When is the time limit for the intention of fasting in Ramadan and other nafilah fasting? Will you give detailed information?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The time for the intention: It starts after the sun sets and continues up to the time just before zawal (when the sun is at its zenith) time. This is the time period for the intention of fasting in Ramadan. (al-Muhit - Sarakhsi - Majmaul-Anhur - Ibn Abidin)

If intention for fasting in Ramadan, a determined fasting of vow and nafilah fasting is made before zawal for the fasting of the day, absolute fasting or nafilah fasting, it becomes permissible. For, no other fasting can be performed that day. We will clarify the issue:

If a person intends for fasting, whether it is Ramadan fasting, absolute fasting or nafilah fasting, after the sun sets and before zawal in the month of Ramadan, this intention is for Ramadan fasting and it is valid. 

Similarly, if a person vows to perform fasting on the fifth of the month that corresponds to Thursday, he is obliged to perform fasting of vow that day; even if he intends for another kind of fasting, nafilah fasting or absolute fasting, it is regarded as fasting of vow. (Jamius-Saghir - Qadihan - Fatawa al-Hindiyya - Quduri - Abul-Hasan)

There is no difference for residents / travelers, ill people and healthy people regarding the issue. (at-Tabyin – Zaylai)

Intention is permissible up to the time just before zawal:

It is permissible for those who have not done any deeds that invalidate fasting before zawal to make intention just before zawal time. However, if they have done any deeds that invalidate fasting after dawn and intend after that, it is not permissible. (Sharh at-Tahawi)

Then, if a person who faints or oversleeps in the evening and wakes up just before zawal and intends when he comes round, that is, before zawal starts, his intention is valid since he has not done any deeds that invalidate fasting. (Sirajul-Wahhaj - al-Badayi' – Qasani)

(see Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: II/201-202.)

 

ZAWAL TIME

It is the time when the sun starts to move from the middle of the sky toward the west. Zawal is derived from the verb "zala", which means to change place, leave, disappear, tend toward the west (for the sun), come to the zenith (for the sun) and go.

The word zawal is used as a fiqh term in determining the time of the noon prayer. For, the time for the noon prayer starts when the sun starts to move from the highest point in the sky toward the west and continues up to the time when the shadow of things becomes equal to those things. This shadow is called fay az-zawal. This first time of the noon is called asr al-awwal. This is the view of Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, Shafii, Malik and Ahmad b. Hanbal. According to Abu Hanifa, the time of noon prayer continues until the shadow of objects doubles. With this, the time for the noon prayer ends and the time for the afternoon prayer starts. This is called "asr ath-thani". When the equivalent of the shadow that things has are calculated, this shadow at the time of zawal is added to its shadow's length.

The starting time for the noon prayer is when the sun starts to move from the highest point toward the west. The evidence for it is the following verse: " Establish regular prayers at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony." (al-Isra', 17/78)

Since the time for the noon prayer starts with zawal, it is necessary to determine the zawal period. For, at the time of zawal, neither a missed fard prayer, nor a missed wajib prayer like witr, nor janazah prayer is performed. Sajdah at-tilawah due to reading a verse of sajdah cannot be performed either. Otherwise, they need to be performed again. On the other hand, nafilah prayers cannot be performed at the time of zawal, either. However, it is makruh but a nafilah prayer performed at the time of zawal does not to have to be performed again. For, this karahah does not invalidate a nafilah prayer. However, it is more virtuous to stop a nafilah prayer performed while the sun is rising, setting and when it is at the zenith and to perform it again after the time of karahah ends. The prohibition about these three time periods aims to prevent acting like the worshippers of the sun.

As for the period of zawal, day is divided into two as "shar'i" and "urfi" in Islam. "Shar'i day" is the time from the second fajr up to the sunset. "Urfi day" is the period between the sunrise and sunset. This difference of opinion regarding the length of the day led to different outcomes in the time period of zawal. According to the first view, urfi day is valid regarding the issue and the full zawal time is called "time of istiwa". This is when the sun is on the head of everybody or at that position. The time of karahah consists of this time period only. According to the second view, "shar'i day" is valid regarding the issue. In "shar'i day","time of istiwa" becomes specific just before zawal time. In that case, the time of karahah is the time period before the time of istiwa up to the time of zawal.

For instance, on the first day of January, the length of the shar'i day between the second fajr and sunset is 11 hours and 10 minutes. The length of the urfi day on the same day is 9 hours 25 minutes. In that case, the middle of the shar'i day, that is, time of istiwa is 5 hours 35 minutes, which corresponds to 3 hours 50 minutes after the sunrise. Therefore, the middle of the shar'i day is 52 days before zawal time. This 52-minute time period is time of karahah. This is the view of Kharzam fiqh scholars.   

Prohibition of performing prayers at the time of zawal is based on the following hadiths: Uqba b. Amir al-Juhani says, "There were three times at which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) forbade us to pray: When the sun begins to rise until it is fully up, when the sun is at its height at midday until it passes over the meridian, and when the sun draws near to setting until it sets." (Muslim, Musafirin, 293; Abu Dawud, 51; Tirmidhi, Janaiz, 41, Mawaqit, 31, 34, Janaiz, 89; Ibn Majah, Janaiz, 30; Darimi, Salat, 142; Ahmad b. Hanbal, IV,152; see Hamdi Döndüren, Delilleriyle İslâm İlmihali, İstanbul 1991, 206, 207, 232-234).

Hamdi DÖNDÜREN

 

FAJR

Fajr is the time when the sun starts to rise, dawn/daybreak before the sunrise.

Lexically, fajr means to rip, to tear. In Arabic, water coming out of soil by ripping it is called infijar. The brightness of the morning, dawn, and breaking of the dawn is called fajr; it is given this name because it causes the brightness to occur by ripping the night and darkness.

Deeds of worshipping like prayer, fasting and hajj are performed at certain periods of time. That is, it is necessary for them to be performed at those determined time periods. These times are determined based on the sun or the moon. For instance, the times of the five daily prayers are determined based on the sun, and the beginning and end of the yearly fasting of Ramadan are based on the moon.  

It is fixed by the verse that the morning, noon, afternoon, evening and night prayers, that is, five daily prayers, need to be performed at their stated times. This is indicated by the following verse in the Quran: "…Prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times." (an-Nisa, 4/103) This causes the prayer of the time to be fard and it becomes a condition of that prayer to be performed at that time period.

However, the beginning and end of those times were determined by hadiths. For instance, the beginning and end of the morning prayer were told us by the Prophet (pbuh). The word fajr tells us about a time period indicating that the time for the morning prayer has come and the time for imsak has started.  

As a fiqh term, fajr means the breaking of dawn and the start of the time for the morning prayer. In the verses and hadiths, it expresses the moment and time when the night ends and the day starts, when the time for the night prayer ends and the time for the morning prayer starts and when the time for eating and drinking for a person who intends to fast (imsak) starts.

The word fajr is mentioned in a few places in the Quran in the sense of time to inform about the time for the morning prayer. The following is stated in the verse that states the beginning time for fasting: "…Eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast till the night appears." (al-Baqara, 2/187) The following is stated in the verse stating that the Night of Power continues up to the time of daybreak: " (The night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn." (al-Qadr, 97/5) Some scholars want to delay the beginning of fasting to the sunrise or they regard the morning prayer as tahajjud prayer and say since the morning prayer can be performed until the sunrise, the time of fasting should start with the sunrise. However, this verse states that the night continues until fajr, that is, daybreak (dawn). When it is dawn, the night ends; therefore, a person who intends to perform fasting must avoid eating, drinking and sexual intercourse after dawn. As a matter of fact, Hz. Aisha states the following: "Bilal used to pronounce the Adhan at night; so, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, 'Carry on eating and drinking until Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the adhan because for he does not pronounce it until it is dawn'" (Bukhari, Sawm, 17) Thus, it is stated that dawn is the beginning time of fasting.

In Islamic fiqh, fajr is divided into two as fajr al-kadhib (false dawn) and fajr as-sadiq (true dawn) or the first fajr and the second fajr.

Fajr al-kadhib or the first dawn is not the beginning of any time period. It has no relation with prayer and fasting. The time of the night prayer continues at that time. Toward the morning, a brightness rising to the sky from the horizon vertically in the form of a pyramid occurs; it is called fajr al-kadhib. Arabs call it "dhanab as-sirhan" that is, tail of the wolf. A little while after this, darkness starts again; after this darkness, fajr as-sadiq occurs. The brightness that spreads horizontally in the horizon is called fajr as-sadiq or the second dawn. Hz. Prophet (pbuh) said, "Neither the adhan of Bilal nor fajr al-mustatir should restrain you from eating sahur. You can eat food until fajr al-mustatir." Mustatil is fajr al-kadhib and mustatir is fajr as-sadiq. (Muslim, Siyam, 40-44)

With fajr as-sadiq, the time for the morning prayer starts and prohibitions of fasting begin. Fasting continues from the second fajr to the sunset. The time for the morning prayer starts with the second fajr and continues up to the sunrise. It can be said that there is about an hour or a bit more between fajr as-sadiq and the sunrise. For, Jibril led the morning prayer to the Prophet (pbuh) when dawn broke on the first day and when it became bright on the second day. He said, "The time period between the two points is the time for you and for your ummah; it was also the time for the prophets before you." (as-Sarakhsi, I, 141)

Fajr al-kadhib is regarded as night time; therefore, the isha (night) prayer can be performed and those who want to perform fasting can eat then. With fajr as-sadiq, the time for the morning prayer starts and the night ends; and the time for sahur ends.  

Osman ESKİCİOĞLU

Questions on Islam