Dhuhr: Quran and Hadith

References from the Quran and hadith, with the Sunni view (Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali) and the Shia view (Jafari) side by side.

Timing of Dhuhr

Quran 17:78 Establish prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night.
Abu Dawud 393, Tirmidhi 149 Jibril led Dhuhr when the sun had passed the meridian, and on the second day when a shadow equalled its object.
Sahih Muslim 618 The Prophet ﷺ prayed Dhuhr when the sun had passed the meridian.
Sahih Muslim 612 The time of Dhuhr lasts until a man’s shadow equals his height, as long as Asr has not come.
Sahih al-Bukhari 533, Sahih Muslim 615 When the heat is intense, delay Dhuhr until it is cooler. The Hanafi school delays Dhuhr in summer for this reason.

Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, chapter on prayer times, hadith 1-3 Imam al-Sadiq and Imam al-Baqir: when the sun declines, the time of Dhuhr and Asr begins together, Dhuhr first, and lasts until sunset.
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, chapter on prayer times, hadith 4 The preferred time of Dhuhr is until the shadow has grown two feet after midday, and of Asr two feet more.
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, chapter on prayer times, hadith 27 The Prophet ﷺ told the muezzin to wait a little before Dhuhr in strong heat.
Sahih Muslim 705 Ibn Abbas: the Prophet ﷺ combined Dhuhr with Asr in Madinah without fear or rain, so as not to burden his community.

Abu Dawud 1269, Tirmidhi 428 Whoever keeps four rak‘ahs before Dhuhr and four after, Allah forbids him to the Fire.
Tirmidhi 478 The gates of heaven are opened after the sun passes the meridian, and the Prophet ﷺ loved that a good deed of his should rise then.

Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, chapter on prayer times, hadith 5 Imam al-Sadiq: the first time of prayer, when the sun declines, is the time Allah loves most and the most excellent.

4 fard rak‘ahs. Hanafi: 4 sunnah before and 2 after. Shafi‘i and Hanbali: 2 before and 2 after (4 before is also sunnah).
Sahih al-Bukhari 1182 Aisha: he ﷺ never left the four rak‘ahs before Dhuhr.
Sahih Muslim 728, Tirmidhi 415 Twelve daily rak‘ahs of sunnah build a house in Paradise: among them 4 before Dhuhr and 2 after.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1180 Ibn Umar remembered 2 rak‘ahs before Dhuhr and 2 after.
Quran 62:9 On Friday, Jumu‘ah (2 rak‘ahs after the khutbah) is prayed in place of Dhuhr.

4 obligatory rak‘ahs, with 8 nafilah rak‘ahs before them.
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, chapter on prayer times, hadith 1 Imam al-Sadiq: when the sun declines, the time has come; pray once you have finished your nafilah.
Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 4, p. 46 The daily prayers are 51 rak‘ahs, 17 obligatory and 34 nafilah.
Quran 62:9 On Friday, Jumu‘ah and Dhuhr are both valid choices in the Jafari school today.

Hadith numbers follow sunnah.com. Jafari sources are named by book, volume and chapter.

Last updated: Tuesday, 6 October 2026