Firstly, the fundamental basis for the prayer timings is what is mentioned in the famous hadith of Gabriel: “Gabriel (Jibril) came to the Prophet when the sun had passed its zenith and said, ‘Arise, O Muhammad, and pray the Dhuhr prayer when the sun declines.’ Then, he waited until the length of a man’s shadow was similar to his height and came to him for the Asr prayer, saying, ‘Arise, O Muhammad, and pray the Asr prayer.’ Afterwards, he waited until the sun had set and came to him, saying, ‘Arise and pray the Maghrib prayer.’ The Prophet stood and performed the Maghrib prayer when the sun had completely set. Then, he waited until the twilight had disappeared and came to him, saying, ‘Arise and pray the Isha prayer.’ The Prophet stood and performed the Isha prayer. Then, he came to him at the first light of dawn and said, ‘Arise and pray.’ The Prophet performed the Fajr (morning) prayer. Then he came to him on the following day when the shadow of a man was equal to his height, and he said, ‘Arise, O Muhammad, and pray.’ So, he prayed the Dhuhr prayer. Then, Gabriel came to him, upon him be peace, when the shadow of a man was the twice of his height, and he said, ‘Arise, O Muhammad, and pray.’ So, he prayed the Asr prayer. Later, he came to him for the Maghrib prayer when the sun had set, and the time was the same as the previous day. He said, ‘Arise and pray.’ So, he prayed the Maghrib prayer. Then, he came to him for the Isha prayer when the first third of the night had passed, and he said, ‘Arise and pray.’ So, he prayed the Isha prayer. Afterward, he came to him for the Fajr prayer when it had become quite light, and he said, ‘Arise and pray.’ So, he prayed the Fajr prayer. He said, , “The time between these two times of prayers is the entire time” [Reported by Al-Nasa’i].
In this narration, the beginning of the Asr prayer time is described in two ways: when the shadow of a man is similar to his height, or when the shadow of a man is twice his height. Different scholars have followed each of these descriptions in their interpretations.
The narration specifies the other prayer times by indicating both the earliest and the latest times for performance. However, in the case of the Asr and Isha prayers, it points to two possible times for their performance. Specifically, the last time for the Asr prayer is before sunset, and the last time for the Isha prayer is until the appearance of the light of dawn on the horizon according to the most known opinion.
Scholars have mentioned distinct timings for the Asr prayer:
1. Preferred Time (Waktu al-Ikhtiyar): This is when the shadow of a man is equal to his height or twice his height.
2. Permissible Time (Waktu Jawaz): This time starts after the shadow of a man becomes twice his height and extends until the sun starts to turn yellow.
3. Necessity Time (Waktu Idtirar): This is the time of sunset.
Secondly, scholars have differed regarding the starting time of the Asr prayer:
The majority of Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali, and the two companions of Imam Abu Hanifa from the Hanafi School hold the view that the starting time is when the shadow of an object is equal to its length, based on the preponderance of narrations.
The greatest Imam, may Allah be pleased with him, held the opinion that the initial time for the Asr prayer begins when the shadow of an object is twice its length, and there is a slight difference of around an hour between this opinion and the previous one.
The greatest Imam, may Allah be pleased with him, supported his opinion with another narration related to the actions of nations and their rewards. In this narration: (The likeness of Muslims, Jews, and Christians is as the likeness of a man who hired a group of laborers to work for him from morning until evening for a known wage. They worked for him until midday, and then they said, “We do not need your wage which you have fixed for us and for we have done nothing.” Therefore, he told them to stop and let the rest of the day be theirs and to take the full wage. They refused and left. He then hired another group after them and said to them, “Complete the rest of the day and your reward will be the same as the first group.” They agreed and worked until the time of the Asr prayer. They said, “You can have the wages we have been promised, for we have done nothing.” He told them to finish their remaining work since there was only a short time left before sunset. They declined and left. He then hired a final group to work for the remainder of the day, and they worked until the sun had set. They received the full wage of both groups combined. This is the example of them and the likeness of the light they received. [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
In this text, it is mentioned that the remaining time after the Asr prayer is a short period, and this can only occur when the Asr prayer time is delayed and close to the Maghrib prayer time.
Although this reasoning is derived from outside the context of the hadith about prayer times, it demonstrates the profound insight and deductive ability of the great Imam in drawing conclusions.
And Allah knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr