deliberately and says, “I shall perform them after Maghrib”; or who postpones (1) Maghrib and Ishā and says, “I shall perform them after Fajr”; or who postpones Fajr and says, “I shall perform it after sunrise.” This is an outright failure to perform the prayers within their prescribed times, without any excuse.
It is authentically established that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“Whoever misses the Asr prayer is as though he had been bereft of his family and wealth.”
He also said:
“Whoever abandons the Asr prayer has rendered his deeds void.” (2)
Had it been possible for him to make up for it, his deeds would not have been rendered void. His words, “bereft of his family and wealth,” mean that he is left bereft, with neither family nor wealth. Had it been possible to perform the prayer at night, he would not have been bereft.
He also said:
“Whoever catches one rak‘ah of Asr before the sun sets has caught it.” (3)
If performing it after Maghrib were valid without qualification, he would count as having caught it whether or not he caught one rak‘ah. The Prophet did not mean that whoever catches one rak‘ah has performed a valid prayer without incurring sin. Rather, deliberately doing so is sinful, as the authentic hadiths demonstrate. He commanded that the prayer be performed at the time he had prescribed and that Asr not be delayed until after the sun had turned yellow. Performing it before the sun turns yellow is therefore obligatory by virtue of his command and his words:
“Perform the prayer at its appointed time.” (4)
It is thus known that catching the prayer in this manner does not absolve anyone without a valid excuse of sin; rather, he will be
(1) Manuscript bā alone reads: “or postpones.”
(2) These two hadiths appeared earlier, on p. 212.
(3) Manuscript bā alone reads: “then he has caught the Asr prayer.” The hadith appeared earlier, on pp. 110–119.
(4) This hadith was cited in full earlier, at 5:209. This statement occurs in several hadiths, sometimes in the singular form, “Perform the prayer at its appointed time,” and sometimes in the plural form with the same meaning. Muslim collected these hadiths in his Sahīh, 1:448–49, Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer, chapter “The Disapproval of Delaying the Prayer beyond Its Preferred Time.” They are narrated from Abū Dharr—may Allah be pleased with him. The first begins: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said to me, “What will you do when rulers are placed over you who delay the prayer beyond its time or let its appointed time expire?” I asked, “What do you command me to do?” He replied, “Perform the prayer at its appointed time. If you then find them performing it, pray with them; it will count as a voluntary prayer for you.” At the end of hadith no. 244, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Perform the prayer at its appointed time, and let your prayer with them count as voluntary.” The hadith of Abū Dharr was also narrated with the same meaning from Ibn Masūd and Ubāda ibn al-Sāmit—may Allah be pleased with them—in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 1:173–74, Book of Prayer, chapter “When the Imam Delays the Prayer beyond Its Time”; Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 1:113–14, Book of the Times of Prayer, chapter “Reports Concerning Performing the Prayer Promptly When the Imam Delays It”; and Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1:398–99, Book of Establishing the Prayer, chapter “Reports Concerning When They Delay the Prayer beyond Its Time.”