Rakat

A rakat,^[1] or rakʿah (Arabic: ركعة‎‎ rakʿah, plural: ركعات rakaʿāt), consists of the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims while offering prayers to God. It also refers to a single unit of Islamic prayers.

Procedure

After performing the ablution, and evoking the intention to pray for the sake of God, the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting verses of the Quran. The second part of the rakat involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if waiting for God's orders. The third movement is to prostrate oneself on the ground, with forehead and nose on the floor and elbows raised, in a posture of submission to God. The fourth movement is to sit with the feet folded under the body. In the concluding portion of the prayers, the worshiper recites "Peace be upon you, and God's blessing" once while facing the right, and once while the face is turned to the left. This action reminds Muslims of the importance of others around them, both in the mosque (if the prayer is being offered at mosque), and in the rest of the world.

Components

• Takbir
• Supplications / iftitah¹
• Recitation Sura Al-Fatiha
• Recitation of another sura
• Ruku (bowing)
• Straightening up from ruku
• Sujud (prostration)
• Rising from sujud
• The second sujud
• Sitting in prayers²
• Salam (salutation)³

Prescribed iterations

Each daily prayer has a different number of obligatory rakats:

• Fajr — The dawn prayer: 2 rakats
• Dhuhr — The midday or afternoon prayer: 4 rakats
• Asr — The late afternoon prayer: 4 rakats
• Maghrib — The evening prayer: 3 rakats
• Isha — The night prayer: 4 rakats, plus 3 rakats of the optional but recommended witr prayer

The Friday prayer consists of 2 obligatory rakats, and is offered in congregation in place of the afternoon prayer on Friday.

See also

• Dhikr
• Tasbih
• Sign prayer

Notes

^1 Only performed in the first rakat of the prayer and only performed by some schools.

^2 Only first half of the Tashahhud is recited in the second rakat in a 4- or 3-rakat prayer, e.g. the afternoon prayer or the evening prayer, but all of it is recited in the last rakat of any prayer.

^3 Only performed in the last rakat of a prayer.

External Links

• Number of Rakaats for Prayers

References