When does Asr time begins?

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the one who has my life in his hands.

If I make a mistake, it is my ego, and anything good I say is from Allah.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from the mawla of Abdullah ibn Umar that Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to his governors, saying, "The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever protects it and observes it carefully is protecting his deen, while whoever is negligent about it will be even more negligent about other things." Then he added, "Pray dhuhr any time from when the afternoon shade is the length of your forearm until the length of your shadow matches your height. Pray asr when the sun is still pure white, so that a rider can travel two or three farsakhs before the sun sets. Pray maghrib when the sun has set. Pray isha any time from when the redness in the western sky has disappeared until a third of the night has passed - and a person who sleeps, may he have no rest, a person who sleeps, may he have no rest. And pray subh when all the stars are visible and like a haze in the sky." (Muwatta Book 1, Number 1.1.6)


When I installed the Adhan software on my computer the first time, I was surprised to see two different calculation for Asar salah. One would give Adhan earlier, and the other one later in the day. I started researching on this two years ago, and have finally got some understanding on this subject. I did this for myself, so I follow the correct religion, and if this make sense to you, you are welcome to follow.

I follow Imam Abu Hanifah, but do not follow Hanafi religion, so I will use his method to review the details. There are two opinions on when the time of Asar Salah starts. Hanbali, Maliki, Shafii, Jafri, and major Hanafi scholars agree that Asr can be prayed starting at the time when the shadow of man is equal to its length plus the shadow at meridian (zawal) (also known as "Mithal"). Second opinion is from some hanafi scholars who have ruled that Asr should not be prayed before the time when the shadow of man is equal to its length plus the shadow at meridian (zawal) (also known as Mithalain).

When a new muslim starts to figure out when she should pray salat-ul-Asr, she will most likely be confused, because some places will be praying later then others. This is another harm that Taqleed has caused to Muslim Ummah, because the difference is so minor that it can be reconciled, and the confusion can be removed. I would like to present some of the details and my suggestions to remove this difference.

From the hanafi point of view, I will use the following explaination, which seems very detailed, and it is the same line of reasoning present in one of the books in my Masjid.

http://www.muftisays.com/blog/Seifeddine-M/1082_30-01-2011/the-time-of-asr-salah,-and-the-evidence-of-the-hanafi-math.hab.html

In this version of explaination, the central argument is around a hadith that shows the Duhar time to be at Mithal, and extends till Asr time. Let me print the hadith as it is printed in the article and the book first.

Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (radhiyallahu anhuma) narrated that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said : 'The time of Zuhr is when the sun has passed the meridian and the shadow of a man is his length, until Asr has not set in..' (Saheeh Muslim)

In fact, this hadith is mis quoted from Shahi Muslim, and "Abdullah ibn Umar" is not the narrator, and I verified it from the orginal Arabic Text of Shahi Muslim, but there is a similar hadith from Abdullah ibn Amar as follows.

'Abdullah b. 'Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The time of the noon prayer is when the sun passes the meridian and a man's shadow is the same (length) as his height, (and it lasts) as long as the time for the afternoon prayer has not come; the time for the afternoon prayer is as long as the sun has not become pale; the time of the evening prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the night prayer is up to the middle of the average night and the time of the morning prayer is from the appearance of dawn, as long as the sun has not risen; but when the sun rises, refrain from prayer for it rises between the horns of the devil. (Muslim Book 004, Number 1275)

'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was asked about the times of prayers. He said: The time for the morning prayer (lasts) as long as the first visible part of the rising sun does not appear and the time of the noon prayer is when the sun declines from the zenith and there is not a time for the afternoon prayer and the time for the afternoon prayer is so long as the sun does not become pale and its first visible part does not set, and the time for the evening prayer is that when the sun disappears and (it lasts) till the twilight is no more and the time for the night prayer is up to the midnight. (Muslim Book 004, Number 1276)

It is apparent that these ahadith point to a single incident when someone asked our Prophet (PBUH) about the times of Salah, and he explained it the best way. In the second hadith above, it is said that Duhar time is from when sun passes the meridian, and the shadow of the sun reaches the lenght of the object, but when looking at the Arabic text of this hadith, there can be another translation of this hadith as follows.

The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "Thuhr (noon prayer) begins when the sun passes its meridian and its time continues until the shadow of a man is similar to his length as long as the time of 'Asr does not start. The time of 'Asr lasts until the yellowing of the sun ..."

Even if we accept the first translation, this hadith doesn't set the Asar time to be at Mithalain, which is the hanafi opinion today. Following is the ahadith also used to make the case that Asar should be delayed.

Narrated Abu Huraira and 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

Allah's Apostle said, "If it is very hot, then pray the Zuhr prayer when it becomes (a bit) cooler, as the severity of the heat is from the raging of the Hell-fire." (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 10, Number 510)

Narrated Abu Dhar:

The Muadhdhin (call-maker) of the Prophet pronounced the Adhan (call) for the Zuhr prayer but the Prophet said, "Let it be cooler, let it be cooler." Or said, 'Wait, wait, because the severity of heat is from the raging of the Hell-fire. In severe hot weather, pray when it becomes (a bit) cooler and the shadows of hillocks appear." (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 10, Number 511)

However, Above ahadith is an excpetion to the rule, and not the rule, which means although it is best to pray Duhar early, if it is too hot, we can delay it. This is not establishing that Duhar is delayed till Mithlain.

Another opinion in the following article that I came across was that one hadith give us clue that the period between Duhar and Asr has to be large and hence a delay in praying Asr, but this is using Qiyas, which can be used if there are no explicit ahadith contradicting it, as Imam Abu Hanfiah has taught us.

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?ID=1257

At the heart of this debate is the hadith where Angel Jabreel came to show our Prophet (PBUH) the times of prayer. There is a misunderstanding that I would like to clarify that Salah is performed at a specific time. This is not correct. Salah is performed in a "time period" which means there is a start time and end time. This may be the reason for the conflict (ikhtilaf) not the actual time of salat, because two Masajid can have different Asr times, as long as they don't make it their religion and create a sect out of it. This hadith seems to be the most authentic, specific, clear, and detailed enough to provide us the answer.

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَمَّنِي جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ مَرَّتَيْنِ فَصَلَّى
الظُّهْرَ فِي الْأُولَى مِنْهُمَا حِينَ كَانَ الْفَيْءُ مِثْلَ الشِّرَاكِ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ حِينَ كَانَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ
مِثْلَ ظِلِّهِ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ حِينَ وَجَبَتْ الشَّمْسُ وَأَفْطَرَ الصَّائِمُ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ حِينَ
غَابَ الشَّفَقُ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ حِينَ بَرَقَ الْفَجْرُ وَحَرُمَ الطَّعَامُ عَلَى الصَّائِمِ وَصَلَّى الْمَرَّةَ
الثَّانِيَةَ الظُّهْرَ حِينَ كَانَ ظِلُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مِثْلَهُ لِوَقْتِ الْعَصْرِ بِالْأَمْسِ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ حِينَ
كَانَ ظِلُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مِثْلَيْهِ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ لِوَقْتِهِ الْأَوَّلِ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ الْآخِرَةَ حِينَ
ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ ثمَُّ صَلَّى الصُّبْحَ حِينَ أَسْفَرَتْ الْأَرْضُ ثمَُّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ يَا
مُحَمَّدُ هَذَا وَقْتُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَالْوَقْتُ فِيمَا بَيْنَ هَذَيْنِ الْوَقْتَ ين

Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, "Jibril led me in Salah twice near Bayt Allah. The first time, we offered the Salah of Zuhr when the shadow was like the thong of a shoe. Then, we offered Asr when the shadow of everything was equal to it, and maghrib after sunset when the fasting man takes if tar (breaks his fast), and Isha when the twilight disappeared, and fair when one who fasts is forbidden food and drink. The second time, we offerred Zuhr when the shadow of everything was like it in length at the time of Asr on the previous day. Then we offered the Asr when the shadow of everything was twice as long. We prayed Maghrib at the same time as the previous day; we prayed Isha when one-third of the night was over and Fajr when the earth was well-lit. Then Jibril turned to me and said; "0 Muhammad! This was the time observed by Prophets (SAW) before you, and the time (of five Salah) is between these two times."
[Ahmed 3081, Abu Dawud 393] (Imam Tirmidhi Book 2 Chapter 1 #149)

As it is obivous from the last statement that the intention was to show us the starting and ending times of five salah. First day was to show us the earliest a Salah can be prayed, and the second day was to show us the latest time a salah can be prayed. I have seen some that get confused on the fact that Duhar was prayed at the same time Asr was prayed the day before. The intention of Jibreel was to show the limits, and there is no gap between the two limits, as Asr starts when Duhar ends, so this is the only way to show that. This can not be considered a contradiction, because it is in the context to teach it was done within the same hadith.

If you notice that the second day Asar Salah was not performed right before sunset, so there is a difference between recommended times, and allowable (but not desired) time. In fact, for some salah, there is an extension of time period for muslims who couldn't get the best time period to perform salat. For example, best time for Asr ends right after sun turns reddish which is after Mithlain. It is allowed to perform Asr salah uptil the sun touches the horizon. Also, the Fajr Salat is allowed uptil the tip of Sun rise above horizon. So on and son.

Yahya related to me from Malik, from his uncle Abu Suhayl from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to Abu Musa saying that he should pray dhuhr when the sun had started to decline, asr when the sun was still pure white before any yellowness had entered it maghrib when the sun had set, and to delay isha as long as he did not sleep, and to pray subh when the stars were all visible and like a haze in the sky and to read in it two long suras from the mufassal. (Muwatta Book 1, Number 1.1.7)

Abu Musa Al-Ashri was very close to Umar bin Khattab, and they correspond regularly, so this is another example of Umar, as the Ameer, recommending the governor of Iraq, to pray in the best time to maximize the rewards. We should learn from this that praying at the best time should be our goal.

So, Duhar time starts right after the sun passes meridian, and valid till Asr is commenced, as in the hadith below. This shows that Duhar should be prayed earlier then Mithal.

Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that Allah's Messenge (SAW) said,” There is for
every Salah, its initial and final time. The initial time for Zuhr is when the sun declines and its final time is when Asr commences. The initial time of Asr is when it sets in till when the sun turns yellow. The initial time of Maghrib is with sunset and its last is when redness on the horizons disappears. The initial time of Isha is from then and its final time is at midnight. The initial time of Fajr is from true dawn till sunrise. (Tirmidhi)

There are many ahadith where it is recommended to pray Asr before the sun turns yellow, which will be hard to do, if we delay Asr salah, such as following Hadith. It also sends chills down my spine, because this is what I have done for many days.

Sayyidina Ala ibn Abdur Rahman (RA) visited Sayyidina Anas (RA) at his home after
offering the Salah of Zuhr. His home was next to the mosque. Sayyidina Ans (RA) said,
"Let us stand up and offer the Asr Salah.”They stood up and offered Salah of Asr. When they had finished, Sayyidina Anas (RA) said, "I had heard Allah's Messenger (SAW) say that it is a hypocrite's Salah that he sits by watching the sun till it is between the two horns of the devil, he rises and pecks four times, remembering Allah but a little.” (Tirmidhi, Ahmed 12511, Muslim 622, Abu Dawud 413, Nisai 50)

Interestingly, following is a fatwa from Deoband that claims that Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Muhammad, and Imam Abu Yusuf agreed that Asr time starts at Mithal. If this is true, why do we have hanafi method of calculation creating sects.

According to Imam Muhammad and Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Tahavi and as per one narration from Imam Abu Hanifa (رحمهم الله), the time of Zuhar ends on mithl awwal (when the shadow of an object reaches to its length).... In many issues, the Ashab al-Tarjih (Fiqh scholars) have preferred the opinions of Imam Muhammad and Imam Abu Yusuf (رحمهم الله) which is followed by the all hanafis. The Ulama have mentioned that a man is not ousted from hanafi maslak if he follows the rulings of Imam Muhammad and Imam Abu Yusuf (رحمهم الله).

(Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Deoband Fatwa: 1311/963/L=1431)

In conclusion, Asr can be prayed starting at Mithal, but if Masjid delay the Asr time for convenience of the community so they can attend, it is a different issue. We should not establish two methods of calculation, because it creates sects among Muslims. I think, its time to dissolve these madhaibs, and once again unite as a single nation, and work out the differences and come to "Ijma". This is the way of Imam Abu Hanifah, and this is the way of the companions. I hope to see a shift of opinions on the Asr time, so all Muslims around the world can determine time of Asr Salat according the same method.

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin
A follower of Imam Abu Hanifa in the true sense
AbuArman (Adnan Jumani)