Prayer Times
Obligated Prayers:
1) Morning prayer (Salat AL Sobh).
2) Noon prayer (Salat AL Dhuhr).
3) Afternoon prayer (Salat AL Asr).
4) Sunset prayer (Salat AL Maghrib).
5) Night prayer (Salat AL ᶦIshaᶦ).
Prayer times:
●Jabir ibn Abd-Allah reported: The Prophet used to pray the noon prayer at
midday, the afternoon prayer when the sun was still hot, and the sunset prayer
after sunset. The night prayer was offered early if people gathered, and used to
be delayed if their number was less, and the morning prayer was offered when it
was still dark.
- Each prayer time has four degrees relating to its provision: great reward time, permissible time, disliked time,
and prohibited time.
For example: Suppose that the
noon prayer call is at 12 p.m. and the afternoon prayer call is at 3 p.m. Great reward time starts after
the noon prayer call. The prayer is still permissible till disliked time starts
at 2.30 p.m. If the afternoon prayer call is due and the noon prayer has not
been performed, this will be the prohibited time.
◊ Whoever is
lazy about noon prayer till afternoon prayer call is due, he commits a great
sin.
God says
﴾Indeed, prayer has been
decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times﴿ Chapter of Women. And He also says ﴾So woe to those
who pray(4)[But] who
are heedless of their prayer﴿(5) Chapter of
Neighborly Needs (Surat AL-Maaoon).
- If the one who has not performed the noon prayer dies, he will go to
hell.
- Delaying prayer beyond its time, without an excuse, necessitates
seeking forgiveness of Allah from
this sin and performing the missed prayer.
Means of seeking forgiveness:
* Performing Sunnah prayers, or paying optional charity, or optional
fasting, or reading Qurᶦan.
* Then, seeking forgiveness of Allah and promising Him
not to do so again.
An important question is remaining: Will Allah accept
his repentance? And if he repeated it intentionally, would Allah accept his repentance?
The answer for this question is
unknown, as Allah forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills.
A Muslim has only to avoid these problems and perform prayers on their
times.
●Abdullah ibn Masᶦud
reported that the polytheists kept the Messenger of Allah on the Day of the Battle of the Trench (AL
Khandaq) from the afternoon prayer till the sun became red or it became
yellow. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said: “They have
distracted us from (performing) the middle prayer. May Allah fill their bellies and
their graves with fire.” Ibn Masᶦud says, “Then, the Prophet
performed it between the sunset prayer and the night prayer.”
●Abdullah ibn Masᶦud
reported: I said: “O Messenger of Allah,
which of the deeds is nearer to Paradise?” He (the Prophet) replied: “Prayer at its proper time (at the beginning
of its time).” [Muslim].
●It was narrated
from Abi-Hurairah that the Prophet said, “Shall
I not tell you something by which Allah erases sins and elevates (your)
ranks?” They said: “Yes, O
Messenger of Allah.” He
said, “Performing ablution thoroughly in spite
of difficult circumstances, frequent going to the mosque, and waiting eagerly
for the next prayer after a prayer is over; indeed that is the firm hold (AL
Ribat).” [Muslim].
●Anas ibn Malik
reported: the Messenger of Allah
said, about those who delay the afternoon prayer, “That is how hypocrites pray: One of them sits until the
sun becomes yellow and between the horns of the Devil, then rises and prays
four prayer units quickly, hardly remembering Allah in them at all.” [Muslim
and Malik].
۞This division, which we have mentioned, includes all prayers except
sunset and night prayers.
Sunset prayer:
Its time
is specified. It is equivalent to the time required for ablution, prayer call,
and performing five prayer units (three obligatory and two optional units); the
only time remaining after that is the disliked and prohibited time.
And as for night prayer:
Its delaying to midnight is a Sunnah, but it is NOT
delayed to the morning prayer call.
●Abdullah ibn ᶦUmar
(May Allah be pleased
with them) reported: “We stayed one night waiting for the Messenger of Allah to pray the night prayer.
He came to us when one-third of the night or more had passed, and he said when
he came out: ‘You are waiting for a prayer for
which the followers of no other religion are waiting. Were it not a burden on my people, I would
have normally led them in prayer at this time.’ Then he ordered the
caller to prayer (AL-Muᶦadhin) who declared that the time of the prayer
had come.” [Muslim].
●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said: “If it were not that it would be too difficult for my
people, I would have ordered you to delay night prayer until the third of the
night, or its half.” [Ahmad,
AL-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah].
