Fajr prayer

The Fajr prayer (صَلَاةُ الْفَجْر) is the salah (daily Islamic prayer) offered in the early morning. Consisting of 2 rak'a, it is performed between the break of dawn and sunrise. It is one of two prayers mentioned by name in the Quran. Due to its timing, Islamic belief holds the Fajr prayer to be of great importance. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims begin fasting with the Fajr prayer.

Format
The Fajr prayer consists of 2 rak'a, in which the recitation of the Quran is done aloud. The time at which the Fajr prayer must be offered is from the beginning of dawn to sunrise. Early Islamic sources and narrations from the prophet Muhammad do not use astronomical calculations with regards to the times of prayer, and the term most frequently used to describe the beginning of the Fajr prayer is 'true dawn', a reference to twilight. Twilight is defined according to the solar elevation angle, which is the position of the geometric center of the Sun relative to the horizon. The solar elevation angle at which the time of Fajr begins varies within schools of Islamic jurisprudence between 18.5 and 12 degrees.

Sunni Islam
Within Sunni Islam, performing the Fajr prayer in congregation is considered a deed of great reward. Additionally, a sunnah prayer of 2 rak'a may be performed prior to the Fajr prayer, and is highly recommended as the Islamic prophet Muhammad is known to have consistently prayed them. The sunnah prayer may be performed following the mandatory prayer in certain circumstances.