How many rak‘ahs in each prayer
All schools agree on 17 obligatory (fard) rak‘ahs a day. The voluntary prayers around them differ by school.
| Prayer | Fard | Sunnah (Hanafi) | Sunnah (Shafi‘i, Hanbali) | Nafilah (Jafari) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 | 2 before | 2 before | 2 before |
| Dhuhr | 4 | 4 before, 2 after | 2 before, 2 after | 8 before |
| Asr | 4 | 4 before (optional) | 4 before (optional) | 8 before |
| Maghrib | 3 | 2 after | 2 after | 4 after |
| Isha | 4 | 2 after, then 3 witr | 2 after, then witr | 2 after, sitting (count as 1) |
Night prayer: Witr is 3 rak‘ahs and wajib in the Hanafi school; at least 1 rak‘ah and sunnah in the Shafi‘i, Maliki and Hanbali schools. In the Jafari school the night prayer is 11 rak‘ahs: 8, then 2 (shaf‘), then 1 (witr). The Maliki school holds similar sunnah prayers and stresses the 2 before Fajr.
References
- Sahih al-Bukhari 350, Sahih Muslim 685 Aisha: prayer was first prescribed as two rak‘ahs; it stayed so when travelling and was increased when at home. This is why travellers shorten the 4-rak‘ah prayers to 2.
- Sahih Muslim 728, Tirmidhi 415 Twelve rak‘ahs of sunnah a day build a house in Paradise: 4 before Dhuhr and 2 after, 2 after Maghrib, 2 after Isha and 2 before Fajr.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1180 Ibn Umar remembered ten rak‘ahs: 2 before Dhuhr and 2 after, 2 after Maghrib, 2 after Isha and 2 before Fajr.
- Abu Dawud 1271, Tirmidhi 430 May Allah have mercy on one who prays four rak‘ahs before Asr.
- Sahih Muslim 752 Witr is one rak‘ah at the end of the night.
- Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 4, p. 46 Imam al-Sadiq: the obligatory and voluntary prayers are 51 rak‘ahs: 17 obligatory and 34 voluntary, the 2 sitting after Isha counting as 1.
Last updated: Tuesday, 6 October 2026