Is it permissible to perform the Friday prayer before the sun reaches its zenith?
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Question:
Regarding the statement: "We did not take a nap or eat lunch until after the Friday prayer," is there evidence in this for the permissibility of performing the Friday prayer before the sun reaches its zenith?
Answer:
No, it is not explicit; it is not explicit. Some scholars have cited it as evidence for this, but it is not explicit. This is because they hasten to the Friday prayer, and hastening leads to delaying the nap until after the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) usually established the prayer when the sun had passed its zenith; this is what is known of him (peace and blessings be upon him). He would hasten to it from the time the sun passed its zenith, and when they had prayed, they would rest their mounts and rest themselves.
However, there are other pieces of evidence that some scholars cite for its permissibility before the sun reaches its zenith, such as the hadith of the hours, which states that after the fifth hour, the angels are present listening to the remembrance. This and other hadiths in this chapter may yield some of this ruling.
But the most cautious position, which is the position of the majority, is that it is not to be prayed except after the sun reaches its zenith. This is the position of the majority of scholars.
Q: What if one prays a little before the sun reaches its zenith?
The Shaykh: It is valid; the correct view is that it is valid, because it is the sixth hour.
Regarding the statement: "We did not take a nap or eat lunch until after the Friday prayer," is there evidence in this for the permissibility of performing the Friday prayer before the sun reaches its zenith?
Answer:
No, it is not explicit; it is not explicit. Some scholars have cited it as evidence for this, but it is not explicit. This is because they hasten to the Friday prayer, and hastening leads to delaying the nap until after the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) usually established the prayer when the sun had passed its zenith; this is what is known of him (peace and blessings be upon him). He would hasten to it from the time the sun passed its zenith, and when they had prayed, they would rest their mounts and rest themselves.
However, there are other pieces of evidence that some scholars cite for its permissibility before the sun reaches its zenith, such as the hadith of the hours, which states that after the fifth hour, the angels are present listening to the remembrance. This and other hadiths in this chapter may yield some of this ruling.
But the most cautious position, which is the position of the majority, is that it is not to be prayed except after the sun reaches its zenith. This is the position of the majority of scholars.
Q: What if one prays a little before the sun reaches its zenith?
The Shaykh: It is valid; the correct view is that it is valid, because it is the sixth hour.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.