The times of the five daily prayers

The scholars of the whole community agree: Allah has set boundaries for the five prayers, and praying before the time or letting the time pass is not permitted; what passes the time becomes a makeup (qada). Allah says: "the prayer has been enjoined upon the believers at specified hours" (4:103).

The boundaries of the prayer times shown by Jibril

The angel Jibril prayed twice with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at both limits of every time, to show him the boundaries (at-Tirmidhi 149, Abu Dawud 393). A man also came to ask about the times; the Prophet answered: "attend the prayer with us", and Bilal was ordered to call at dawn when dawn appeared, then at midday when the sun declined, and so on (Muslim 613). Ibn 'Umar reports the summarized limits: the time of fajr lasts until the first edge of the sun rises; the time of dhuhr begins when the sun leaves its zenith; the time of isha extends until the middle of the night (Muslim 612).

Delaying the isha prayer

The Prophet delayed isha until the middle of the night (al-Bukhari 546). 'Umar wrote to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: pray isha until a third of the night, and if you delay, until half of it, and do not be among the heedless (reported by Malik in the Muwatta).

The beginning of the prayer time is binding

An-Nawawi summarizes the view of Malik, Ahmad, Dawud and the majority of scholars: the prayer becomes obligatory at the start of its time, and the obligation remains as long as one can pray. The times then extend to their end for the one with an excuse or the negligent person; his prayer is then a makeup.

The forbidden prayer times

'Uqba ibn 'Amir reports that the Prophet forbade praying at three moments: at sunrise until the sun rises higher, at the exact zenith until it inclines, and at sunset (Muslim 831). The Hanafis and the Hanbalis also forbid prayer in the middle of the day. In Mecca, prayer remains allowed at any hour: "do not prevent anyone from circumambulating this House and praying at any hour he wishes, by night or day" (reported by Abu Dawud).

Practical note on the prayer times

Plan your days around the five times rather than the reverse. The time of maghrib is the shortest: pray it without delay. Under a cloudy sky, the displayed times remain your reference and praying early protects against overrun.