⭑ Time of Ẓuhr 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).
عن أنس بن مالك رضى الله عنه قال: كنا إذا صلينا خلف رسول الله بالظهائر سجدنا على ثيابنا اتقاء الحر
It is narrated from Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه:
“When we used to perform the Ẓuhr prayers behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during intense heat, we would prostrate on our garments to protect ourselves from the heat.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1/77, Hadith 542 (wording from Bukhari); Sahih Muslim 1/225, Hadith 220]
① This narration and other authentic Ahadith prove that the time of Ẓuhr begins immediately after zawāl (the sun passing its zenith), and that it is preferable to offer the Ẓuhr prayer at its earliest time.
② There is ijmā‘ (consensus) that the time of Ẓuhr starts with zawāl. [al-Ifṣāḥ by Ibn Hubayrah, Vol. 1, p. 76]
③ The narrations which state that when the heat is intense, Ẓuhr should be prayed in cooler times — all relate to the state of travel, as proven by the Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol. 1, p. 77, Hadith 539), not to the state of residence. Those who present travel-related narrations in opposition to the above Hadith and others like it are incorrect in their stance. They must prove that the Prophet ﷺ offered a delayed Ẓuhr prayer in Madinah.
④ Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه said:
“When the shadow becomes equal to its length, pray Ẓuhr, and when it becomes twice its length, pray ‘Asr.”
[Muwatta’ Imam Malik 1/8, Hadith 9]
This means that Ẓuhr may be prayed from zawāl until the shadow becomes equal to the object’s length — i.e., the time of Ẓuhr is from zawāl up to one shadow length, and the time of ‘Asr is from one shadow length up to two shadow lengths. Mawlawi ‘Abdul Hay Lakhnawi al-Hanafi has written the same explanation for this mawqūf narration in al-Ta‘liq al-Majid (p. 41, footnote 9). As a note, the last part of this narration — “Offer the Fajr prayer in darkness” — is opposed by both Deobandi and Barelvi groups because it does not conform to their school’s practice.
⑤ Suwayd bin Ghaflah رحمه الله was so committed to offering the Ẓuhr prayer at its earliest time that he was prepared to face death rather than delay it. He informed the people that they used to perform the Ẓuhr prayer at the earliest time behind Abu Bakr and ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما.
[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 1/323, Hadith 3271]
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 Ẓuhr Prayer
عن أنس بن مالك رضى الله عنه قال: كنا إذا صلينا خلف رسول الله بالظهائر سجدنا على ثيابنا اتقاء الحر
It is narrated from Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه:
“When we used to perform the Ẓuhr prayers behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during intense heat, we would prostrate on our garments to protect ourselves from the heat.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1/77, Hadith 542 (wording from Bukhari); Sahih Muslim 1/225, Hadith 220]
❀ Benefits:
① This narration and other authentic Ahadith prove that the time of Ẓuhr begins immediately after zawāl (the sun passing its zenith), and that it is preferable to offer the Ẓuhr prayer at its earliest time.
② There is ijmā‘ (consensus) that the time of Ẓuhr starts with zawāl. [al-Ifṣāḥ by Ibn Hubayrah, Vol. 1, p. 76]
③ The narrations which state that when the heat is intense, Ẓuhr should be prayed in cooler times — all relate to the state of travel, as proven by the Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol. 1, p. 77, Hadith 539), not to the state of residence. Those who present travel-related narrations in opposition to the above Hadith and others like it are incorrect in their stance. They must prove that the Prophet ﷺ offered a delayed Ẓuhr prayer in Madinah.
④ Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه said:
“When the shadow becomes equal to its length, pray Ẓuhr, and when it becomes twice its length, pray ‘Asr.”
[Muwatta’ Imam Malik 1/8, Hadith 9]
This means that Ẓuhr may be prayed from zawāl until the shadow becomes equal to the object’s length — i.e., the time of Ẓuhr is from zawāl up to one shadow length, and the time of ‘Asr is from one shadow length up to two shadow lengths. Mawlawi ‘Abdul Hay Lakhnawi al-Hanafi has written the same explanation for this mawqūf narration in al-Ta‘liq al-Majid (p. 41, footnote 9). As a note, the last part of this narration — “Offer the Fajr prayer in darkness” — is opposed by both Deobandi and Barelvi groups because it does not conform to their school’s practice.
⑤ Suwayd bin Ghaflah رحمه الله was so committed to offering the Ẓuhr prayer at its earliest time that he was prepared to face death rather than delay it. He informed the people that they used to perform the Ẓuhr prayer at the earliest time behind Abu Bakr and ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما.
[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 1/323, Hadith 3271]
