How to Perform Fajr Prayer - Step by Step Guide

Fajr is the first of the five daily prayers, prayed before sunrise. This guide explains when it is prayed, how many rak'ahs it has, and how to perform it step by step, following the Hanafi practice common in Pakistan and noting where other schools differ.

Fajr has two sunnah rak'ahs followed by two fard rak'ahs. Its time starts at true dawn (subh sadiq) and ends at sunrise. Check the exact time for your city on our Pakistan prayer times page.

Fajr begins when the true dawn, a horizontal white light along the horizon, appears, and it ends when the sun begins to rise. The time changes through the year, so use a timetable for your city rather than a fixed hour. Our prayer times are calculated with the University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi method used across Pakistan.

• Two sunnah rak'ahs before the fard. These are among the most emphasised voluntary prayers. Aisha reported that the Prophet ﷺ said the two rak'ahs of Fajr are better than the world and all it contains (Sahih Muslim). In the Hanafi school they are sunnah mu'akkadah, the most emphasised of all the sunnah prayers.
• Two fard rak'ahs, prayed in congregation where possible, with the recitation read aloud by the imam.

1. Make wudu and face the qiblah. See our wudu guide if you need the steps.
2. Make the intention (niyyah) in the heart that you are praying the two rak'ahs of Fajr. Saying it aloud is not required.
3. Takbir tahrima: raise your hands to your ears (men) or shoulders (women) and say "Allahu Akbar."
4. Stand (qiyam) with your hands folded, right over left. Hanafi men place them below the navel, women on the chest. Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali practice generally places the hands on the chest, and Maliki practice often has the arms at the sides, so this is a recognised difference.
5. Recite the opening supplication (thana), then seek refuge (ta'awwudh) and say the basmalah.
6. Recite Surah Al-Fatiha, then another surah or at least three short verses. Fajr is recited aloud when you are the imam.
7. Ruku (bowing): say "Allahu Akbar," bow with your back level, and say "Subhana Rabbiyal 'Azim" three times.
8. Rise saying "Sami'allahu liman hamidah," and when standing, "Rabbana lakal hamd."
9. Sajdah (prostration): say "Allahu Akbar" and place your forehead, nose, both palms, both knees and the toes on the ground. Say "Subhana Rabbiyal A'la" three times.
10. Sit briefly between the two prostrations, then prostrate again.
11. Stand for the second rak'ah and repeat steps 5-10, without the opening supplication.
12. After the second sajdah of the second rak'ah, sit for the tashahhud (at-tahiyyat), the salawat on the Prophet ﷺ (Durood Ibrahim) and a supplication.
13. Salam: turn your face right then left, saying "Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah."

Remain seated for the post-prayer remembrance. A narration reports that whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then remains remembering Allah until sunrise and prays two rak'ahs, will have a reward like Hajj and 'Umrah, "complete, complete, complete." It is recorded in Jami' at-Tirmidhi and graded hasan by al-Albani. Reciting Ayatul Kursi and the morning adhkar fit this time well.

• Set an alarm well before the time and sleep earlier. This is practical advice rather than a religious rule.
• If you wake after sunrise, pray it as soon as you wake up. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever sleeps through or forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it (Sahih Muslim).
• Pray the sunnah before the fard if time allows. If you arrive when the congregation has begun, scholars discuss when the sunnah can be prayed, and Hanafi scholars allow it if the congregation can still be joined.