In what part of the determined time period of the daily fard prayers is it more virtuous to perform them?

- Will a person who does not perform a prayer at the beginning of its determined time and who dies before the time period of that prayer ends be held responsible?
- If there is enough time for the time period to end and if that person intends to perform it before its time period ends…

Dear Brother / Sister,

A person who dies before the time period of a prayer ends is not held responsible if he has not performed that prayer. It is not fard to perform a prayer as soon as its determined time period starts.  

In what part of the determined time period of the daily fard prayers is it more virtuous to perform them?

Virtuous Time of the Morning Prayer:

It is mustahab to delay the morning prayer until the time when it starts to get bright. The criterion for it is to have enough time for the prayer to be performed again when it becomes necessary before the sun rises. (at-Tabyin – Nasbur-Raya / Zaylai : 1/225.) This criterion is valid throughout the year except for the morning prayer for hajjis in Muzdalifa on the first day of the eid prayer. The believers in Muzdalifa perform the morning prayer at dawn and set off for Mina. (al-Muhit / Radiyuddin Sarakhsi)

The following hadith is reported from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and it is regarded as sound:

"Delay the morning prayer until the time when it starts to get bright because the thawab of it is greater." (Abu Dawud - Tirmidhi - Ibn Majah, Nasai: from Rafi' b. Khudayj)

According to Dawud bin Yazid al-Awdi’s narration from his father, al-Awdi’s father said,

"When Hz. Ali led the morning prayer, we would fear the sun would rise before the prayer ended."

Abdurrahman bin Yazid reports the following:

«We performed the morning prayer with Ibn Masud when it started go get a bit bright.» (Tahawi: Mawaqit as-Salat – Nasbur-Raya / Zaylai.)

Virtuous Time of the Noon Prayer:

When the time period for the noon prayer starts, it can be performed like other prayers. However, it is mustahab to delay it a bit in the hot months of summer and to perform it when its time period starts on short and cold days of winter. (Majmaul-Anhur - Badayi' - al-Kafi)

The reason why it is mustahab to delay the noon prayer a bit in the hot months of summer is to wait for the weather to cool a bit and perform it easily. It is better not to delay prayers except for reasons like that. As a matter of fact, somebody asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh),

"O Messenger of Allah! What is the best deed?"

He said, "To perform the prayer as soon as its time period starts." (Tirmidhi – Daraqutni: from Abdullah bin Umar)

Delaying the noon prayer until it gets a bit cool in the hot months of summer is based on the following hadith:

«Abu Dharr Ghifari narrates: We were on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). When the muezzin wanted to call adhan at the time of the noon prayer, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to him,

«Wait until it gets a bit cool.» The muezzin wanted to call adhan after a while but the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) warned him again. This took place two or three times until we started to see the shadows of the small hills around us. Then, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,   

«The intensity of the temperature reminds the temperature of Hell. Perform the noon prayer when the weather gets cool.» (Bukhari - Muslim: from Abu Dharr)

Intense heat is likened to boiling and increasing temperature of Hell with the intention of reminding people of the intensity of fire there. Allah knows better.

Both a person who performs the noon prayer individually and in congregation can delay it to the same mustahab time. (Sharh Majma' / Ibn Malak)

Virtuous Time of the Afternoon Prayer:

It is mustahab to delay the afternoon prayer until the time the brightness of the sun does not change. That is the time when the shadow of something becomes twice its length – except fay az-zawal. What is meant by change here is not the brightness of the rays but the brightness of the sun that dazzles the eyes according to the majority of fiqh scholars. (al-Hidaya - Fatawa Hindiyya)

The following narration from Rafi’ bin Khadij or Khudayj exists regarding the issue:

"When we performed the afternoon prayer with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), we slaughtered a camel, divided it into parts and ate the meat that was cooked before the sun set." (Bukhari - Muslim: from Rafi' bin Khadij)

As a matter of fact, the views and determinations of mujtahid imams reported above are like that too.

If the prayer starts when the sun is still bright and if this brightness disappears before the prayer ends, the prayer is not regarded to have been performed at the time of karahah.

Virtuous Time of the Evening Prayer:

It is generally regarded mustahab to perform the evening prayer as soon as its time period starts because there are hadiths advising it reported through various ways and most of them are regarded as sound.

«My ummah will be doing good as long as they perform the evening prayer as soon as its time period starts and they delay the night prayer.» (Abu Dawud – Nasbur-Raya / Zaylai: Hadithun gharibun.)

«My Ummah will continue to adhere to the Fitrah so long as they do not delay the Maghrib until the stars have come out.» (Ibn Majah: from Abbas bin Abdilmuttalib)

Virtuous Time of the Night Prayer:

It is mustahab for those who are not tired and sleepy to delay the night prayer to the one-third of the night. 

The following is stated in the sound narration regarding the issue.

«If it were not that it would be difficult on my ummah, I would order them to use miswak for each prayer and to delay the night prayer until one-third of the night.» (Tirmidhi / Taharah, Nasai / Siyam)

It is mustahab to delay witr prayer to the end of the night if a person is sure to wake up. It is mustahab for a person who is not sure to wake up to perform witr prayer before he goes to bed. (at-Tabyin - Fatawa Hindiyya - Ibn Abidin)

On the days when the weather is cloudy:

It is more appropriate to perform the morning prayer when the dawn becomes bright, the noon prayer by delaying it a bit, the afternoon prayer as soon as its time period starts and the evening prayer by delaying it a bit. However, that is appropriate for those who do not have punctual watches.

The issue mentioned above is regarded mustahab for those who determine time by the sun because it is possible to perform the noon prayer before zawal, the afternoon prayer at the time of karahah, and the evening prayer before the sun sets on cloudy days. However, it is possible to determine prayer times through calendars based on time today.

It is mustahab to perform the night prayer as soon as its time period starts in rainy and snowy weather because it will be difficult to go to mosque if it is delayed. (al-Muhit / Radiyuddin Sarakhsi)

(Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: 1/190-193)

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