Dhuhr
Encyclopedia
The dhuhr prayer is the prayer after midday
(but before the time for the Asr
prayer.) Performed daily by practicing Muslim
s, it is the second of the five daily prayers (salah, the Islam
ic day begins at maghrib
). The five daily prayers collectively are one of the Five Pillars of Islam
in Sunni Islam
, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. It is reduced to two rakaʿāt
when traveling.
In both of the sects, four rakaʿāt are required (Fard
) and are prayed silently. However, in Sunni Islam, four rakaʿāt prior to the Fard raka'ah and two rakaʿāt following the Fard raka'ah are highly recommended. The second raka'ah is sunnah
.
On Friday the Dhuhr prayer is replaced by Jumu'ah
, which is obligatory for all Muslim males above the age of puberty who are resident and without a legitimate excuse.
. These books relate accounts taken from the life of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
, his family
, and his companions
. They were compiled by Islamic scholars after Muhammad's death. These quotations include information about those who related the accounts, as well as the accounts themselves.
The time frame of the Dhuhr daily prayer is as follows:
Noon
Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...
(but before the time for the Asr
Asr
The Asr prayer is the afternoon daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. It is the third of the five daily prayers . The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion according to Shia Islam...
prayer.) Performed daily by practicing Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, it is the second of the five daily prayers (salah, the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic day begins at maghrib
Maghrib
The Maghrib prayer , prayed just after sunset, is the fourth of five formal daily prayers performed by practicing Muslims.The formal daily prayers of Islam comprise different numbers of units, called rak'at. The Maghrib prayer has three obligatory rak'at. The first two fard rak'at are prayed...
). The five daily prayers collectively are one of the Five Pillars of Islam
Five Pillars of Islam
The Pillars of Islam are basic concepts and duties for accepting the religion for the Muslims.The Shi'i and Sunni both agree on the essential details for the performance of these acts, but the Shi'a do not refer to them by the same name .-Pillars of Shia:According to Shia Islam, the...
in Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. It is reduced to two rakaʿāt
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...
when traveling.
In both of the sects, four rakaʿāt are required (Fard
Fard
also is an Islamic term which denotes a religious duty. The word is also used in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu in the same meaning....
) and are prayed silently. However, in Sunni Islam, four rakaʿāt prior to the Fard raka'ah and two rakaʿāt following the Fard raka'ah are highly recommended. The second raka'ah is sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
.
On Friday the Dhuhr prayer is replaced by Jumu'ah
Jumu'ah
Jumu'ah is a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon in lieu of dhuhr...
, which is obligatory for all Muslim males above the age of puberty who are resident and without a legitimate excuse.
Hadith pertaining to Dhuhr
The following quotations are from books of Sunni hadithHadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
. These books relate accounts taken from the life of the Islamic prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, his family
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
, and his companions
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
. They were compiled by Islamic scholars after Muhammad's death. These quotations include information about those who related the accounts, as well as the accounts themselves.
- Narrated AishaAishaAisha bint Abu Bakr also transcribed as was Muhammad's favorite wife...
: The Prophet never missed four Rakat before the Zuhr prayer and two Rakat before the Fajr prayer.
- Narrated Abu HurairaAbu HurairahAbu Hurairah , was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the narrator of Hadith most quoted in the isnad by Sunnis.-Early life:...
and 'Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah'sGod in IslamIn Islamic theology, God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordainer, and judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular . God is unique and inherently One , all-merciful and omnipotent. According to the Islamic...
Apostle said, "If it is very hot, then pray the Zuhr prayer when it becomes (a bit) cooler, as the severity of the heat is from the raging of the Hell-fire."
Waqt
The waqt (prescribed time) of the Dhuhr salat is determined differently by the different branches of Islam. In each case however, it is best to perform the prayer as soon as the waqt is "in", and inadvisable to unnecessarily delay it.The time frame of the Dhuhr daily prayer is as follows:
Shia
- Time begins: once the sun has crossed the celestial meridianMeridian (astronomy)This article is about the astronomical concept. For other uses of the word, see Meridian.In the sky, a meridian is an imaginary great circle on the celestial sphere. It passes through the north point on the horizon, through the celestial pole, up to the zenith, through the south point on the...
(true noon), exactly halfway between sunrise and sunset. This is when the sun is at the highest point in the sky. - Time ends: before the time it takes to recite the daily Asr prayer (afternoon prayer), a little before sunset.
Sunni
- Time begins: once the sun has crossed the celestial meridian (true noon), exactly halfway between sunrise and sunset. This is when the sun is at the highest point in the sky and a little after that.
- Time ends: at the time when the Asr prayer begins (afternoon prayer) (there is scholarly disagreement as to exactly when that occurs). Also, according to the MalikiMalikiThe ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
school, the dharoori time (Time of Necessity for those who had a legitimate excuse to miss the prayer during the Prescribed Time) for Dhuhr lasts all the way until a little before sunset, the beginning of Maghrib prayer. Thus, according to the Maliki school, if someone prays Dhuhr 30 minutes before sunset, he is considered to have prayed the prayer "on time", though he would be sinful if he had delayed that long without a legitimate excuse.