fourrakat

Fourrakat refers to a unit of Islamic ritual prayer, specifically a prayer composed of four rak’ahs (units). In Arabic, rak’ah means a cycle of standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting, performed in sequence with recitation and supplication. The term fourrak’ah or four rak’ahs is used to describe prayers that consist of four such cycles.

In practice, the number of rak’ahs varies by prayer and tradition. Among the widely followed Sunni traditions, the obligatory daily prayers are commonly described as follows: Fajr consists of two rak’ahs; Dhuhr and Asr each consist of four rak’ahs; Maghrib consists of three rak’ahs; Isha typically consists of four rak’ahs. The Witr prayer, prayed after the Isha prayer, is not fixed to four and is usually an odd number of rak’ahs. In many circumstances, four rak’ahs are also observed in several voluntary (Sunnah) prayers, while other Sunnah prayers may be two, four, or more rak’ahs.

Variations exist among Islamic schools and practices. Some communities observe slightly different counts for certain prayers or accommodate combining and shortening rules when traveling. The concept of four rak’ahs is also extended to voluntary prayers such as Duha, which can be performed in two to eight rak’ahs, commonly prayed in even or sometimes four-unit segments.

Overall, four rak’ahs describe a common structural form of ceremonial prayer in Islam, representing a complete cycle within a prescribed sequence of movement, recitation, and supplication. See also Salat, Rak’ah, Fard, Sunnah, and Witr.