Dhuhrgebed

Dhuhrgebed, also spelled Dhuhr or Zuhr prayer, is the second of the five daily prayers observed by Muslims. The term Dhuhr (Arabic for “noon”) refers to the time of day when the sun has passed its zenith, and the prayer is traditionally performed during the early afternoon. The practice is a central element of daily worship and is observed by Muslims of various traditions around the world.

Timing of Dhuhr begins after the sun passes its highest point in the sky and remains valid until the start of the Asr prayer. The exact end time varies by jurisprudential school and local convention. In many communities, timekeeping relies on local prayer timetables or astronomical calculations; some schools describe the end in terms of shadow lengths, which can differ between madhhabs. This means that the window for Dhuhr can vary slightly by location and school of thought.

The obligatory portion of Dhuhr consists of four rak’ahs (units). In many traditions, Muslims also perform Sunnah rak’ahs around Dhuhr—commonly two before and two after the obligatory four—as voluntary reform to augment the prayer. The prayer is conducted facing the qibla toward the Kaaba in Mecca, with the usual sequence of standing, reciting Surah Al-Fatiha and another short passage in each rak’ah, followed by bowing (ruku) and prostration (sujood), and concluding with the taslim.

There are minor variations between Sunni and Shia practices in terms of rak’ah counts and timing calculations, but Dhuhr remains the daytime obligatory prayer across these traditions. It serves to maintain daily worship, reflection, and a rhythm that marks the middle of the day in the Islamic cycle.