Is it permissible to delay the performance of the 'Isha' prayer on the grounds that the time between Maghrib and 'Isha' is short?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Some people, as we hear in the newspapers, are demanding that the 'Isha' prayer be delayed because the time between Maghrib and 'Isha' is very short and does not allow people to benefit from it. Is this excuse acceptable?
Answer:
It is not acceptable. Muslims pray when the time for 'Isha' enters, because that is more convenient for them, and the prayer is not delayed for the sake of one or two people who prefer it. This delay may have occurred in Ramadan, specifically for the sake of breaking the fast, and for this reason it happens in Ramadan particularly. But in other than Ramadan, people do not pray according to their custom at the beginning of the time, because that is the easiest for them and what they are accustomed to.
Some people, as we hear in the newspapers, are demanding that the 'Isha' prayer be delayed because the time between Maghrib and 'Isha' is very short and does not allow people to benefit from it. Is this excuse acceptable?
Answer:
It is not acceptable. Muslims pray when the time for 'Isha' enters, because that is more convenient for them, and the prayer is not delayed for the sake of one or two people who prefer it. This delay may have occurred in Ramadan, specifically for the sake of breaking the fast, and for this reason it happens in Ramadan particularly. But in other than Ramadan, people do not pray according to their custom at the beginning of the time, because that is the easiest for them and what they are accustomed to.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل يجوز تأخير إقامة صلاة العشاء بحجة أن الوقت بين المغرب والعشاء قصير؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.