How to Delay the Midday Prayer and Its Time

Question : One of the reasons is the intense heat on summer days with regard to the midday prayer. When the heat becomes intense, one should delay the prayer to cool down, because the intense heat is from the scorching heat of Hell, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said. So how does one delay the prayer to cool down? Until when?

Answer : Until you aim for it. Not until half an hour has passed, but until the weather cools down, meaning until close to the afternoon prayer. It is established in al-Bukhari and others that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) So he said, "Delay it," and he delayed it. Then he stood up to call the adhan, and he said, "Delay it," and he delayed it, until we saw the position of the sun, meaning its setting, and the sight of the sun's setting in summer days does not occur except late. Then he said, "Answer," which indicates that delaying the midday prayer is not as some people do today, where they delay it by an hour after the sun passes its zenith and then pray. Delaying it by an hour after the sun passes its zenith means the heat is intense. Therefore, those who measure the air temperature, when do they measure it during the day? One hour after the sun passes its zenith, at one o'clock. The measure of the highest temperature is one o'clock in the afternoon, and the measure of the lowest temperature is one o'clock after midnight. So the result is that delaying the prayer does not mean that we delay it after the sun passes its zenith at one o'clock. For example, if the sun passes its zenith in summer days, in summer days it passes at five and ten minutes. If you delay it until six o'clock, it does not reach seven o'clock, perhaps it does not reach seven and a half, or after that, meaning one hour before the afternoon prayer is possible. But delaying it by an hour after the sun passes its zenith is not delaying for cooling. It must be at a time when the weather cools down, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says What do you do with the prayer? He said, "Delay it," meaning do not pray it except at a time when the weather cools down. It is said "delay" meaning to begin in coolness, and it is said "enter Najd" meaning to enter the region of Najd, and it is said "harvest the crop" meaning the time for its harvest has come.