The Duha Prayer

Not to be confused with the Dhuhr (لظُّهْر‎) prayer which is one of our five obligatory prayers, the Duha (الضحى) prayer is sunnah. Abu Hurayrah  reported:

“My beloved (the Prophet SAWS) advised me to do three things, which I will never abandon so long as I live: to fast three days of each month, to pray two rakʿahs of Duha prayer, and not to sleep until I pray Witr” (Bukhari). 

So, how do we perform the Duha prayer and be among those who repent often? Firstly, the timing is important. Duha literally means the morning hours or forenoon. It starts 15 minutes after sunrise and lasts until 15 minutes before the obligatory Dhuhr prayer, which means there is a wide space of time in which it can be prayed. Duha prayer is a minimum of two rakat, and there is a difference of opinion among the scholars about whether it is a maximum of eight rakat or an unlimited number. Duha prayer is performed in the same way as Fajr and most of the other sunnah prayers.

If you are new to the Doha prayer, a simple way of implementing it is to make wudhu ready for Dhuhr half an hour before its time and pray two rakat. Although the Prophet (SAWS) said:

“If anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the dawn prayer till he prays the two rakat of the forenoon prayer, saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven even if they are more than the foam of the sea” (Abu Dawud).

Therefore, there is a lot of reward in staying awake until 15 minutes after the end of Fajr to pray the Duha prayer.   

While it is not compulsory, the benefits of the Duha prayer are also highlighted in the following hadith: Ibn Khuzaymah has reported that Prophet Mohammed (SAWS) said:

“None is diligent in establishing Duha prayer except one who is oft-repentant, and it is the prayer of the oft-repentant” (Muslim).