Three Times When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) Prohibited Us from Praying

Hadith 1​

Uqbah bin ‘Amir al-Juhani (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
"There were three times during which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to prohibit us from offering prayers or burying our deceased:
① When the sun rises until it fully ascends.
② When the sun is at its zenith (directly overhead) until it begins to decline.
③ When the sun is about to set until it completely disappears."

[Sahih Muslim]

• Authentication & References:
  • Sahih Muslim: 831
  • This hadith is mentioned in Sahih Muslim, under the chapter "Times When Salah is Prohibited" (باب الأوقات التي نهى عن الصلاة فيها).

Hadith 2​

‘Amr bin ‘Abasah (رضي الله عنه) narrated (as recorded by al-Nasa’i):
"The prayer is witnessed and attended (by angels) until sunrise. However, the sun rises between the two horns of Satan, and it is the time of worship for the disbelievers. So, stop praying at that time until the sun has risen about a spear’s length above the horizon and its rays have spread properly."

• Authentication & References:
  • Sahih Muslim: 832
  • Sunan al-Nasa’i: 1/279
  • This hadith is mentioned in Sahih Muslim at length in the chapter "Islam of ‘Amr bin ‘Abasah" (باب إسلام عمرو بن عبسة).

Key Lessons & Rulings Derived from These Hadiths​

Three prohibited times for prayer and burial of the deceased:

• At sunrise – until the sun fully ascends.
• At zenith (midday when the sun is at its peak) – until it begins to decline.
• At sunset – until the sun completely sets.

Reason for prohibition:

• These are the times when polytheists and sun-worshippers used to perform their rituals.
• The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade Muslims from praying at these times to avoid resembling disbelievers.
• The sun rises between the two horns of Satan, and this is when idolaters prostrate to the sun.

The virtue of praying at witnessed times:

• The angels witness and attend the prayer from Fajr until sunrise.
• To avoid the prohibited time, one should wait until the sun has fully risen (about a spear’s length above the horizon) and its rays have spread properly before making up missed Fajr prayers.

This ruling also applies to Janazah prayer and burials:

• It is not permissible to perform Janazah (funeral) prayer or bury the deceased during these three prohibited times without a valid reason.

Consistency in worship:

• If a person has a habit of performing certain voluntary (Nafl) prayers but misses them due to forgetfulness or preoccupation, they can make them up later, as the Prophet (ﷺ) did.

Making up missed obligatory prayers is permissible at any time, including after Fajr and Asr.

Reference Source:
This content has been extracted from the book "Diya al-Islam fi Sharh al-Imam bi Ahadith al-Ahkam" by Sheikh Taqi al-Din Abi al-Fath, translated by Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Ghaznfar.