Time for Dhuhr Prayer

Author: Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai

Hadith:​


عن أنس بن مالك قال : كنا إذا صلينا خلف رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالظهائر سجدنا على ثيابنا اتقاء الحر

"Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: When we prayed the Dhuhr prayers behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) during the hot days, we would prostrate on our clothes to protect ourselves from the heat."

[Sahih Bukhari: 77/1 Hadith 542, and the wording is his, and Sahih Muslim: 225/1 Hadith 220]

Benefits:​

This narration and other authentic Hadiths establish that the time for Dhuhr prayer begins with Zawal (when the sun begins to decline from its zenith), and Dhuhr prayer should be offered at its earliest time.

There is consensus that the time for Dhuhr prayer starts with Zawal.


[Al-Ifsah by Ibn Hubayrah: Vol 1, p. 76]

Regarding the narrations that mention:

"When it is very hot, delay the Dhuhr prayer until it gets cooler."

All such Hadiths are related to travel, as evidenced by the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari [Vol 1, p. 77, Hadith 539], and not to the state of residence (home, place of stay). Those who present the travel-related narrations in comparison to the above-mentioned Hadith and others are incorrect in their stance. They should prove that the Prophet (peace be upon him) delayed the Dhuhr prayer for cooling purposes in Medina. !?

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) states:

"When the shadow is equal to its object, perform the Dhuhr prayer, and when it is twice the length, perform the Asr prayer."

[Muwatta Imam Malik: 8/1 Hadith 9]

This means that the Dhuhr prayer can be offered from Zawal until the shadow is equal to the object, i.e., the time for Dhuhr is from Zawal until the shadow is equal to the object, and the time for Asr is from when the shadow is equal to twice the object.

◈ Maulvi Abdul Hai Lucknawi wrote the same meaning of this Mawquf narration in Al-Ta'liq Al-Mumajjad [p. 41, Footnote 9]. As a note, both Deobandi and Barelvi factions oppose the last part of this "narration" about performing Fajr prayer in darkness because it does not align with their sectarian beliefs.

Suweid bin Ghaflah (may Allah have mercy on him) was so determined to perform the Dhuhr prayer at its earliest time that he was ready to die rather than delay the Dhuhr prayer. He informed people that they used to perform the Dhuhr prayer at its earliest time behind Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).

[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 323/1 Hadith 3271]
 
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