a shadow on its western side—meaning, every upright object. This shadow continues to diminish little by little: the higher the sun rises, the more it decreases, until it comes to a stop. Once it stops and then increases by the slightest amount, the sun has passed the meridian. Mark the point from which the shadow begins to increase, for it will continue to do so. Then, when the distance from the mark at which the sun passed the meridian to the end of the shadow equals the height of the object, the time for Zuhr ends and the time for Asr begins.

If it is asked: What is the evidence for this determination of its beginning and end? The answer is that we have a beneficial principle: every specification by place, time, or number must have evidence. Such specification requires textual proof. For example, those who define the minimum duration of menstruation as one day and one night, and its maximum as fifteen days, must produce evidence; otherwise, their view is not accepted. Those who define the distance permitting the shortening of prayer as two days’ travel must produce evidence. Those who define the period of residence that ends the rulings of travel as four days must produce evidence. Those who specify the obligatory alms of the fast-breaking as one sāʿ must produce evidence. And to those who specify the beginning of the Friday prayer time as when the sun has risen to the height of a spear, we say: Where is the evidence? For what is well known is that the Friday prayer is held at the time when the sun passes the meridian, or after it has passed the meridian.

The hadith of Abu Hurayrah: “Whoever performs ghusl, then goes early in the first hour,” then he mentioned the second, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth (1), indicates that there is a considerable span of time between sunrise and the time of the prayer. Accordingly, the evidence for the beginning of the time for the Friday prayer is the report of Abdullah ibn Saydan, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “I attended