❖ Issues Related to Fajr Sunnah and Obligatory Prayers ❖
Based on: “Ahkām wa Masāʾil fī Ḍawʾ al-Qurʾān wa al-Ḥadīth”, Volume 2
Qur'anic Evidence:
“And bow with those who bow (in prayer).”
(Sūrah al-Baqarah: 43)
This implies joining the congregation and not being occupied with other prayers.
➤ “When the iqāmah is pronounced, no prayer is valid except the obligatory one.”
(Muslim, Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd, Aḥmad)
➤ Imam Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal said:
“No prayer is valid except the one for which the iqāmah has been called.”
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī)
➤ Ibn Ḥibbān:
“When the muʾadhin begins the iqāmah, only the obligatory prayer is to be offered.”
➤ Another Hadith explicitly states:
“When the prayer has started, no prayer should be offered, not even the two Sunnah units of Fajr.”
(Ibn ʿAdī – ḥasan sanad)
“Are you praying four units?”
(Abū Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī)
➤ The Prophet ﷺ saw a man praying Sunnah during the iqāmah and remarked:
“The time for this prayer was before this (iqāmah).”
(al-Ṭabarānī)
➤ During the caliphate of ʿUmar (RA), disciplinary action was taken against those who prayed Sunnah during iqāmah:
“When he saw someone praying while hearing the iqāmah, he would strike them.”
(al-Bayhaqī)
Imams Aḥmad, Mālik, and al-Shāfiʿī all agree: Sunnah should not be prayed once the iqāmah begins.
✔ Ḥanafī jurisprudence: Praying Sunnah in the mosque during iqāmah is disliked (makrūh); if one must pray, it should be outside and only if the obligatory prayer will not be missed.
(al-Hidāyah, Fatḥ al-Qadīr)
➤ Qays ibn ʿAmr (RA) was seen praying after Fajr, and the Prophet ﷺ asked:
“Are you praying two prayers together?”
Qays explained he hadn’t prayed Sunnah earlier, so he prayed them after. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There is no harm.”
(Tirmidhī)
➤ Another narration:
“The Prophet ﷺ saw a man offering two units after Fajr and asked about it. The man replied he missed the pre-Fajr Sunnah, so he offered them then. The Prophet ﷺ remained silent (i.e., did not object).”
(Abū Dāwūd)
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ (Sharḥ al-Mishkāt) confirms:
“The Prophet’s silence implies permission, validating the makeup of missed Sunnah after Fajr.”
✔ Do not offer Fajr Sunnah once the congregation starts.
✔ Join the jamāʿah immediately.
✔ If missed, one may offer Sunnah after Fajr— even after sunrise.
✔ This is supported by sound Hadiths and scholarly consensus.
Based on: “Ahkām wa Masāʾil fī Ḍawʾ al-Qurʾān wa al-Ḥadīth”, Volume 2
◈ Question:
Is it permissible to offer the Sunnah of Fajr when the congregational prayer (jamāʿah) has already started? And if the Sunnah is missed, can it be performed after the Fajr obligatory prayer?❖ First Issue: Performing Sunnah While Congregation Is in Progress
Islamic teachings prohibit praying Sunnah once the congregation for Fajr has commenced. Qur'anic Evidence:“And bow with those who bow (in prayer).”
(Sūrah al-Baqarah: 43)
This implies joining the congregation and not being occupied with other prayers.
Prophetic Hadiths
➤ “When the iqāmah is pronounced, no prayer is valid except the obligatory one.”(Muslim, Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd, Aḥmad)
➤ Imam Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal said:
“No prayer is valid except the one for which the iqāmah has been called.”
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī)
➤ Ibn Ḥibbān:
“When the muʾadhin begins the iqāmah, only the obligatory prayer is to be offered.”
➤ Another Hadith explicitly states:
“When the prayer has started, no prayer should be offered, not even the two Sunnah units of Fajr.”
(Ibn ʿAdī – ḥasan sanad)
◈ Example from the Companions
➤ When Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) was praying Sunnah and iqāmah began, the Prophet ﷺ pulled him back and asked:“Are you praying four units?”
(Abū Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī)
➤ The Prophet ﷺ saw a man praying Sunnah during the iqāmah and remarked:
“The time for this prayer was before this (iqāmah).”
(al-Ṭabarānī)
➤ During the caliphate of ʿUmar (RA), disciplinary action was taken against those who prayed Sunnah during iqāmah:
“When he saw someone praying while hearing the iqāmah, he would strike them.”
(al-Bayhaqī)
Imams Aḥmad, Mālik, and al-Shāfiʿī all agree: Sunnah should not be prayed once the iqāmah begins.
✔ Ḥanafī jurisprudence: Praying Sunnah in the mosque during iqāmah is disliked (makrūh); if one must pray, it should be outside and only if the obligatory prayer will not be missed.
(al-Hidāyah, Fatḥ al-Qadīr)
❖ Second Issue: Making Up Missed Sunnah After Fajr
If someone misses the Sunnah due to joining the congregation, it is permissible to offer them after the obligatory prayer, even after sunrise.
Relevant Hadiths
➤ Qays ibn ʿAmr (RA) was seen praying after Fajr, and the Prophet ﷺ asked:“Are you praying two prayers together?”
Qays explained he hadn’t prayed Sunnah earlier, so he prayed them after. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There is no harm.”
(Tirmidhī)
➤ Another narration:
“The Prophet ﷺ saw a man offering two units after Fajr and asked about it. The man replied he missed the pre-Fajr Sunnah, so he offered them then. The Prophet ﷺ remained silent (i.e., did not object).”
(Abū Dāwūd)
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ (Sharḥ al-Mishkāt) confirms:“The Prophet’s silence implies permission, validating the makeup of missed Sunnah after Fajr.”
Summary
✔ Do not offer Fajr Sunnah once the congregation starts.✔ Join the jamāʿah immediately.
✔ If missed, one may offer Sunnah after Fajr— even after sunrise.
✔ This is supported by sound Hadiths and scholarly consensus.
