Prayer Times According to the Quran

[Iyyaka]

Salam aleykoum,

• • WHAT ISLAM SAYS

Islam's position is clear prayer as an act of worship is the main pillar of Islam. It is obligatory, but more importantly, it is equally obligatory to perform it five times a day at the following specific times at dawn/Fajr, midday/Dhuhr, afternoon/'Asr, twilight/Maghreb, and in the dark of night/'Ichâ'.

Given the importance of Prayer and its timely execution, one might expect the Quran to clearly mention the five prayers. However, contrary to all expectations (and attempts), this is not the case! Tradition has therefore had to resort essentially to two external expedients to the Quran itself

1. The story of Muhammad's celestial ascension, which supposedly gave him the order of the 5 prayers;
2. Forced exegetical interpolation of the text, such as when it suggests the existence of an imperative that does not exist in the text in (sub'ḥāna = a verbal noun and not a verb in grammatical annexation with the name Allah).

Finally, it should be noted that this same tradition relates a change in the number of prayers during Muhammad's preaching.

• • WHAT QURAN SAYS

In any case, the Quran clearly indicates propitious moments for prayer, either directly by using the word Salat or indirectly, through the process of synecdoche.
But before getting to the heart of the matter by quoting the Quranic text, it is important to define what the Quran means by the notion of day and therefore night.

1. Prerequisite What is the duration of a day/night in the Quranic sense?

• Here's what Lane's Lexicon says about it "
  « لَا أُدْلِجُ اللَّيْلَ وَلٰكِنْ أَبْتَكِرْ ” as though he said ↓ نَهَارِىّ . (Sb.) The verse is correctly related as above; not as it is given in the S. (IB.) ― -b2- See also أَنْهَرُ. نَهَارٌ Day; or day-time; contr. of لَيْلٌ (S, TA) or broad daylight, (Mgh,) from sunrise to sunset (Mgh, Msb, K) this is the original signification (TA or this is the signification in the vulgar conventional language but in the classical language it signifies the time from the rising of the dawn to sunset (Msb) or the light between the rising of the dawn and sunset (K) and so accord. to the lawyers (TA) in the trads., it is the whiteness of the نهار, and the blackness of the ليل; and there is nothing intervening between the ليل and the نهار but sometimes the Arabs amplified, and applied نهار to the time from the clear shining of the dawn to the setting (Msb.) or (so accord. to the TA. but in some copies of the K, and the spreading of the light of sight and its dispersion ».

• Ibn Faris
  وَمِنْهُ النَّهَارُ انْفِتَاحُ الظُّلْمَةِ عَنِ الضِّيَاءِ مَا بَيْنَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ .
  -> Hence the notion of Day The opening up of darkness by light between dawn and sunset’. Night being defined as the opposite of day (خِلَافُ النَّهَارِ.).

• Vocabulary of the holy Quran by A.A. Nadwi, (page 662)
  « A day from dawn to dusk"

• The fasting verse confirms that the Qur'anic day lasts from dawn to sunset.

Having this fact in mind, let us now list all the verses referring to these times of Prayer

2. Prayer Times

• "O you who wraps himself, arise the night, except for a little - half of it - or subtract from it a little, or add to it."

• "Those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrating and standing"

• "They used to sleep but little of the night, and just a little before dawn they would ask forgiveness."

• "Is the one who is devoutly obedient during hours of the night, prostrating and standing , fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord ?"

• "Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope"

• "And be patient for the decision of your Lord, for indeed, you are in Our eyes. And exalt with praise of your Lord when you arise. And in the night exalt Him and after the stars decline."

• "And mention the name of your Lord in the early morning/bukratan and at the end of the day/aseelan. And during the night prostrate to Him and exalt Him a long night."

• "So be patient over what they say and exalt with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and during hours of the night and after prostration."

• "So be patient over what they say and exalt with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; So during hours of the night exalt Him and at the ends of the day, that you may be satisfied."

• "And they say, 'Legends of the former peoples which he has written down and they are dictated to him the early morning/bukratan and at the end of the day/aseelan.'"

• "And recite what has been revealed to you of the Holy Writing of your Lord. None can change His Words, and none will you find as a refuge other than Him. And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord at early morning/ghadati and the evening/AAashiyyi, seeking His countenance."

• "Establish Prayer at the decline of the sun until the entry of the night and the Qur'an at dawn. Indeed, the recitation at dawn is ever witnessed. And from the night, pray with it as additional for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station."

• "And establish Prayer at the two ends of the day and at hours of night near the day. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember."

• "So be patient,
  . Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt with praise of your Lord in the evening/AAashiyyi and at daybreak/al-ibkari.
  "

• "Is the one who is devoutly obedient during hours of the night, prostrating and standing , fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, ?"

• "So when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy. And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the early morning/ghuduwwi and the end of the day/asali. And do not be among the heedless. Indeed, those who are near your Lord are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, and they exalt Him, and to Him they prostrate."

• "And do not send away those who call upon their Lord in early morning/ghuduwwi and at the end of the day/asali, seeking His countenance."

• "Maintain with care the prayers and also the median prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient."

• "The patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend , and those who seek forgiveness a little before dawn."

• "They are not the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing , reciting the verses of Allah during hours of the night and prostrating ."

• "O you who have believed, when is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah, then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade."

• " in houses which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them early in the morning/ghuduwwi and at the end of the day/asali. men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah"

• "O you who have believed, let those whom your right hands possess and those who have not reached puberty among you ask permission of you at three times before the dawn prayer and when you put aside your clothing at noon and after the evening prayer. three times of privacy for you."

3. Conclusion

In the end, a total of three daily Prayers are mentioned morning, evening, and night. There is also mention of a particular communal prayer made during the day (added in Medina period), on a dedicated day that tradition identifies as Friday.

Then, we see that a great variety of expressions are used to designate these three daily Prayer times

• For the Morning Prayer before sunrise/qabla ṭulūʿi l-shamsi; at dawn/al-ibkari; early morning/ghuduwwi; dawn/al-fajr.

• For the Evening Prayer before sunset/ghurûb; evening/late afternoon/al-'ashiyyi; at the end of the day/asali; between setting of the sun/dulûk and the entry/ghasâq of night; evening/al-'ishâ'

• For the Night Prayer (vigil) night/layl

• • EPIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE

We have the testimony of a believer who engraved an original prayer on stone, dated 64 AH / 683-684 CE (at the bottom of the engraving, separated by a blank line).

It is interesting to note that the text is divided into 3 parts, similar to the Fatiha (Surah 1) first the basmala, then the glorification of God, and finally the request for help (with a separation mark at the beginning). The part dedicated to glorification mixes elements from verse and verses , among others.

It is these last two verses that interest us here (circled in red below) because the believer deliberately chose (this is not a lost Quranic verse as some orientalists believe, but a personal elaboration) to mention these three prayer times the morning prayer, the evening prayer, and a vigil (at night)

https//reveniraucoran.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Arabic-Graffito-Near-Karbala-In-Iraq-64-AH-683-684-CE-1.jpg
(Ref. https//www.islamic-awareness.org/history/islam/inscriptions/sumer)

[Wakas]

peace,

So context of red part is basically saying "... glorify God morning and evening and night..."

Seems to coincide with

https//mypercept.co.uk/articles/salat-timings-Quran.html

https//mypercept.co.uk/articles/meaning-SaBiH-from-Quran.html

[Iyyaka]

Peace,

So context of red part is basically saying "... glorify God morning and evening and night..."

Yes but more precisely "and may Allâh be glorify buk'ratan/early in the morning (i.e. dawn) and aṣīlan/time just before sunset and laylan/night ṭawīlan/long"

• buk'ratan (Lane's lexicon)
  Meaning أَتَاهُ بُكْرَةٌ

• ṭawīlan
  Long, lasting a long time, They said, إِنَّ اللَّيْلَ طَوِيلٌ وَلَا يَطُلْ إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ mentioned by Lḥ, as expressing a prayer. (TA.)

In conclusion, 2 daily prayers at the beginning of the day (dawn) and at the end of the day (before sunset when the sun is setting) + 1 vigil prayer at night (some hours at the first part and/or end part of the night).

At this time, the believers spent a lot of time in prayer! (morning + evening = at least 1 hour // night = many hours! with a lot of prostration too).

NB

• We can also note that God is called Allâh and that ar-Rahmân, as a proper name, no longer appears to designate God (except in the basmala). As testified by the Quran himself, the proper name ar-Rahmân was gradually abandoned for designated God during the time of the preaching.

• Everything indicates that the reign of Abd al-Malik (Umayyad caliph) and his son (with the assistance of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf), after years of civil wars, was a turning point for the construction of Islam as we know it today Dome of the Rock, Arabization of the administration, modernization of Arabic script to facilitate the reading of the Quran for the faithful, etc...

[amin]

Aqimus Salat,

Pronounce/Express/Uphold the Adoration

Instead of the word prayer, i had found a better word that i think is closer to the word 'salat. Adore(literally meaning
to love and admire somebody/something very much)

So each can do this in their own ways, adoration of something, raising their hands, clapping, singing songs, raising slogans, embracing, sujud etc.. so what should be the better method depends on what we adore.

so what could be the benefit, we adore something we desire and wants to be closer to us, so this brings happiness and blessings.

The timing I think is for our comfort and only when done in a group, we need to consider everyone in the group and plan this.

The better timing for group prayers would be,
when we start our day or work, we can do our prayers, early morning, when the sun raises, we see that as a blessing too and help start our day better.

And the end of our work or day, which normally is the evening, when everyone finish their works and participate. Thanking for the day.

The ends of the days are easy for everyone at any place to find and participate and perform.

And possibly the middle of the day noon, as many take rest in between and for lunch.

Now mainstream muslims pray using multiple verses of the Quran, which some has no relation with the adoration. Will that be right? Or Recitation(Quran) can be an additional part that could be optional for people to learn after their Prayers/Adoration.

[Iyyaka]

Instead of the word prayer, i had found a better word that i think is closer to the word 'salat. Adore(literally meaning to love and admire somebody/something very much)

Interesting observation, but we must stay close to a linguistic and Quranic approach. I don't know why so many people have a problem with this beautiful word "prayer," perhaps it can admit too broad a definition in English or be associated with a mechanical ritual that some don't like (?).

• So, what does a linguistic and Quranic approach tell us about the word "salat"?

A first approach to prayer/aṣ-ṣalât according to the Quran can be lexical. The term ṣalât is common to ancient Semitic languages with the meaning of prayer and all its nuances (as acts of devotion/adoration as you mentionned above) request, invocation, call, praise, blessing. However, the word ṣalât has been lexically classified under the root ṣalâ, meaning to touch, to reach from behind, to approach. This classification is solely due to the morphological proximity between this root and the term ṣalât, which is of non-Arabic origin (The word comes from the Syriac term slôtâ). Therefore, it is incorrect to claim that praying, the verb rendering the form II ṣallâ, also means to draw closer to God or to be in communication with God. Moreover, while ṣalât is originally non-Arabic, the Quranic presence of derivatives such as ṣalawât, muṣallâ and muṣallûn indicates an ancient linguistic integration (at least 220 years before the Hegira).

In any case, there is no need to speculate on the meaning of ṣalât in Islam, since, moreover, the significance of prayer according to the Qur'an is directly given by the Fâtiḥa, an oration that qualifies itself as an act of worship "You alone we worship", of praise for the Creator "Praise be to God", of invocation "You alone we invoke for help/assistance", of seeking guidance "guide us on the Straight Path", of imploring moral preservation "and not those who incur wrath nor of those who go astray". Worship, praise, invocation and imploration characterise all prayers and, whether it be the verb to pray/ṣallâ or its noun prayer/ṣalât, the following triple line of meaning is common to them to pray is to address God, to perform a prayer is to worship God, and to say one's prayer means to carry out a ritualised form of prayer.

We would add that from a terminological point of view, the fixed phrase aqimû–s–salât/perform the prayer expresses the formalisation of prayer just as it signifies its generalisation. This contrasts with the use of the verbs ṣallâ or sabbaḥa/celebrate praise or glorify which predominates earlier, a demarcation which, by opposition, indicates the informal and personal nature of this approach. Moreover, one finds this difference in English between the expression 'to hold/do the prayer' and the use of the verb 'to pray' 'I pray'".
So, aqimû–s–salât aṣ-ṣalât is the Quranic ritual of prayer. Unlike other forms of prayer, aṣ-ṣalât is a specific ritual involving ablutions, facing the masjid-al-haram, glorifying and praising the name of God alone, listening/meditate quran, whilst standing, bowing and prostrating, and all of that at specific/dedicated times.

A second Quranic approach, this time semantic, informs us about the profound reason for prayer. Indeed, in numerous verses, the Quran teaches us this "...celebrate praise by the Praise of your Lord before the rising of the Sun and before its setting." Prayer is thus essentially a mode of praising God. It should be noted that it is very precisely said in Arabic sabbiḥ/celebrate praise by/bi the Praise/ḥamd of your Lord/rabbi-ka. The use of the preposition "bi" here indicates that it is not about addressing any kind of praise to God praises, but rather God's Praise, in the singular "the Praise of your Lord", that which God attributes to Himself as evoked in the Fâtiha "Praise belongs to God", hence our use of the capital letter.

In the Quran, this "Praise/ḥamd" is in fact imparted only to God, and the said "Praise" can be qualified as universal Praise "The seven heavens, the earth and what they contain celebrate praise/tusabbiḥu, and there is nothing that does not praise/yusabbiḥu except by His praise/bi-ḥamdi-hi, but you do not understand their celebration of praise/tasbîḥa-hum..." Thus, to pray is to participate in the universal Praise "...praise/sabbiḥ by the Praise/bi-ḥamdi-hi of your Lord before the rising of the sun, before its setting, in the night celebrate His praise/fa-sabbiḥ-hu also at the extremes of prostration." Indeed, universal Praise has two privileged times "before the rising of the sun" and "before its setting". Note that verse indicates an additional time of prayer and praise specific to Man "and in the night celebrate His praise".

We deduce this specificity from the fact that in the individualised mention of prayer "in the night", the verb sabbiḥ/celebrate praise is repeated, but without the complement "by His praise/bi-ḥamdi-hi" being repeated. Finally, these two mystical movements of praise have a preferential moment in prayer the "extremes of prostration". This alludes to how prostration symbolises and favours the effacement of the ego until, under the combined effect of the repetition of praises, the praying person realises "at the extremes of prostration" the mystical communion through universal Praise. Hence the importance of this spiritual call addressed to the Prophet "Praise/sabbiḥ therefore by the Praise/bi-ḥamdi of your Lord and be among those who prostrate themselves"

A third approach highlights the moral virtues of prayer. The verses in question are explicit, for example "Perform the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night near the night; indeed, good deeds drive away evil deeds..." and "...establish prayer, for prayer guards against immorality and wrongdoing..." On one hand, prayers are here described as "good deeds" and, on the other hand, this type of good deed does not erase bad ones, but rather "drives them away/yudhhibna".

Moreover, it is clearly stated that "prayer guards against immorality and wrongdoing", which means that contrary to what Islam teaches, prayer is not in itself a process of absolution of faults, a forgiveness of sins, but a school of moral preservation. This implies, through the awareness of the divine presence it develops, that the daily practice of prayer sharpens the believer's moral acuity. He is thus constantly stimulated to fight against the evil inclinations of the soul, of his ego, which increases his ability to protect himself from himself "against immorality and wrongdoing". Praying is therefore not performing an act of devotion whose consequence would be the forgiveness of our faults, but praying is striving spiritually for our own moral improvement.

In this particular context of spiritual and ethical effort, this awareness comes through repentance and explains why prayer is precisely a privileged moment to ask God to absolve our faults "So be patient, for the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning" . Furthermore, the Quran teaches that this request for forgiveness should preferably take place at the end of prayer or after "So exalt with praise of your Lord and ask His forgiveness. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance". Prayer is therefore the privileged place for seeking forgiveness and not, as Islam maintains, a practice automatically resulting in the remission of sins. No verse in the Quran affirms such a thing! Prayer is not a ritual that erases faults, but the search for a relational climate conducive to repentance, for God "is ever Accepting of repentance".

In a healthy, ethical, and just manner, only sincere repentance leads to divine forgiveness "O believers! Repent to God with sincere repentance, so that God may erase your misdeeds...", for God "loves those who repent" and He "loves those who purify themselves". According to the Quran, only God forgives sins "...who else but God forgives sins!..." Nothing, not even prayer, can therefore condition His forgiveness without infringing upon His All-mercy and His Omnipotence.

Only Islam claims that prayer is a magical operation that would compel God to forgive the one who prays! According to this logic, as archaic as it is mercantile, prayer would be a sort of free pass, or even a licence to do evil since it would then suffice to mechanically perform one's prayers five times a day to benefit from a 100% remission on the faults we commit.

[amin]

Iyaakka,

Yes I understand and accept your point, but I feel the Salat as Prayer is lacking something or missing to explain the true translations, Like see the angels do Salat on the prophet, do they pray on him? or do they do blessing?

The birds with their wings spread and all the beings in this world do it on the God.The Animals do seek some kind of affection by embracing.

Adore is somehow we all do, even anyone could do that so easily, a simple expression is enough and we feel a lot better. I feel 'Prayer' becomes a little more complicated and becomes a special ritual and the mainstream salat in Arabic as a non arabic i feel distant and machine or robot kind of expression.

[Iyyaka]

amin,

Like see the angels do Salat on the prophet, do they pray on him? or do they do blessing?

You mean ? and also.

• The textual context "good morals" or "public decency"

• The key word is the form IV verb ūdhiya (أُوذِىَ) - / / / /
  The verb adha signifies primarily "he molested" or "annoyed ", i.e., in a manner not amounting to actual harm (darar) - to offend, to insult, to make malicious remarks etc..

• Literal translation of verse "(Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask/invoke blessings on him and salute him with a worthy/reverently salutation"
  => Of course God and the angels do not pray to the prophet! Rather, they "bless" him -> When speaking of God, this means to bestow goodness upon someone, to make something prosper through divine favour (such as when God blessed Abraham in Genesis 121-7). In , this blessing/favour/mercy takes the form of God's revelations.
  => O course, these marks of respect were valid when the prophet was alive...

[good_logic]

Also ,blessing someone is just helping and supporting them.

GOD and His Angels were helping and supporting the prophet during his life with the task of delivering the message, O you who believe "Sallu Alaihi- means help and support him- as well.

It does not mean what the Traditional Muslims are doing now when every time his name is mentioned they say "salla allah Alaihi wa Salam" . This is shirk and commemoration of the human. It does not help him or harm him and does not make any sense.
Besides, the Nabi- is not alive and the only way to help is to spread GOD s message- the living messenger since the time of the prophet- as well.
Similarly ,GOD said "Do not raise your voices above his/ argue/disrespect him..." , How can we possibly do that now?
Therefore the Nabi is gone and believers are now in another era still with the message that will be ongoing. The human messenger has been and gone.
Where is the common sense gone or are we really helping the prophet? By idolising him!!!
GOD bless you all.
Peace.

[Wakas]

I recommend
https//mypercept.co.uk/articles/quran_on_salat.htm

[Iyyaka]

To be entirely transparent, the key to interpreting the number of daily prayers is given by verses and .

---The form of the word "l-ʿishāi" in refers to the night.

---The form of the word "dulūk" in is also used to designate "the hour when the sun, having passed its highest point in the sky, moves towards setting".

Thus, in this scenario, verse would be abrogated by verses , changing from 3 prayer times to 4 or 5 depending on whether the word "ghasaqi" in verse is understood as "the night became dark" (more likely) or as "intensely dark".

I know this is an endless debate in this forum, and I'm not making this post to argue, as everyone can put forward their arguments. But essentially, I wanted to point out these 2-3 possible interpretations.

[Fusion]

I appreciate the effort put into breaking down the prayer timings based on different verses, but I want to step back and ask a more fundamental question.....should we be looking at isolated verses to determine these matters, or do we need to consider their context? Because if we take verses out of context, then everyone will just pick whichever verses fit their preferred view.

Now, looking at 1778-79, it comes right after a strong discussion about the Prophet facing opposition and being urged to stay firm. The earlier verses (1773-77) make it clear that he was under pressure to compromise. Then, 1778 tells him to follow a set program from morning till night and stay vigilant, ensuring he is prepared for challenges ahead. It seems to be more about structuring the day for strategic action rather than prescribing ritual prayers. The phrase "before the day dawns, set out your schedule in the light of the Quran" makes a lot of sense in this context.

Now, if we jump from 1778 to 2458, we are skipping an entire stretch of revelation. Chapter 24 is discussing social customs, privacy, and conduct inside homes, so even if it mentions "prayer," it is doing so in a different setting. Are we sure these two chapters are connected? Because if they are miles apart in subject matter, then should they be used to determine the structure of daily prayers?

Then there’s the claim that 11114 is "abrogated" by 1778-79. But does the Quran itself ever say that God changes His own words? On the contrary, it says in 6115 and 1064 that God’s words do not change. So if we start assuming one verse cancels out another, aren’t we implying that God revised His own guidance like a human drafts and edits?

And this brings me to the core question....was the Quran revealed without any context, like a book lying on a rock waiting to be discovered? Or was it direct revelation over many years, addressing real situations faced by the Prophet and his community? If it was a progressive revelation, then it naturally has historical and social context.

If we ignore the context, then we open the door to endless cherry-picking, and everyone will come up with their own version of "prayer times," "laws," or even "beliefs." But if we respect the context, then we have to ask...was 1778 even about ritual prayer, or was it a call to remain steadfast and structured in response to the Prophet’s opponents?

That is the real question we should be asking!!! in my humble opinion.

[Wakas]

I know this is an endless debate in this forum...

It can appear like that but to my knowledge most long term forum members think it is twice daily or a minimum of twice daily, so there is not much variance among them.

Also there is this $$$ challenge
https//mypercept.co.uk/articles/salat-timings-Quran.html
No-one has come up with any errors so far. It's only been 5 years... maybe they need more time.

[amin]

Theres a timing, but its only for our comfort, i dont think its so important, saying morning and evening and day and night is to highlight its importance. Only muslims worry about the inner details, every religion has prayers and theres no such strict adherences or not much worried about the uniformity all through out the world. Even Quran didnt give that.

17/78
Establish prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night1 and the Qur’ān of dawn.2 Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.

It highlights the important of prayer and reading, can be translated as,

Spend time to establish your adoration/prayer after your works are completed, until you sleep, and do the recitation(reading) at early morning time, the recitation at early morning is very helpful.

17/79
And from the night, pray with it as additional for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.

If you have time, you can pray extra in the night without sleeping, that will help you improve & raise your level before God.

Also these prayer calls on those days will be like clocks of the present days, announcing specific times so people could know and plan their works and rest accordingly.

So 24/48 is not about prayer timing but about privacy and the times are taken as pointers.

Again 11/114
And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.

Here its saying, "establish your adoration/prayers at morning and evening(before and after your works/day), and before sleeping, indeed good deeds do away with misdeeds, that is a reminder for those who remember."

17/80
And say, "My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance1 and to exit a sound exit2 and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority."

This again looks incorrect, its not referring any event, it could refer to the incoming day,
My lord make my day/work start and end better and you be always beside me an authority helping.

[good_logic]

Peace All.

Do we all agree on a fixed definition of "error"?
Can error mean a slightest change,or how big can one go in the definition?

Qoran interpretations have been found to be full of errors -small medium and large, some to the extent of creating new religions- since its beginning and will carry on till its end.

Basically no one is immune from errors. The human definition always includes one who errs. There are no humans who are perfect. So basically
"I am more right, I do not err" is a trait of the human as well.

If we accept that we are only responsible for our own faculties and accountable for them , we may realise that
there will always be errors in our work/thoughts/reasoning...etc.This why Qoran talks about redemption for every individual and advises continuous repentance and correction in our life.

Who is claiming that they have worked out every meaning to all verses discussing "salat" or "the salat" or other subjects that have a connection to these two?

The best advice in Qoran for us is to say"May GOD grant us more knowledge"
تَعٰلَى اللَّهُ المَلِكُ الحَقُّ وَلا تَعجَل بِالقُرءانِ مِن قَبلِ أَن يُقضىٰ إِلَيكَ وَحيُهُ وَقُل رَبِّ زِدنى عِلمًا

Each study and come to their own conclusions and prepare to meet their Lord with whatever they choose and decided to do.But there is nothing wrong about studying and learning together ,like here, with respect and humbleness, at the end

The record will be shown, and you will see the guilty fearful of its contents. They will say, "Woe to us. How come this book leaves nothing, small or large, without counting it?" They will find everything they had done brought forth. Your Lord is never unjust towards anyone.
وَوُضِعَ الكِتٰبُ فَتَرَى المُجرِمينَ مُشفِقينَ مِمّا فيهِ وَيَقولونَ يٰوَيلَتَنا مالِ هٰذَا الكِتٰبِ لا يُغادِرُ صَغيرَةً وَلا كَبيرَةً إِلّا أَحصىٰها وَوَجَدوا ما عَمِلوا حاضِرًا وَلا يَظلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا

The best path clear to us ,without a doubt, is to study our Lord message/book and avoid other sources that contradict it-according to our own faculties/conclusion- with GOD s help seeking only His guidance.

We shall force ourself to be with those who are loyal to their Lord day and night, seeking Him alone.
Never turn away from the straight path, Nor seeking the vanities of this world.
Nor shall we obey those who are oblivious to GOD s message; those who pursues their own desires, and whose priorities are confused.

What we can proclaim for sure is that "This is the truth from our Lord," then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve..

Thanks to all of you who are keeping up their study of the book to improve their souls and are sharing with us here and hopefully we can all take "the best from each other" according to what our faculties and knowledge can bare.

May the Lord guide us all.
GOD bless you all.
Peace.

[Iyyaka]

Peace Fusion,

I appreciate the effort put into breaking down the prayer timings based on different verses, but I want to step back and ask a more fundamental question.....should we be looking at isolated verses to determine these matters, or do we need to consider their context? Because if we take verses out of context, then everyone will just pick whichever verses fit their preferred view.

Yes you're right Fusion, quranic verses should not be read in isolation, and this is what I am working on to identify the textual units of the text and their correspondences with each other. However, you must use a proven methodology for this, otherwise you risk making mistakes. This is why I use rhetorical analysis, which proves to be a powerful tool for uncovering this structure of the Quranic text, and which has proven its worth.
But here I wanted to list all the verses that deal with ritual Prayer (the formal form of remembrance of God - to be combined, of course, with its non-formal form, which is to remember God as often as possible); in the absence, for now, of having completed the total rhetorical analysis of the text. This still gives an idea of the vocabulary used to designate these "ritualised prayer times". Some are clear whilst others (according to classical dictionaries) may "seem equivocal". In this case, perhaps we should use the advocated method of reading verses that "seem equivocal" in the light of those that are not equivocal .

Now, looking at 1778-79, it comes right after a strong discussion about the Prophet facing opposition and being urged to stay firm. The earlier verses (1773-77) make it clear that he was under pressure to compromise. Then, 1778 tells him to follow a set program from morning till night and stay vigilant, ensuring he is prepared for challenges ahead. It seems to be more about structuring the day for strategic action rather than prescribing ritual prayers. The phrase "before the day dawns, set out your schedule in the light of the Quran" makes a lot of sense in this context.

Interesting idea. But the only snag is that, in Arabic, as-Salât essentially means Prayer.

[Iyyaka]

Peace Wakas,

It can appear like that but to my knowledge most long term forum members think it is twice daily or a minimum of twice daily, so there is not much variance among them.
Also there is this $$$ challenge
https//mypercept.co.uk/articles/salat-timings-Quran.html
No-one has come up with any errors so far. It's only been 5 years... maybe they need more time.

It is still necessary that the game is not rigged from the start; and that you are open to the arguments of others.
If these conditions are met, then we must first agree on the following definitions

1. The strict duration of day and night The day goes from dawn to sunset (cf. my first post) and night from sunset to dawn.

2. The plural in Arabic begins from three. Arabic language shows, besides singular, dual and plural (broken
   and regular), something that could be described as the fourth number the plural of small number or plural of paucity (jamu l-qilla), thoroughly studied by Sibawayhi.

3. The ritual prayer can be evoked by the word as-Salât or indirectly by the process of synecdoche (Glorify, prostrate, recitation, etc.).

So, if we agree with these 3 elements, then the Quran mentions at least 3 prayers (in Meccan or Medinan context) and not 2 as you indicate in your above comment by the expressions

• (223 ḥāfiẓū/Guard strictly ʿalā/on l-ṣalawāti/the prayers,
• (692) wahum/an they ʿalā/over ṣalātihim/their prayers yuḥāfiẓūna/(are) guarding
• (239) wa-alladhīna/And those who hum/ ʿalā/over ṣalawātihim/their prayers yuḥāfiẓūna/they guard
• (7034) wa-alladhīna/And those who hum/ ʿalā/over ṣalātihim/their prayer yuḥāfiẓūna/keep a guard.

Now, let's look among the earliest revealed verses for those that mention at least three prayer times. We first have the verse
7625 And remember the name of your Lord in the early morning/bukratan and at the end of the day/aseelan.
7626 And from the night/mina al-layli prostrate to Him and glorify Him long.
=> 3 moments beginning and end of day, and from night.

Now let's look at the following verses
Glorify by the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the setting
and from the night glorify him also and after the prostration.
=> 3 moments beginning and end of day, and from night.

Then verse allows us to understand that the "(at the) ends"/aṭrāfa (1) corresponds to the beginning and end of the day. The verse removes also the ambiguity of the plural aṭrāfa used here, as both day and night can only have two edges-sides ! (by using the word tarafiya)

Finally, the verses
Perform the Prayer at the two edges-sides/ṭarafayi of the day, and at the hours of the night near the day/zulafan
=> 3 moments beginning and end of day, and from night.
The term zulfa in Arabic means any hour approaching day or night. Here we have a plural, so it evokes the hours/times of night close to day, i.e. after sunset.

The problematic verse remains . If we stick to these 3 prayer times, then the translation is as follows
"Perform the Prayer at the setting of the sun/dulooki until the intensely darkness/ghasaqi of the night.
And the Recitation at dawn, for the Recitation at dawn is witnessed.
At night, keep vigil/tahajjad with it, an additional-supererogatory work/nâfilatan (2) for you."
=> 3 moments beginning and end of day, and from night. + 1 vigil prayer

Nb

• The form AAashiyyi which appears in , and is ambiguous because it means, according to Lane's Lexicon, " the last, or the latter, part of the day; (Mgh, Msb, K, TA as also ↓ عَشِيَّةٌ (K, TA) this is the meaning commonly known ". In light of other expressions used by the Quran to designate prayer times, we shall choose the following definition the last, or the latter, part of the day.

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(1) aṭrāfa (Lane's Lexicon) The extremity, or end, of anything; and a side; a lateral, or an outward, or adjacent, part or portion; a region, district, quarter, or tract; The fingers and has no sing. unless this is used as a prefixed noun, as in the saying أَشَارَتْ بِطَرَفِ إِصْبَعِهَا
(2) nâfilatan (Lane's Lexicon) What accedes to, or exceeds, the original.(T.)A voluntary gift, by way of alms, or as a good work(T)a gift(Ḳ) or a giftعَنْ يَدٍ (M)a deed beyond what is incumbent, or obligatory.(M, Ḳ.)

[Wakas]

In none of those plural salat verses does it mention it is referring to one day. This is your interpolation.

[Mazhar]

It is a time bound protocol. Number and the appointed timings for its performance during a day

https//haqeeqat.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/000.%20Encyclopaedia%20of%20Arabic%20of%20Qur'aan/8.%20Deen%20Constitution%20Islam%20and%20its%20protocols/Protocols%20of%20Islam/Salat%20timings.jpg

https//haqeeqat.pk/SalatTimings.htm

[centi50]

It can appear like that but to my knowledge most long term forum members think it is twice daily or a minimum of twice daily, so there is not much variance among them.

Also there is this $$$ challenge
https//mypercept.co.uk/articles/salat-timings-Quran.html
No-one has come up with any errors so far. It's only been 5 years... maybe they need more time.

Wakas,

I agree on minimum of two times. Me myself I pray 3 times a day, Fajr mid day and ishaa

God bless yiu6

[Iyyaka]

Peace good logic,

Each study and come to their own conclusions and prepare to meet their Lord with whatever they choose and decided to do.But there is nothing wrong about studying and learning together ,like here, with respect and humbleness, at the end

Wise observation. That is why I mentioned the ambiguity of verse and particularly using the word dulūki.

BUT, on the other hand, at the very least, one must respect the rules of the Arabic classic language, or any other language for that matter. And to cite just one example, when verse says two + (wa) 1 = 3, then it's 3 and not two. One should not be deaf to clear discourse, nor twist the meaning that is fundamentally evident. This is, in fact, what traditional exegetes do by indicating that these times of the night include 2 prayers! Muhammad Asad, who translated very well the meaning of the beginning of this verse, couldn't help but mention the 5 prayers in his commentary !. Incidentally, for verse , it should be noted that the other authenticated recitation variant is zulufan (instead of zulaf in the Hafs version), with an equivalent meaning, but in the singular, which then removes any ambiguity.

I also mentioned in my previous comment the ambiguity of the form ʿashiyi, which can designate several time periods; certainly all related to the decrease in luminosity.
Let's continue our effort of understanding, as you rightly mention in your comment.
This term is used three times in connection with two moments of Prayer, in opposition to the beginning of the day (i.e. dawn)

Recite what has been revealed to you from the Writing of your Lord. None can change His words. And you will
find no refuge besides Him. Be patient with those who call upon their Lord in the early morning/ghadati (1) and
aat the latter part of the day/AAashiyyi, seeking His Face.

Therefore endure patiently, for Allah's promise is true. Ask forgiveness for your sin and glorify your Lord
by praise at the latter part of the day/AAashiyyi and at dawn/al-ibkari (2).

Do not drive away those who call upon their Lord in the early morning/ghadati (1) and at the latter part of the day/AAashiyyi.

And (coincidentally?), another term asali is used in place of the word "ʿashiyi" in 3 other passages, in connection with two moments of Prayer

They said "Tales of the ancients which he has had written down and which are dictated to him
at dawn/bukratan (2) and at the end of the day/aseelan!"

When the Qur'an is recited, listen to it attentively and remain silent. Perhaps you will receive mercy.
Remember your Lord within yourself, with humility and in fear, without raising your voice, early in the
mornings/ghuduwwi (1) and at the end of the day/asali, and do not be among the heedless.
Indeed, those who are near your Lord are not too proud to worship Him. They glorify Him and prostrate before
Him.

In houses which Allah has permitted to be raised and wherein His Name is remembered. He is glorified therein
early in the morning/ghuduwwi (1) and at the end of the day/asali. By men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the
remembrance of Allah.

In conclusion, one can observe that the words ʿashiyi and asali are used in opposition to time with the same words that designate the beginning of the morning (in red and blue below). These two words ʿashiyi and asali are thus, in this context of Prayer, interchangeable.

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(1) root ghayn dāl wāw (غ د و) the first part of the day, the early part of the morning, meal at dawn
(2) root bā kāf rā (ب ك ر) beginning of the day