Rakats of each prayer, fard, sunnah, witr and nafl
The five daily prayers have 17 fard rakats: Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4. Here is every rakah around them, in the order they are prayed, Hanafi first, with the other schools a tap away.
- Fard
- Wajib
- Sunnah mu'akkadah
- Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)
- Nafl
- Witr, sunnah mu'akkadah
| Prayer | In order, before and after the fard | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Fard | 4 |
| Dhuhr | 4 Sunnah mu'akkadah, one salam4 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Nafl | 12 |
| Asr | 4 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)4 Fard | 8 |
| Maghrib | 3 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Nafl | 7 |
| Isha | 4 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)4 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Nafl3 Wajib, witr2 Nafl | 17 |
| Jumuah (Friday) | 4 Sunnah mu'akkadah, before the khutbah2 Fard, with the imam4 Sunnah mu'akkadah, one salam2 Sunnah mu'akkadah, Abu Yusuf's view | 12 |
| Taraweeh (Ramadan) | 20 Sunnah mu'akkadah, after Isha's sunnah, in twos | 20 |
| Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha | 2 Wajib, 6 extra takbirs; no sunnah before or after | 2 |
The five daily prayers, Hanafi
- Fard
- 17
- Witr
- 3
- Sunnah mu'akkadah
- 12
- Other sunnah
- 8
- Nafl
- 8
- All together
- 48
| Prayer | In order, before and after the fard | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Fard | 4 |
| Dhuhr | 2 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)2 Sunnah mu'akkadah4 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah) | 12 |
| Asr | 4 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)4 Fard | 8 |
| Maghrib | 2 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah), short, before the iqamah3 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah | 7 |
| Isha | 2 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)4 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah3 Witr, sunnah mu'akkadah, 1 to 11; 3 is common | 11 |
| Jumuah (Friday) | 2 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah)2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah) | 10 |
| Taraweeh (Ramadan) | 20 Sunnah mu'akkadah, in twos | 20 |
| Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah, 7 and 5 extra takbirs | 2 |
The five daily prayers, Shafi'i
- Fard
- 17
- Witr
- 3
- Sunnah mu'akkadah
- 10
- Other sunnah
- 12
- All together
- 42
| Prayer | In order, before and after the fard | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah, raghibah2 Fard | 4 |
| Dhuhr | Nafl, no fixed number, before4 FardNafl, no fixed number, after | 4+ |
| Asr | Nafl, no fixed number, before4 Fard | 4+ |
| Maghrib | 3 FardNafl, no fixed number, after | 3+ |
| Isha | 4 Fard2 Nafl, shaf'1 Witr, sunnah mu'akkadah, witr | 7 |
| Jumuah (Friday) | 2 FardNafl, no fixed number, after, at home | 2+ |
| Taraweeh (Ramadan) | 20 Sunnah mu'akkadah, or 36, the old practice of Madinah | 20 |
| Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah, 6 and 5 extra takbirs | 2 |
The five daily prayers, Maliki
- Fard
- 17
- Witr
- 1
- Sunnah mu'akkadah
- 2
- Nafl
- 2
- All together
- 22 + extra nafl
| Prayer | In order, before and after the fard | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah2 Fard | 4 |
| Dhuhr | 2 Sunnah mu'akkadah4 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah | 8 |
| Asr | 4 Sunnah (not mu'akkadah), recommended4 Fard | 8 |
| Maghrib | 3 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah | 5 |
| Isha | 4 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah3 Witr, sunnah mu'akkadah, 1 to 11; 3 is the least complete | 9 |
| Jumuah (Friday) | 2 Fard2 Sunnah mu'akkadah, 2 to 6 after | 4 |
| Taraweeh (Ramadan) | 20 Sunnah mu'akkadah, in twos | 20 |
| Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha | 2 Fard, fard kifayah; 6 and 5 extra takbirs | 2 |
The five daily prayers, Hanbali
- Fard
- 17
- Witr
- 3
- Sunnah mu'akkadah
- 10
- Other sunnah
- 4
- All together
- 34
Each dot is one rakah, in the order they are prayed. The fard are the same in every madhhab; the schools differ on the sunnah around them and on witr. Nafl after Dhuhr, Maghrib and Isha are optional, though common in South Asian charts.
Guide
How many rakats in each prayer, explained
The fard: Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4, which is 17 fard rakats a day, the same in every madhhab. In the Hanafi school, witr (3 rakats after Isha) is wajib, and 12 rakats of sunnah mu'akkadah go with the fard: 2 before Fajr, 4 before and 2 after Dhuhr, 2 after Maghrib and 2 after Isha. With the other sunnah and the optional nafl, the full Hanafi set is 48 rakats a day.
The kinds of rakats
- Fard: obligatory. Leaving one is a major sin, and a missed fard must be made up.
- Wajib: a Hanafi category just below fard. Witr and the Eid prayer are wajib; leaving them is sinful and a missed witr is made up.
- Sunnah mu'akkadah: the confirmed sunnah the Prophet ﷺ kept regularly. Leaving them now and then is not a sin, but making a habit of it is blameworthy.
- Sunnah ghayr mu'akkadah: sunnah he prayed at times. There is reward in them and no blame for leaving them.
- Nafl: voluntary prayer. Pray as much as you like outside the forbidden times.
Prayer by prayer, Hanafi
- Fajr (4): 2 sunnah mu'akkadah, then 2 fard. The two before Fajr are the most stressed of all sunnahs: the Prophet ﷺ said they are better than the world and all it contains.1
- Dhuhr (12): 4 sunnah mu'akkadah with one salam, 4 fard, 2 sunnah mu'akkadah, and 2 nafl.
- Asr (8): 4 sunnah ghayr mu'akkadah, then 4 fard. The Prophet ﷺ prayed for mercy on whoever prays four before Asr.2
- Maghrib (7): 3 fard, 2 sunnah mu'akkadah, and 2 nafl. There is no sunnah before Maghrib in the Hanafi school, because Maghrib should be prayed straight away.
- Isha (17): 4 sunnah ghayr mu'akkadah, 4 fard, 2 sunnah mu'akkadah, 2 nafl, 3 witr, and 2 nafl after witr.
The twelve confirmed rakats come from the hadith of Umm Habibah: "Whoever prays twelve rakats in a day and night, a house will be built for him in Paradise."3 At-Tirmidhi's narration of it from Aishah names four before Dhuhr, which is the basis of the Hanafi count.4
12 rakats of sunnah mu'akkadah a day (2 Fajr, 4 before and 2 after Dhuhr, 2 Maghrib, 2 Isha), 4 recommended before Asr and before Isha, and witr wajib: three rakats with one salam, and qunut before the ruku of the third.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Ten confirmed rakats: 2 before Fajr, 2 before and 2 after Dhuhr, 2 after Maghrib and 2 after Isha. Two more before and after Dhuhr, four before Asr, two short ones before Maghrib and two before Isha are recommended. Witr is a confirmed sunnah, from 1 to 11 rakats.
- Maliki
- Only the two before Fajr (the raghibah) are fixed. Voluntary prayer before and after Dhuhr, before Asr and after Maghrib is recommended without a set number. Witr is a confirmed sunnah: one rakah after two (the shaf').
- Hanbali
- Ten confirmed rakats, as in the Shafi'i list, with the two before Fajr the most stressed. Four before Asr are recommended. Witr is a confirmed sunnah, from 1 to 11 rakats, with 3 the least complete form.
Jumuah
The Friday prayer is 2 fard rakats with the imam after the khutbah, in place of Dhuhr's four. In the Hanafi school, 4 sunnah mu'akkadah are prayed before it and 4 after, with one salam each. Following Imam Abu Yusuf, many Hanafi scholars add 2 more after, making 4, 2, 4 and 2. The four after are based on the Prophet's ﷺ words: "When one of you prays Jumuah, let him pray four after it."5
4 sunnah before, 2 fard, 4 sunnah after, then 2 more following Abu Yusuf.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Like Dhuhr: two before and two after are confirmed, and four before and four after is more complete.
- Maliki
- No fixed sunnah before Jumuah. Voluntary prayer after it is better at home.
- Hanbali
- No fixed sunnah before Jumuah, though voluntary prayer before it is good; two to six rakats after.
Taraweeh and witr in Ramadan
Taraweeh is 20 rakats in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, prayed in sets of two after Isha and its sunnah, and before witr. The Maliki school accepts 20 or 36, the old practice of Madinah. Some scholars today pray 8, based on Aishah's report that the Prophet ﷺ did not pray more than eleven at night; Hanafi scholars read that report as his tahajjud through the year. In Ramadan, witr is prayed in congregation after taraweeh. So a night of Ramadan in a Hanafi masjid is Isha's 4 fard, its 2 sunnah, 20 taraweeh and 3 witr.
The two Eids
The Eid prayer is wajib: 2 rakats with 6 extra takbirs, three in each rakah. There is no adhan, no iqamah and no sunnah before or after it; nafl before it is disliked, at home or at the prayer place.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A confirmed sunnah, with 7 extra takbirs in the first rakah and 5 in the second.
- Maliki
- A confirmed sunnah, with 6 extra takbirs in the first rakah and 5 in the second.
- Hanbali
- Fard kifayah, an obligation on the community, with 6 and 5 extra takbirs.
The Prophet ﷺ prayed two rakats on the day of Eid and prayed nothing before them or after them.6
Questions answered in more detail
- What are the sunnah prayers for each salah?
- What is sunnah mu'akkadah, and is it compulsory?
- Is witr prayer mandatory?
- Can you pray witr as one rakah?
- Is there a sunnah prayer before Maghrib?
- How many rakats are in Jummah prayer?
- Do you pray Dhuhr after Jummah?
- How many rakat is taraweeh?
- Is taraweeh sunnah or nafl?
- How many takbirs are in the Eid prayer?
- What is salat al-awwabin?
- Do you make up missed sunnah prayers?
Learn the prayers themselves
See how to pray for each rakah step by step, how to pray witr, how to pray Jumuah, how to pray taraweeh and how to pray the Eid prayer. Keep count of your prayers in the salah tracker.
- Sahih Muslim 725.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 430, from Ibn Umar.
- Sahih Muslim 728, from Umm Habibah.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 414, from Aishah.
- Sahih Muslim 881.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, from Ibn Abbas, in the book of the two Eids.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Salah, the chapters on witr, nawafil, Jumuah and the two Eids; al-Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. Al-Nawawi, al-Majmu, for the Shafi'i count; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, for the Hanbali count. The Maliki position is summarised from its standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
How many rakats are in each prayer?
Fard: Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3, Isha 4. With the Hanafi sunnah and witr: Fajr 4, Dhuhr 12, Asr 8, Maghrib 7 and Isha 17 when the optional nafl are included.
How many rakats are in Isha?
4 fard. In the Hanafi school the full set is 4 sunnah (not mu'akkadah), 4 fard, 2 sunnah mu'akkadah, 2 nafl, 3 witr and 2 nafl: 17 in all, of which 4 are fard and 3 wajib.
How many rakats are in Dhuhr?
4 fard. Hanafis pray 4 sunnah mu'akkadah before and 2 after, and often 2 nafl, making 12.
How many rakats are fard in a day?
17: Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4. On Friday, Jumuah's 2 replace Dhuhr's 4 for those who pray it.
How many rakats is taraweeh?
20 in the Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools; 20 or 36 in the Maliki school. Some pray 8.
Is witr 1 or 3 rakats?
In the Hanafi school, witr is 3 rakats with one salam and it is wajib. The other schools allow 1, 3 or more, and hold it to be a confirmed sunnah.