Delaying the night prayer until the end of its preferred period—namely, up to one-third of the night—is better, provided this does not impose hardship. If doing so would burden the congregation, it is recommended to pray at the very beginning of its time so as to spare them difficulty.
It is disliked to sleep before the ʿIshāʾ prayer, lest one fall into deep sleep and miss it. It is likewise disliked to converse after it—that is, to sit and talk with people—because such talk keeps a person from going to bed promptly and therefore from rising early. One should retire immediately after ʿIshāʾ, rise toward the end of the night for tahajjud, and greet the dawn prayer with vigor; for the Prophet disliked sleeping before it and talking after it.
This censure applies only when one’s late-night wakefulness serves no purpose; if he stays up for a legitimate and beneficial need, there is no harm.
- The time for Fajr begins with the appearance of the second (true) dawn and lasts until sunrise. Once the break of dawn is certain, it is recommended to perform the prayer promptly.
These, then, are the prescribed times of the five daily prayers. You must adhere to them: do not pray before their time, nor delay them beyond it. Allah, exalted is He, says, “So woe to those who pray, yet are heedless of their prayers” [Qurʾān 107:4-5]—that is, those who put the prayer off past its proper time. And He says, “Then there came after them successors who neglected the prayer and pursued their desires; so they will meet with ruin—except those who repent” [Qurʾān 19:59-60].