pray until the sun has risen or set.”

I say: This is likewise the position of our Hanafi scholars. Muhammad (Ibn al-Hasan) stated it explicitly in al-Muwattaʾ (125), saying: “This is also the opinion of Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him.”

The commentator Abu al-Hasanat al-Laknawi—may Allah have mercy on him—remarked:

“A number of our companions, among them al-ʿAyni and others, have supported this view by citing the hadith of taʿris (halting briefly for rest), arguing that the Prophet ﷺ moved on from that spot and only prayed afterwards because it was then the time of sunrise. This, however, is open to objection:

First, the explicit reason given in the report is that the place was one of heedlessness and the presence of Satan; one should not depart from that stated rationale.

Second, the narration found in Malik and others says, ‘the sun beat down upon them,’ and in some versions of al-Bukhari, ‘they did not wake until they felt the heat of the sun.’ Such heat can only be felt some time after sunrise, once the disliked period has passed.”

This is a fine and forceful rejoinder from Abu al-Hasanat, a vigorous author; men of his calibre are rare among the later followers of the schools. May Allah have mercy on him and reward him well.

The rationale he cited is recorded in Sahih Muslim (2/138) and al-Nasāʾī (1/102) on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

“We encamped with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and did not wake until the sun had risen. The Prophet ﷺ then said: …”