Rak'at in Each Namaz — How Many, and the Three Bohra Sittings

The Fard Rak’at of the Five Daily Namaz

Every Muslim is obliged to offer five namaz each day. The number of obligatory (fard) rak’at in each is fixed and does not change, whether you pray alone or in jamaat. Hold these counts firmly in mind, as everything else builds on them:

1. Fajr — 2 rak’at, offered at dawn before sunrise.
2. Zohr — 4 rak’at, offered after the sun passes its zenith.
3. Asr — 4 rak’at, offered in the afternoon.
4. Maghrib — 3 rak’at, offered just after sunset.
5. Isha — 4 rak’at, offered in the night.

That gives seventeen fard rak’at in a full day. These counts are settled and agreed; what differs between schools is chiefly how the prayers are grouped through the day and which voluntary rak’at accompany them.

The Three Bohra Sittings

Dawoodi Bohras, following the Fatimid Ismaili fiqh set out in Da’a’im al-Islam, gather the five namaz into three sittings rather than praying at five separate stops. The fard counts above stay exactly the same — they are simply offered together while each prayer’s valid time still holds:

1. Fajr — prayed by itself at dawn (2 rak’at fard).
2. Zohrain — Zohr and Asr offered together around midday and the afternoon (4 + 4 fard).
3. Maghribain — Maghrib and Isha offered together in the evening (3 + 4 fard).

This combining of Zohr with Asr, and of Maghrib with Isha, is the established Bohra practice and rests on the recognised permissibility of joining these pairs. Prayer times are reckoned by the Fatimid (Misri) calculation, which is why the timetable in this app may differ slightly from other communities’ charts.

Alongside the fard, the community offers accompanying sunnat and nafl rak’at with each sitting — for example nafl before and after the fard and the witr in the night sitting. The precise number, sequence, and names of these voluntary rak’at are laid out in the Mansak and are best learned by praying alongside the jamaat.

Putting It Together, and Confirming the Method

A simple way to remember the day: one sitting at dawn, one at midday, one in the evening — Fajr, Zohrain, Maghribain. The fard never change (2, 4, 4, 3, 4); the sittings only change when and how you group them.

If you are travelling or unwell, the counts may be shortened or adjusted under separate rules — see the linked guides on qasr and combining for travellers.

Finally, treat this page as a study aid, not the final word. The authoritative method for the rak’at, the combining of prayers, and the exact sunnat and nafl offered with each sitting is the community Mansak. Please confirm the details with your aamil saheb so that your namaz follows the practice of the Dawat exactly.

See also: Niyyat Of Salat, Daily Salat Times Explained, Nawafil And Sunnah Prayers, Salat Al Musafir Combining