The five daily prayers are obligatory (fard) and they are performed at times determined essentially by the position of the Sun in the sky. Hence, salat times vary at different locations on the Earth. The Fajr prayer (Arabic: صلاة الفجر‎ ṣalāt al-faǧr, "dawn prayer") is the first of the five daily prayers offered by practising Muslims. (Fajr means dawn in the Arabic language.) The five daily prayers collectively form one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. The Fajr prayer is mentioned by name in the Qur'an at sura 24 (An-Nur) ayah.[1] Inspired by the tafsir of the two hadiths that were transmitted on behalf of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the worth of the Fajr daily prayer is explained as being God's most-favoured prayer since others are asleep. This has made the Fajr daily prayer the most essential and obligatory congregational prayer to be held by Muslims together in groups in mosques. Fajr prayer requires two fard rakaʿāt. In a congregation, the leader of the prayer (imam) recites aloud. However, two sunnah rakaʿāt are highly recommended prior to the two Fard rakaʿāt. The time period within which the Fajr daily prayer must be offered (with loud recitation of the quran) is from the beginning of dawn[2] to sunrise. The call to Fajr prayer marks the beginning of the obligatory daily fasting (sawm) during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Qur'an relates a sura, Al-Fajr, by the same name. The Dhuhr prayer (Arabic: صلاة الظهر‎ ṣalāt aẓ-ẓuhr IPA: [sˤalaːt aðˤðˤuhr], "noon prayer") is the prayer after midday (but before the time for the Asr prayer.) It has been said that the name Dhuhr was given to this prayer because it falls halfway between two daily prayers, those being Fajir and Isha, beginning at dawn and the first instant of complete darkness correspondingly. Performed daily by practicing Muslims, it is the second of the five daily prayers (salah, known to be one of the most important pillars. The Islamic day begins at Maghrib) which is the fourth prayer. The five daily prayers collectively are one of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. The Holy Qur'an has reiterated its importance, "Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up truly obedient to Allah". It is reduced to two rakaʿāt when traveling. The Asr prayer (Arabic: صلاة العصر‎ ṣalāt al-ʿaṣr, "afternoon prayer") is the afternoon daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. It is the third of the five daily prayers (the Islamic date begins at maghrib). The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. The Asr prayer is a four rakaʿāt daily prayer and is prayed (barely[1]) silently. When travelling, according to some madh'habs, it may be reduced to two rakaʿāt. The Asr daily prayer may be mentioned as the middle prayer in the Qur'an at sura 2 (Al-Baqara), ayat 238,[2] and also the name of a short sura (surat al-Asr). This raises the middle daily prayer to a preciously higher rank for practicing Muslims in particular when it falls on Fridays The Maghrib prayer (Arabic: صلاة المغرب‎ ṣalāt al-maġrib, "evening prayer"), prayed just after sunset, is the fourth of five formal daily prayers (salat) performed by practicing Muslims. The formal daily prayers of Islam comprise different numbers of units, called rak'at. The Maghrib prayer has three obligatory (fard) rak'at. The first two fard rak'at are prayed aloud, and the third is prayed silently. To be considered valid salat, the formal daily prayers must each be performed within their own prescribed time period. People with a legitimate reason have a longer period in which their prayers will be valid. The Isha prayer (Arabic: صلاة العشاء‎ ṣalāt al-ʿišāʾ IPA: [sˤalaːt alʕiʃaːʔ], "night prayer") is the night-time daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. It is the fifth of the five daily prayers--[1] (salah) [Islamic evening begins at maghrib]. The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam for the majority of Muslims (Sunni Islam), and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to the Shia. It is a 4 rak'ah prayer and the first 2 rak'ah are prayed aloud. When travelling, according to some madhhabs, it may be reduced to two rak'ahs. In Islam, the Isha' daily prayer has four required (Fard) rak'ah. However, in Sunni Islam, the two Sunnah rak'ah following the Isha' are highly recommended and so is the 3 rakat Wajib Witr. There are a few optional prayers that can be recited after the Isha' prayer, including the Nafilat ul-Layl prayers (together termed tahajjud), as well as the tarawih in Ramadan.

• published: 06 Aug 2013
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