⭑ Time of Fajr Prayer in the Light of Authentic Ahadith ⭑
This excerpt is taken from Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai رحمه الله’s book Hadiyyat al-Muslimeen: Important Issues of Salah with Complete Prophetic Prayer (ﷺ).
⮚ Time of Fajr Prayer
«عن زيد بن ثابت رضي الله عنه: أنهم تسحروا مع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم قاموا إلى الصلوة، قلت: كم بينهما؟ قال: قدر خمسين أو ستين، يعني آية»
It is narrated from Zayd bin Thabit رضي الله عنه that they ate the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) with the Prophet ﷺ, and then he and his companions stood up for the prayer. I (Qatadah, the Tabi‘i) asked him (Anas رضي الله عنه), “How much time was there between the two?” He replied, “The duration of reciting fifty or sixty verses.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1/81, Hadith 575 (wording from Bukhari), Sahih Muslim 1/350]
❀ Benefits:
① From this Hadith it is known that the Fajr prayer should be offered early, in darkness. In Sahih al-Bukhari (1/82, Hadith 578) and Sahih Muslim (1/230, Hadith 645), it is mentioned in the Hadith of ‘Aishah رضي الله عنها that:
“We used to pray the Fajr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ, and when the prayer ended, we would return to our homes, and in the darkness, no one could recognize us, nor the women of the believers.”
② Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه (Fiqh Abi Bakr, p. 189) and ‘Umar رضي الله عنه (Fiqh ‘Umar, pp. 424–425) were of the opinion that the Fajr prayer should be performed in darkness.
③ The narration in Tirmidhi that states: “اسفروا بالفجر فإنه أعظم للأجر“ (“Offer the Fajr prayer when there is light, for it is greater in reward”) — is abrogated by the authentic narration stating that the Prophet ﷺ continued to offer the Fajr prayer in darkness until his death:
«كانت صلوته بعد ذلك التغليس حتى مات ولم يعد إلى أن يسفر»
“After that, his Fajr prayer remained in darkness until he passed away, and he never returned to praying it in light.”
[Sunan Abi Dawud 1/63, Hadith 394; al-Nasikh wal-Mansukh by al-Hazimi, p. 77]
This narration has been authenticated by Ibn Khuzaymah (Vol. 1, Hadith 352), Ibn Hibban (al-Ihsan, Vol. 3, p. 5, Hadith 1446), al-Hakim (1/192–193), and al-Khattabi. The Hadith of Usamah bin Zayd al-Laythi is considered Hasan (good). See Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ (6/343), etc., indicating that Usamah mentioned here is a Hasan al-Hadith narrator.
④ In our region, the Deobandi scholars perform the Fajr prayer in total darkness during Ramadan, but in other months they pray it when there is significant light. It is unclear which principle or juristic rule they follow for this distinction. Since they usually sleep after Suhoor, they perform the prayer quickly — not out of zeal for following the Sunnah — for indeed, Allah does not grant a person of innovation the ability to act upon the Sunnah of His beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
