If you are new to prayer — or you have prayed for years and still pause before Isha wondering whether it is three or four — this is the reference to keep. The fard (obligatory) counts below are agreed upon by all four Sunni schools of law. There is no disagreement to navigate on those. The sunnah prayers that surround them are where practice varies, and that is flagged clearly.
The quick answer
The obligatory rak'ahs of the five daily prayers are:
| Prayer | Arabic | Fard rak'ahs |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr — dawn | الفجر | 2 |
| Dhuhr — midday | الظهر | 4 |
| Asr — afternoon | العصر | 4 |
| Maghrib — sunset | المغرب | 3 |
| Isha — night | العشاء | 4 |
Seventeen rak'ahs in total. If you remember nothing else from this page, remember 2 · 4 · 4 · 3 · 4.
Full table, including sunnah and witr
Alongside the fard, the Prophet ﷺ regularly prayed additional rak'ahs. The most emphasised of these are called sunnah mu'akkadah; others are ghayr mu'akkadah — praiseworthy but lighter, and commonly left without blame.
| Prayer | Sunnah before | Fard | Sunnah after | Then |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 (emphasised) | 2 | — | — |
| Dhuhr | 4 (emphasised) | 4 | 2 (emphasised) | 2 optional |
| Asr | 4 optional | 4 | — | — |
| Maghrib | — | 3 | 2 (emphasised) | 2 optional |
| Isha | 4 optional | 4 | 2 (emphasised) | Witr (3, or an odd number) |
The two rak'ahs before Fajr are the most emphasised voluntary prayer of the entire day. Several narrations describe them as more beloved than the world and everything in it — a striking weight for two short rak'ahs that take under three minutes.
Prayer by prayer
Fajr — 2 rak'ahs
Two fard rak'ahs, prayed aloud in congregation, preceded by two emphasised sunnah rak'ahs. Fajr is never shortened and never lengthened; its two rak'ahs are the same at home, in the mosque, and on a journey across the world.
Dhuhr — 4 rak'ahs
Four fard rak'ahs, prayed silently. The first two and the last two are separated by a sitting for tashahhud after the second. This is the prayer people most often lose count in, simply because four silent, near-identical rak'ahs give the mind very little to anchor to.
Asr — 4 rak'ahs
Four fard rak'ahs, prayed silently, structurally identical to Dhuhr. There is no emphasised sunnah after Asr; four optional rak'ahs before it are recommended in several narrations but widely left.
Maghrib — 3 rak'ahs
Three fard rak'ahs — the only odd-numbered obligatory prayer. The first two are aloud, the third silent, with a sitting after the second. Followed by two emphasised sunnah rak'ahs.
Isha — 4 rak'ahs
Four fard rak'ahs; the first two aloud, the last two silent. Followed by two emphasised sunnah rak'ahs and then witr, which closes the night's prayers.
Ar-Rayyan counts your rak'ahs for you
Set the prayer, put the phone down in front of you, and pray. Ar-Rayyan recognises each sujood and keeps the count — so you can give the prayer your attention instead of a running tally. Everything happens on your device; nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Friday prayer (Jumu'ah)
Jumu'ah is two fard rak'ahs, prayed in congregation after the khutbah (sermon), and it takes the place of Dhuhr on Friday. You do not pray both.
If you miss the congregation — you arrive after the imam has finished, or you could not attend — you pray Dhuhr as four rak'ahs as normal. Jumu'ah cannot be prayed alone.
Travelling: shortening to two
A traveller is permitted to shorten the four-rak'ah prayers to two. This is qasr, and it is a concession the Qur'an and sunnah establish explicitly.
| Prayer | At home | Travelling |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 | 2 — unchanged |
| Dhuhr | 4 | 2 |
| Asr | 4 | 2 |
| Maghrib | 3 | 3 — unchanged |
| Isha | 4 | 2 |
The distance and duration that make someone a “traveller” are matters of genuine scholarly difference — roughly 48 miles / 77 km is a widely cited threshold, and schools differ on how many days of stay end the concession. Ask someone qualified about your own situation rather than assuming.
One important detail: if you pray behind a resident imam, you follow him and pray the full four. Shortening applies when you are praying alone or leading other travellers.
Where the schools differ
The fard counts are unanimous. The sunnah counts are not, and both positions below rest on authentic narrations — the difference comes from how the narrations are reconciled, not from one side lacking evidence.
| Point | Hanafi | Shafi'i / Maliki / Hanbali |
|---|---|---|
| Sunnah before Dhuhr | 4, in one set | Commonly 2; 4 also reported |
| Witr | 3 rak'ahs, joined; classed as wajib | Any odd number 1–11; emphasised sunnah |
| Sunnah before Asr | 4, optional | 2 or 4, optional |
If you follow a particular school, follow it consistently. If you do not, praying the emphasised sunnahs as two before Fajr, four before and two after Dhuhr, two after Maghrib, two after Isha, then three witr will keep you well within accepted practice everywhere.
This is a plain-language summary of the mainstream positions, written to help you get the counts right — not a fatwa. For anything specific to your circumstances, ask a qualified scholar or your local imam. They know your situation; a web page cannot.
If you lose count mid-prayer
Knowing the numbers and keeping track of them under concentration are two different problems. Almost everyone, at some point, straightens up from sujood genuinely unsure whether that was the second or the third rak'ah.
There is a defined procedure for exactly this, and it does not usually involve starting over. In short: settle on the number you are more confident of, or if you genuinely cannot, build on the lower number you are certain about, finish the prayer, and perform two extra prostrations before ending. The details are here:
- What to do if you forget how many rak'ahs you have prayed — the step-by-step procedure
- Sujood as-sahw — when the prostration of forgetfulness is required, and how to perform it
Common questions
How many rak'ahs are there in a day altogether?
Seventeen fard rak'ahs: 2 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 4. With the emphasised sunnah prayers and three witr, a typical day comes to around thirty.
Do I have to pray the sunnah rak'ahs?
No — only the fard are obligatory, and a prayer is complete and valid without the sunnah. The emphasised sunnahs carry great reward and were the Prophet's ﷺ consistent practice, so they are strongly encouraged rather than required.
Can I pray four rak'ahs of sunnah as two sets of two?
In the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools, yes — voluntary day prayers are commonly prayed in pairs. The Hanafi school holds that the four before Dhuhr are prayed as a single set of four with one salam. Follow your school's practice.
What if I join the congregation late?
Join wherever the imam is and follow him. When he gives salam, stand and complete the rak'ahs you missed on your own. What you catch with the imam counts as the first part of your prayer, and what you make up afterwards is the last part.
How many rak'ahs is Tarawih?
Tarawih is a voluntary night prayer specific to Ramadan. Twenty rak'ahs plus witr is the practice in most mosques and the position of the majority; eight plus witr is also well-founded and widely prayed. Both are accepted, and neither is obligatory.