Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to f…

Islam > Hadiths > Jurisprudence and juristic principles > Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

Hadith narrated by Narrated by Muslim

Authenticity grade : Authentic

Hadith text: Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace a…

عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ الْجُهَنِيَّ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: ثَلَاثُ سَاعَاتٍ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَنْهَانَا أَنْ نُصَلِّيَ فِيهِنَّ، أَوْ أَنْ نَقْبُرَ فِيهِنَّ مَوْتَانَا: حِينَ تَطْلُعُ الشَّمْسُ بَازِغَةً حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ، وَحِينَ يَقُومُ قَائِمُ الظَّهِيرَةِ حَتَّى تَمِيلَ الشَّمْسُ، وَحِينَ تَضَيَّفُ الشَّمْسُ لِلْغُرُوبِ حَتَّى تَغْرُبَ.

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid us from praying or burying our deceased ones in them: when the sun begins to rise until it has fully risen; when the sun is at its zenith until it begins to decline; and when the sun starts setting until it has fully set.

Explanation of the hadith: Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace a…

Lessons: Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace a…

• The times when prayer is prohibited, as indicated by this and other Hadīths, are as follows: 1. After the Fajr prayer until the sun rises. 2. When the sun is rising until it ascends to the height of a spear by the sight of the eye, approximately 15 minutes. 3. When the sun is at its zenith, directly overhead, until it starts to decline. This is when there is no shadow to the east or the west, estimated by some to last about five minutes. 4. After the ‘Asr prayer until the sun sets. 5. When the sun turns yellow until it sets.
• The prohibition of praying during these five specified times excludes obligatory prayers and those performed for specific reasons.
• The prohibition of intentionally delaying burial until these three restricted times mentioned in the Hadīth, while permitting burial at any other time during the day or night.
• The wisdom behind the prohibition of praying during these times: The fundamental principle is that a Muslim submits to the commands of Allah and avoids His prohibitions as an act of worship and does not stop acting upon them until he fully understands the wisdom or reason behind them. Rather, he must submit. Other Hadīths have clarified some of the rationales behind this: 1. At the time of noon, just before the sun passes its zenith, it is a time when Hellfire is intensely heated. 2. As for the rationale behind the prohibition of praying during sunrise and sunset, it lies in avoiding imitation of the polytheists, who prostrate to the sun when it rises and when it sets. 3. As for the prohibition of prayer after Fajr prayer until sunrise and after ‘Asr prayer until sunset, it serves to block any means of resemblance with the disbelievers. A Muslim avoids imitating them in their polytheism, as they prostrate to the sun during its rising and setting.

Categories : Times Not to Pray