Fajr, The Dawn Prayer

The first prayer of the day. 2 fard rak’at, both Jahr , recite aloud . The window opens at true dawn and closes at sunrise.

At a glance

The walkthrough below is for praying alone (munfarid). If you are praying behind an imam, see The Three Modes of Praying for the recitation and timing differences, most importantly, you do not recite a surah after Fatiha, and you move only after the imam has reached each next position.

Before you begin

1. You have valid wudu
2. You are facing the qibla
3. Your awrah is properly covered, and your sleeves are down (not rolled up)
4. The Fajr time has entered (true dawn)
5. Form the intention in your heart: I am about to pray Fajr fard, 2 rak’at. Do not speak it.

Rak’ah 1

1. Takbir al-ihram, the opening takbir

Raise your hands to the level of your ears (or shoulders), palms facing the qibla, this is the first of the four places of raful yadayn. Say aloud:

This is the moment you enter the prayer. From this point until tasleem you cannot speak about worldly things, eat, drink, or turn away.

After saying it, place your right hand over your left. The right palm rests on top of the back of the left hand, the left wrist, or the left forearm. You may also grasp the left wrist with the right hand (al-qabd), both methods are from the Sunnah.

Lower your gaze to the spot where your forehead will rest in sujood. The Prophet ﷺ would keep his gaze at the place of sujood throughout the prayer (except when raising the index finger in tashahhud). Do not look up at the ceiling or close your eyes.

2. The opening du’a (du’a al-istiftah)

Quietly to yourself, recite one of the authentic opening du’as. A short, well-known one:

A longer one from Bukhari, Allahumma ba’id bayni wa bayna khatayaya kama ba’adta bayna l-mashriqi wa l-maghrib…, is also from the Sunnah. Use whichever you have memorized.

3. Ta’awudh and basmalah (silently)

Then silently:

The basmalah is recited silently before Fatiha, even in jahr prayers like Fajr.

4. Recite Al-Fatiha (aloud)

After “wa la d-dallin,” say “Aameen” aloud.

5. Recite a short surah (aloud)

Reciting a surah after Al-Fatiha in the first two rak’at is a strong sunnah (highly emphasized), the Prophet ﷺ did this every time.

Pick any surah you have memorized. Fajr is traditionally a slower, more meditative prayer, so longer surahs are preferred, but if you only know short surahs, that is fine.

Good choices when starting out: Al-Ikhlas, Al-Kafirun, An-Nas, Al-Falaq.

6. Takbir for ruku, raful yadayn

Raise your hands again to ear/shoulder level (the second of the four places of raful yadayn) and say “Allahu Akbar” as you bow into ruku — the takbir accompanies the motion, not before it.

7. In ruku, tasbih

Place your hands flat on your knees, fingers spread, gripping. Keep your back flat and level, not arched up, not curved down. Your head should be in line with your back, neither raised nor dropped. Look at the spot where your forehead will rest in sujood.

Say at least three times (more is better):

8. Rise from ruku, raful yadayn

Straighten up. Raise your hands again (the third of the four places of raful yadayn) and say aloud:

Standing fully, say:

Hand position while standing here: Imam Ahmad permitted both, you may release your hands at your sides (sadl / irsal), or refold them above your navel (qabd) as you did before ruku. Either is from the Sunnah and either is valid. Pick whichever feels natural to you.

Stand still long enough to be at rest before going down to sujood. Rushing this standing breaks the prayer’s tranquility (tuma’ninah).

9. Takbir for sujood, knees first

Saying “Allahu Akbar” as you go down (no raful yadayn here), descend into sujood. The takbir is said during the movement, not before it — every transition in the prayer is the same: the takbir accompanies the motion, it does not precede a still moment. Place your knees on the ground first, then your hands, then your forehead and nose. This is the order the Prophet ﷺ taught.

10. In sujood, seven body parts touch the ground

Seven body parts must touch the ground:

1. Forehead (with the nose pressed alongside, both touch as one)
2. Right palm
3. Left palm
4. Right knee
5. Left knee
6. Right foot (toes bent under, pointing toward qibla)
7. Left foot (toes bent under, pointing toward qibla)

Your fingers are together (not spread), pointing toward the qibla. Your elbows are lifted off the ground, kept away from your sides. Your toes are pressed and turned to point toward the qibla.

Say at least three times (more is better):

You may also add wa bihamdih, “and by His praise,” after each:

11. Sit between the two sujood (julus / jalsa)

Saying “Allahu Akbar” as you come up, sit between the two sujood. This sitting position is called julus (or jalsa — the same word). The way you sit during this julus is in iftirash:

• Left foot is laid flat on the ground, and you sit on it
• Right foot is upright with the toes bent and pointing toward the qibla
• Both hands rest on the thighs, palms down, fingers together, right hand on the right thigh, left hand on the left thigh

If iftirash is difficult for you (knee or hip issues, etc.), use iq’a instead: sit on both heels with both feet upright and both toes pointing toward the qibla. This is also from the Sunnah, reported in Sahih Muslim from Ibn Abbas, who said this was the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. It is fully permissible whenever sitting on the left foot is uncomfortable.

While sitting, say:

Repeating it more than once is better — the Prophet ﷺ would prolong this sitting and repeat the supplication.

Alternatively, you may say the longer authentic du’a of the Prophet ﷺ:

12. Second sujood

Saying “Allahu Akbar” as you descend, return to sujood, same as the first (knees first, then hands, then forehead and nose). Say “Subhana rabbiya l-a’la” at least three times.

That completes Rak’ah 1.

Rak’ah 2

Say “Allahu Akbar” as you rise to a standing position for the second rak’ah. (Pausing briefly seated before standing, jalsat al-istiraha, is an optional sunnah.)

Once standing, place your hands as you did at the start of rak’ah 1 (above navel for men, on the chest for sisters):

1. Basmalah silently → Al-Fatiha aloud → Aameen

In the second rak’ah you skip the opening du’a and the ta’awudh, those are only for the first rak’ah. Go straight from standing into the silent basmalah, then aloud Fatiha + Aameen.

2. A short surah aloud

A different surah from the first rak’ah, if you can. If not, repeating is also fine.

3. Takbir, raise hands, ruku → tasbih → rise

Same as in rak’ah 1: raful yadayn for the takbir into ruku, “Subhana rabbiya l-‘azim” three times, then raful yadayn again on rising with “Sami’allahu liman hamidah,” then standing, hands at sides OR refolded above navel (whichever you chose in rak’ah 1), “Rabbana wa lakal hamd…“

4. Sujood twice (with brief sitting between)

Same as rak’ah 1. Knees first, “Subhana rabbiya l-a’la” three times each. Sit between in iftirash with hands on the thighs, “Rabbi-ghfir li.”

After the second sujood, do not stand up, you stay seated for the tashahhud.

Tashahhud (final sitting)

Sit up from the second sujood and remain seated. Because Fajr is a two-rak’ah prayer, you use iftirash for this final tashahhud (left foot under, right foot upright, toes to qibla, same sitting position as between the two sujoods).

Fajr has only one tashahhud, at the end. Iftirash is used.

Tawarruk (the alternative final-tashahhud sitting where the left foot extends out under the right leg) is not used in 2-rak’ah prayers. You’ll see tawarruk in Maghrib, Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha.

Hand position

Same as iftirash, place both hands on your thighs. However, with your right hand, form the tashahhud shape:

• Thumb touches the middle finger, forming a circle
• Ring finger and little finger are closed into the palm
• Index finger extends straight forward, pointing toward the qibla

Your index finger points throughout the entire tashahhud.

The left hand rests flat on the left thigh, fingers together.

Look at your pointed finger during the tashahhud, this is from the Sunnah.

Part 1, At-Tahiyyat (the testimony)

Part 2, Salawat on the Prophet ﷺ

Part 3, Du’a before tasleem

A commonly recited authentic du’a:

You may add any other du’a from the Sunnah, or your own personal du’a in Arabic. (Personal du’a in your own language is debated for fard prayers; the safer practice is to stick to Arabic in the obligatory prayer.)

Tasleem, ending the prayer

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

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

The prayer is now complete.

Sunnah rawatib, 2 rak’at before Fajr

These two rak’at are the most emphasized sunnah prayer of the day. The Prophet ﷺ never missed them, even when travelling.

“The two rak’at of Fajr are better than the world and everything in it.”

Sahih Muslim

They are prayed before the fard, between the time Fajr enters and you stand for the fard. Keep them light and brief. The Prophet ﷺ often recited:

• Rak’ah 1: Surat al-Kafirun (Q 109)
• Rak’ah 2: Surat al-Ikhlas (Q 112)

If you forgot or missed them, you can pray them after sunrise.

After the prayer

Stay seated briefly after the tasleem and say the post-salah adhkar (Astaghfirullah three times, then the longer 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 for the full differences. The key points:

• Do not recite a surah after Fatiha, listen to the imam’s recitation
• Move only after the imam has reached each next position, never anticipate
• Recite Fatiha silently to yourself (during the imam’s brief pauses in jahr prayers)
• Say “Aameen” with the imam, aloud, in jahr prayers
• Say all takbirs quietly to yourself
• Say “Sami’allahu liman hamidah” AND “Rabbana wa lakal hamd” both quietly to yourself