that prayer is neither obligatory for him nor valid if performed before its time begins, because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“Establish prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night.” [al-Isrā’: 78]

Also, Gabriel, peace be upon him, established the prayer times for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then told him: “This is what you have been commanded to do.” Thus, if someone prays without knowing that the time has begun, his prayer must be deemed invalid, even if it becomes clear to him [that he offered it after the time had begun, because he offered it without knowing that it was obligatory for him. It has also been said that it is valid if it becomes clear to him] that it was performed after the time had begun.

Those who hold this view cite the report that “ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib and Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, during the Farewell Pilgrimage, both in ihrām (ritual consecration). The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked them: ‘With what intention did you enter ihrām?’ Each replied: ‘I said: “Here I am, entering ihrām as the Prophet did.”’ The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, approved what they had done and instructed them on what to do for the remainder of their ihrām.”

This provides no evidence for that view, however, because they entered ihrām at a time when they were permitted to enter ihrām for Hajj, even though they did not know whether the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had already entered ihrām, or for which rites he had entered it, if he had.

An analogy was also drawn with someone who fasts on the first day of Ramadan on the basis of his best judgment, without having sighted the crescent. This is not a sound analogy: fasting in that case is a precaution against eating on a day of Ramadan, whereas praying in this case abandons precaution, since he did not postpone his prayer until he was certain that its time had begun.

If, however, it does not become clear to him that he offered the prayer after its time had begun, it is plainly invalid, because it remains an established obligation binding upon him and can only be discharged with certainty. If he were to pray without knowing that the time had begun, fearing that he might miss it—for all he knows, it may have begun and elapsed until only enough time remains to perform the prayer—then the same disagreement would apply as in the case of someone who fasts on the first day of Ramadan for fear that Ramadan may have begun. And Allah, Exalted is He, knows best.

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As for facing the qiblah, the evidence that it is obligatory and a condition for the validity of prayer is the statement of