A Muslim must not perform the obligatory Prayer until its proper time comes into perfect as stated in the Shari`ah (Islamic Law). Allah says:
Prayer is enjoined on believers at stated times. (An-Nisaa’ 4:103)
This means that there is a pre-established obligatory religious duty for which the Qur’an has set fixed times. The beginning of the time for Prayer is a fundamental condition for performing it. The times are:
a- The Dawn Prayer (Fajr)
This Prayer begins at true dawn, which occurs in the east when the light first appears from the darkness of night and extends until the sun rises. He who has completed one rak`ah (units of prayer) of the Dawn Prayer before sunrise has performed the Prayer on time. He who oversleeps and awakens after the time for Prayer should perform it immediately upon waking and not delay his duty. Furthermore, he must not oversleep intentionally or be lazy in getting out of his bed for whoever does this suffers manifest loss.
b- The Noon Prayer (Zhuhr)
The time for the Noon Prayer begins after the sun’s zenith of that day. It will normally be at twelve o’clock, but the time varies in different countries. The time for the Noon Prayer lasts until the time for the Afternoon Prayer.
c- The Afternoon Prayer (`Asr)
It is enjoined when the shadow of an object is equal to its own length plus the length of its noontime shadow. The time for this Prayer extends until sunset. He who has completed one rak`ah of the Afternoon Prayer before sunset has performed the Prayer on time, but one is not permitted to delay the Prayer until the sun turns yellow.
Should the time for this Prayer be over, his efforts will be rendered valueless, as is stated in the noble hadith. The Afternoon Prayer is the “Middle Prayer” which is mentioned in the following Qur’anic verse:
Preserve (constantly) the Prayers, and the Middle Prayer, and rise up devoutly to Allah. (Al-Baqarah 2:238)
d- The Sunset Prayer (Maghrib)
It is performed from sunset until the end of red twilight. Twilight is the redness which appears on the horizon after the sunset and lasts until the onset of darkness. The interval allowed for the Sunset Prayer is the shortest of all and it is advisable to lose no time in performing Prayer.
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A Muslim must not perform the obligatory Prayer until its proper time comes into perfect as stated in the Shari`ah.
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