Zuhr has 4 fard rakats (the obligatory part of the prayer).

However, when people ask “how many rakats in Zuhr,” many scholars and guides include the regular Sunnah and optional units as well, which makes the full common routine:

  • 4 Sunnah (before fard)
  • 4 Fard (obligatory)
  • 2 Sunnah (after fard)
  • 2 Nafl (optional, extra reward)

That brings the total often taught to 12 rakats , but only 4 of them are fard and strictly required.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.