When Does The Time For Isha Prayer Expire?

[SoRoUsH]

(salam)

I've read it's best to pray isha prayer before midnight, but if one couldn't do so, he could still do it without the needing to do a qadha niyyat.

So, I'm wondering, when does the time for isha prayer expire?

Thank you

[Nocturne]

Salam,

From rulings of Ayatollah Sistani.

Time for Maghrib and Isha Prayers

743. The obligatory precaution is that as long as the redness in the eastern sky appearing after sunset has not passed overhead, Maghrib Namaz should not be performed.

744. * In normal circumstances, the prescribed time for Maghrib and Isha prayers is till midnight. But if forgetfulness, oversleeping or being in Hayz and similar unusual situations prevent one from performing the prayers till midnight, then for them the time will continue till Fajr sets in. In all the cases, Maghrib must be prayed before Isha, and if one contradicts their sequence purposely or knowingly, the Namaz will be void. However, if the time left over is just enough for Isha prayers to be offered within time, then Isha will precede Maghrib prayers.

745. * If a person offers Isha prayers before Maghrib prayers by mistake and takes notice of this after completing the prayers, his prayers will be valid, and then he should offer Maghrib prayers after it.

746. * If a person begins Isha prayers by mistake before Maghrib prayers and realises during the prayers that he has made an error, and if he has not yet gone into Ruku of the 4th Rak'at he should turn his Niyyat to Maghrib prayers and complete the prayers. Thereafter he will offer Isha prayers. However, if he has entered Ruku of the 4th Rak'at he can continue to complete the Isha prayers and thereafter pray Maghrib.

747. * In normal circumstances, the end of the time for Isha prayers is midnight; and the night will be calculated from dawn (Subh-e-Sadiq).

748. * If a person in normal circumstances does not offer Maghrib or Isha prayers till after midnight, he should, as an obligatory precaution, offer the prayers in question before the dawn prayers, without making a Niyyat of Ada (i.e. in time) or Qadha (i.e. after the lapse of time).

Source: http://www.al-islam.org/laws/rulesofnamaaz1.html#743

Hope that clarifies your question.

Wa'Salam!

[guest51316]

Salam

Could someone please confirm this: as far as I remember, "midnight" refers to the exact halfway point between Maghrib prayer and Fajr prayer.

Wassalam

[nadeali67]

assalam-o-alaikum

there is a difference of opinion about mid night . i think most of the ayatollahs ( including ay. sistani& i think ay. fazel lankarani) are of the opinion that mid night is calculated by considering night from sunset to true dawn ( time of start of fajar namaz) . others ( including ay. khoei & i thnk ay saanei) cosider night from sunset to sunrise ( end of fajar namaz).so considering mid night there is a differenece of roughly 45 min. in both the opinions. roughly speaking , if u r following ay. khoei ,u can consider the time of zohar as mid night ( eg. if zohar is at 1 pm , than mid night will be at 1 am ) & if u r following ay. sistani than add 11:15 hours to zohar time (eg if zohar is at 1 pm than mid night will be at 12:15 am)

it is not related to topic but most of the ayatollahs who believe that midnight is calcuulated from sunset to true dawn further says that one should calcualte midnight for the purpose of obligatory prayers ( like isha) from sunset to dawn but calculate midnight from sunset to sunrise for the purpose of tahajud (from the above example; read isha before 12:15 am & tahajud after 1 am)

do keep it in mind that according to ay. sistani time of tahajud starts with the start of night ( not mid night ) so if u r following ay. sistani u can read tahajud imidiately after isha .

i hope i didn't make the whole thing more complicated

[Gypsy]

(salam)

This is a very nice explanation. Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, do the Sunnis have the same concept of Isha? I have heard some of them mention that final time for Isha is right before fajar. :unsure:

Edited June 11, 2007 by Zareen