What is the Ruling of Performing Maghrib Late? 

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

What is the Ruling of Performing Maghrib Late? 

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate 

It is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) to delay the maghrib until the time when ‘the stars are numerous in appearance,’ (perhaps 40 mins or so after sunset), although this depends on certain latitude and time of the year. As for within the time until the ‘appearance of stars it will be mildly disliked (makruh tanzihan). 

[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah, Tumurtashi, Tanwir al-Absar]

It would be better for the future to prepare beforehand with wudhu and have this experience in mind.

Also, it will be good to keep the following hadith in mind, below, to act as an incentive to perform our maghrib on time: 

“My community will remain well, [or he said: will remain on its natural condition,] so long as it would not delay the evening prayer until the stars shine brightly just like a network.” [Abu Dawud; Ibn Maja]

I pray this helps.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.