What Is the Expiation for Praying Voluntary Prayers During a Disliked Time?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

What is the expiation for praying voluntary prayers during a disliked time?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

There is no expiation (kaffara) required for praying voluntary prayers (nawafil) during the disliked times. Rather, you should repent for the wrong, and give thanks for being guided to what Allah and His messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) commanded and interdicted.

There are a number of disliked times to pray voluntary prayers, but from amongst the most important are: (1) during sunrise, (2) sunset and (3) midday (right before zuhr), and after having prayed the obligatory (4) fajr and (5) ‘asr prayers. If you find yourself praying at this time, you should break the prayer and make it up later.

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar (1.250)]

Please also see: Prohibited times for Prayers and Makeup Prayers and: Can I Perform the Prayer of Repentance Right After the Fajr Prayer? and: Is It Permitted to Make up the Sunna Prayer of Asr After the Asr Prayer?

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.