Question: I
have heard that one should not pray after the ‘Asr prayer until
Maghrib. Is this true?
Answer: According
to the established Sunnah of the Prophet (sws), the only forbidden
times for prayer are sunrise and sunset. This precautionary measure is
meant to curb polytheism, since many nations of antiquity worshiped the
sun at these times. At all other times, prayers can be offered. Consequently,
one can pray between ‘Asr and Maghrib.
It seems that the following Hadith
has led to the belief that no prayer can be offered between ‘Asr
and Maghrib:
The Prophet is reported to have said there is no prayer
after dawn until the sun rises and there is no prayer after ‘Asr until
the sun sets. (Bukhari: Kitabu’l-Salah)
If all the texts of this Hadith are
collected, it comes to light that a part of it has been left out in most
of its texts. This can be observed from the underlined portion of the following
two Ahadith:
The Prophet forbade praying after ‘Asr except
if the sun is high [in the sky]. (Abu Da’ud, Kitabu’l-Salah)
The Prophet forbade praying after ‘Asr except
if the sun is shinning brightly high [in the sky]. (Nasa‘i, Kitabu’l-Mawaqit)
In other words, what the Prophet (sws)
actually forbade was praying very near the time of sunset since this might
accidentally lead a person to pray in the forbidden period of sunset. Consequently,
it is clear from these Ahadith if one intends to pray after ‘Asr,
one should make sure that he does so much before sunset. One has not been
stopped from praying after ‘Asr, as has been inferred by some.
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