❖ What Is the Starting and Ending Time of Dhuhr Prayer?
Source: Fatawa Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri❖ Question:
What are the starting and ending times for Dhuhr (Noon) Prayer?
❖ Answer:
Starting Time of Dhuhr:
There is unanimous consensus (Ijma‘) among the Ummah that Dhuhr time begins with the sun's decline (Zawāl).
❀ Imam Ibn al-Mundhir (رحمه الله, d. 318 AH) stated:
"There is consensus that the time of Dhuhr begins with the sun’s decline."
(Al-Ijma‘, p. 36)
Also see references:Al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir (2/326, 355), Al-Istidhkar by Ibn Abd al-Barr (1/38), Al-Tamhid (8/71), Al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi (1/142), ‘Aridat al-Ahwadhi (1/255), Bada’i‘ al-Sana’i‘ by al-Kasani (1/350), Al-Majmu‘ by al-Nawawi (3/24), Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar (2/21), and others.
❀ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"The time of Dhuhr begins when the sun declines."
(Sahih Muslim: 612)❀ ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) wrote to Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (رضي الله عنه):
"Pray Dhuhr when the sun declines."
(Muwatta’ Imam Malik, 1/7) – Authentic chain Ending Time of Dhuhr:
The time of Dhuhr ends when the shadow of an object becomes equal to its length — after which the time of ‘Asr begins.
❀ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) reported:
"The time of Dhuhr is from the decline of the sun until the shadow of a man becomes equal to his height, as long as the ‘Asr has not begun."
(Sahih Muslim: 612) Scholarly Clarifications:
❀ Imam Ibn al-Mundhir (رحمه الله) wrote:
**"The view of Imam al-Shafi‘i is correct, and many authentic Hadiths support it. Among them is the Hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (رضي الله عنه), which states that Dhuhr time lasts until ‘Asr time. In the Hadith of Abu Qatadah (رضي الله عنه), it is said: ‘A lazy person is the one who delays prayer until the time for the next prayer arrives.’
There is another opinion that ‘Asr begins only when the shadow becomes twice the length of an object, and that before that, prayer is invalid. This is the view of al-Nu‘man ibn Thabit (Abu Hanifah) — which contradicts the authentic Hadiths. In fact, this interpretation is not the meaning of the Hadith.
According to us, no one before him held this view, and even his own students did not accept it. Thus, his opinion stands alone and has no significance in the field of jurisprudence."
(Al-Awsat fi al-Sunan wal-Ijma‘ wal-Ikhtilaf, 2/30) Additional Remarks from Scholars:
❀ Mufti Taqi Usmani writes:
"Hanafis generally present three evidences to support that Dhuhr ends when the shadow becomes twice the length of an object. However, the truth is that none of these Hadiths explicitly state any such time limit.
In contrast, the Hadith of Jibreel explicitly mentions praying on the first day when the shadow reaches one length. Therefore, these Hadiths cannot outweigh the Hadith of Jibreel.
Hence, some Hanafis have accepted the one-length shadow narration (as found in Al-Durr al-Mukhtar), while others preferred a vague time period."
(Dars al-Tirmidhi, 1/96)❀ Muhammad ibn ‘Ali Nimawi writes:
"I could not find any Hadith — whether authentic or weak — that clearly states that the time for Dhuhr extends until the shadow becomes twice the length of an object."
(Athar al-Sunan, Translated, p. 28, Hadith: 199)❖ Conclusion:
✔ Dhuhr time begins with Zawāl (the sun's decline from its zenith).
✔ It ends when the shadow of an object equals its length, before the time of ‘Asr begins.
✔ The opinion that Dhuhr extends to double the shadow length is not supported by any clear or authentic Hadith, and contradicts the established Sunnah.
