Zuhr prayer

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Zhuhr prayer
Tropical-area-mactan-philippines.jpg
Zenith of Noon in the Philippines
Official nameصلاة الظهر، صلاة الزوال
Also calledZenith prayer
Observed by Muslims
Type Islamic
SignificanceA Muslim prayer offered to God at the noon hour of the morning
Observances Sunnah prayers
Begins Zenith
EndsSunnis (except Hanafis): The time when shadows are of equal length with their objects

Hanafis: The time when shadows are twice as large as their objects

Contents

Shias: The time when there is only enough time to perform Asr before sunset

Many Quranists: Sunset
FrequencyDaily
Related to Salah, Five Pillars of Islam

The Zuhr prayer [a] (also transliterated as Dhuhr, Duhr, Thuhr [1] or Luhar[ citation needed ]) is one of the five daily mandatory Islamic prayers (salah). It is observed after Fajr and before Asr prayers, between the zenith of noon and sunset, and contains 4 rak'a (units). [2]

On Friday, the Zuhr prayer is replaced or preceded by Friday prayer (jum'a) which is obligatory for Muslim men who are above the age of puberty and meet certain requirements to pray in congregation either in a mosque or with a group of Muslims. [3] The sermon is delivered by the imam.

The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Ancillaries of the Faith (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam.

Performance

The Zuhr prayer consists of four compulsory (fardh) rak'a. In addition, there is a voluntary Sunnah prayer, although the details of it vary by branch of Islam. In Zuhr, Al-Fatiha and the additional surah are to be read quietly or in a whisper (israr). [4]

The Hanafi school believes there are four rak'a before the compulsory prayer and two rak'a after the compulsory prayer of confirmed sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah) prayer. The Hanafi school also believes there are 4 rak'a of non-confirmed sunnah (ghair mu'akkadah) prayer after the compulsory prayer. [5] The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools believe there are two rak'a of confirmed sunnah prayer before the compulsory prayer, and two additional rak'a before and after the compulsory prayer as non-confirmed sunnah prayer. [6] [7] In the Maliki school, there is confirmed sunnah prayer before and after the compulsory prayer. There is no limit to the amount of rak'a for these, but it is recommended (mustahabb) for it to be at least two rak'a, and it is better to pray four rak'a. [8]

Textual references

Quran

Quran 17:18 mentions "the prayer from the decline of the sun", referencing Zuhr:

Observe the prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night and the dawn prayer, for certainly the dawn prayer is witnessed ˹by angels˺.

Quran 17:78 ("The Clear Quran" translation by Mustafa Khattab)

Some argue that Quran 2:238's "middle prayer" is about Zuhr. However the predominant view amongst scholars is that it refers to Asr. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Observe the ˹five obligatory˺ prayers—especially the middle prayer1—and stand in true devotion to Allah.

Quran 2:238 ("The Clear Quran" translation by Mustafa Khattab)

Hadith

Some ahadith claim there are benefits to Zuhr:

It was narrated from Umm Habibah that: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever prays four rak'ahs before Zuhr and four after, the Fire will not touch him."

Abdullah bin As-Sa'ib narrated: "Allah's Messenger would pray four (Rak'ah) after the Zawal of the sun before Az-Zuhr. He said: 'It is an hour in which the gates of the heavens are opened, and I love that a righteous deed should be raised up for me in it.'"

Timings

By school
SchoolStart timeEnd time
Sunni Islam when the Sun is at its zenith and begins to decline. [13] when shadows are of equal length with their objects; in the Hanafi school, when shadows are twice as large as their objects. [14]
Shia Islam when the Sun is at its zenith and begins to decline. [15] when there is enough time to perform only Asr before the sunset. [16] [17]

See also

Notes

  1. Arabic: صَلَاة ٱلظُّهْر, romanized: Ṣalāt al-Ẓuhr

Related Research Articles

In Islam, sunnah, also spelled sunna, is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed and passed on to the next generations. According to classical Islamic theories, the sunnah are documented by hadith, and alongside the Quran are the divine revelation (wahy) delivered through Muhammad that make up the primary sources of Islamic law and belief / theology. Differing from Sunni classical Islamic theories are those of Shia Muslims, who hold that imams interpret the sunnah, and Sufi who hold that Muhammad transmitted the values of sunnah "through a series of Sufi teachers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maghrib prayer</span> Fourth prayer of the day in Islam

The Maghrib prayer is one of the five mandatory salah, and contains three cycles (rak'a). If counted from midnight, it is the fourth one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friday prayer</span> Islamic ritual and confirmed obligatory act

In Islam, Friday prayer, or Congregational prayer is a community prayer service held once a week on Fridays. All Muslim men are expected to participate at a mosque with certain exceptions due to distance and situation. Women and children can also participate but do not fall under the same obligation that men do. The service consists of several parts including ritual washing, chants, recitation of scripture and prayer, and sermons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fajr prayer</span> First mandatory prayer of the day in Islam

The fajr prayer, alternatively transliterated as fadjr prayer, and also known as the subh prayer, is a salah offered in the early morning. Consisting of two rak'a (units), it is performed between the break of dawn and sunrise. It is one of two prayers mentioned by name in the Qur'an. Due to its timing, Islamic belief holds the fajr prayer to be of great importance. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims begin fasting with the fajr prayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asr prayer</span> Third prayer of the day in Islam

The Asr prayer is one of the mandatory five daily Islamic prayers.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Ghashiyah</span> 88th chapter of the Quran

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qiyam</span> Practice in Islamic prayer

Qiyām is an integral part of the Islamic salah. The prayer begins in the standing position and some prayers only require the qiyām, such as Salat al-Janazah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rak'a</span> Unit of prayer in Islam equal to one iteration of a specific series of movements

A Rak'a is a single iteration of prescribed movements and supplications performed by Muslims as part of the prescribed obligatory prayer known as salah. Each of the five daily prayers observed by Muslims consists of a number of raka'at.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarawih</span> Sunni Islamic prayers specific to Ramadan

Tarawih are special Sunnah prayers involving reading long portions of the Quran, and performing up to 20 rakahs, which are performed only in the Islamic month of Ramadan. The entire Quran is recited in the Tarawih prayers at a mosque, typically at the rate of one Juz' per night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sujud</span> Prostrating oneself during salah

Sujūd, or sajdah, also known as sijda,sejda or shejda is the act of low bowing or prostration to God facing the qiblah. It is usually done in standardized prayers (salah). The position involves kneeling and bowing till one touches the ground with 7 bones (points): the forehead & nose, two hands, two knees and two sets of toes. In accordance with the Sunnah of Muhammad, one's elbows should be far from one's body, unless it causes discomfort to other worshippers. Some scholars hold the position that this applies only to men, and that women are encouraged to tuck their elbows in out of modesty.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eid prayers</span> Special prayers for Islamic holidays

Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid, are holy holiday prayers in the Islamic tradition. The literal translation of the word "Eid" in Arabic is "festival" or "feast" and is a time when Muslims congregate with family and the larger Muslim community to celebrate.

The Farewell Pilgrimage refers to the one Hajj pilgrimage that Muhammad performed in the Islamic year 10 AH, following the Conquest of Mecca. Muslims believe that verse 22:27 of the Quran brought about the intent to perform Hajj in Muhammad that year. When Muhammad announced this intent, approximately 100,000 of his Sahaba gathered in Medina to perform the annual pilgrimage with him. Muhammad performed Hajj al-Qiran, a type of Hajj in which Umrah and Hajj are performed together. On the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, the Day of Arafah, Muhammad delivered the Farewell Sermon atop the Mount Arafat outside Mecca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nafl prayer</span> Optional Islamic prayers

In Islam, a Nafl Prayer, or optional prayer, is a type of a non-obligatory prayer. They are believed to give extra reward to the person performing them, similar to sunnah prayers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnah prayer</span> Optional ritual prayer in Islam

A Sunnah prayer is an optional or supererogatory salah that can be performed in addition to the five daily salah, which are compulsory for all Muslims. Sunnah prayer have different characteristics: some are done at the same time as the five daily compulsory prayers, some are done only at certain times, or only for specific occasions ; some have their own name and some are identified by how they are performed. The length of Sunnah prayer also varies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salah times</span> Timing of Islamic prayers

Salat times are prayer times when Muslims perform salat. The term is primarily used for the five daily prayers including the Friday prayer, which takes the place of the Dhuhr prayer and must be performed in a group of aibadat. Muslims believe the salah times were revealed by Allah to Muhammad.

<i>Salah</i> Form of daily obligatory prayer in Islam

Salah is the principal form of worship in Islam. Facing the Kaaba in Mecca, it consists of units called rak'ah, during which the Quran is recited, and prayers from the Sunnah are typically said. The number of rak'ah varies from prayer to prayer. Minor details of performing salah may differ according to the madhhab of the person performing it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregational prayer (Islam)</span> Islamic prayer

Salat al-jama‘ah or prayer in congregation (jama'ah) is considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than praying by oneself. When praying in congregation, the people stand in straight parallel rows behind the chosen imam, facing qibla. The imam, who leads the congregation in salat, is usually chosen to be a scholar or the one who has the best knowledge of the Qur'an, preferably someone who has memorised it in its entirety. In the first row behind the Imam, if available, would be another hafiz to correct the Imam in case a mistake is made during the performance of the salat. The prayer is performed as normal, with the congregation following the actions and movements of the imam as he performs the salat.

References

  1. "Dhuhr". www.al-islam.org. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  2. "Salat al-Duhr". Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Archived from the original on 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2019-10-25. Noon prayer. Second of five mandatory daily prayers (salat), containing four cycles (rakah). Performed immediately after the sun reaches its zenith. Given the restrictions of modern business hours, it is increasingly being performed in the workplace during lunch breaks. On Fridays it is part of the communal prayers (jumah).
  3. "Sunan Abi Dawud 1067 - Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat) - كتاب الصلاة - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)". sunnah.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  4. Monnot, Guy (1995). Encyclopaedia of Islam . Vol. VIII (New ed.). Leiden: Brill Publishers. p. 928. ISBN   9004098348.
  5. sufyan (2011-07-05). "What Are the Confirmed Sunna and Non-Confirmed Sunna Prayers Associated With the Obligatory Prayers?". SeekersGuidance. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  6. "Types Of Prayer (Shafii) | islam and ihsan". 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  7. "Building Jannah: The Sunan ar-Rawatib | Mohammad Zahid". www.inkoffaith.com. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  8. "Types of Salat (Maliki) | islam and ihsan". 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  9. "True Islam - Number of Salat". Quran-Islam. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  10. Yüksel, Edip; Shaiban, Layth Saleh al-; Schulte-Nafeh, Martha, eds. (2007). The Quran: A Reformist Translation. United States of America: Brainbow Press. pp. 72, 508–509. ISBN   978-0-9796715-0-0.
  11. Al-Farabi, Abu Musa (2020-02-02). "Q&A: The 'Middle' Prayer -". Renascence Foundation. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  12. Prayer, Ahmed Abdulla | (2020-04-07). "The Five Daily Prayers Not Mentioned In The Quran?". My Islam. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  13. The Encyclopaedia of Islam. 7: Mif - Naz. Leiden: Brill. 1993. p. 27. ISBN   978-90-04-09419-2.
  14. The Encyclopaedia of Islam. 7: Mif - Naz. Leiden: Brill. 1993. p. 27. ISBN   978-90-04-09419-2.
  15. "Question 27 : Why do the Shi'ah perform the five daily prayers in three periods?". www.al-islam.org. 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  16. "Question 27 : Why do the Shi'ah perform the five daily prayers in three periods?". www.al-islam.org. 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  17. "Prayer (Salat): According to Five Islamic Schools of Law Part 1". www.al-islam.org. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2024-10-06.