Dhuhr, The Noon Prayer

The first of the two midday prayers. 4 fard rak’at, all Sirr , recite silently . The window opens just after the sun’s decline from its zenith, and closes when an object’s shadow equals its length.

At a glance

The walkthrough below is for praying alone (munfarid). For imam/follower differences, see The Three Modes of Praying.

First time? Start with Fajr, it walks through every step (takbir, ruku, sujood, the tashahhud hand position) in full detail. Dhuhr has the same shape; it is just longer (4 rak’at instead of 2) and silent.

Before you begin

You should have valid wudu, be facing the qibla, have your awrah covered and your sleeves down, and the Dhuhr time should have entered.

Form the intention in your heart: I am about to pray Dhuhr fard, 4 rak’at. Do not speak it.

Rak’ah 1

1. Takbir al-ihram, raise hands to ear/shoulder level (raful yadayn, the first of four places) and say aloud: “Allahu Akbar.” Place right hand over left (above the navel for men; on the chest for sisters).
2. Opening du’a silently: Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdik, wa tabarakas-muka, wa ta’ala jadduk, wa la ilaha ghayruk.
3. Ta’awudh and basmalah silently.
4. Al-Fatiha, silently. This is the key difference from Fajr: in Dhuhr, both Fatiha and the surah after it are recited only to yourself. Your lips and tongue move quietly, but no sound is heard by anyone next to you.
5. Say “Aameen” silently.
6. A short surah, silently. (Reciting a surah after Fatiha in the first two rak’at is a strong sunnah.)
7. Takbir + raful yadayn (second place) → bow into ruku.
8. In ruku: hands grip the knees, back flat. Say at least three times: Subhana rabbiya l-‘azim.
9. Rise from ruku + raful yadayn (third place), saying aloud (since this is a saying of dhikr, not Qur’an recitation): Sami’allahu liman hamidah.
10. Standing fully: Rabbana wa laka l-hamd, hamdan kathiran tayyiban mubarakan fih. Hands either released at the sides (sadl) or refolded above the navel (qabd), both are permissible per Imam Ahmad.
11. Takbir → sujood, knees first, then hands, then forehead and nose. Seven points touch the ground (forehead/nose, both palms, both knees, both feet with toes pointing to qibla). Say at least three times: Subhana rabbiya l-a’la.
12. Sit between the two sujoods in iftirash (left foot tucked under, right foot upright with toes to qibla, both hands resting palms-down on the thighs). Say: Rabbi-ghfir li. (If iftirash is difficult, you may sit in iq’a, both heels under, both toes pointing to qibla, this is jaiz at any time per the hadith of Ibn Abbas in Sahih Muslim.)
13. Second sujood.

That completes rak’ah 1.

Rak’ah 2

Stand up (saying “Allahu Akbar”). Hands placed as before.

1. No opening du’a, no ta’awudh, those were only for rak’ah 1.
2. Basmalah silently → Al-Fatiha silently → Aameen silently.
3. Short surah silently.
4. Ruku (with raful yadayn for the takbir into it).
5. Rise from ruku (with raful yadayn), Sami’allahu liman hamidah then Rabbana wa lakal hamd…
6. Sujood, iftirash sitting, sujood again.

After the second sujood of rak’ah 2, you do NOT stand up immediately. You stay seated for the first tashahhud.

First tashahhud (after rak’ah 2), Iftirash

Sit in iftirash, left foot laid flat under you, right foot upright with toes pointed toward the qibla. Both hands rest on your thighs, palms down.

With your right hand, form the tashahhud shape: thumb touches middle finger, ring and pinky closed, index extended forward and pointing. Your index finger points throughout the tashahhud. Look at the pointed finger.

Recite only the first part, At-Tahiyyat:

Stop after “wa rasuluh.” Do not recite the salawat (the Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad…) here, that is reserved for the final tashahhud. (Some scholars say you may recite the salawat in the first tashahhud too, but the established practice is to keep the first tashahhud short.)

Rising for rak’ah 3, raful yadayn (the 4th place)

Say “Allahu Akbar” and stand up. Raise your hands to ear/shoulder level as you rise, this is the fourth and final place of raful yadayn in the prayer, per the hadith of Ibn Umar (Bukhari).

Once standing, place your right hand over your left as before, and proceed to rak’ah 3.

Rak’ah 3

In the third and fourth rak’at of a 4-rak’ah fard prayer, you recite only Al-Fatiha, no surah after.

(The Prophet ﷺ would sometimes add a short recitation in rak’ah 3 of Dhuhr, per the hadith of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri in Muslim, but the established pattern is Fatiha alone.)

1. Basmalah silently → Al-Fatiha silently → Aameen silently. No surah after.
2. Ruku → rise → sujood → iftirash → sujood.

Rak’ah 4

Same as rak’ah 3: Fatiha only, then ruku, sujood, iftirash, sujood.

After the second sujood of rak’ah 4, sit up, but again you do not stand. You stay seated for the final tashahhud, in tawarruk.

Final tashahhud (after rak’ah 4), TAWARRUK

This sitting is different from the first tashahhud.

In Dhuhr (and in any fard prayer with more than 2 rak’at), the final tashahhud uses tawarruk, not iftirash.

Tawarruk means:

• The left foot extends out and across, passing under the right leg
• You sit on the left side of your buttocks directly on the floor, not on the foot
• The right foot remains upright, toes bent under, pointing toward the qibla
• Hands rest on the thighs as before; same tashahhud shape on the right hand (thumb and middle finger touching, ring and pinky closed, index extended forward and pointing). Index pointing throughout. Look at the pointed finger.

This is the position the Prophet ﷺ used in the final tashahhud of prayers with more than one tashahhud (Bukhari, from Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi).

If tawarruk is difficult for your hips, knees, or back, you may sit in iq’a instead, both heels under, both toes pointing to the qibla. This is permissible (jaiz) for anyone who finds the standard positions physically difficult.

Now recite all three parts in full, testimony, salawat, du’a before tasleem.

Part 1, At-Tahiyyat

Part 2, Salawat on the Prophet ﷺ

Part 3, Du’a before tasleem

You may add other authentic du’as before the tasleem.

Tasleem, ending the prayer

Turn your head to the right so your cheek is visible from behind, and say aloud:

Then turn to the left in the same way and say it again.

The prayer is complete.

Sunnah rawatib, 4 before + 2 after Dhuhr

The Prophet ﷺ regularly prayed:

• 4 rak’at before Dhuhr (the common practice is 2 + 2 with tasleem between, but praying all 4 with one tasleem is also from the Sunnah)
• 2 rak’at after Dhuhr

These are part of the 12 daily rawatib the Prophet ﷺ never missed:

“Whoever maintains 12 rak’at of voluntary prayer every day, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise: 4 before Dhuhr, 2 after Dhuhr, 2 after Maghrib, 2 after Isha, and 2 before Fajr.” Sahih Muslim

After the prayer

Stay seated briefly and recite the post-salah adhkar. See What to say after salah.

If you are praying with an imam

The walkthrough above is for praying alone. If you are following an imam, see The Three Modes of Praying. The key points to remember:

• Do not recite a surah after Fatiha, listen while the imam recites (silently to himself in sirr prayers like Dhuhr, but wait through the silence and recite your own Fatiha quickly)
• Move only after the imam has reached each next position, never anticipate
• Recite Fatiha silently to yourself in every rak’ah
• Say all takbirs quietly to yourself
• Say “Sami’allahu liman hamidah” AND “Rabbana wa lakal hamd” both quietly to yourself