Maghrib (the sunset prayer). Its time begins at sunset—that is, when the entire disc of the sun has completely disappeared so that nothing of it can be seen, whether from low ground or from a mountaintop. Sunset may also be recognized by the advance of the night’s darkness from the east, in accordance with the Prophet’s words: “When night comes from this side and the day withdraws from that side, the fasting person has broken his fast.” The period for Maghrib continues until the red twilight (shafaq) disappears. The shafaq is a whitish light mixed with redness; the red hue fades first, leaving a pure whiteness that then also vanishes. When that white glow is gone, one knows the red has already set. Performing Maghrib at the very start of its time is sunnah, for al-Tirmidhī—who judged the report sound—narrated from Salamah that the Prophet would pray Maghrib immediately after the sun had set and slipped from sight, and he added, “This is the position of the scholars among the Companions and those who came after them.”

ʿIshāʾ (the night prayer). Its time begins when Maghrib ends, i.e., with the disappearance of the red twilight, and lasts until the appearance of the second dawn (the true fajr). This span is divided into two parts: the preferred time, which extends until one-third of the night has passed, and the time of necessity, which runs from that point until the second dawn breaks.