Times When Prayer Is Forbidden - Shaykh Salih Al Fawzan

There are five times at which performing prayer is forbidden:

1. The first time starts from the second ( the factual ) time of dawn to sunrise. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

" When the dawn breaks, no prayer is to be performed except the two rak'ahs ( units of prayer ) of the Fajr Prayer ( i.e. the supererogatory rak'ahs of the Fajr prayer.)

Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, And other compilers of Hadith

Therefore, when the dawn breaks, one should not perform any supererogatory pray except the two rak'ahs of the Fajr prayer.

2. The second time starts from the time of sunrise until the sun reaches the height of a spear in ones sight, above the horizon.

3. The third time starts from the time when the sun is at its height at midday until it passes over the meridian. This time is known as the time when shade stops' i.e. it does not increase nor does it decrease until it starts moving towards the west. 'Uqbah ibn Amir narrated,

" There are three times at which Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade us to perform prayer, or bury our dead ( and they are ) when the sun begins to rise until it is fully up, when the sun is at the height at midday until it passes over the meridian, and when the sun draws near to setting until it sets."

Related by Imam Muslim

4 The fourth time starts from the time of the Asr' ( Afternoon ) prayer until the sun sets , as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said :

" No prayer should be performed after the Fajr prayer until the sun rises and no prayer should be performed after the 'Asr prayer until the sun sets."

Related by Al Bukhari and Muslim

5 The fifth time starts from the time when the sun starts setting until it sets.

The Muslim person should know that it is permissible for one to make up for the missed prayers at such ( forbidden ) times. This is based on the Prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم hadith:

" If anyone misses a prayer out of oversleeping or forgetfulness, he must perform it once he remembers."

Related by Al Bukhari and Muslim

It is also permissible for one to perform the two rak'ahs of tawaf ( circumambulating the ka'bah ) at such times as the Prophet  صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

" Do not prevent anyone from circumambulating this House ( i.e. the Ka'bah ) and from performing prayer any moment he desires by day or by night ."

Related by At Tirmidhi who deems it a sahih ( authentic ) hadith.

So this is regarded as a permission from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to perform circumabulation at all times at which prayer is forbidden. this is because circumambulation is permissible at all times, and so are its two rak'ahs.

According to the most acceptable opinion of the scholars, it is permissible at these times to perform prayer that have special causes, such as Funeral Prayer, Mosque greeting Prayer ( which is performed upon entering the mosque ) and the Eclipse prayer. There are legal proofs supporting this permissibility which are considered specific exceptions to the general rule of forbidding performing prayer at such times. Thus forbidding performing prayer at such times means that it is forbidden to perform prayer with no special reason. Accordingly it is not permissible to perform a supererogatory prayer which has no specific reasons at such times.

Furthermore it is permissible to perform the two supererogatory rakahs ( units of prayer ) of the Fajr Prayer after performing the Fajr prayer. It is also permissible to perform the two supererogatory rak'ahs of the Zhur prayer after performing the Asr prayer, especially when one combines the Zhur and Asr prayers.This is based on the fact that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم made up for the two supererogatory rak'ahs of the Zhur prayer after the Asr prayer.

A Summary of Islamic Jurisprudence

Ash Sheykh Salih Al Fawzan

Vol.1

pgs 185-187