Mastering the Zuhr Prayer: Insights on Rakats, Dhikr, and Dua

Hi, dear readers! Are you looking for an explanation of Zuhr prayer, Zuhr rakats, dhikr Zuhr, and dua Zuhr? If your answer is "Yes," congratulations! You are now reading the right article. Why? Because that is what I will explain in this article. As Muslims, we must understand these topics. That's why I wrote this article, so you should read it until the end!

Specifically, there are five important aspects of Zuhr prayer, Zuhr rakats, dhikr Zuhr, and dua Zuhr that I will explain in this article. The five important aspects I mean are as follows:

What Is Zuhr Prayer?

The first important aspect about Zuhr prayer, Zuhr rakats, dhikr Zuhr, and dua Zuhr that I will explain now is "What is Zuhr prayer?" I want you to understand this first because it is one of the key elements in this discussion that must be well comprehended.

In general, if we read some Islamic legal literature regarding the Zuhr prayer, we will find an explanation stating that the Zuhr prayer is one of the obligatory prayers in Islam. What this means is that Muslims who are mature and have no justifiable reasons in Islam must perform the Zuhr prayer. If they do not pray Zuhr, they commit a sin.

Zuhr prayer is an obligatory prayer in Islam that must be performed after the sun descends toward the west from the middle of the sky. This is the time for the Zuhr prayer. We can find this explanation in the hadith below.

Hadith about Zuhr Prayer and Zuhr Prayer Times

As for the hadith regarding the Zuhr prayer and its timings, it is as follows:

عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمَ الْحَجَّاجُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَسَأَلْنَا جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي الظُّهْرَ بِالْهَاجِرَةِ وَالْعَصْرَ وَالشَّمْسُ نَقِيَّةٌ وَالْمَغْرِبَ إِذَا وَجَبَتْ وَالْعِشَاءَ أَحْيَانًا يُؤَخِّرُهَا وَأَحْيَانًا يُعَجِّلُ كَانَ إِذَا رَآهُمْ قَدِ اجْتَمَعُوا عَجَّلَ وَإِذَا رَآهُمْ قَدْ أَبْطَئُوا أَخَّرَ وَالصُّبْحَ كَانُوا أَوْ - قَالَ - كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّيهَا بِغَلَسٍ

From Muhammad bin Amr bin al-Hasan bin Ali: When Hajjaj came to Medina, we asked Jabir bin Abdullah (about the timings of prayer as observed by the Holy Prophet). He said: The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, used to pray the Zuhr prayer in the midday heat; the afternoon prayer when the sun was bright; the evening prayer when the sun had completely set; and as for the night prayer, he sometimes delayed it and sometimes observed it at earlier hours. When he found his Companions assembled (at earlier hours), he prayed early, and when he saw them coming late, he delayed the prayer. The morning prayer, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, observed in the darkness before dawn.

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: وَقْتُ الظُّهْرِ إِذَا زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَكَانَ ظِلُّ الرَّجُلِ كَطُولِهِ مَا لَمْ يَحْضُرِ الْعَصْرُ وَوَقْتُ الْعَصْرِ مَا لَمْ تَصْفَرَّ الشَّمْسُ وَوَقْتُ صَلاَةِ الْمَغْرِبِ مَا لَمْ يَغِبِ الشَّفَقُ وَوَقْتُ صَلاَةِ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى نِصْفِ اللَّيْلِ الأَوْسَطِ وَوَقْتُ صَلاَةِ الصُّبْحِ مِنْ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ مَا لَمْ تَطْلُعِ الشَّمْسُ فَإِذَا طَلَعَتِ الشَّمْسُ فَأَمْسِكْ عَنِ الصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّهَا تَطْلُعُ بَيْنَ قَرْنَىْ شَيْطَانٍ

From Abdullah bin Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said: The time of the noon prayer is when the sun passes the meridian and a man's shadow is the same (length) as his height, (and it lasts) as long as the time for the afternoon prayer has not come; the time for the afternoon prayer is as long as the sun has not become pale; the time of the evening prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the night prayer is until the middle of the average night, and the time of the morning prayer is from the appearance of dawn, as long as the sun has not risen; but when the sun rises, refrain from prayer, for it rises between the horns of the devil.

That is a brief explanation of "what is Zuhr prayer, the hadith about Zuhr prayer, and the times for Zuhr prayer." As Muslims, we must understand this.

How Many Rakats in Zuhr?

The second important aspect of the Zuhr prayer, including its rakats, dhikr, and dua, is the question: "How many rakats are there in Zuhr?" I want you to grasp this concept because it is one of the key questions that Muslims must understand well.

In general, if we refer to Islamic legal literature regarding the Zuhr prayer, we find that it consists of four rakats. This means that Muslims who perform the Zuhr prayer must complete four rakats.

The explanation regarding the four rakats of Zuhr can be found in the following hadith:

Hadith about Rakats in Zuhr

Regarding the hadith about the rakats in Zuhr, it is as follows:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَتْ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَا افْتُرِضَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الصَّلَاةُ رَكْعَتَانِ رَكْعَتَانِ إِلَّا الْمَغْرِبَ فَإِنَّهَا كَانَتْ ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ أَتَمَّ اللَّهُ الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ وَالْعِشَاءَ الْآخِرَةَ أَرْبَعًا فِي الْحَضَرِ وَأَقَرَّ الصَّلَاةَ عَلَى فَرْضِهَا الْأَوَّلِ فِي السَّفَرِ

From Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), she said: Among the obligations placed upon the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was prayer, which was two rakats each, except for Maghrib, which consists of three. Then Allah ordained Zuhr, Asr, and Isha to be four rakats each when one is not traveling, while the same two rakats are maintained during travel.

This is a brief explanation of "how many rakats there are in Zuhr and the hadith regarding the rakats in Zuhr." As Muslims, we must understand this.

How Do You Pray Zuhr Prayer?

The third important aspect concerning the Zuhr prayer, its rakats, dhikr, and dua, is the question: "How do you pray Zuhr prayer?" I want you to understand this because it is a crucial question about the Zuhr prayer that needs to be properly understood.

In general, there are four key actions you should perform when praying Zuhr. They are as follows:

• Purification: You must purify yourself from both minor and major hadas. I have explained this in several articles about janaba, so I won’t elaborate on it here.
• Niyyah: You must make the niyyah for the Zuhr prayer. The niyyah for the Zuhr prayer is as follows:

أُصَلِّى فَرْضَ الظُّهْرِ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ أَدَاءً لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى

I intend to perform the obligatory prayer of Zuhr, four rak'ahs, facing the Qiblah, as an obligation, for the sake of Allah Ta'ala.

• Obligatory Movements: You must perform the required movements in the Zuhr prayer, such as takbir ihram, bowing, I'tidal (standing after bowing), prostration, sitting between two prostrations, early tashahud, and final tashahud, among others.
• Recitations: You must recite the necessary readings in prayer, such as Surah Al-Fatihah, some verses from the Quran, supplications after takbir ihram, supplications in prostration, supplications while sitting between two prostrations, supplications during bowing, and supplications in tashahud, among others.

This is a brief explanation of "how to pray the Zuhr prayer." As Muslims, we must understand this.

Dhikr Zuhr

The fourth important aspect of the Zuhr prayer, including the Zuhr rakats, dhikr Zuhr, and dua Zuhr, which I will explain now, is dhikr Zuhr. It is essential for you to understand this topic, as it is a significant part of this article that should be clearly comprehended.

In general, if we read various Islamic literature on prayer, we will find explanations that some of the best dhikr after prayer, including dhikr Zuhr, are as follows:

1. Reading tasbih (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ) thirty-three times.
2. Reciting tahmid (الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ) thirty-three times.
3. Reciting takbir (اللهُ أَكْبَرُ) thirty-three times.
4. Reading tahlil (لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ) once.
5. Reading Ayatul Kursi once.
6. Reading Surah al-Ikhlas (قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ) once.

We can find further explanation of dhikr Zuhr in the hadith below.

Hadith About Dhikr Zuhr

The hadith regarding dhikr Zuhr that I mean is as follows:

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ ؛ مَنْ سَبَّحَ اللهَ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِيْنَ ، وَحَمِدَ اللهَ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِيْنَ ، وَكَبَّرَ اللهَ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِيْنَ , فَتِلْكَ تِسْعٌ وَتِسْعُوْنَ ، وَقَالَ تَمَامَ الْمِائَةِ ؛ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ ، غُفِرَتْ خَطَايَاهُ وَلَوْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ زَبَدِ الْبَحْرِ . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

From Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu anhu, from the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad), sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said, "Whoever recites the tasbih to Allah after every prayer up to thirty-three times, praises Allah up to thirty-three times, and recites the takbir to Allah up to thirty-three times, totaling ninety-nine, and to complete the one hundredth says, 'There is no god but Allah Almighty, there is no partner to Him; all kingdoms are His, all praise belongs to Him, and He is able to do everything,' then all his sins will be forgiven, even if they are as numerous as the foam of the sea." This hadith was narrated by Muslim.

عَنْ أَبِيْ أُمَامَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ ؛ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ؛ مَنْ قَرَأَ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ مَكْتُوْبَةٍ لَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ مِنْ دُخُوْلِ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا الْمَوْتُ . رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ . وَزَادَ فِيْهِ الطَّبْرَانِيُّ ؛ وَقُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ

From Abu Umamah, radiyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said, 'Whoever reads the verse of al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing will prevent him from entering Paradise except death.'" This hadith was narrated by an-Nasa'i. ath-Thabrani added the editorial note, "And say, 'He is Allah Almighty' (قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ)."

That is a brief explanation of dhikr Zuhr and the hadith about dhikr Zuhr. As Muslims, we must understand this.

Dua Zuhr

The fifth important aspect regarding the Zuhr prayer, including the Zuhr rakats, dhikr Zuhr, and dua Zuhr, which I will explain now, is dua Zuhr. It is crucial for you to understand this, as it is one of the important topics that must be well comprehended.

In general, we can say any dua after Zuhr. The essential point is that we have the right to ask Allah for anything after the Zuhr prayer. However, there are two main duas for Zuhr:

Dua for Parents

There are many duas for parents. One of them is as follows:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِيْ صَغِيْرًا

O my Lord, forgive me and my parents, and have mercy on them both as they raised me when I was little.

This is the dua for parents after Zuhr that we must read. There are many reasons why we should recite the dua for parents. The main reason is that it is the duty of Muslims to do good to their parents. We can find this explanation along with some verses from the Quran and hadith below:

وَقَضٰى رَبُّكَ اَلَّا تَعْبُدُوْٓا اِلَّآ اِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ اِحْسٰنًاۗ اِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ اَحَدُهُمَآ اَوْ كِلٰهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَّهُمَآ اُفٍّ وَّلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيْمًا

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them, but speak to them a noble word. (Al-Isra’ [17]: 23).

وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيٰنِيْ صَغِيْرًا

And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." (Al-Isra’ [17]: 24).

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْاِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِۚ حَمَلَتْهُ اُمُّهٗ وَهْنًا عَلٰى وَهْنٍ وَّفِصَالُهٗ فِيْ عَامَيْنِ اَنِ اشْكُرْ لِيْ وَلِوَالِدَيْكَۗ اِلَيَّ الْمَصِيْرُ

And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. (Luqman [31]: 14).

عَنْ عَبْدِاللهِ بْنِ عَمْرُو رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ : جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْتَأْذِنُهُ فِيْ الْجِهَادِ ، فَقَالَ : أَحَيٌّ وَالِدَاكَ ؟ ، قَالَ : نَعَمْ ، قَالَ : فَفِيْهِمَا فَجَاهِدْ

From Abdullah bin Umar radliyallahu anhuma, he said, "Someone came to the Prophet (Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to ask him for permission to do jihad. He then asked, 'Are your parents still alive?' The person replied, 'Yes.' He said, 'Do good to both of them.'

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ، مَنْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِحُسْنِ صَحَابَتِيْ؟ قَالَ : أُمُّكَ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ مَنْ ؟ قَالَ : ثُم أُمُّكَ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ مَنْ ؟ قَالَ : ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ مَنْ ؟ قَالَ : ثُمَّ أَبُوْكَ

From Abu Hurairah radliyallahu anhu, he said, "Someone came to meet the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The person then asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, who is the most deserving of my service?' He replied, 'Your mother.' The person asked, 'Then who else?' He replied, 'Your mother.' The person then asked, 'Then who else?' He replied, 'Your mother.' The person asked again, 'Then who else?' He replied, 'Your father.'

Dua is a way for Allah to help us remember Him (through dhikr), to be grateful for His blessings, and to worship Him. We can find this explanation in the hadith below:

عَنْ مُعَاذٍ بْنِ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهُ ؛ أُوْصِيْكَ يَا مُعَاذُ لَا تَدَعَنَّ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ أَنْ تَقُوْلَ ؛ اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَأَبُوْ دَاوُدَ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ

From Mu'adz bin Jabal radiyallahu anhu, that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to him, "I advise you, O Mu'adz, never to neglect dhikr after every prayer: 'O Allah, help me to remember You, be grateful for Your favors, and worship You well.' This hadith was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Daud, and an-Nasa'i.

This is a brief explanation of the Zuhr prayer and some important aspects of it. As Muslims, we must understand this.

Dear readers! That concludes our brief explanation of the Zuhr prayer, the rakats of Zuhr, dhikr of Zuhr, and dua of Zuhr. Do you understand? If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

I believe that's enough for this article. I hope it is beneficial. Amen.

See you again in the next article!