Salah rakat chart: how many rakats in each prayer
Fard and sunnah for all five prayers, with sources · Free PDF to print · Updated October 2026
Each prayer has its fard: the obligatory rakats, the same in every school. Most also have sunnah rakats, which the Prophet ﷺ prayed regularly before or after it. Here are both on one chart, to learn from or to print for the wall. It works as a namaz rakat chart too: salah and namaz are the same prayer.
| Prayer | Sunnah before | Fard | Sunnah after | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 | 2 | – | 4 |
| Dhuhr | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| Asr | – | 4 | – | 4 |
| Maghrib | – | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Isha | – | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Then Witr, after Isha: 3 rakats in the Hanafi school, or 1 or more (an odd number) in the others. A day: 17 fard and 12 sunnah rakats. | ||||
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Fard: the same in every school
Fajr has 2 fard rakats, Dhuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4: 17 a day. On Friday, those who pray Jummah pray 2 fard rakats in congregation in place of Dhuhr’s 4. When travelling, the four-rakat prayers (Dhuhr, Asr and Isha) are shortened to 2; this is called qasr.
Sunnah: the twelve rakats a day
In a hadith narrated by Umm Habibah, the Prophet ﷺ described twelve sunnah rakats in a day and night, and said a house is built in Paradise for whoever prays them: four before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, two after Isha, and two before Fajr (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 415, graded sahih).
Witr
Witr is prayed after Isha and before Fajr, with an odd number of rakats. The Hanafi school holds that it is three; the other schools allow one or more. The Prophet ﷺ described Witr as a rakat at the end of the night (Sahih Muslim 752).
Why do some charts show more rakats?
Many charts, especially the namaz charts used in South Asia, also list the non-emphasized sunnah (such as four rakats before Asr and before Isha in the Hanafi school) and voluntary nafl rakats (such as two after Dhuhr and after Isha). They’re good to pray, but they aren’t part of the twelve, and the schools count them differently. This chart shows the fard every school agrees on and the twelve sunnah from the hadith. Ask your local imam what your school teaches.
Teaching children
Start with the fard of one prayer, the one they pray with you most, and add its sunnah once the fard is steady. Our free printable salah chart gives them a box to color in for each prayer they pray.
How many rakats in each prayer
Counting the fard and the twelve regular sunnah. Many South Asian (Hanafi) charts also count the non-emphasized sunnah and nafl rakats, so their totals are higher; both are given below.
How many rakats in Fajr?
4: 2 sunnah, then 2 fard. The two sunnah before Fajr are among the twelve in the hadith. Hanafi charts show the same 4.
How many rakats in Dhuhr?
10: 4 sunnah, 4 fard, then 2 sunnah. Hanafi charts show 12, adding 2 nafl at the end. On Friday, those who pray Jummah pray its 2 fard rakats, in congregation, in place of Dhuhr’s 4.
How many rakats in Asr?
4 fard. Asr has none of the twelve regular sunnah. Hanafi charts show 8, adding 4 non-emphasized sunnah before the fard.
How many rakats in Maghrib?
5: 3 fard, then 2 sunnah. Maghrib is the only prayer with 3 fard rakats, and it’s never shortened when travelling. Hanafi charts show 7, adding 2 nafl.
How many rakats in Isha?
6: 4 fard, then 2 sunnah, followed by Witr (3 rakats in the Hanafi school, 1 or more in the others). If you were taught 17 for Isha, that’s the Hanafi count with everything optional included: 4 non-emphasized sunnah, 4 fard, 2 sunnah, 2 nafl, 3 Witr and 2 nafl. The fard is 4 either way.
Questions people ask
How many rakats are there in a day?
17 fard rakats, or 29 with the twelve sunnah, and then Witr (three rakats in the Hanafi school).
Is a namaz rakat chart the same as a salah rakat chart?
Yes. Namaz, salah and salat are names for the same five daily prayers.
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Pray on time, together
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