the times when prayer is prohibited. The evidence supports the former view for several reasons:

First: His words,

“Do not prevent anyone from circumambulating this House and praying at whatever hour he wishes, by night or day,”

expressly encompass all times. How, then, can it be said that the five prohibited times are not included?

Second: No case has been excluded from this general statement by either a scriptural text or scholarly consensus, whereas the hadith prohibiting prayer is subject to exceptions established by both scriptural texts and consensus. A general statement whose scope remains intact takes precedence over one whose scope has been restricted.

Third: People have continued to circumambulate the House and pray beside it ever since Abraham, the close friend of Allah, built it. Before the Hijrah, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions would circumambulate it and pray beside it. Likewise, after the conquest of Mecca, Muslims frequently circumambulated it and prayed beside it. Had the two rak‘ahs of circumambulation been prohibited during the five times, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would have issued a general prohibition, since Muslims needed to know this, and that prohibition would have been transmitted. Yet no Muslim has reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prohibited this, even though circumambulation is more frequent and easier at the two ends of the day.

Fourth: Prohibiting this would deprive people of the benefits of circumambulation and prayer.