Dhuhr (prayer)
Dhuhr is one of the five daily mandatory Islamic prayers. It is observed after Fajr and before Asr, between the zenith of noon and sunset, and contains 4 rak'a.
On Friday, the Zuhr prayer is replaced or preceded by Friday prayer which is obligatory for Muslim men who are above the age of puberty and meet certain requirements to pray in congregation either in a mosque or with a group of Muslims. The sermon is delivered by the imam.
Performance
The Dhuhr prayer consists of four compulsory rak'a. In addition, there is a voluntary Sunnah prayer, although the details of it vary by branch of Islam. In Dhuhr, Al-Fatiha and the additional surah are to be read quietly or in a whisper.The Hanafi school believes there are four rak'a before the compulsory prayer and two rak'a after the compulsory prayer of confirmed sunnah prayer. The Hanafi school also believes there are 4 rak'a of non-confirmed sunnah prayer after the compulsory prayer. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools believe there are two rak'a of confirmed sunnah prayer before the compulsory prayer, and two additional rak'a before and after the compulsory prayer as non-confirmed sunnah prayer. In the Maliki school, there is confirmed sunnah prayer before and after the compulsory prayer. There is no limit to the amount of rak'a for these, but it is recommended for it to be at least two rak'a, and it is better to pray four rak'a.