Question about prayer

[Muslim_Gurl]

Assalamu alaikkum

I have a question about Asr prayer. I heard its sunnah to pray asr a bit late. is this true? give me a hadithh. plzzzz JazakALLAHu khair

Wasalamu alaikkumm

 

[ShyHijabi]

Salaam,

I've never read anywhere that one should purposfully delay their salat. Rather we are told to pray every salat on time as that has greater reward than doing them late. (in cases where you cannot help delaying) Anytime someone tells you something is sunnah or fardh and you are unsure, then the responsibility to provide proof is on their end, not yours.

Wasalam

 

[a_muslimah86]

The Asr prayer is considered *assalaat al-wusta* (the middle salat) by the consensus of scholars..and it is a salat with high significance per the verse:

"Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and stand up with devotion to Allah." [Al-Baqara 2:238]

And by hadiths in the two Sahihs (Bukhari & Muslim) regarding Asr:

"Rasulullah (saaws) said 'the one who lets the time of Asr prayer pass him, is like the one who abandons his family and his wealth'"

"Rasulullah (saaws) said 'the one who Asr prayer passes him, has (caused) his works (i.e. good deeds) to perish'"

Also Sayidina Abu Bakr Assidiq (raa) once said to Sayidina Omar (raa) regarding *the unnecessary* delay of salawaat:

"Towards Allah there is a duty (upon us) in the day which He does not accept in the night, and a duty in the night which He does not accept in the day"

The time for Asr is made clear through a hadith in Sahih Muslim in which Rasulullah (saaws) says:

"The time for Asr lasts until the sun turns yellow"

(kindly read this link for more info on practical timings of salawaat through the Sunnah: http://islamqa.com/en/ref/9940)

In another hadith speaking about *the timely performance of prayer*:

Rasulullah (saaws) was asked 'which of works (i.e. deeds) is most beloved by Allah?' and he (saaws) said 'performing salat in its due time' [Sahih Muslim & Bukhari]

In another narration of the same hadith:

From Ummu Farwa who narrated, 'Rasulullah (saaws) was asked 'which of deeds is most beloved by Allah? and he (saaws) said 'performing salat in its initial time' [Abu Dawood, authenticated by Al-Albani]

The latter narration not only signifies the *virtue* of praying *on time* but it also *specifies* that the prayer be performed in its *initial* timing..in other words..*one should pray as soon as the time of the prayer comes* except where *exclusions or allowances for doing otherwise exist*

THERE ARE ONLY TWO EXCLUSIONS to putting off prayer *by choice*...

1. Putting off (shortly) Dhuhur prayer due to *extreme heat* which is called *Ibraad* (literally translated from Arabic: "Cooling")

2. Putting off Isha'a prayer due to the *favored act of doing so* stated by Rasulullah (saaws) in a hadith and if the delay does not cause *difficulty* or *incovenience* for fellow Muslims joining for prayer (mind you..even in the delay of Isha'a one is supposed to pray *before* a certain time which is *midnight*..please read the link I provided for more info on the calculation of this matter)

So with the above daleels..you should draw the conclusion that delaying prayer altogether (and specifically Al-Asr) by choice is NOT ALLOWED except where noted otherwise as the case with Ibraad in Dhuhur and the virtue of late Isha'a and unless you have a *very good* and *legitimate* reason for doing so..and inshallah I helped you sister..if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask ..

and Allah Knows best