Source of Conflict About Asr Prayer Time
Question:
The present matter is a question about Asr time. When does it begin? According to the Ahnaaf, Asr time commences at Mithlain, i.e. when the length of the shadow of an object has reached twice the length of the object plus Fay-e-Zawaal. According to the other Mathhabs and Salafis, Asr time commences at one Mithl, i.e. when the shadow equals one length of the object plus Fay-e-Zawaal.
I request you to kindly explain the source of this conflict about Asr timings.
While our common sense clearly indicates that there must be an established Sunnah of our prophet (pbh) without any conflict as he has offered Asr every day regularly in all seasons since his arrival at Madina till his death with his Companions. It should therefore not be the matter of Ijtihad to determine timings of Asr after the death of our prophet (pbh).
You are requested to kindly answers below following questions. a. Are there authentic Hadiths indicating different timings of Asr or it is misunderstanding of authentic Hadiths? b. What is established Sunnah about Asr pray timings?
Answer:
The different view of Imam Abu Hanifa is mainly based on the following Hadith, in particular the underlined parts:
Narrated Salim bin 'Abdullah:
My father said, "I heard God's Apostle saying, 'The period of your stay as compared to the previous nations is like the period equal to the time between the 'Asr prayer and sunset. The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted (upon it) till mid-day then they were exhausted and were given one Qirat (of gold) each. And then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted (upon it) till the 'Asr prayer then they were exhausted and were given one Qirat each. And then we were given the Qur'an and we acted (upon it) till sunset and we were given two Qirats each. On that the people of both the scriptures said, 'O our Lord! You have given them two Qirats and given us one Qirat, though we have worked more than they.' God said, 'Have I usurped some of your right?' They said, 'No.' God said: "That is my blessing I bestow upon whomsoever I wish." (Bukhari 557)
Imam Abu Hanifa's argument is that since based on the above, the time between Asr and Maghrib is shorter than the time between Zhuhur and Asr therefore between the two choices of 'one length shadow' and 'two lengths shadow' the latter should be correct. This is then supported by referring to some of the Hadiths that can be interpreted to this effect while rejecting the reliability or relevance of other Hadiths that suggest 'one length shadow'.
Other schools of thought do not accept this argument. Their response is that the above Hadith is using an example to explain something totally different and therefore it is not legally correct to use it as a legal base for the time of Asr prayer. They also argue that the Hadith does not say that Jews or Christians had a longer period compared to Muslims, and that what it really says is that they did more (in terms of going through difficulties) compared to Muslims (refer to Ibn Hajar's Fath al-Bari, 2:40). They then bring out Hadiths that seem to support the 'one length shadow'.
Note that two of the Imam Abu Hanifa's students (Imams Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan) did not agree with their teacher's view on this.
It seems that one of the main causes of this dispute among the jurists is the fact that most of the Hadiths that are considered to be reasonably reliable on the subject do not give a very scientific indication of the time of Asr. For instance a Hadith informs that the time of Asr is when the sun has not yet turned into a yellow color or another one informs that the Prophet (pbuh) used to read Asr when the sun was in Ayesha bint Abibakr's room while the shadow of the wall of the house had not yet become apparent. Another Hadith informs that the Asr prayer was read at the time when a man could go to the outlying suburbs and reach there while the sun was still high. It is easy to appreciate that different exact times may be deducted from Hadiths like this.
On the other hand, it appears that depending on the weather conditions or the state of affairs at the day there was a slight flexibility in performing the Asr. This too perhaps has contributed in differences of opinions about the Asr prayer.
As far as the established Sunnah is concerned, we know that the Asr prayer has to be read when the sun is still high and shining but is also close to lose its heat. We know that normally there should be a reasonable time gap in between the Zhuhur and Asr times and in between the Asr and Maghrib times. As far as the established Sunnah goes this should be enough for us to make sure we will read our Asr prayer in its time.
However when it comes to determining the exact time of Asr then this will be based on individuals to look at the available evidences and decide whether the 'one length shadow' or 'two lengths shadow' seems to be more accurate.
It is also possible to argue that in fact the Established Sunnah is what the majority do ('one length shadiow') and that the only reason that Hanafies have a different view is due to their full reliance on Hadith when it comes to this particular subject. I however can appreciate that this is a two way argument and the followers of the Hanafi view too may use the same argument. I therefore do not invest on this argument.
I am personally more convinced by the majority view on this (one length shadow) but at the same time do not hesitate at all to read my prayers at the 'two lengths shadow' when I am in the company of the followers of Imam Abu Hanifa.
May God be satisfied with the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and his pious companions.
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May 2013
The present matter is a question about Asr time. When does it begin? According to the Ahnaaf, Asr time commences at Mithlain, i.e. when the length of the shadow of an object has reached twice the length of the object plus Fay-e-Zawaal. According to the other Mathhabs and Salafis, Asr time commences at one Mithl, i.e. when the shadow equals one length of the object plus Fay-e-Zawaal.
I request you to kindly explain the source of this conflict about Asr timings.
While our common sense clearly indicates that there must be an established Sunnah of our prophet (pbh) without any conflict as he has offered Asr every day regularly in all seasons since his arrival at Madina till his death with his Companions. It should therefore not be the matter of Ijtihad to determine timings of Asr after the death of our prophet (pbh).
You are requested to kindly answers below following questions. a. Are there authentic Hadiths indicating different timings of Asr or it is misunderstanding of authentic Hadiths? b. What is established Sunnah about Asr pray timings?
Answer:
The different view of Imam Abu Hanifa is mainly based on the following Hadith, in particular the underlined parts:
Narrated Salim bin 'Abdullah:
My father said, "I heard God's Apostle saying, 'The period of your stay as compared to the previous nations is like the period equal to the time between the 'Asr prayer and sunset. The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted (upon it) till mid-day then they were exhausted and were given one Qirat (of gold) each. And then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted (upon it) till the 'Asr prayer then they were exhausted and were given one Qirat each. And then we were given the Qur'an and we acted (upon it) till sunset and we were given two Qirats each. On that the people of both the scriptures said, 'O our Lord! You have given them two Qirats and given us one Qirat, though we have worked more than they.' God said, 'Have I usurped some of your right?' They said, 'No.' God said: "That is my blessing I bestow upon whomsoever I wish." (Bukhari 557)
Imam Abu Hanifa's argument is that since based on the above, the time between Asr and Maghrib is shorter than the time between Zhuhur and Asr therefore between the two choices of 'one length shadow' and 'two lengths shadow' the latter should be correct. This is then supported by referring to some of the Hadiths that can be interpreted to this effect while rejecting the reliability or relevance of other Hadiths that suggest 'one length shadow'.
Other schools of thought do not accept this argument. Their response is that the above Hadith is using an example to explain something totally different and therefore it is not legally correct to use it as a legal base for the time of Asr prayer. They also argue that the Hadith does not say that Jews or Christians had a longer period compared to Muslims, and that what it really says is that they did more (in terms of going through difficulties) compared to Muslims (refer to Ibn Hajar's Fath al-Bari, 2:40). They then bring out Hadiths that seem to support the 'one length shadow'.
Note that two of the Imam Abu Hanifa's students (Imams Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan) did not agree with their teacher's view on this.
It seems that one of the main causes of this dispute among the jurists is the fact that most of the Hadiths that are considered to be reasonably reliable on the subject do not give a very scientific indication of the time of Asr. For instance a Hadith informs that the time of Asr is when the sun has not yet turned into a yellow color or another one informs that the Prophet (pbuh) used to read Asr when the sun was in Ayesha bint Abibakr's room while the shadow of the wall of the house had not yet become apparent. Another Hadith informs that the Asr prayer was read at the time when a man could go to the outlying suburbs and reach there while the sun was still high. It is easy to appreciate that different exact times may be deducted from Hadiths like this.
On the other hand, it appears that depending on the weather conditions or the state of affairs at the day there was a slight flexibility in performing the Asr. This too perhaps has contributed in differences of opinions about the Asr prayer.
As far as the established Sunnah is concerned, we know that the Asr prayer has to be read when the sun is still high and shining but is also close to lose its heat. We know that normally there should be a reasonable time gap in between the Zhuhur and Asr times and in between the Asr and Maghrib times. As far as the established Sunnah goes this should be enough for us to make sure we will read our Asr prayer in its time.
However when it comes to determining the exact time of Asr then this will be based on individuals to look at the available evidences and decide whether the 'one length shadow' or 'two lengths shadow' seems to be more accurate.
It is also possible to argue that in fact the Established Sunnah is what the majority do ('one length shadiow') and that the only reason that Hanafies have a different view is due to their full reliance on Hadith when it comes to this particular subject. I however can appreciate that this is a two way argument and the followers of the Hanafi view too may use the same argument. I therefore do not invest on this argument.
I am personally more convinced by the majority view on this (one length shadow) but at the same time do not hesitate at all to read my prayers at the 'two lengths shadow' when I am in the company of the followers of Imam Abu Hanifa.
May God be satisfied with the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and his pious companions.
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May 2013
