Duha Prayer, also known as Shuruq prayer, is a recommended prayer performed after sunrise until just before noon, consisting of a minimum of two Rakat and a maximum of eight. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized its practice, particularly on the day of the Conquest of Makkah. It’s preferable to pray Duha when the sun is intense, but it can be performed anytime within its specified time frame.
Reciting any Quranic verses during the prayer is allowed, and the rewards for Duha Prayer are significant, including covering the charity for every joint in the body and being considered the prayer of the repentant.
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What is Duha Prayer?
Duha Prayer is a recommended prayer that can be performed anytime after the sun rises until just before noon. It consists of a minimum of two Rakat and a maximum of eight, based on Hadith. It’s preferable to pray it in sets of two Rakat, and its virtues include the reward of charity for each joint in the body.
Additionally, it was narrated by Muslim: “And two Rakat which one prays in the forenoon will suffice.” Hence, the minimum number of Rakat for Duha prayer is two, based on this Hadith, while the maximum is eight, as narrated in the Sahih Hadith from Umm Hani (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered her house on the day Mecca was conquered and prayed eight Rakat, and she had never seen him praying a lighter prayer, except that he would complete the bowing and prostration.
How To Perform Duha Prayer?
Duha prayer is Two Rakat then Salam with silent recitation. The word Duha refers to the timing of the prayer which is from Sunrise to Duhur.
It’s a simple prayer with great reward, as the prophet peace be upon him said: “The most beloved deeds to Allah, are the most consistent even if small” Sahih Muslim
To perform Duha Prayer, one should start after the sun has risen to a certain height, approximately a spear’s length above the horizon, until just before the sun reaches its zenith. It can be prayed anytime within this period, but it’s preferable to delay it until the heat intensifies, as indicated in a Sahih Hadith narrated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The prayer consists of a minimum of two Rakat, with one Tasleem (salutation), but it can be extended to four, six, eight, or more, with the believer offering Tasleem after every two Rakat.
During Duha Prayer, one can recite any verses or chapters from the Quran that are easy to remember. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed eight Rakat of Duha Prayer on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, setting an example for its practice.
Narrated by Muslim from Abu Dharr that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Every joint of a person must perform a charity each day the sun rises: to act justly between two people is a charity, to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity, and the good word is a charity; every step you take to prayers is a charity and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.”
Moreover, if one performs more than two Rakat, it is better for them to conclude every two Rakat, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The prayer of the night and the day is in pairs.” Its time starts from the rise of the sun to a spear’s length, until the person who prays the forenoon prayer stands at midday, i.e., at the time of Zuhr prayer.
How many rakat in duha prayer?
The minimm Rakat in Duha prayer is 2. This is the most recommended.
The prophet peace be upon him used to pray Duha as two or four Rakat (With Salam after the first two).
There is also a special reward for praying Duha as four in the hadith (Whoever prayed Duha as four and prayed four before the next one (For Rakat before Duhur or Jum’a) Allah will build him a house in Jannah). (In Tabarani and Authenticated by Al-Albani)
As for the maximum amount of Rakat you can pray in Duha scholars have disagreed:
Some say 8 and others say the maximum is 12; While others say there is no maximum.
Duha prayer Time
Duha prayer time starts after Ishraq (sunrise) by around 15 minutes. that’s why it’s sometimes also called Ishraq prayer
How to perform Ishraq prayer is by waiting after Fajr until sunrise and the forbidden time passes, then praying two Rakat.
Duha prayer doesn’t have to be prayed directly after Ishraq. Time of Duha is the time from Israq all the way to Duhur. That period of time is called (Duha) and it’s what’s mentioned in Surat Al-Duha.
Duha prayer end time
Duha prayer end time is before Dhuhr by around 15 minutes. The 15 minutes before Dhuhr and 15 minutes after sunrise are forbidden times to pray. So it better wait until then.
Hadith about Duha Prayer
Duha prayer is mentioned in many hadith for example:
Narrated by Multiple Sahabah said: (My beloved (the prophet) has instructed me to keep consistent on three deeds:
Two Rakat of Duha
To pray Witr before I Sleep
And to fast three days of every month) Sahih
from this hadith, we can see why two Rakat are recommended. Two Rakat are easy so it would be easy to make it consistently, which is the most important as mentioned before.
Also, the prophet peace be upon him called Duha prayer (The Salah of the repentant)
He said: (The prayer of those who are penitent is observed when your weaned camels feel the heat of the sun. (I.e: Duha time)) Sahih Muslim
A Condition for repentance is to do good deeds to cover the past wrongdoings. Here The prophet peace be upon him teaches us that one such good deed to keep as a repentant is the Duha prayer, when the timing is a bit late and people started their work.
The Duha prayer also has great rewards mentioned in hadith
The prophet peace be upon him said: (with each day, each one of you has to give sadaqah for each body joint he has. And every Subhan allah is a sadaqah, every Alhamdulilah is sadaqah, every Allahu Akbar is Sadaqah, every La ilaha illa Allah is Sadaqah. And to enjoy good is Sadaqah and to forbid evil is Sadaqah. The smile on the face of your brother is a Sadaqah.
Then he said: Do I tell you of what covers all of that?
they said: Yes
he said: Two Rakat you pray at the time of Duha. ) Sahih Abi-Dawoud
Two Rakat from Duha covers the needed Sadaqah for all of the limbs.
Duha Prayer Niyat
Niyat is a plural of Niyah which means (intention). And as the prophet peace be upon him said (Deeds are by their intentions)
First and foremost the intention of sincerity and doing the deed purely for the sake of Allah is the most important Niyah of all.
then by knowing the different rewards for the deed you can multiple niyat with multiple rewards insha’a Allah
Here are some of Duha Prayer NIyat:
- to repent to Allah
- to do Sadaqah of the day
- to thank Allah for the blessing of the new day
- to thank Allah for the blessing of each joint of the body
- to follow the prophet peace be upon him by doing his sunnah
- To be consistent on a good deed (The most beloved deeds for Allah are the most consistent even if it’s small)
Which Surah to recite in Duha prayer?
In Duha prayer Recite Al-Fatiha and any other short surah after it. There is no specific Surah mentioned in hadith. what to recite in salatul duha depends on every person.
You can read Suratu al-Duha, Suratu Al-Asr, or even Ayat from long Surah; no problem insha’aAllah.
Duha prayer Dua
There is no specific Dua for the Duha prayer but you can say some of the dua that’s mentioned for the morning
for Example:
Arabic: اللهم اني اعوذ بك من الهم والحزن والعجز والكسل والجبن والبخل وضلع الدين وغلبة الرجال
English: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief,
from incapacity and laziness,
from cowardice and miserliness,
from being heavily in debt, and from being overpowered by (other) men.”
Arabic:رب علمني ما ينفعني وانفعني بما علمتني وزدني علما
English: O My lord, Teach me what benefits me, and benefit me with what you have taught me, and increase my knowledge
Arabic:اللهم إني أسالك علماً نافعاً ورزقاً طيباً وعملاً متقبلاً
English: O Allah! I ask you for beneficial knowledge, good providence, and accepted deeds.
You can also say Istigfar and repentance or general Dua.
Dua after Duha prayer
There is no specific Dua to say after Duha prayer, but you can merge the Duha prayer as the Istikharah prayer and say Dua Istikharah after it
Read more on Istikharah in (Types of Prayers in Islam)
Istikharah can’t be prayed with Fard but there is no reason it cannot be prayed with another Sunnah prayer.
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Conclusion:
Duha prayer is the precious advice given by the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him to his beloved companions.
Two Rakat at the beginning of the day: reminds us of our repentance to Allah, a form of appreciation of Allah’s blessings on us, and a great habit to keep the love of Allah.
But what’s more important than Duha prayer are the five obligatory daily prayers. Make sure to fulfill the obligation before adding extra.
