There are times when we move until night, staying up late, tired because of many tasks that are not far away, then late sleeping, which causes the next day late to get up and get out of bed to perform the Fajr prayer. What if it happens to you? What is the time limit for obligatory prayers and sunnah set? Can we still pray at dawn when the sun has risen? Through this article, it is hoped that all questions and doubts can be answered.

Time Limit for Compulsory Prayers and Sunnah

If we know the time limit for obligatory prayers and sunnah, we are confident about performing prayers, especially compulsory prayers. As a start, this article will answer the question: can we still and should pray at dawn when the sun has risen?

The answer is yes. Allah Almighty. has determined the time of prayer, as it is said in Surah An-Nisa verse 103, which reads:

“Indeed, prayer is a timed obligation upon believers.”

However, some conditions allow us to perform the Fajr prayer when the sun has risen, and the procedures for performing it are as follows:

For those of you who accidentally wake up late in the morning then immediately perform morning prayers. In this case, you will not get the sin of accidentally waking up late.

This case happened to the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he was on his way. The entourage of the Prophet (peace be upon him) fell asleep until sunrise. Seeing that there was already a new sunrise, the Prophet immediately ordered Bilal to call for prayer and iqamah. Finally, the Prophet and his companions immediately performed the morning prayer.

Baca juga: Ayat Al-Quran Tentang Zakat yang Bergandengan dengan Perintah Shalat

Then, what if there is an element of intentionality to leave the dawn prayer, such as having woken up but not immediately performing the prayer?

Scholars argue that if we are in such a situation, it is obligatory to Ghada and repent to Allah Almighty. for deliberately abandoning prayers when the time comes. Then, what about the time limit for other obligatory prayers? Here’s the explanation.

Dhuhr Prayer Times

Linguistically, dzuhr means the time of Zawal, when the sun moves into the middle of the sky towards the direction of its setting in the west. The beginning of the time of the dhuhr prayer is when the sun has shifted from the east, the direction of rise, to the west, the direction of sunset, as explained in the hadith of the Prophet SAW. from the companions of Abdullah bin Amr rodhiyallahu anhu:

“The time of Dhuhr prayer is when the sun slips (towards the direction of its setting) to the shadow of a person as high as it is not yet in the time of Asr” (HR. Muslim No. 612).

Based on the opinion of most scholars, the time limit is up to the length of one’s shadow, such as by height or when it has entered the time of Asr. The postulate is found in the hadith mentioned above. It is instructed to Muslims to synchronize the Dhuhr prayer at the beginning of time, as contained in the hadith of Jabir bin Samuroh rodhiyallau anhu, which reads:

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to perform the Dhuhr prayer when the sun had slipped.” (HR. Muslim no. 618)

Asr Prayer Times

Linguistically, Asr means the time of the afternoon until the sun reddens or the end of the day. The beginning of the Asr prayer time, as agreed by most scholars (jumhur ulama), is if the length of the shadow of something has been such as its height. “… The time of Asr remains as long as the sun has not turned yellow…” (HR. Muslim no. 612)

Even so, there are many opinions of scholars in determining the end of the time of Asr prayer, such as the hadith narrated from Jabir bin Abdillah rodhiyallahu anhu when Jibril’ alihissalam became an imam for the Prophet SAW:

“Jibril came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) when the sun had slipped towards sunset, and he said, ‘Stand up, O Muhammad, and pray Dhuhr. Then, He remained silent until the moment when the length of a person’s shadow was equal to his height. Jibril said, ‘O Muhammad, stand up, pray Asr lah’. Then he stayed until sunset, between these two times were two prayer times in all” (HR. Nasa’i No. 526)

Some argue that the time of Asr remains as long as the sky is still yellowing (HR. Muslim no. 612). The last opinion is found in the hadith of the Prophet (PBUH), narrated by the companion of the Prophet SAW, Abu Hurairah, which reads:

“Whoever finds a rakaat of Asr prayer before sunset has received the Asr prayer” (HR. Bukhori No. 579 and Muslim No. 608).

However, scholars concluded and compromised on the three hadiths that have differences, as follows:

The hadith about the prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Jibril ‘Alaihissalam is understood as the end time of the best time for the Asr prayer, the hadith of Abdullah bin Amr is understood as an explanation of when the Asr prayer can still be performed, and the time of the hadith of Abu Hurairah as an explanation of the time of the Asr prayer if pressed, which will makruh, sharia to forsake a certain act. Do the Asr prayer at the time stipulated in the hadith except for the person with udzur. This Islamic term describes the various obstacles that cause a Muslim to be given leniency in performing his obligatory worship, especially prayer.  So, praying at that time was not makruh, sharia to forsake a certain act.

Maghrib Prayer Times

Maghrib prayer is performed at sunset; when asked when the initial time to perform Maghrib prayers, Muslims agree on one answer, namely when the sun has set until the sun has completely set.

Even so, scholars still debate about the end of Maghrib prayer time. However, the most accepted opinion by scholars is that of Sufyan ats Tsauri, Imam Ahmad, Ishaq, Abu Tsaur, Mahzab Hanafi, as well as some Shafi’i mahzab, the way of thought or method taken by one of the Islamic scholars (Imam Mujtahid) in establishing the law of an event based on the Qur’an and Hadith, which postulates (from the hadith of Abdullah bin ‘Amr rodhiyallahu ‘anhu):

“The time of maghrib prayer is as long as it has not lost its red light when the sun sets” (HR. Muslim No. 612).

Isha Prayer Time

Scholars agree that the initial time of Isha’s prayer is as if there has been a lost red light in the sky. There are several opinions about the end of the Isha prayer, but the most appropriate one is found in the hadith of Abu Qotadah, which is until dawn.

The question of the time of obligatory prayer is answered so that we better understand the rules that have been established and their propositions. Indeed, the best time to pray is at the beginning of time. This obligation is much more complete if you also carry out the obligation of zakat to help those in need. You can go directly to Dompet Dhuafa to set aside some of your income for good.