Asr (prayer)

Asr (Arabic: صلاة العصر) is the 3rd of the 5 mandatory five daily Islamic prayers.

The Asr prayer consists of four obligatory cycles, rak'a. As with Dhuhr, if it is performed in congregation, the imam is silent except when announcing the takbir, i'tidal, and taslim.

The period of Asr begins approximately when the sun is halfway down from noon to sunset (various schools of thought of Islam differ on the starting point; some say that it begins when the shadow of an object equals its actual length plus its shadow during noon, others say that the actual length must be doubled). Asr ends at sunset.

The middle prayer mentioned in the Quran 2:238, is interpreted by Islamic scholars as being either the Asr prayer or the Fajr prayer. Muslims are commanded to protect the middle prayer, meaning that it should be performed at all costs.

Al-Asr is also the title of the 103rd sura of the Qur’ān.

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