The Creed of Compassion-Islamic Teachings & Answering Doctrinal Misconceptions

Issue No.676- Maghrib and ‘ishā’ prayers each have their own exclusive and common times. The exclusive time for maghrib prayer is from the beginning of maghrib until the time enough to offer three rak‘ats. If a person is a traveller and he offers, though inadvertently, the whole ‘ishā’ prayer in this time, it will be void. The exclusive time for ‘ishā’ prayer is the time enough for offering ‘ishā’ prayer until midnight, and if someone delays offering maghrib prayer until this time, he should offer ‘ishā’ prayer first and then offer the qaḍā of maghrib prayer. The time in between is the common time for maghrib and ‘ishā’ prayers. If a person offers ‘ishā’ prayer before maghrib prayer in this time by mistake and takes notice of it after completing the prayer, his prayer will be valid, and he should offer maghrib prayer thereafter.

Issue No.680- If a person intentionally does not offer maghrib and ‘ishā’ prayers until midnight, he should perform the qaḍā of those prayers. However, if he has not offered the prayers due to an excuse, he should offer them, before the fajr prayer and his prayers will be adā (i.e., on time).

Issue No.682- One can start offering prayer only when he becomes certain that the time has set in or when at least one just (‘ādil) person gives information about the time having set in. The adhān of a reliable person who knows the timings will also suffice. In case one considers it highly probable, through other means (either by a correct watch or by something else), that the time has set in, that will also suffice.

Issue No.687- If the time for offering prayer is so short that if one performs some of the recommended acts of the prayer (e.g., qunūt and iqāmah) a part of the prayer will be performed after the prescribed time, he should not perform those recommended acts.

Issue No.688- If the time is enough for performing one rak‘at only, he should offer the prayer with the intention of adā (in time). However, it is haram to delay offering the prayer to such a point. Therefore, if a person has enough time for offering five rak‘ats until sunset, he should offer both ẓuhr and ‘aṣr prayers as adā. The same ruling applies to the other prayers.

Issue No.689- It is highly mustaḥab that a person offers the prayers in their meritorious time [1], and great stress has been laid on it, and the nearer the prayer is to the meritorious time, the better it is.

Issue No.693- If one comes to know that the mosque has become najis, it is better that he make the mosque ṭāhir first and then offer prayer. Similarly, if his creditor demands repayment of his loan from him, he should repay the loan first, if possible, and then offer the prayer. If the prayer and its preliminaries take a lot of time, it is obligatory that he first make the mosque ṭāhir and repay his loan and then offer the prayer. If he offers his prayer first, he has committed a sin, but his prayer is in order. However, if the time left for prayer is short, he should offer the prayer first.

Issue No.694- It is mustaḥab for a person to offer the daily prayers in five times. That is to say, each prayer should be offered at its meritorious time [1]. It is not sufficient to observe only as much time as mustaḥab prayers (nawāfil) or supplications take after the prayers rather the criterion, is only the meritorious time which is to be explained in the following issue.

Issue No.697- If a person engages in prayer with the intention of the ẓuhr prayer, and during the prayer, he recollects that he has already offered ẓuhr prayer, he is not allowed to change the intention to the ‘aṣr prayer and his prayer is void in this case, and the same rule applies to maghrib and ‘ishā’ prayers. However, if he makes the intention for ‘aṣr prayer and during the prayer he recollects that he has not offered ẓuhr prayer yet, he can change the intention to ẓuhr prayer, regardless of where he remembers such. Similarly, if one has started offering ‘ishā’ prayer and during the prayer, recollects that he has not offered maghrib prayer, if he recollects before the rukū‘ of the fourth rak‘at, he is allowed to change the intention to maghrib prayer, but if it is after the fourth rukū‘, he should complete the prayer with the intention of ‘ishā’ and thereafter he should offer the maghrib prayer and as an obligatory precaution, should also redo the ‘ishā’ prayer.

Issue No.699- It is not permissible to change intention from qaḍā to adā (i.e., prayer offered within the prescribed time), nor from recommended to obligatory prayer. However, it is permissible to change one’s intention from adā to qaḍā. As a matter of fact, if the qaḍā prayer is the qaḍā of the prayer missed on the same day, the obligatory precaution is that one changes the intention from adā to qaḍā, and thereafter offers the adā prayer. Of course, this is only when it is possible to change the intention. For example, he can change his intention from ẓuhr prayer to qaḍā of fajr prayer only when he has not entered the third rak‘at of the ẓuhr prayer.

A) The time for Friday prayer starts from the ẓuhr adhān for as much time it takes usually to recite the adhān, deliver the sermons and offer the prayer. Therefore, after this time frame, the time of Friday prayer will be over, and ẓuhr prayer must be offered.

B) The ruling of Friday prayer applies to those within two farsakhs (about 11 KMs) of it, therefore, in situations where the Friday prayer is mandatory upon each and every person, he will have to attend if he is within this distance.