Taken from: “Ahkam wa Masail in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith”, Volume 02
❀ Question:
In our mosque, the prayer timetable prepared by Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Gondalvi رحمه الله is displayed, and the Mu’adhdhin uses it to determine prayer times. However, he gives the Adhan for Fajr ten minutes before the listed Fajr time. When advised that he is calling the Adhan before the actual time indicated on the timetable, he responds by saying the timetable itself is a bid‘ah.
Is it correct to deliberately call the Fajr Adhan ten minutes before the actual time?
Also, is the Fajr time listed on Ḥāfiẓ Gondalvi’s timetable accurate, or does Fajr begin earlier than shown?
❀ Answer:
✦ Whether for Fajr, Dhuhr, ʿAsr, Maghrib, ʿIsha, or Jumuʿah—
the Adhan must not be given before its actual prescribed time.
Allah ﷻ clearly states:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
(Surah al-Nisa: 103)
“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed times.”
The Prophet ﷺ further defined the start and end times of each of the five daily prayers in numerous authentic Ahadith.
✿ Key Point:
If giving the Adhan before the actual time were acceptable, then specifying the starting times for each prayer would be pointless—which contradicts both revelation and Prophetic Sunnah.
Thus, it is impermissible to call the Adhan for Fajr ten minutes before its valid time, as doing so is akin to announcing an obligation before its proper time.
✿ On the Timetable by Ḥāfiẓ Gondalvi رحمه الله:
The prayer timetable compiled by Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Gondalvi رحمه الله is accurately based on Shar‘i principles and astronomical calculations. His indicated time for Fajr represents the actual start of Fajr. Therefore, dismissing it as a “bid‘ah” without scholarly basis is completely incorrect.
✔ Summary:
① Adhan for any prayer must be called after its time has begun, including Fajr.
② Calling the Fajr Adhan ten minutes before the actual time is impermissible.
③ The prayer timetable by Ḥāfiẓ Gondalvi رحمه الله is reliable, and should be adhered to.
④ Labeling it as bid‘ah is unfounded and a misunderstanding of the concept of innovation.
Wallāhu Aʿlam.
