Asr
Encyclopedia
The Asr prayer is the afternoon daily prayer recited by practising Muslim
s. It is the third of the five daily prayers (the Islam
ic date begins at maghrib
). The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam
, in Sunni Islam
, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. The Asr prayer is a four rakaʿāt
daily prayer and is prayed (barely) silently. When travelling, according to some madh'habs, it may be reduced to two rakaʿāt. The Asr daily prayer may be mentioned as the middle prayer in the Qur'an
at sura
2 (Al-Baqara
), ayat
238, and also the name of a short sura (surat al-Asr
). This raises the middle daily prayer to a preciously higher rank for practicing Muslims in particular when it falls on Fridays.
and Zaydi
schools of thought the time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:
However, it is very important to recite the prayer as soon as the time begins. Letter 52 of Nahj al-Balagha contains instruction of Ali
to his governors on the timings of salat, "The Asr prayers can be performed till the sun is still bright and enough time of the day is left for a person to cover a distance of six miles."
The Islamic prophet Muhammad said, "He who observes Al-Bardan (i.e., Fajr and `Asr prayers) will enter Jannah.Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, Narrated by Abu Musa.
In another hadith:
Muhammad said 'He who misses his Asr Salah (i.e. reads it after its specified time) is as if he has lost his wife, children and all his wealth.’ (Sahih Muslim)
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. It is the third of the five daily prayers (the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic date begins at maghrib
Maghrib
The Maghrib prayer , prayed just after sunset, is the fourth of five formal daily prayers performed by practicing Muslims.The formal daily prayers of Islam comprise different numbers of units, called rak'at. The Maghrib prayer has three obligatory rak'at. The first two fard rak'at are prayed...
). The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam
Five Pillars of Islam
The Pillars of Islam are basic concepts and duties for accepting the religion for the Muslims.The Shi'i and Sunni both agree on the essential details for the performance of these acts, but the Shi'a do not refer to them by the same name .-Pillars of Shia:According to Shia Islam, the...
, in Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam. The Asr prayer is a four rakaʿāt
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...
daily prayer and is prayed (barely) silently. When travelling, according to some madh'habs, it may be reduced to two rakaʿāt. The Asr daily prayer may be mentioned as the middle prayer in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
at sura
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
2 (Al-Baqara
Al-Baqara
Sura al-Baqarah is the second and longest chapter of the Qur'an. It is a Medinan sura and comprises 286 verses, including the single longest verse in the Qur'an...
), ayat
Ayah
Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
238, and also the name of a short sura (surat al-Asr
Al-Asr
Sūrat al-‘Aṣr is the 103rd sūrah of the Qur’ān. It contains three āyāt, and is believed to be an early Meccan sura . Surat al-‘Asr is the second shortest sura, after al-Kawthar...
). This raises the middle daily prayer to a preciously higher rank for practicing Muslims in particular when it falls on Fridays.
Ja'fari and Zaydi schools of thought
According to the Ja'fariJa'fari jurisprudence
Jaʿfarī school of thought, Ja`farite School, Jaʿfarī jurisprudence or Jaʿfarī Fiqh is the school of jurisprudence of most Shi'a Muslims, derived from the name of Jaʿfar as-Ṣādiq, the 6th Shi'a Imam...
and Zaydi
Zaidiyyah
Zaidiyya, or Zaidism is a Shi'a Muslim school of thought named after Zayd ibn ʻAlī, the grandson of Husayn ibn ʻAlī. Followers of the Zaydi Islamic jurisprudence are called Zaydi Shi'a...
schools of thought the time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:
- Time begins: once the DhuhrDhuhrThe dhuhr prayer is the prayer after midday Performed daily by practicing Muslims, it is the second of the five daily prayers...
prayer (mid-day daily prayer) has been recited. - Time ends: at the beginning of the setting of the SunSunsetSunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
.
However, it is very important to recite the prayer as soon as the time begins. Letter 52 of Nahj al-Balagha contains instruction of Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
to his governors on the timings of salat, "The Asr prayers can be performed till the sun is still bright and enough time of the day is left for a person to cover a distance of six miles."
Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafi`i, and Maliki schools of thought
The time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:- Time begins: The Sunni schools differ on when the time begins. The MalikiMalikiThe ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
, Shafi`i, and HanbaliHanbaliThe Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
schools say it is at the time when the length of any object's shadow equals the length of the object itself plus the length of that object's shadow at noon. The dominant opinion in the HanafiHanafiThe Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
school says it begins when the length of any object's shadow is twice the length of the object plus the length of that object's shadow at noon. - Time ends: Once the sun has completely set below the horizon. However, it is frowned upon (and sinful in the Maliki school) to delay the prayer without a legitimate excuse to the point of the day in which the sun turns a pale red or orange color as it begins to set, though it would still be considered to have been prayed on time.
The Islamic prophet Muhammad said, "He who observes Al-Bardan (i.e., Fajr and `Asr prayers) will enter Jannah.Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, Narrated by Abu Musa.
In another hadith:
Muhammad said 'He who misses his Asr Salah (i.e. reads it after its specified time) is as if he has lost his wife, children and all his wealth.’ (Sahih Muslim)