Times of Prayers - Timing of ‘Isha’ prayer in regions where the redafterglow (or twilight) does not disappear until very late

We are Saudi students who have been sent to study in the UK,
specifically in the city of Birmingham. Nowadays, with the beginning
of summer, we are faced with the problem of a long time between the
beginning of the time for Maghrib and the beginning of the time for
'Isha'. Every year there are arguments among the Muslims about what to
do. Some mosques to pray 'Isha' 90 minutes after the time for Maghrib
begins,whilst others wait until the red afterglow disappears, for a
period of up to 3 hours on occasion! Which causes hardship for people,
especially as the night is so short. On days like this, the Muslims in
the student halls of residence pray 'Isha' in two congregations: the
first group prays after 90minutes, based on the following: (a) Shaykh
Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said in one of his
khutbahs that the longest time between the beginning of Maghrib and
'Isha' is onehour and thirty-two minutes; (b) based on a fatwa from
one of the famous shaykhs in Saudi Arabia; (c) the red afterglow does
not disappear all night in some regions and during some seasons of the
year; (d) some mosques and Islamic centres rely on the 90-minute idea;
(e) the Two Holy Sanctuaries (al-Haramain) follow thissystem. As for
the other group, they pray later, based on the following: (a) the
fatwa of the Standing Committee which says that each prayer should be
offeredat the time prescribed insharee'ah, in accordancewith the signs
described in sharee'ah (if night is distinct from day); (b) a fatwa
from another famous shaykh in Saudi Arabia, in which he affirmed that
the 90-minute idea is based on mistaken ijtihaad; (c) some mosques and
Islamic centres do that; (d) the timetable that is approved by the
Muslim World League. But in fact the timetable of the MWL causes us
hardship and difficulty during some seasons of the year. We follow the
prayer timetable to be found on the following link:
www.islamicfinder.org
which gives all timetables according to the well-known calculation
methods; it isalso possible to customise it. As we have not found, on
the Internet or elsewhere, any research on this issue that is based on
clear evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah, we are waiting for you to
give us an adequate discussion and clear answer, by means of which we
ask Allah to unite people and bring us together on the basis of truth
concerning this issue. May Allah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
One of the conditions of prayer being valid, on which there is
consensusamong the scholars, is that the time for the prayer should
have begun. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning): "Surely the Prayer is prescribed to the Believers at
specifiedtimings" [an-Nisa' 4:103].
Shaykh 'Abd ar-Rahmaanas-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
That is, it is obligatory and it has a specific timeand is not valid
if offered at any other time. These are the timesthat are established
and well known to Muslims, young and old, knowledgeable and ignorant.
Tafseer as-Sa'di, p. 198
Secondly:
The beginning of the time for Maghrib is when the disc of the sun
disappears beneath the horizon, and the end of it – at which the time
for'Isha' begins – is when the red afterglow (or twilight) disappears.
It was narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas (may Allah be
pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "The time for Maghrib is when the
sunsets, so long as the twilight has not disappeared. The time for
'Isha' is so long as half of the night has not passed."
Narrated by Muslim, 612.
These times that are defined in sharee'ah only apply in lands where
night and day occur within twenty-four hours, and it does not matter
how long theday is and how short thenight is in this case, unless the
time of 'Isha' is not long enough to offer the prayer. In that case it
is as if there is no time for it,so it is to be worked out according
tothe nearest land in which night and day give enough time for each
prayer to be offered at its allocated time.
Your question concerns an issue to which the scholars paid attention;
they discussed it and issued fatwas concerning it, and one of them
wrote an essay on it, entitled Waqtu Salaat al-'Isha' wa Waqt
ul-Imsaak fi'l-Manaatiq allati la yugheebu fiha ash-Shafaqu illa
muta'akhkhiran wa yatlu'u al-Fajr Mubakkiran (The Time of'Isha' and
the time of Stopping Eating (for fasting) in Regions where the
Twilight does not disappear until very late and the Dawn breaks very
early). He is the director of the Islamic Research Centre in Istanbul,
Dr. Tayyaar Aalati Qawlaaj. The scholars differed concerning this
issue and there are three opinions:
1. That one may avail oneself of the concession that allows
putting Maghrib and 'Isha' together because of the difficulty involved
that is no less than the difficulty caused by rain and other reasons
that make it permissible to put two prayers together.
2. That the time for 'Isha' should be worked out. Some scholars
calledfor adopting Makkah al-Mukarramah as the standard in this case.
One of those who supported this view is the author of the essay
referred to above.
3. That the time for 'Isha' that is prescribed in sharee'ah,
namely the disappearance of the twilight, should be adhered to so long
as the time is sufficient to offer the prayer.
This last opinion is the one that we think is most likely to be
correct and is the opinion that isindicated by the hadeeth texts. It
is mentioned in fatwas issued by the Council of Senior Scholars, the
Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen, Shaykh
Ibn Baaz, and other scholars.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
These specified times only apply in places where night and day occur
within twenty-four hours, whether night and day are equal in length or
one of them is longer than the other by a short or long period.
As for places in which night and day do not occur within twenty-four
hours, that applies either throughout the year or only for a few days:
If it is only for a few days, such as if it is a place in which night
andday occur within twenty-four hours throughout the seasons of the
year, but during some periods there may be twenty-four hours or more
of either night or day, in that case if there is a phenomenon on the
horizon by means of which you can work out the time, such as if the
light starts to increase orwhen it disappears completely, then
deciding the time may be connected to this phenomenon. Or if thereis
no such phenomenon, you can work out the times of prayer as they were
on the last day before night or day began to last for twenty-four
hours.
But if it is a place where night and day within twenty-four hours does
not occur all year or in any season, then the times for prayer should
be worked out, because of the hadeeth narrated by Muslim from
an-Nawwaas ibn Sam'aan (may Allah be pleased with him), according to
which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentioned
the Dajjaal who will appear at the end of time. They asked him how
long he would stay on earth and he said: "Forty days: one day like a
year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of his
days will be like your days." They said: O Messenger of Allah, on that
day which will be like a year, will the prayers of one day be
sufficient for us? He said:"No, work it out…"
So if it is established thatin a place in which nightand day do not
occur (within twenty-four hours) the times for prayer are to be worked
out, then how do we work it out?
… Some scholars think that it should be workedout according to the
average time. So the night is to be estimated as being twelve hours,
and the same for the day, because when it is not possible to work out
the time of prayer basedon the place itself, it should be worked out
on the basis of a place where night and day areequal. This is like the
case of the woman who is suffering istihaadah (prolonged non-menstrual
vaginal bleeding) and does not have a period as such and cannot
distinguish between menstrual and non-menstrual bleeding.
Others say that it should be worked out in accordance with the nearest
land in which night and day occur throughout the year; because when it
is not possible to work it out with regard to the land itself, then it
should be worked out in accordance with the land that most closely
resembles it, which is the nearest land to it in which night and day
occur within twenty-four hours.
This view is more correct, because it is based on a stronger argument
and is more realistic.
Majmoo' Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 12/197, 198
This is the view of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, and is supported by the Standing Committee for Issuing
Fatwas. We have quoted their fatwa in the answer to question no. 5842
, in which they said:
… And there are other hadeeths which defined the times for the five
daily prayers through the words and actions ofthe Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him). It makes no difference whether the
day is long or short or the night is long or short, so long as the
times of the prayers maybe distinguished by the signs which were
identified by the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him). End quote.
With regard to the country in which you arestudying, we find that
night and day do occur within twenty-four hours there, and the time
for 'Isha' is not so short that you cannot offer the prayer. Based on
that, what you have to do is offer the prayersat the times prescribed
for them in sharee'ah.
Thirdly:
If the time of 'Isha is so late that offering the prayer on time will
be too difficult, in that case there is nothing wrong with putting
Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers together at the time of the earlier prayer.
In the answer to question no. 5709 we quoted Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may
Allah have mercy on him) as saying:
If the twilight disappears long enough before dawn that they can pray
'Isha', then theyhave to wait until it disappears. Otherwise if it is
too hard for them towait, in that case it is permissible for them to
put 'Isha' together with Maghrib at the time of the earlier prayer, so
as to avoid hardship and difficulty. End quote.
In a statement of the Islamic Fiqh Council, belonging to the Muslim
World League, the members of the council discussed the topic of the
times of prayer and fasting in countries at high latitudes. They
listened to shar'i and astronomical studies presented by some members
and other explanations of technicalaspects that were on theagenda
during the eleventh session of the Council, and the following was
determined:
… Thirdly: high latitude regions may be divided into three categories:
(i) Those that are located between 45° and 48° north
and south,where the signs for the times of prayer are distinct and
clear in eachtwenty-four hour period, whether the time is long or
short.
(ii) Those that arelocated between 48° and66° north and
south, in which some of the astronomical signs that define the time of
the prayer are absent duringsome days of the year, such as when the
the twilight, the disappearance of which signals that the time for
'Isha' has begun, does not disappear, and the end of the time for
Maghrib overlaps with the time for Fajr.
(iii) Those that are located above 66° north or south, as
far as the pole, in which the signs for the times of prayer are absent
during a longperiod of the year, whether by day or by night.
Fourthly: the ruling concerning the first areais that the people there
have to offer the prayersat the times prescribed in sharee'ah, and
they have to fast according tothe times prescribed in sharee'ah, from
when the true dawn appears until the sun sets, in accordance with the
Islamic texts having to do with the times of prayer and fasting.
Whoever is unable to fast the day or complete a day's fast because the
time is too long may break the fast, and has to make it up on
suitabledays … End quote.
This case is the one that is asked about here, as isobvious.
In another statement by the Islamic Fiqh Council, the statement quoted
above was confirmed and a concession was granted to the one who finds
it too difficult to offer 'Isha' prayer (at theprescribed time),
allowing him to put it together with Maghrib. But they stated that
this should not be made a habit for everyone; rather it is only for
thosewho have legitimate reasons. It says in that statement:
But if the signs of the time for the prayer appear, but the
disappearance of the twilight with which the time for 'Isha' begins,
is very late, the Council believes that it is obligatory to offer
'Isha' prayer at the proper time as defined by sharee'ah. But those
for whom it is too difficult to wait and offer the prayer on time –
such as students, people with jobs and workers duringthe work week –
can putthe prayers together, in accordance with the texts which speak
of protecting this ummah from hardship. For example, in Saheeh Muslim
and elsewhere it is narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) put together Zuhr and 'Asr, and Maghrib and 'Isha', in
Madinah, when there was no fear or rain. Ibn 'Abbaas was asked
aboutthat and he said: He wanted not to put his ummah through
hardship.
But putting prayers together should not be something that is done by
all the people in that country throughout that period, because that is
changing the concessionand making it become the norm.
As for the guideline on what constitutes hardship, reference should be
made to custom and this is something that differs from one person to
another, from one place and situation to another.
End quote from the nineteenth session, held in the headquarters of the
Muslim World League in Makkah al-Mukarramah, 22-27 Shawwaal 1428 AH/
3-8 November 2007 CE, second statement.
Fourthly:
With regard to defining the time between Maghrib and 'Isha' as being
one hour and thirty-two minutes, we could not find anything concerning
that from Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen or anyone else. We have previously
quoted the words of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and he
did not mention this opinion or regard it as more correct.
Perhaps this is a mistake on the part of the one who quoted the
shaykh, and the shaykh was referring to the usual time between Maghrib
and 'Isha' in countries where night and day aremore equal, or in Saudi
in particular, which is more likely to be the case.
(a) He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The time for 'Isha' is not defined by the adhaan only, in fact,
because thetime of 'Isha' may sometimes, during some parts of the year
and in some seasons… the time between sunset and the beginning of the
time for 'Isha' may be one and a quarter hours, or sometimes one hour
and20 minutes, and sometimes one hour and25 minutes, and sometimes one
hour and30 minutes. It varies and it cannot possibly be the same in
every season.
Jalasaat Ramadaaniyyah
(b) He also said (may Allah have mercy on him):
The time for Maghrib lasts from sunset until the disappearance of
thered afterglow, which may sometimes be one and a half hours between
Maghrib and 'Isha', or sometimes it may be one hour and twenty
minutes, or one hour and seventeen minutes; it varies.
Majmoo' Fataawa ash-Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen, 7/338
To sum up:
1. In countries where night and day occur in twenty-four hours,
it is obligatory to pray at the times prescribed in sharee'ah, no
matter how long or short the night.
2. In countries where night and day do not occur in twenty-four
hours, it is obligatory to follow the times of prayer in the closest
landin which there is night and day.
3. In countries where the twilight overlaps with the dawn, or it
disappears but there is not sufficient time to pray 'Isha', it is
obligatory to follow the closest place where there is enough time to
offer the prayer.
4. It is permissible for people who have legitimate excuses to
puttogether Maghrib and 'Isha' if they are unable to wait until the
time of 'Isha'.
And Allah knows best.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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