Al-Madhab Al-Hanafi on Praying Ishaa and Fajr at the

time when their signs have disappeared

This is a short document for the Hanafi brothers on the madhab when the signs of Ishaa and Fajr
disappear. The document will try to cover the opinions of as many scholars as possible from the Hanafi
masters.
Introduction:
The Hanafi madhab is in alliance with most other madhabs on the time of Isha and Fajr. Here is a fatwa
by Mufti Ebrahim Desai and approved by Mawlana Imraan Vawda.
Link to Fatwa: http://www.albalagh.net/qa/fajr_isha_salat_timings.shtml
Q.) How much earlier is Fajr from sunrise and how much later is Isha from sunset? We have made it 90
minutes before sunrise and 90 minutes after sunset. [Iqbal]
A.) There is nothing standard with regards to the times of Salat. This will differ according to season and
from place to place. As far as Fajr Salat is concerned, according to the Hanafi Madhab, the valid time
for this Salat starts from true dawn and ends at sunrise. True dawn refers to the appearance of the glow
that appears horizontally on the horizon.
It is preferable to perform it when it is light and not very dark. A good estimate will be approximately
30 minutes before sunrise. This is the most preferable time according to the Hanafi Madhab. However,
when stipulating the time for Jamaat, one should consider the people living in and around the locality.
As far as Isha Salat, according to the Hanafi Madhab, the time for this Salat starts from night and ends
at dawn. Night refers to the disappearance of the whiteness on the horizon. After this whiteness
disappears, the time of Isha Salat sets in. The most preferable time to perform this Salat, according to
the Hanafi Madhab is just before one third of the night passes. However, once again when stipulating
the time for Jamaat, we should consider the convenience of the people in the locality. And Allah Ta'ala
Knows Best

This is another short paper by some brother in the UK who asked the Hanafi Madhab Ulema on how to
calculate the prayer times:
http://www.masjideumer.org.uk/timetable/download/Salah%20Times%20explanation%20%28revised
%29.pdf

We note that the mehod that the brothers used in the UK does not work well here in Northern
Scandinavia. The redness never disappears during summer. It is also the case that the one sevenths of

the night method they are using has no legal backing from a Fiqh point of view. So what do we do
when there is no sign for Fajr and Ishaa. Here is a Fatwa by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam another
Hanafi.

Link: http://islamqa.org/hanafi/daruliftaa/8445

Fatwa:
What is the ending time of the Eisha prayer and the beginning time for Fajr in places that are situated at
extreme latitude. Please can you explain the various methods that have been mentioned, and are those
methods mentioned by the classical scholars?
ANSWER
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The time for Eisha prayer comes in when the whiteness in the sky (shafaq al-abyadh) disappears
(according to Abu Hanifa, Allah be pleased with him), or when the redness in the sky disappears
(according to Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, Allah be pleased with them).
The time of Eisha ends (which also is the beginning time for Fajr) at true dawn (al-fajr al-sadiq), which
is when the sky around the horizon begins to grow light. Before this, a dim light sometimes appears
overhead for some minutes, followed by darkness, and is termed as the deceptive dawn (al-fajr alkadhib). According to the contemporary scholars and experts, this is when the sun is 18 degrees below
the eastern horizon, which is known as the Astronomical Twilight.
Now, areas that are situated at extreme latitude, at times the time of Eisha does not appear. Before the
Eisha time sets in, the time for Fajr appears. In other words, the sun does not descend fully below the
western horizon before beginning to rise.
For example, here in England, in the summer months (which could begin around mid May till the end
part of July) the whiteness in the sky (shafaq al-abyadh) does not disappear at night, and in certain
nights the redness also fails to disappear. In such a case what should the ruling be for the respective
times of the Eisha and Fajr prayers?
The Fuqaha have mentioned different methods in calculating the times for Fajr and Eisha prayer at
extreme latitude. Those areas that are above 48 latitudes (UK is at 50 to 60 latitudes) in certain days of
the summer, Maghrib time directly goes into Fajr time, thus there is no time for the Eisha prayer.
There are four methods in estimating the ending time of Eisha and the beginning time of Fajr:
1) In those certain days where Eisha time fails to appear, the time will be set according to the last
day when dawn actually did rise. For example, on the final day where dawn set, it was 1.21, a.m.
So throughout the period when there is no apparent beginning time for Fajr, we will set the time
at 1.21, a.m. This is known as aqrab al-Ayyam.

2) The time between sunset and sunrise is divided into two parts. The first half is considered to be night
and the second morning, meaning the time for Eisha will end (and the time for Fajr will commence)
when the first half comes to an end. This is known as Nisf al-layl.
3) Aqrab al-bilad. This method is by looking at the nearest place where the time for Eisha does
appear and the time is set according to their time. This is known as Aqrab al-Bilad.
4) The last method is where the time between sunset and sunrise is divided into seven parts. The first
six parts are considered to be the night (in which you may perform the Eisha prayer) and the final part
considered to be the commencement for dawn (Fajr prayer).
The above are the four methods used in ascertaining the ending time for Eisha and the beginning time
for Fajr.
These four methods have been mentioned by traditional Fuqaha and one may find the texts of the
Fuqaha in this regard in the various traditional books of Fiqh. See for example, Imam Nawawis works
such as al-Majmu, Rawdhat al-Talibin and his Commentary of Sahih Muslim. Also, Ibn Abidin
discusses this quoting from the Shafii Madhhab in his Radd al-Muhtar, 1/322.
Note that the above details are with regards to the ending time and the beginning time for Eisha and
Fajr prayers respectively. As far as the commencement of the Eisha time is concerned, contemporary
scholars state that one can perform Eisha prayer one hour after sunset. In other words, due to the fact
that Eisha time fails to appear, it can be performed at around one hour after Maghrib.
And Allah Knows Best
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK

We note here options 1 and 3 which are the ones that the Fatwa we got from the European council of
fatwa has chosen. We will talk about this later, but let us continue with the Fatwas from the different
recent Hanafi Ulema. Here is another Fatwa by Sheikh Faraz Rabbani.
Link: http://islamqa.org/hanafi/qibla-hanafi/37055
Fatwa
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Recently in a discussion a brother said that the legal reason for Isha prayer is the ending of Twilight,
and when there is no end of Twilight as nowadays in UK the obligation of praying is abrogated. Is this
view correct and could you please explain if you have heard this before, so I can explain to the brother.
Answer:

Walaikum assalam,
This is not correct.
The chosen position (as mentioned by Ibn Abidin in his Radd al-Muhtar) is that even in those lands
where there is no Isha time, Isha prayer remains obligatory, and people must determine its time [by
the nearest area that has Isha time].
There are two twilights:
(a) the disappearance of the whiteness in the sky. This is the position of Abu Hanifa, and leads to late
Isha times (18 degrees on calendars);
(b) the disappearance of the redness in the sky. This is the position of Abu Hanifas main students, Abu
Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, and most late scholars chose this. It leads to earlier Isha times (12
degrees on calendars).
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani
Another Fatwa:
Link: http://islamqa.org/hanafi/daruliftaa-birmingham/19766
Fatwa:
How to determine Salah times in extreme latitude

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

Answer

With regards to your question it will be necessary to estimate the five daily prayers within the 24 hour
time according to when Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Ishaa normally take place.

This can be deduced from the following hadith, when the Prophet of Allah Sallallahu Alahi Wasalam
was asked How long would the (Dajjal) live on Earth? He replied 40 days, a day being equal to a
year and a day being equal to a month and a day being equal to a week, and its all other days would be
like your days. We then asked Will the prayer (prescribed during) a day suffice us for that day which

would be equal to a year? He said, Make an assessment of it. (Sunan Ibn Majah p.297 v.2)

Furthermore, the jurists have mentioned four methods in estimating the time of Fajr and Ishaa in
countries located in extreme latitudes.

1. Aqrabul Ayyum: The time Subhe Sadiq was on the last day before Ishaa time failed to
appear. For example, in Britain from the 16th of May (where there is no Islamic nightfall),
the time Subhe Sadiq was on the 15thof May there will be the time one will perform his
Fajr salah.
2. Nisful Layl: The time between sunrise and sunset will be split into two parts. The last portion
will be considered as Subhe Sadiq thus Fajr salah will begin.
3. Aqrabul Bilal: The country most nearest to where the time for Ishaa is set according to
their time.
4. Subul Layl: The time between sunset and sunrise is divided into seven parts. The first six parts
are considered to be the night in which you may perform Ishaa prayer and the final part the
beginning of Fajr prayer. (Raddul Muhtar p.19 v.2 & Subhe Sadiq ur Shafq Ke Tahqiq p.46p.48)

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

Now done with the opinions of recent scholars, let us look at the opinions of the ancient Hanafi
scholars:
Let us start by the most central reference in Fatwa for the Hanafi Madhab, Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Dur
al-Mukhtar (or "al-Shamiyya" or "Fatawa Shami), by Imam Ibn Abidin, also know as "al-Shami".
Written in al-Dur al-Mukhtar:
( ) ( )



Like the Bulgar lands where Fajr comes out before the dawn sets in the forty days of winter. It is
obligatory on the muslim to pray and he should measure for his prayer if he misses the signs.
Ibn Abidin explains the above saying :

A question on a person who does not have a time for Ishaa like the Bulghar (A place in now Russia
which is almost at the same latitude of Malm):
Bulghar is a city of Slavs in the extreme north. It is extremely cold. The saying Fajr comes out before
the dawn sets suggests that only the time of Ishaa and Witr is missing, but this is wrong. Also the time
of Fajr is missing because the beginning of the time of fajr starts in the very early morning. The
beginning of Fajr requires that it is preceded by complete darkness, and there is no darkness since the
redness is the sky (the dawn) does not disappear.
I say that the difference in opinion narrated by the scholars of the madhab is in if praying Ishaa and
Witr is obligatory only and we have not heard any of them discussing how to pray fajr in this case.
What falls in their discussion is in calling this fajr because fajr to them is when there is whitness
spreading in the horizon accoding to the saheeh hadeeth as previously stated without ttieing to the
precedence of darkness and I have seen some of them mention something similar.
His saying in the forty days of winter is wrong and the correct is the 40 days of summer as in
Bakani's book and as in the words of many other books like El-Bahr, during the shortest nights of the
year.
His saying he should measure for his prayer , some of our Scholars (Ibrahim Ibn Abdul-Rahman
Karki) in the book of Al-Fayd said If they live in a city where Fajr comes out before the dawn
disappears, Ishaa is no longer obligatory on them because of the non-presence of the sign of Ishaa, and
it was also said that it is obligatory and that they must calculate its time
There remains what does it mean to calculate/measure the time, what appears to me is that what the
sentence of Al-Fayd means is to pray Ishaa kada' by assuming that the sign of Ishaa is there in a similar
way to the time of dajjal as I explain later because it is not obligatory to make the prayer with out the
sign, so this means that his sentence that we calculate the rime is an answer to the problem of the
missing sign.
The result is that we do not say that the sign must be there in real but it is enough to calculate as in the
time of Dajjal. It is also possible that what he means by calculate/measure is similar to Madhab Shafei
where they say that the time of Ishaa in this case should be the same time between Maghreb and Ishaa
in places near them where they have the sign of disappearing dawn. The first opinion is stronger
apparenlty as copied from the following quote from the book of Al-Fath where the scholar bases his
opinion of the time of Dajjal and because this issue has three opinions between our Hanafi Madhab
scholars, namely, Al-Bakaly, Al-Halawani and Al-Borhan Al-Kabeer. Al-Bakally gave the Fatwa that
the prayers are not obligatory. Al-Halawani gave the Fatwa that one should pray as if he has missed the
prayer. Al-Halawani canged his opinion later though to Al-Bakally's opinion because he sent AlBakally a question asking What do you say about a man who has said that one of the five prayers is
not obligatory, does he became a Kafir?. To that Al-Bakally replied with a question If some one has
both his arms and legs amputated, how many of the Wodoo' Farz does he have to make? to which the
answer was only three because there is no place to make the others (since he no lonegr needs to wahs
arms and feet). To this Al-Bakally replied and this is exactly like Al-Salah. When Al-Halawani got

this answer, he liked it and he changed his opinion to Al-Bakally's opinion.

Al-Borhan Al-Kabeer on the other hand said that it is obligatory. To which Al-Zailaey objected because
the sign is missing and it is thus as if one is praying a missed prayer. It is also the case that the time of
Ishaa does not stay once the dawn is out and this is consensus among the scholars.

Ibn Abidin goes on for quite a few more pages on what the opinion is, but now I jump to his
conclusions. Whoever has interest in this debate in the Hanafi Madhab can check Ibn-Abidin's book
available in Arabic, Urdu and Turkish.
Ibn Abidin says:
If we say that it is obligatory upon them to take the times of the nearest city to them with the signs, we
assume then that this is their real time for Ishaa so that Ishaa prayer is then on its actual time. If their
Fajr is also taken according to the time the dawn disappears in the nearest cities to them with the signs,
they must take both the time for Ishaa and Fajr for them.

The Messenger of Allah ( )mentioned the Dajjal (Antichrist) saying: If he comes forth while I am
among you I shall be the one who will dispute with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth when I
am not among you, a man must dispute on his own behalf, and Allah will take my place in looking after
every Muslim. Those of you who live up to his time should recite over him the opening verses of Surat
al Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial. We asked: How long will he remain on the earth ?
He replied : Forty days, one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and rest of his days like
yours. We asked : Messenger of Allah, will one days prayer suffice us in this day which will be like a
year ? He replied : No, you must make an estimate of its extent. Then Jesus son of Marry will descend
at the white minaret to the east of Damascus. He will then catch him up at the date of Ludd and kill
him.
.
For more on the book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radd_al-Muhtar_ala_al-Dur_al-Mukhtar

So In general, the Hanfi Madhab supports in our case the calculations for the prayer times. As copied
from the more modern Fawas, one of the methods of measurement is to use the last day when the signs
where evident. Since in that last day. Ishaa time is at 10:30 almost, while sunset here is at 11:25, we can
not take the time for the last day with out moving Maghreb. Another opinion would be to fic maghreb,
measure the time between maghreb and Isha on the last day and add it to the current Maghreb time, i.e.,
Ishaa time will be at 1:00 a.m. almost. Then doing the same with Fajr, subtract the time between the
last fajr and sunset on the last day when the signs appear, then the time of fajr will be at 12:40, again
making fajr before Ishaa. We live in a very extreme latitude here. For this reason, the Ulema gave us a
fatwa to move the times for all three prayers here in Ume to be according to the last time the signs

where there. As you can read from the previous fatwas from the Hanafi Madhab, this does not go
against some of the legal opinions in the madhab.
We would like also to emphasize the fact that the times we have here on the last day when there is a
difference in the signs, is very similar to the prayer times at the nearest Islamic country to us (Bosnia)
and is also similar to the nearest place on earthe where the signs can be seen (again northern Bosnia).