The
Zuhr prayer (, , "noon prayer"; also transliterated
Duhr or
Dhuhr) is the prayer after
midday (but before the time for the
Asr prayer.) It has been said that the name Dhuhr was given to this prayer because it falls halfway between two daily prayers, those being Fajr (or Fajer) which denotes the beginning of dawn and Isha, the first instant of complete darkness. Performed daily by practicing
Muslims, it is the second of the five daily prayers (
salat, known to be one of the most important pillars.) The Islamic day begins at
Fajr which is the first prayer. The five daily prayers collectively are one of the
Five Pillars of Islam in
Sunni Islam, and one of the ten
Practices of the Religion (
furūʿ ad-dīn) (فروع الدين) according to
Shia Islam. The Holy Qur'an has reiterated its importance, "Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up truly obedient to Allah". It is reduced to two
rakaʿāt when traveling.