Namaz Rakat Chart — How Many Rakats in Each Prayer
The five daily prayers have 17 fard (obligatory) rakats in all: Fajr 2, Zuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4 — every school agrees. The sunnah and nafl around them are counted a little differently by the schools; the chart shows the Hanafi count taught in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, with the Shafi'i count noted below.
| Prayer | Sunnah before | Fard | Sunnah after | Witr | Optional nafl | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fajr | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | 4 |
| Zuhr (Dhuhr) | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | 12 |
| Asr | 4* | 4 | – | – | – | 8 |
| Maghrib | – | 3 | 2 | – | 2 | 7 |
| Isha | 4* | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 + 2 | 17 |
| Jumu'ah (Friday) | 4 | 2 | 4 + 2 | – | 2 | 14 |
Hanafi chart. * Ghair mu'akkadah — a sunnah the Prophet ﷺ did not always pray; the other sunnah counts are mu'akkadah (emphasised). Nafl are optional voluntary prayers. Witr is wajib in the Hanafi school: three rakats, with the qunut in the third.
The Shafi'i count
The Shafi'i school counts ten emphasised sunnah rakats a day: 2 before Fajr, 2 before and 2 after Zuhr, 2 after Maghrib and 2 after Isha; more (such as 4 before Zuhr and before Asr) are recommended. Witr is an emphasised sunnah of at least one rakat, commonly three, up to eleven. Jumu'ah is 2 fard rakats with sunnah before and after as for Zuhr. The fard rakats are the same in every school.
Frequently asked questions
How many rakats are in Isha namaz?
4 fard. In the Hanafi chart Isha is 17 rakats in all: 4 sunnah (ghair mu'akkadah), 4 fard, 2 sunnah, 3 witr and 2 + 2 optional nafl.
How many rakats are in Zuhr namaz?
Zuhr has 4 fard rakats; the Hanafi chart counts 12 in all: 4 sunnah before, 4 fard, 2 sunnah after and 2 optional nafl.
How many fard rakats are there in a day?
Seventeen: Fajr 2, Zuhr 4, Asr 4, Maghrib 3 and Isha 4 (on Friday, Jumu'ah's 2 replace Zuhr's 4 for those who attend it).
Is witr 3 rakats?
In the Hanafi school witr is wajib and always three rakats. In the Shafi'i school it is an emphasised sunnah — at least one rakat, commonly three, and up to eleven.