The Time for the Adhan and the Fajr Prayer

Q: The Fajr adhan is called at our place one hour and forty minutes before the sunrise, and we pray the Fajr prayer about twenty minutes after the adhan, meaning one hour and twenty minutes before the sunrise. Is our prayer in accordance with the Sunnah?

A: Yes, the prayer is valid, if Allah wills; because the general rule is that the time between the appearance of the Fajr dawn and the sunrise is approximately one and a half hours. However, if you delay and pray one hour or one hour and five minutes before the sunrise, that is more cautious and better. The adhan one hour and forty minutes before the sunrise is too early, and it is an adhan before the time. If it is delayed and the adhan is called approximately one and a half hours before the sunrise, that is more cautious regarding the entry of the time. So, if the prayer is one hour or so before the sunrise, that is more cautious for performing the prayer in its time; because the general rule is that the time between the appearance of the Fajr dawn and the sunrise is about one and a half hours, or one and a half hours minus five minutes, or something close to that. So, the believer should be cautious in this matter and not rush, neither in the adhan nor in the prayer. Therefore, delaying is more cautious in such cases so that one is certain of the entry of the time.