Times When Prayer Is Forbidden

Tahiyyatul-Masjid during the Times. when Prayer is Forbidden

Question :

There is much talk about Tahiyyatul-Masjid: Some say that it should not be done during the times when it is reported that prayer is forbidden, such as at the times of sunrise and sunset. Others say that it is permissible since the reasons for it are not restricted by any time and that it should be done even if half of the sun had set. I request a detailed explanation of this.

Answer:

There is some disagreement among the scholars in this matter, but the correct view is that Tahiyyatul-Masjid is lawful at all times, even after Fajr and after 'Asr based upon the general meaning of the words of the Prophet:
"If any of you enters the mosque, he should not sit until he has prayed two Rak'ahs.

Also, it is a prayer that there is a reason to perform, like Salat At-Tawaf and Salat Al-Khusuf, and the correct view in all of these is that they should be performed at all of the times when prayer is (normally) prohibited, just like making up for an obligatory prayer which one has missed, based upon the words of the Prophet regarding Salat At-Tawaf:
"O people of (the tribe of 'Abdi Manaf! Do not prevent anyone from performing Tawaf of this House and praying at anytime of the night or day that he wishes."

And he said, regarding Salat Al-Kusuf:
"Verily the sun and the moon are two Signs among the Signs of Allah, they are not eclipsed for the death or the birth of any man, so if you see them, pray and supplicate, until what your are suffering is removed.

And he said:
Whoever slept through a prayer or forgot it, must make up for it as soon as he remembers it, and there is no expiation for it except this.

All of these Hadiths extend to include the times when prayer is prohibited and other times. This saying is the preferred view of Shaikh Al-Islam, Ibn Taimiyyah and his student, the great scholar, Ibn Al-Qayyim may Allah's Mercy be on both of them. And Allah is the Granter of success.
Ibn Baz

Tahiyyatul-Masjid during the Time when Prayer is prohibited is not only for the Two Holy Mosques

Question :

Is Tahiyyatul-Masjid permissible after the Asr prayer and the Fajr prayer in any mosque, or is it only allowed in the two Holy Mosques at the times when prayer is prohibited, not in other mosques?

Answer:

The most correct view among the sayings of the scholars is that when a person enters the mosque - even if it be a time when prayer is prohibited he should pray Tahiyyatul- Masjid in accordance with the general meaning of the Hadith of the Prophet in which he said:
If any of you enters the mosque, he should not sit until he has prayed two Rak'ahs.

And the Hadiths which prohibit prayer at the time of sunrise, sunset, when it is at its meridian, after 'Asr and after Maghrib must be understood to refer to general supererogatory prayers, not to obligatory prayers or those non-obligatory prayers for which there is a reason, such as Tahiyyatul-Masjid and the two Rak'ahs of Tawaf, both of which are prayed after 'Asr and after Fajr and at all other times when prayer is (normally) prohibited.
The Permanent Committee

The Ruling on performing Supererogatory Prayers before the Maghrib Prayer

Question :

1. What is the ruling on praying Tahiyyatul-Masjid after the Athan for Maghrib prayer, when the time between the Athan and the Iqamah is short, and what is the ruling on praying supererogatory prayers other than Tahiyyatul-Masjid before the Maghrib prayer?

Answer:

1. Tahiyyatul-Masjid is a highly recommended Sunnah at all times, even when prayer is prohibited, according to the most authoritative of two opinions held by the scholars, based upon the generality of the words of the Prophet:
"If any of you enters the mosque, he should not sit until he has prayed two Rak'ahs.

Prayer after the Athan for Maghrib and before the Iqamah is a Sunnah according to the Hadith of the Prophet which states:
"Pray before Maghrib... pray before Maghrib. Then the third time, he added: "For whomsoever wished.

When the Athan for Maghrib was called, the Companions of the Prophet used to quickly pray two Rak'ahs before the Iqamah and the Prophet saw them, and he did not prohibit them from doing so; in fact, he ordered them to do so, as is clear from the above Hadith.

Question :

2. Is it permissible for the one who remains in the mosque after the Fajr prayer until sunrise to pray the two Rak'ahs of Dhuha prayer at sunrise, and what is the prescribed time for its performance?

Answer:

2. The time for Dhuha prayer is from the time when the sun rises so that the shadow cast by a spear is the same length as the spear itself, until just before Zuhr time. The best time for this is when the forenoon is at its hottest, according to the Hadith of the Prophet:

"Salatul-Awwabeen (i.e. Adh-Dhuha) is when the sun is at its hottest.
Ibn Baz

The Times when Prayer is Not Allowed

Question :

What are the times when prayer is disliked?

Answer:

The times when prayer is prohibited are from the start of the sunrise until the sun rises so that the shadow cast by a spear is the same length as the spear itself. Then when the sun is in the middle of the sky, until it lowers in the western sky, and after the 'Asr prayer, until sunset. These are the times when prayer is prohibited as proved by Hadiths from the Messenger.

But exempt from this according to the most authoritative of two opinions held by the scholars are those prayers for which there is a reason. Such as Salatut-Tawaf after 'Asr or after Fajr, Salatul-Kusuf and Tahiyyatul-Masjid, for they are permitted at the times when prayer is (normally) prohibited.

Likewise, the Sunnah of Fajr is an exception, for it may be prayed after Fajr. But it is not lawful to pray more than two Rak'ahs, because when the Prophet prayed after Fajr, he would only pray two short Rak'ahs for the Sunnah of Fajr. So if a person did not pray it before, due to shortness of time, or other reasons which prevented him from offering it before prayer, it is permissible according to the most correct of two sayings of the scholars - for him to offer it after the Fajr prayer.
And if he delayed it until after the sun has risen, it would be better. And Allah is the Granter of success.
Ibn Baz

Praying at the Time when Prayer is Prohibited

Question :

Is prayer before Maghrib disliked, even if it be Tahiyyatul-Masjid?

Answer:

There is some ambiguity regarding this question which requires a detailed explanation, regarding the time and the type of prayer, because from after the 'Asr prayer until sunset is considered to be a time when prayer is prohibited. Therefore, no prayer should be offered at this time, according to the Hadiths which have been reported to this effect, including the words of the Prophet:
*There is no prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen, and there is no prayer after 'Asr until the sun has set.

However, if the purpose of the prayer is to make up one missed, then it is not included in this prohibition, according to the unanimous verdict of the people of knowledge.

As for those prayers for which there is a reason, such as Salatul-Kusuf, Salatul-Janazah, and the two-Rak'ah prayer which a person performs upon entering the mosque when he wishes to sit therein known as Tahiyyatul-Masjid they are permissible at the time when prayer is (normally) prohibited, according to the most authoritative opinion held by the scholars because the Hadiths which have been reported regarding the prayers for which there is a reason are general, including all times, including the times when prayer is (normally) prohibited and other times, such as the words of the Prophet :
"If any of you enters the mosque, he should not sit until he has prayed two Rak'ahs.

As for the Hadiths which forbid prayer at the times of prohibition, they do not include making up for missed prayers, nor for prayers performed for a reason.
Ibn Baz

There is No Prayer after 'Asr until the Sun sets

Question :

Why is it not allowed to offer Sunnah or other prayers after the 'Asr prayer?

Answer:

It has been authentically reported from a number of the Companions that the Prophet said:
"There is no prayer after 'Asr until the sun has set and there is no prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen.

And the scholars have said that the reason for this is most likely a prohibition of imitating the polytheists who prostrate to the sun at the time of its rising or setting. So it was forbidden to pray supererogatory prayers at this time, since there is no reason for them, fearful that it might be believed that the worshipper's prostration was for the sun. And the forbiddance of prayer during this long period of time was made general in order to take care against the causes of Shirk and whatever may lead to it.
Ibn Jibreen

Following the Mu'aththin, then offering the Tahiyyatul-Masjid

Question :

If a person entered the mosque while the Mu'aththin was still calling the Athan, should he pray when the Athan has not yet finished?

Answer:

It is better to answer the Mu'aththin and then supplicate after that with an invocation that has been reported (from the Prophet) then begin praying the Sunnah of the mosque (that is: Tahiyyatul-Masjid). Although some scholars have made this an exception saying that the one who entered the mosque while the Mu'aththin was calling the Athan on Friday should pray Tahiyyatul-Masjid in order to hear the Khutbah and they said that the reason for this is because listening to the Khutbah is an obligation, while answering the Mu'aththin is not obligatory.
Ibn 'Uthaimin

Times when Prayer is Prohibited

Question :

I hear that there are times during the day when prayer is disliked, what are they? And what is the reason for prayer being disliked at these times?

Answer:

The times are from after the Fajr prayer until the sun has risen the equivalent of a spear's length, which is approximately a meter, and that is about a quarter of an hour after it has risen. And what is meant by Fajr prayer is the prayer of each person by himself. As for the second time, it is from when the sun is at its zenith until it begins to decline and that is midway through the day, about five minutes before the decline of the noon sun or thereabouts. As for the third time, it is after 'Asr prayer until the sun sets, and what is meant is the prayer of every person himself. So when a person prays 'Asr, it is forbidden for him to pray until the sun sets. Exempt from this are the obligatory prayers, such as when a person has missed a prayer and he remembers it at one of these times, then he should pray it, based upon the general meaning of the words of the Prophet:

"Whoever slept through a prayer or forgot it, must make up for it as soon as he remembers it...

Another exception from this according to the most authoritative opinion is every supererogatory prayer for which there is a reason, because this prayer for which there is a reason is linked to that reason, and the prayer is permissible due to that reason, as it negates the reason behind the prohibition. For example, if you entered the mosque after the 'Asr prayer, you should pray two Rak'ahs, in accordance with the words of the Prophet:

*If any of you enters the mosque, he should not sit until he has prayed two Rak'ahs.

Likewise, if you entered the mosque after Fajr prayer or at the time when the sun is at its zenith, or if the sun was eclipsed after the Asr prayer, you would pray Salat Al-Kusuf because there is a reason for it. And if a person was reading the Qur'an and he came to a Verse in which there is a prostration, he should prostrate, even though it be at these times, because there is a reason for it.

As for the wisdom behind the prohibition of praying at these times, it is because if it were permitted for a person to perform supererogatory prayers at this time, he might continue until sunrise or sunset, in which case he would be guilty of imitating the polytheists who prostrate to the sun in welcome and happiness as it rises, and prostrate to it as it sets in farewell to it. And the Prophet warned us to close every door which might lead to Shirk and every action which entails imitation of the polytheists. As for the prohibition of praying when it is at its zenith until it begins to set, it is because that is the time when the heat of the Hell-Fire overflows, as has been authentically reported from the Prophet, therefore prayer should not be observed at this time.
Ibn 'Uthaimin

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