Is the Interdiction to Delay the Prayer Only for People Praying in Congregation?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

In one answer, I have read that:

“As for somebody praying alone, the dislikedness does not apply to them in the first place, and this is what Ibn’ Abidin relates from Khayr al-Din al-Ramli.”

Is this explanation of “dislikedness only applying to congregations” true for all cases of delaying being makruh/makruh tahrimi?

Is it makruh tahrimi to delay Asr, Maghrib, and Isha (according to one opinion) beyond certain points when praying alone?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Isha Prayer

The dislikedness of delaying the Isha prayer beyond the middle of the night is only in regard to the congregational prayer. This is because delaying it will entail reducing the amount of believers attending it. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

There is no harm for a person praying alone in his home to delay the Isha prayer beyond the middle of the night. This is because the considerations related to the congregations do not apply to him. [Ibid.]

Asr Prayer

The interdiction to delay the Asr prayer up to the time when the strength of the sun rays weakens such that one is able to look at the sun with the naked eye without difficulty is based on a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him) in which no distinction between the person praying in congregation and the person praying alone is mentioned.

‘Uqba Ibn Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) has said: “The Messenger of Allah (Blessing and Peace be upon Him) has forbidden to pray and bury our dead during three times of the day. When the sun rises until it is elevated, when it is at its zenith until it starts to recline, and when it inclines towards its setting until it sets.” [Muslim]

Thus, it is disliked to delay the Asr prayer beyond that time, even when praying alone. One is sinful for doing so. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Maghrib Prayer

It is disliked to delay the Maghrib prayer up to the time when stars are clearly visible in the sky. No difference is made for this ruling between someone praying alone and someone praying in a congregation. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

The reason for this is that the interdiction to do so by the Messenger of Allah (Blessing and Peace be upon him) doesn’t distinguish between someone praying alone and someone praying in congregation.

The Messenger of Allah (Blessing and Peace be upon him) has said: “My community will not cease to remain on good as long as they don’t delay the Maghrib prayer until the stars appear in the sky, emulating the Jews in this.” [Ahmad]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha’ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.