Chapter: The Preconditions of Prayer

They are nine in all: 1) Islam; 2) sound intellect; 3) discernment⦗2⦘; 4) ritual purity when one is able; and 5) the entry of the prescribed time.

The time for Ẓuhr begins once the sun has passed its zenith and lasts until an object’s shadow equals its own length, not counting the zenith shadow.

Next comes the preferred time for ʿAṣr, which extends until an object’s shadow is twice its length, again excluding the zenith shadow; after that, it remains a time of necessity until sunset.

Next begins the time for Maghrib, lasting until the red twilight disappears.

After that is the preferred time for ʿIshāʾ, which runs until the first third of the night; thereafter it is a time of necessity until daybreak.

Finally comes the time for Fajr, which lasts until sunrise.

A prayer is deemed to have been performed within its time as long as the opening takbīr is pronounced before the period ends.