Ready to practice Dhuhr?
Sofia will recite while you follow along with Layth. Just listen, watch, and try the movements with us. Takes about 8 minutes.
Practice DhuhrWhat is Dhuhr?
Dhuhr is the midday prayer. We pray it just after the sun starts coming down from its highest point in the sky. For most kids, that means a little after lunchtime.
Dhuhr has 4 rakat, which means it is longer than Fajr. It is one of the three quiet prayers (Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha), which means when you pray it for real, you say the words softly to yourself instead of out loud. While you are learning here with Sofia, she will recite the words out loud so you can hear and follow along.
What you'll recite
Every rakat begins with Al-Fatiha (the opening of the Quran). In Dhuhr, you only add a short surah after Al-Fatiha in the first two rakat. In rakats three and four, you say Al-Fatiha by itself.
You get to choose which surah comes after Al-Fatiha in the first two rakat. When you tap practice, you'll pick from the surahs you have learned. Here's what each rakat looks like:
- Al-Fatiha
- Your chosen surah
- Al-Fatiha
- Your chosen surah
- Al-Fatiha (just by itself)
- Al-Fatiha (just by itself)
Short surahs like Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, and Al-Falaq are great choices, and it's nice to pick a different one for the second rakat.
After the second rakat, you sit for a short moment to say the tashahhud, then stand back up for the third rakat. The full sitting with tashahhud, durood, and salaam happens at the very end, after the fourth rakat.
Haven't learned the basics yet?
If you don't know how to pray one rakat yet, that's okay! Start with the Start Here lesson first. Layth and Sofia will teach you each posture and recitation, one step at a time.
Once you've learned one rakat, you'll be ready to practice any of the five daily prayers.
Ready to give it a try?
Practice DhuhrQuestions parents ask
How many rakat is Dhuhr?
Dhuhr is 4 rakat. It is one of the longer daily prayers. The first two rakat each include Al-Fatiha followed by a short surah of your choice. After the second rakat the worshipper sits for the first tashahhud, then stands again. The third and fourth rakat contain Al-Fatiha only, with no surah added after it. The prayer ends with a final sitting that includes the tashahhud, the durood, and salaam to the right and then to the left.
When do Muslims pray Dhuhr?
Dhuhr is prayed just after midday, once the sun has passed its highest point in the sky and begun to move downward. The window opens at solar noon and closes when the shadow of an object is roughly equal to its own height (the start of Asr). Most Muslim families use a prayer time app or website to know the precise minute Dhuhr begins each day, since the time shifts gradually throughout the year.
What surahs do you recite in Dhuhr?
In Dhuhr, only the first two rakat add a short surah after Al-Fatiha. The choice of short surah is up to the worshipper. Common choices for children include Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah An-Nas, and Surah Al-Falaq because they are short, easy to memorize, and frequently taught early. The third and fourth rakat of Dhuhr contain Al-Fatiha only, with no surah added. This pattern is the same for Asr and Isha.
Is Dhuhr prayed silently or aloud?
Dhuhr is one of the silent prayers. The recitation of Al-Fatiha and the short surah is said quietly to oneself, not audibly. When an imam leads a congregation in Dhuhr, the recitation is also silent (only the takbirs and the salaam are spoken audibly). Asr is silent like Dhuhr. Fajr, Maghrib, and Isha are loud prayers. In the Layth and Layan practice mode, Sofia recites the words aloud so children can hear and learn them; when praying for real, they will say the same words quietly.
Why are rakats 3 and 4 of Dhuhr different from rakats 1 and 2?
In Dhuhr, the first two rakat each include Al-Fatiha followed by a short surah of the worshipper's choice, while the third and fourth rakat contain Al-Fatiha alone with no additional surah. This is the standard structure of the four-rakat obligatory prayers (Dhuhr, Asr, Isha): a short surah is recited in the first two rakat only. The movements (ruku and sujud) remain the same in every rakat.
Why is there a sitting in the middle of Dhuhr?
After the second rakat of any four-rakat prayer, the worshipper sits briefly to recite the first tashahhud. This first sitting includes only the tashahhud (the testimony of faith), not the durood (the blessings on the Prophet) and not the salaam. After the first tashahhud, the worshipper stands back up and continues with the third rakat. The full sitting with tashahhud, durood, and salaam comes at the very end of the prayer, after the fourth rakat.
How long does Dhuhr take?
Dhuhr typically takes about 8 to 10 minutes when prayed alone at a calm, learning pace. A child praying along with the Layth and Layan guided practice can expect about 8 minutes. When prayed quickly, it can be as short as 5 minutes; when prayed slowly with longer surahs, it can take 15 minutes or more. The length depends on which short surahs are chosen and how unhurried the recitation is.