Showing posts with label salat times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salat times. Show all posts
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Accurate Prayer Timings
Here's a website which displays all the prayer timings of almost every city in the world. To visit it, please click here.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Determination of Salat Times
1. Introduction
The five Islamic prayers are named Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha. The timing of these five prayers varies from place to place and from day to day. It is obligatory for Muslims to perform these prayers at the correct time.The prayer times for any given location on earth may be determined mathematically if the latitude and longitude of the location are known. However, the theoretical determination of prayer times is a lengthy process. Much of this tedium may be alleviated by using computer programs.
2. Definition of prayer times
- FAJR starts with the dawn or morning twilight. Fajr ends just before sunrise.
- ZUHR begins after midday when the trailing limb of the sun has passed the meridian. For convenience, many published prayer timetables add five minutes to mid-day (zawal) to obtain the start of Zuhr. Zuhr ends at the start of Asr time.
- The timing of ASR depends on the length of the shadow cast by an object. According to the Shafi school of jurisprudence, Asr begins when the length of the shadow of an object exceeds the length of the object. According to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, Asr begins when the length of the shadow exceeds TWICE the length of the object. In both cases, the minimum length of shadow (which occurs when the sun passes the meridian) is subtracted from the length of the shadow before comparing it with the length of the object.
- MAGHRIB begins at sunset and ends at the start of isha.
- ISHA starts after dusk when the evening twilight disappears.
| Start | End | |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | When whitishness begins to appear on the horizon (dawn) | At beginning of sunrise |
| Zuhr | After sun's trailing limb crosses meridian | Start of Asr |
| Asr | When length of shadow =2x length of object + noon shadow (Hanafi) or When length of shadow = length of object + noon shadow (Shafi) | Before sunset |
| Maghrib | Sunset | Reddishness in the sky |
| Isha | After reddishness in sky (dusk) ends | Midnight (afzal), next fajr (makruh) |
Monday, July 7, 2008
Pray Your Prayers on Time
He remembered his grandmother's warning about praying on time:
'My son, you shouldn't leave prayer to this late time'.
His grandmother's age was 70 but, whenever she heard the Azhan, she got up like an arrow and performed Salat. He however could never win over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salat was always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in on time.
Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed.
His grandmother prayed with such tranquillity and peace.
He began making Doa and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while. He had been at work all day and was tired, very tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting.
He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people.
Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting.
Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was. His heart was about to burst.
It was the Day of Judgment.
When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this.
The interrogation was still going on.
He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had been called. No one could answer him. All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him.
Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there.
His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others. He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared.
He pleaded his case, 'I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I performed my Salat. I fasted in the month of Ramadhan.'
'Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did.'
'Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.'
He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made.
The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd.
His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began
To read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam.
His name was read first.
He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, 'How could I go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others.'
His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.
The two angels took him by the arms.
As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Noble Qur'an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him.
The Jahannam angels continued to drag him.
They had gotten closer to the Hellfire.
He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah [SAW] said, 'How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins?'
He began yelling, 'My prayers? My prayers? My prayers?'
The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam.
The flames of the fire were burning his face.
He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him. One of the angels pushed him in.
He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames.
He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.
He wiped some dust off himself and asked him, 'Who are you?'
The old man replied, 'I am your prayers.'
'Why are you so late?! I was almost in the Fire! You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in.'
The old man smiled and shook his head, 'You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?'
At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices coming from outside.
He heard the Adhan for Salat-ul Isha.
He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.
Maybe, you can help someone open their eyes.
And who knows?
Maybe, this is a good deed that can help you during The Day of Judgment. (INSHA-ALLAH)
'My son, you shouldn't leave prayer to this late time'.
His grandmother's age was 70 but, whenever she heard the Azhan, she got up like an arrow and performed Salat. He however could never win over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salat was always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in on time.
Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed.
His grandmother prayed with such tranquillity and peace.
He began making Doa and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while. He had been at work all day and was tired, very tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting.
He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people.
Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting.
Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was. His heart was about to burst.
It was the Day of Judgment.
When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this.
The interrogation was still going on.
He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had been called. No one could answer him. All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him.
Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there.
His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others. He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared.
He pleaded his case, 'I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I performed my Salat. I fasted in the month of Ramadhan.'
'Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did.'
'Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.'
He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made.
The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd.
His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began
To read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam.
His name was read first.
He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, 'How could I go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others.'
His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.
The two angels took him by the arms.
As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Noble Qur'an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him.
The Jahannam angels continued to drag him.
They had gotten closer to the Hellfire.
He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah [SAW] said, 'How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins?'
He began yelling, 'My prayers? My prayers? My prayers?'
The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam.
The flames of the fire were burning his face.
He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him. One of the angels pushed him in.
He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames.
He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.
He wiped some dust off himself and asked him, 'Who are you?'
The old man replied, 'I am your prayers.'
'Why are you so late?! I was almost in the Fire! You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in.'
The old man smiled and shook his head, 'You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?'
At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices coming from outside.
He heard the Adhan for Salat-ul Isha.
He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.
Maybe, you can help someone open their eyes.
And who knows?
Maybe, this is a good deed that can help you during The Day of Judgment. (INSHA-ALLAH)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Better way of offering prayers
Narrated by Abu Hurairah
Our Prophet MUHAMMAD (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
"Martyrs are those who die because of drowning, plague, an abdominal disease, or of being buried alive by a falling building.
Then he said,
'If the people knew the reward for the Dhuhur prayer
in its early time, they would race for it. If they
knew the reward for 'Isha' and the ' Fajr' prayers in
congregation, they would join them even if they had to
crawl.
If they knew the reward for the first row, they would
draw lots for i t'.
(Sahih AL-Bukkhari vol. 1: no.688)
The Prophet MUHAMMAD (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam )
said: 'pass on knowledge from me, even if it is only
one verse'.
Our Prophet MUHAMMAD (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
"Martyrs are those who die because of drowning, plague, an abdominal disease, or of being buried alive by a falling building.
Then he said,
'If the people knew the reward for the Dhuhur prayer
in its early time, they would race for it. If they
knew the reward for 'Isha' and the ' Fajr' prayers in
congregation, they would join them even if they had to
crawl.
If they knew the reward for the first row, they would
draw lots for i t'.
(Sahih AL-Bukkhari vol. 1: no.688)
The Prophet MUHAMMAD (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam )
said: 'pass on knowledge from me, even if it is only
one verse'.
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