Hastening Fajr before Sunrise (Hanafi)

Ustadh Tabraze Azam gives advice on being pressed for time to pray fajr and how best to pray them in their time if one only has a few minutes.

Question:

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

I was praying fajr Salah with my brother as the imam. We didn’t have much time left till sunrise (2 minutes).

I recited as normal, except in the final sitting where after reciting the whole tashahhud I shortened the durood to “Allahuma salli ala sayyidina Muhammad.” Is the prayer valid?

If this happens again where there is such little time before sunrise please could you detail the best manner in which to shorten the prayer in the Hanafi school?

Jazakum Allah khayran.

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

Yes, the dawn (fajr) prayer is valid if you end it before sunrise.

Normally, if you only have a minute before sunrise, you should be able to comfortably pray two cycles (rak‘as) of fajr by omitting a sunna here or there. An example would be to omit the opening invocation (thana’) or the final supplication (du‘a).

This is the proper thing to do. If you cannot pray two cycles at that speed, you should strive to learn how to do so. Then practice, so you can do it should the need arise. Allah Most High says, “Indeed, performing prayers is a duty on the believers at the appointed times.” (Sura al Nisa 4:103)

Please note that if the sun rises while you are praying fajr, the prayer would be invalidated, and you would need to redo it. But some of the other legal schools are more expansive on this issue. As such, it’s best not to be hasty in making judgements regarding the prayers of other people. (Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah)

Please also see What Should I Do If I Almost Don’t Have Time to Pray Fajr Before Sunrise? and Is My Prayer Valid If I Finish Praying outside Its Respective Prayer Time?

And Allah Most High knows best.

Wassalam,

Tabraze Azam.

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.