Q&A for How to Perform Ishraq Prayer

You do it in sets of 2 raqaas, that's how most non-faridah prayers are performed.

That depends on the mosque. Facilities for women may not be available or may not be open at that time. Islam does not forbid women who want to pray at the mosque, but it encourages them to pray at home. Contact your mosque to find out if they offer such facilities.

The time for performing Salah al-Ishraq commences approximately twenty minutes after sunrise, when the sun is above the horizon approximately the length of a spear and the sun becomes so bright it becomes difficult to look at directly. It ends at mid-morning (halfway between sunrise and zenith).

Technically, yes, but if you are praying individually, it is better to learn the dua by heart instead of holding a phone in your hand. The phone is home to many things that should be avoided during the prayers.

The best time of performing Ishraq is after Fajar, 15-20 minutes after sunrise.

Yes; Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) used to pray Nafil Namaz at home.

No. For any prayer, only recite a short surah for the first 2 ruka'at.

Yes. It is necessary to recite a Sura after fatiha; not only nafil, but in all prayers except 3rd and 4th raka(th) of Farz namaz.

It is always best for men and boys to perform their prayers in the mosque, while women and girls should pray at home.

The time ends 20 minutes before midday. Please note that midday may not be noon; it's halfway between sunrise and sunset. Calculate based on the timing in your city; for example, if sunrise is at 6:00 AM and sunset is at 8:00 PM, the midday will be 1:00 PM, and thus Ishraq time will end at 12:45 PM, and Zuhur will start after 1:00 PM.

Yes. Prayer and Wadu are both the same for men and women. There is no discrimination based on gender in Authentic Ahadees.

Yes, there is no problem with that but you must recite Surah Fatiha in every raka of every salah.

Ishraq is an optional prayer. If you cannot complete every step perfectly, that's okay. Avoid using your phone for prayer and do the best you can without aid.

Yes. In case of Sunnah and Nafal, prayers you need to pray the surah after surah Fatiha in all 4 rakas. The concession of skipping that is restricted only to Fardh prayers.

Faj'r is the obligatory prayer, you pray anytime from dawn to sunrise. Ashraq is the optional prayer prayed between sunrise to midday i.e, solar noon.

Yes. There is nothing wrong with that. Also Ashraq is not prayed immediately after Faj'r. It is delayed for at least 20 minutes from sunrise.

There is no such issue as staying at the same place. You should pray at as many different places as you can. Those places will witness that you prayed there.

Yes, you can recite as many surahs as you would like but you must recite Surah Fatiha in every rakat. If you don't do that by any chance you will need to repeat your prayer as the Prophet PBUH says: "There is no salah without Fatiha".

There is no difference between the two. Both are same so you can name whatever you want from the two but you'll pray one prayer only.

Yes, Ishraq prayer has 2 more names, which are Duha prayer and Chasht prayer.

Some scholars believe there is a distinction between Ishraq and Duha. (They think Ishraq should be performed immediately after sunrise while Duha should be performed much later.) However, generally the terms are used interchangeably.

Yes. Recite openly, but keep your voice low and quiet so only you can hear yourself.

To properly pray Ishraq, you must remain seated between the Fajr and Ishraq prayers.

Chasht is another name for the prayer, used interchangeably with Ishraq and Duha.

Some believe this is true. Sayyiduna Anas Ibn Malik (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reported that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever offers his Fajr salah in congregation, and then remains seated remembering Allah until after sunrise, and then he offers two rakats of salah (Ishraq), will receive the reward of one complete Hajj and one complete ‘Umrah.’"

You need to recite Surah Fatiha in every salah. There is no prayer without Fatiha. However you do not need to recite anything after Fatiha i.e. any other Surah in the third and fourth rakas of Fardh prayers i.e. Dhur, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.

You cannot beg for any wish within the prayer. In the Tashahud, you can beg, but it needs to be in Arabic. Otherwise, you can beg after you have completed your prayer.

Anybody/everyone can pray ishraq prayer at the right time. The time for Salat al-Ishraq extends from after sunrise (approximately 15 min. after sunrise) and ends before midday when the sun reaches its zenith. However, it is best to perform Salat al-Ishraq early when its time sets in.

Yes, sure. There is no restriction for place, just ensure that the place is neat and clean.

Reading the answers to some of the questions above, Ishraq should be performed right before noon (Chasht/Zenith). Therefore, it seems there has to be a waiting period between Ishraq prayer and Zuhr/Duhr (early afternoon) prayers.