Book of Prayer

Chapter: The Appointed Times of Prayer

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. May Allah bless our master Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, and grant them abundant peace.

Chapter: The Prayer Times

The initial time for ẓuhr (the noon prayer) begins once the sun has passed its zenith. The earthly sign of this zenith is that the shadow of an object, having reached its shortest point at midday, now turns back and begins to lengthen. If a person is praying alone, it is recommended that he perform ẓuhr at the very start of its time. In congregational mosques, however, it is preferable to delay the prayer until the period is firmly established—namely, after the shadow has lengthened by a quarter of the gnomon’s height. Likewise, for the congregational mosques it is recommended to defer ʿaṣr and ʿishāʾ slightly so that the worshippers have time to assemble.

For individual worshippers, the earliest portion of every prayer time is superior.

Thereafter, the time for ẓuhr remains valid until the shadow of every object equals its own length; at that moment the time for ẓuhr ends and the time for ʿaṣr enters, with no gap between the two. The time for ʿaṣr then extends until the shadow of every object reaches twice its length. The expressions “once its length” and “twice its length” refer only to the increase in shadow that appears after the sun has moved past the meridian,