Salat (Prayer)

Time for Fajr prayers (Dawn)

153 - Just before the time of Fajr Adhan a column of whitness rises upwards from the east it is called the first dawn. When this whiteness spreads it is called the second dawn, and is the prime time for Fajr prayer.

Midday (Zuhr)

154 - The shadow of a stick or anyting similar to it, which is made to stand on a level ground will fall westwards when the sun rises in the morning and as the sun continues to rise the shadow will reduce in size. When the shadow becomes the smallest and it begins to get longer again it is known that Zuhr has taken place and it is legally Zuhr and the prime time for beginning of Zuhr prayer(1).

Maghrib

155 - Maghrib is the time when the redness in the estern sky appearing after sunset has passed overhead.

Midnight

156 - In order to calculate the time for midnight which is the end of the time for Isha prayers, it is necessary that the distance between the sunset and dawn is divided inhalf.(2)

Rules regarding Prayer Times

157 - Non daily prayers do have not special times, it depends on the reason which caused that particular prayer to become obligatory such as, Salat-e-Ayaet which depends on earthquakes, solar or lunar eclipses or similar events and Salat-e-Mayyat will become obligatory when any Muslim dies.

158 - If the prayer is offered before the prescribed time or one intentionally offers it before the time one's prayer will be void.

[If the prayer is offered during the prescribed time in Islamic law it is called Adaprayer and if the prayer is offered after the special time it is called Qadha prayer].

159 - Humans should offer prayer during the prescribed times and if one is not offered at that time intentionally one has sinned.

160 - It is mustahab that a person offers prayer at the prime time prescribed for it, alternatively the nearer the prayer is to its prime time, the better, except where there is good reason for delay, such as waiting to join the prayer in conregation (Namaz-e- Jamaat).

161 - If the time left for prayer is so little that if one performs some recomended acts (Mustahab acts ) of the prayers, an obligatory part of the prayer will fall beyond the prescribed time, one should not perform those Mustahab acts, such as if on account of reciting Qunnut a part of the prayer will lapse beyond time, one should do without Qunnut.

162 - One should always offer Asr prayers after the Zuhr prayers, and the Isha prayers after Maghrib prayers.  If one intentionally offers Asr prayer before Zuhr prayer, Isha prayer before Maghrib prayer, one's prayer would be void.