of Dhuhr. It has a sermon (khutbah) followed by 2 rak‘ahs. Anyone who does not attend Jumu‘ah prays Dhuhr as usual.
Tip: the Prayer Times page shows a countdown to the next prayer, so you always know how much time is left.