The Fajr prayer is the dawn daily prayer recited by practicing Muslims. It is the first of the five daily prayers (salah). The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of (the ten) Furoo-ul-deen, according to Shia Islam.
The Fajr prayer is mentioned by name in the Qur'an at 24:58. And is considered by Muslims to be more precious than their entire lives, inspired by the tafsir of the two hadiths that were transmitted on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad which explain the worth of the Fajr daily prayer as being God's most-favoured prayer since others are asleep. This has made the Fajr daily prayer the most essential, yet unobligatory, congregational prayer to be held by Muslims together in groups in mosques.
For both types of Islam, the Fajr prayer requires two Fard raka'ah prayed aloud. However, in Sunni Islam, two Sunnah raka'ah are highly recommended prior to the two Fard raka'ah.
The time period within which the Fajr daily prayer must be recited is as follows:
- At the beginning of dawn1
- At the beginning of sun-rise.
This makes the Fajr prayer an indication of the beginning of the Muslim daily obligatory fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
1Note: There are differing opinions on what angle to use to calculate dawn. The two popular angles are 15 and 18 degrees below the horizon, yet others use 12.