Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As salamaalaikum wa rahmatulllahi wa barakatuhu!!
i am a student of bsc, my exams are gonna start from 26th, i have a problem, that is my exam timings are from 2 in afternoon to 5 in evening. As for zuhr i pray and start to the centre of exam, its very far from my residence takes nearly 1 hour and if traffic 1 and ½ hour. my problem is with asr, till i reach home after writing exam its nearly 6oclock. here its time for maghrib at 6:30.so i reach just half an hour before maghrib. can i pray asr when i reach, what should I do, when should i pray asr??. can any one plz provide daleel and good explanation, plz i m waiting eagerly for reply. i m tensed with this situation plz help me I dont wanna lose asr prayer.
Jazakum Allah khairan!
Ma as salama!

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Prayer on time

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:

Indeed the Salaat is a prescribed duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

A man came to the Prophet (saws) and said “O Prophet of Allah (saws), what is the act or deed most loved by Allah?”

The Prophet (saws) replied: “To pray ones prayers on time.”

The man asked further: “What (deed or act most loved by Allah) next?”

The Prophet (saws) replied: “Obedience to ones parents.”

The man asked further: “What (deed or act most loved by Allah) next?”

The Prophet (saws) replied: “Jihaad in the Way of Allah.”

Related by Bukhari.

Intentionally missing an obligatory prayer beyond its appointed time is not even given as an option in the deen of Islam! If one accidentally or unintentionally misses one’s prayer through sleep or forgetfulness, one should pray it as soon as one wakes up or remembers it, and there is no expiation save that!

Whoever sleeps through or has forgotten to pray a certain prayer should pray it when he wakes up or remembers the prayer. Abu Qatadah related that sleeping through the prayer time was mentioned to the Prophet (saws) and he said, "There is no negligence in sleep, but negligence occurs while one is awake. If one of you forgets a prayer, or sleeps through its time, then he should pray it when he remembers it."

Related by an-Nasa'i and at-Tirmidhi.

Anas related that the Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it, and there is no expiation for it save that."

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Your Question: my problem is with asr, till i reach home after writing exam its nearly 6oclock. here its time for maghrib at 6:30.so i reach just half an hour before maghrib.

Jarir ibn Abdullah narrated that the Angel Jibrael (a.s.) came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said to him, "Stand and pray," and they prayed the noon (dhuhr) prayer when the sun had just passed its meridian. He then came to him (saws) for the afternoon (asr) prayer and said, "Stand and pray," and they prayed the afternoon (asr) prayer while the length of a shadow of something was similar to the length of the object. Then he came at sunset and said, "Stand and pray," and they prayed the sunset (magrib) prayer when the sun had just disappeared. Then he came at night and said, "Stand and pray" and they prayed the night (isha) prayer when the twilight had disappeared. He came again when dawn broke (and they prayed the morning (fajr) prayer). Then Jibrael (a.s.) came on the next day at noon and said (to the Messenger of Allah (saws)), "Stand and pray," and they prayed the noon (dhuhr) prayer when the length of the shadow of something was close to the length of the object. Then he came for the afternoon prayer and said, "Stand and pray," and they prayed the afternoon (asr) prayer when the shadow of something was twice as long as the length of the object. Then he came at the same time (as the previous day) for the sunset (magrib) prayer, without any change. Then he came for the night (isha) prayer after half (or a third) of the night had passed. Then he came when the sky was very yellow and said, "Stand and pray," and they prayed the morning (fajr) prayer. Then Jibrael (a.s.) said, "Between these times are the times for the prayers.

Related by Bukhari, Ahmad, an-Nasa'i and at-Tirmidhi.

Amr ibn 'Abbas related that he said, "O Prophet of Allah, inform me about the prayers." He said, "Pray the morning prayer, and then abstain from prayer until sunrise and the sun has completely risen, for it rises between the horns of Shaitaan. That is when the unbelievers prostrate to it. Then pray, as your prayer will be witnessed and attended to until the shadow of a spear becomes less than its length. At that time stop praying, for at that time the hell-fire is fed with fuel. When the shade comes, you may pray, for your prayer will be witnessed and attended (to by Angels) until you pray the afternoon (Asr) prayer. Then abstain from praying until the sun sets, for its sets between the horns of Shaitaan, and that is when the unbelievers make prostrations to it."

Related by Ahmad and Muslim.

Although it is best and closest to the Sunnah to offer one’s ‘Asr’ prayers between the time-band when the shadow of an object is similar to its length, and when its shadow is twice its length….the majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that if one offers one’s ‘Asr’ prayers before the sun begins to set in the horizon, their prayer will be considered valid and on-time. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Your Question: can i pray asr when i reach, what should I do, when should i pray asr??.

Beloved Sister, as you have stated that your exams start at 2pm until 5pm and because of the transport and traffic you are able to reach home only at 6.00pm and the time for ‘magrib’ starts at 6.30pm.

In our humble opinion sister, instead of delaying the offering of your ‘Asr’ prayers until reach home, and perchance because of extra traffic there is always a risk of not being able to reach home until the time of ‘magrib’…..it would be best if you could find a secluded spot in your exam campus or anywhere else where you could be able to offer your ‘Asr’ prayers immediately after your exams.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.67

Allah the Exalted has conferred a special blessing upon this Muslim Ummah - that is, the whole earth has been declared a mosque for it. Therefore, when the time for prayer comes, a Muslim may pray wherever he may be. Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari reports that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Wherever you may be at the time of salah, you may pray for it [the earth] is all a mosque."

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan