- The Book of Prayer
• The earliest time for Fajr begins with the appearance of the second dawn—the horizontal band of whiteness on the horizon—and it lasts until sunrise.
• Zuhr begins when the sun declines from the meridian. According to Abu Hanifa, its time ends when the shadow of every object reaches twice its length, excluding the original noon shadow. Abu Yusuf and Muhammad held that it ends when the shadow equals the object’s length.
• Asr begins the moment Zuhr ends in both opinions, and its time remains until the sun sets.
• Maghrib enters as soon as the sun has set. Its last time continues until the twilight disappears. Abu Hanifa defined this twilight as the whiteness that persists in the horizon after the reddish glow, whereas Abu Yusuf and Muhammad said it is the redness itself.
• ‘Isha starts when the twilight is gone and lasts until the break of dawn.
• Witr may be performed any time after ‘Isha and before dawn.
• It is recommended to perform Fajr after the dawn light spreads clearly, to delay Zuhr during the heat of summer and advance it in winter, to postpone Asr so long as the sun has not yellowed, and to hasten