If you’ve ever stood in prayer and thought, “Wait, how many rakats in salah am I on?”, you’re not alone. Every Muslim asks this question at some point, whether they’re four years old or forty.
Muslims pray 17 obligatory (Fard) rakats every day, spread across the five daily prayers Fajr (2), Dhuhr (4), Asr (4), Maghrib (3), and Isha (4). Add the Sunnah and Witr rakats the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ regularly prayed, and the total rises to around 40 rakats a day.
What Is a Rakat?
A rakat is one complete unit of Islamic prayer. It includes standing (qiyam) while reciting Quran, bowing (ruku), rising, two prostrations (sujud), and a brief sitting between them. The word comes from the Arabic root ra-ka-a, “to bow” the act that gives the whole unit its name. For a full walkthrough of how these movements fit together into a complete prayer, see How to Pray in Islam Step by Step: Easy Guide for Beginners.
Every prayer in Islam is built from a fixed number of these rakats, and that number is exactly what most people are trying to pin down when they search this topic.
How Many Rakats Are in Each Daily Prayer?
Here’s the complete picture, prayer by prayer. Fard rakats are obligatory. Sunnah Mu’akkadah rakats were prayed consistently by the Prophet ﷺ and carry strong reward. Nafl and Witr are voluntary additions. For the same breakdown organized by prayer name rather than rakat count, see How Many Rakahs Are in Each Prayer? Complete Chart.
| Prayer | Sunnah (before) | Fard | Sunnah (after) | Witr | Total with Sunnah |
| Fajr | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4 |
| Dhuhr | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | 10 |
| Asr | 4* | 4 | — | — | 8* |
| Maghrib | — | 3 | 2 | — | 5 |
| Isha | — | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Daily total | 10 | 17 | 6 | 3 | ~36–40 |
*The 4 Sunnah rakats before Asr are Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah recommended but not as strongly emphasized as the “confirmed” Sunnahs. Skipping them carries no blame.
Fajr’s rakat count comes up so often on its own that we’ve covered it in more depth in How Many Rakats Are in Fajr Prayer?
How Many Fard Rakats Are There Every Day?
There are 17 obligatory (Fard) rakats spread across the five daily prayers. Fajr has 2, Dhuhr has 4, Asr has 4, Maghrib has 3, and Isha has 4. These are the rakats every sane, adult Muslim must pray deliberately, skipping one is considered a serious matter, though a rakat missed through forgetfulness or genuine necessity is simply made up as soon as possible. For more on why these five specific windows exist, read Why Do We Pray in Islam? The Real Purpose of Salah Explained.
That number 17 is the one worth memorizing first. Everything else builds on top of it. Curious how that 17 compares to the raw count of daily prayers themselves? See How Many Times Do Muslims Pray a Day?
Fard vs. Sunnah vs. Nafl vs. Witr What’s the Difference?
| Category | Meaning | If you skip it |
| Fard | Obligatory; commanded directly | Considered sinful if done deliberately |
| Sunnah Mu’akkadah | Confirmed practice of the Prophet ﷺ, prayed consistently | Not sinful, but strongly discouraged to abandon |
| Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah | Practiced occasionally by the Prophet ﷺ | No blame either way |
| Nafl | Fully voluntary extra prayer | Entirely optional |
| Witr | An odd-numbered closing prayer after Isha (usually 3 rakats) | Highly recommended; many scholars treat it as close to obligatory |
Think of it as three concentric circles: Fard is the non-negotiable core, Sunnah is the strongly encouraged next layer, and Nafl is the open-ended outer layer for anyone who wants more including voluntary night prayers like Tahajjud, which many people add on top of Witr.
Why Do Some Sources Disagree on Isha’s Total (9 or 11)?
This is worth addressing directly, because it’s one of the most common points of confusion online including on several currently-published guides.
Isha’s rakats break down as: 4 Fard + 2 Sunnah Mu’akkadah + 3 Witr = 9. Some guides add 2 optional Nafl rakats on top of that, which brings the total to 11. Neither number is “wrong” ; they’re just counting a different scope. The 9 figure covers Fard, confirmed Sunnah, and Witr. The 11 figure adds the fully optional Nafl rakats that not every Muslim prays.
The lesson: whenever you see a rakat total that looks off, check whether it’s counting Fard-only, Fard-plus-Sunnah, or everything including optional Nafl. Most of the disagreement you’ll find across different guides comes down to that scope difference, not an actual disagreement about how to pray.
How Many Rakats in Witr, Jummah, Taraweeh, and Eid Prayer?
- Witr is prayed after Isha, most commonly as 3 rakats (some pray it as 1).
- Jummah (Friday prayer) replaces Dhuhr for men attending the congregation and consists of 2 Fard rakats, preceded and followed by Sunnah rakats.
- Taraweeh, prayed during Ramadan nights, is most widely performed as 8 or 20 rakats, followed by Witr; both numbers have scholarly support, and the difference reflects different valid practices rather than a right-or-wrong split. Ramadan’s timing shifts every year according to the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.
- Eid prayer (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) consists of 2 rakats, with extra takbirs (declarations of “Allahu Akbar”) added before the recitation in each rakat.
What If I Lose Count Mid-Prayer?
It happens to everyone, including experienced worshippers. If you’re unsure how many rakats you’ve prayed:
- Assume the lower number. If you’re unsure whether you’re on rakat 3 or 4, assume it’s 3.
- Complete the prayer based on that assumption.
- Perform sujud al-sahw two extra prostrations of forgetfulness before finishing with the final salam.
- Continue normally. This correction is built into the prayer itself; you don’t need to restart or repeat the whole prayer.
Do Rakat Counts Differ Between Madhabs?
For the five daily Fard prayers, all major schools of Islamic jurisprudence (madhabs) agree on the same 17 Fard rakats. The differences that do exist are mostly around Sunnah rakats for example, some schools recommend 4 Sunnah rakats after Dhuhr rather than 2, and there’s minor variation in how Witr is structured. These are differences in recommended practice, not in what’s obligatory.
Conclusion
Knowing how many rakats are in each Salah helps Muslims perform their daily prayers correctly and with confidence. The five obligatory prayers consist of Fajr (2), Dhuhr (4), Asr (4), Maghrib (3), and Isha (4) Fard rakats. Additional Sunnah and Nafl prayers can also be performed according to established practices. Learning the rakat structure and praying with sincerity, focus, and consistency is an important part of fulfilling the daily obligation of Salah. If you’re still building this habit, our Prayer Guide and 7-Day Learning Plan are built to walk you through it step by step.
FAQs
What is a rakat in salah?
A rakat is one complete cycle of Islamic prayer standing while reciting the Quran, bowing, rising, two prostrations, and a brief sitting. Every prayer is built from a specific, fixed number of these units.
How many total rakats does a Muslim pray in a day?
There are 17 obligatory Fard rakats daily. Including the Sunnah, Witr, and optional Nafl rakats regularly practiced, the total rises to roughly 36–40 rakats a day.
How many rakats are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha?
Fajr has 2 Fard rakats, Dhuhr has 4, Asr has 4, Maghrib has 3, and Isha has 4 17 Fard rakats in total across the five daily prayers.
Is Witr obligatory?
Witr isn’t classified as Fard, but it’s very highly emphasized; many scholars describe it as close to obligatory and strongly discourage skipping it regularly.
What happens if I pray an extra or missing rakat by mistake?
If you realize the mistake during the prayer, correct it and perform sujud al-sahw (two prostrations of forgetfulness) before the final salam. If you realize it after finishing, scholars generally advise repeating the prayer if the error was significant.