Al Minah Al `Aliyyah (22)

Fifthly,

'Asr Time

Sunnan!

Q&A :

Q: Are there any Sunnan to

be performed before the ‘Asr prayer?

Morning and evening adhkar :

It starting time is the break of the true dawn, namely, the time for dawn (Fajr) prayer. Hence, if the muezzin makes the adhan, the time for adhkar begins. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars (may Allah have mercy on them all).

Yet, the time for morning and evening adhkar has no authentic hadith and scholars have disagreed over its beginning and ending times.

The correct opinion – and Allah knows best **** is that the time for morning adhkar ends when the sun rises. However, this does not mean that one cannot make the adhkar after this time has elapsed, especially if it was not made for a particular reason. The period of time after the sun rises is known as morning, and this of course, will lead to obtaining the blessings and virtues of morning adhkar, therefore, there should be no problem to make it even when the sun has risen.

Time for afteroon adhkar :

It appears – and Allah knows best – that the correct opinion is that it starts after ‘Asr prayer and continues until sunset (Maghrib). The ruling that applies to the morning adhkar could also be put into practice here, namely, it could be made after sunset, especially if it was left for a particular reason. The part of the day after sunset is called evening; thus, the person should do their best to seek the blessings and virtues of this time by doing the adhkar.

Ibn al-Qayyem (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “The first chapter is about the morning and evening adhkar and it starts from sunrise and ends at sunset. Allah, the Almighty says,

ﯺ  ﯻ  ﯼ  ﯽ  ﯾ  ﯿ  ﰀ        ﰁ  ﰂ  ﰃ    ﰄZ

“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance $ And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr prayers.”                    (33:41-42)

 Al-Johari said that the word asil translated here as ‘Asr prayer means the time after ‘Asr until sunset. Allah, the Almighty also says,

b   c   d   e      f     Z

This  means the beginning and end of the day. Allah, the Almighty also says,

Z    \  ]  ^  _    `     ab   Z

 “And during a part of the night (also), glorify His praises (Maghrib and ‘Isha prayers), and (so likewise) after the prayers [As-Sunnah, Nawafil optional and additional prayers, and also glorify, praise and magnify Allah - Subhan Allah, Alhamdu lillah, Allahu-Akbar.”                          (50:40).

Accordingly, this explains what was narrated in the hadith: “Who says such and such in the morning and evening…” and this stands for what should be said before sunrise and sunset. Hence, the time for adhkar is directly after the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers.”^[2]

Sheikh bin ‘Uthaimeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked, “What is the time for the evening adhkar? Which time is the best to make it and can it be made up if it was not said?”

He answered, “All praise is due to Allah, the entire time from after ‘Asr prayer until the night prayer (‘Isha) is called evening. There is no difference if the adhkar is made at the beginning or the end of this time except for some adhkar that is linked to a specific time, such as Ayatul Kursi in the hadith, “…who recites it at the evening…” Hence, what is dedicated to the daytime should be said during the day and the adhkar for the night should be said at that specific time also. As for making the adhkar up in case of forgetting to say it, I ask Allah to reward the one who do so.”^[3]