Prayers which should be offered sequentially

755. One should always offer Asr prayers after the Zuhr prayers, and the Isha prayers after the Maghrib prayers. If one intentionally offers Asr prayers before Zuhr prayers, or Isha prayers before Maghrib prayers, ones prayers would be void.

756. If a person starts Namaz with the Niyyat of Zuhr prayers, and during the prayers he recollects that he has already offered Zuhr prayers, he is not allowed to change the Niyyat to the Asr prayers. He should abandon that Namaz, and start Asr Namaz. And the same rule applies to the Maghrib and Isha Namaz.

757. If a person somehow becomes sure while offering the Asr prayers that he has not offered the Zuhr prayers, and changes Niyyat to the Zuhr prayers, but later he recollets that he has already offered the Zuhr prayers, he can again revert to Asr, and complete the prayers, as an obligatory precaution, provided that with the Niyyat of Zuhr; otherwise, his prayers will be void, and he has to offer all over again, with new Niyyat of Asr, but as a recommended precaution, he should repeat all of Asr prayers.

758. If, while offering the Asr prayers, a man doubts whether he has offered the Zuhr prayers, he should change his Namaz to Niyyat of Asr. However, if the time is so short, that the sun would set by the time he finishes the prayers, and there would be no time left even for one Rak’at, then it is not necessary to pray Zuhr Namaz as Qadha.

759. While offering Isha prayer, if one doubts, before the 4th Ruku wether he has offered Maghrib prayers, if time is so short that after the end of Namaz it will become mid-night, he must complete the Namaz with the Niyyat of Isha, but if he has more time, he must change the Niyyat to Maghrib prayer and complete the three Rekats and then pray Isha Namaz.

760. If while offering Isha prayers, a person doubts after reaching the Ruku of the 4th Rak’at, whether he has offered Maghrib prayers, he should complete the Isha prayers. Thereafter, he should pray Maghrib, if the time is the special time of Isha, it is not necessary to offer Maghrib.

761. If a person is praying a particular Namaz again as a precaution, and during the prayers he recollects that he has not offered the preceding Namaz, he cannot change Niyyat to that prayers. For examle, when offering the Asr prayers again as a measure of precaution, he recollects that he has not offered the Zuhr prayers, he cannot change Niyyat to Zuhr prayers.

762. It is not permissible to change Niyyat from Qadha to Ada, nor from Mustahab to obligatory prayers.

763. If a person has sufficient time at his disposal to offer prayers within the time, he can, while offering the prayers, change Niyyat to Qadha prayers, provided that it is possible to do so. For example, if he is offering Zuhr prayers, he can change to Qadha of dawn prayers, only when he has not entered the Ruku of the third Rak’at.