What Is the Best Time for Performing the Prayer?
Question:
What is the best time to offer the prayer specially the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer? Is it at the very beginning of its time or at the end of its time?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright.
Almighty Allah says:
Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times. (An-Nisa’ 4: 103)
`Abdullah ibn `Amr narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The time of the noon prayer is when the sun passes the meridian and a man’s shadow is the same (length) as his height, (and it lasts) as long as the time for the afternoon prayer has not come; the time for the afternoon prayer is as long as the sun has not become pale; the time of the evening prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the night prayer is up to the middle of the average night and the time of the morning prayer is from the appearance of dawn, as long as the sun has not risen; but when the sun rises, refrain from prayer for it rises between the horns of the devil.” (Muslim)
The best time for any prayer is the beginning of its time, based on the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “The best of deeds in the sight of Allah is offering prayer on its time”. (Al-Bukhari)
Each prayer has a beginning and end time. For example, the beginning time of the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer is dawn and the end time is when the sun rises. If a person offers Fajr after this time elapses, then it is called qada’ and it is a major sin by the way.
To know more information about the times of prayer, watch this interesting talk with Dr. Muhammad Salah.
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Source: Huda Youtube Channel.