Times of Prayer
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Question:
The questioner says in his second question: In our village mosque, the adhan for the Fajr prayer is called approximately half an hour before its time, based on the calculations of some astrologers, as described by some authors in fiqh. Sometimes the dawn is advanced by at least twenty minutes before its time, and the imam does not wait more than a few minutes after the adhan, so the prayer is established before the time has entered. This contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Also, these calendars list seven times for prayer instead of the five upon which there is consensus. The title of the calendar is "Times of Prayer," meaning the obligatory prayer, and it includes sunrise, the qiblah, and the zenith, which are not known. These times are also not from the Sunnah; they include two extra times, and the Zuhr is named by a name other than its own. What should a Muslim do who wants to observe the time of Fajr as established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? This is the first point, O honorable Shaykh?
Answer:
The times that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) timed and to which the Qur'an points are five. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: [Al-Isra: 78]. Its duloq is its setting; in it are the Zuhr and the 'Asr. [Al-Isra: 78]. In it are the Maghrib and the 'Isha. [Al-Isra: 78]. In it is the Fajr prayer.
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) timed them with authentic hadiths. The time for Fajr is when the dawn appears, the true dawn, until the sun rises; when the sun rises, the time ends. The time for Zuhr is when the sun passes its zenith, when the sun moves from the middle of the sky, until the Maghrib. The time for Zuhr enters until the shadow of every object becomes equal to its length. Then the time for 'Asr enters until the sun turns yellow. Then there remains a time of dire necessity until the sun sets. The time for Maghrib enters when the sun sets and continues until the red twilight disappears in the direction of the west. When the red twilight disappears, the time for 'Isha enters until the middle of the night. What is after the middle of the night is a time of dire necessity. Likewise, after the sun turns yellow in the 'Asr, it is a time of dire necessity.
Therefore, it is obligatory to take what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified, to hold fast to it, and to proceed upon it.
The questioner says in his second question: In our village mosque, the adhan for the Fajr prayer is called approximately half an hour before its time, based on the calculations of some astrologers, as described by some authors in fiqh. Sometimes the dawn is advanced by at least twenty minutes before its time, and the imam does not wait more than a few minutes after the adhan, so the prayer is established before the time has entered. This contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Also, these calendars list seven times for prayer instead of the five upon which there is consensus. The title of the calendar is "Times of Prayer," meaning the obligatory prayer, and it includes sunrise, the qiblah, and the zenith, which are not known. These times are also not from the Sunnah; they include two extra times, and the Zuhr is named by a name other than its own. What should a Muslim do who wants to observe the time of Fajr as established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? This is the first point, O honorable Shaykh?
Answer:
The times that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) timed and to which the Qur'an points are five. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says:
Establish prayer at the setting of the sun
أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِUntil the darkness of the night.
إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِand [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.
وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنََ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًاThen the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) timed them with authentic hadiths. The time for Fajr is when the dawn appears, the true dawn, until the sun rises; when the sun rises, the time ends. The time for Zuhr is when the sun passes its zenith, when the sun moves from the middle of the sky, until the Maghrib. The time for Zuhr enters until the shadow of every object becomes equal to its length. Then the time for 'Asr enters until the sun turns yellow. Then there remains a time of dire necessity until the sun sets. The time for Maghrib enters when the sun sets and continues until the red twilight disappears in the direction of the west. When the red twilight disappears, the time for 'Isha enters until the middle of the night. What is after the middle of the night is a time of dire necessity. Likewise, after the sun turns yellow in the 'Asr, it is a time of dire necessity.
Therefore, it is obligatory to take what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified, to hold fast to it, and to proceed upon it.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.