Fatwa ID: 04027
Answered by: Shaykh Umer Khan
Question
If mithl thaani for Asr started at 4:05 and the Masjid prays in mithl awwal but they pray at 4:00, can a muqtadee who prays during mithl thaani join the congregation (with the intention of fardh) after 4:05 if it is still taking place? (Any Ibaarah would be appreciated if available)
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Allāh says: "Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times." (Qur'ān, 4:103). One is not allowed to pray any prayer before or after its prescribed time.
The relied upon opinion of the Ḥanafī madhhab (on which fatwa is given) is that Aṣr prayer should be prayed in mithl al-thānī (after the length of your shadow becomes twice its height). If this is the opinion you follow, then you should follow it consistently. However, leeway may exist in certain circumstances to perform the ʻAṣr prayer earlier, for example, if one is a traveler [1].
Written by Shaykh Umer Khan
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
