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Fatwa CenterBeginning of the specified time is a condition for the validity of prayer
Question
We know that Fajr prayer is to be performed when the darkness mixes with dawn light or when the dawn light appears clearly. starts to appear. However in our city, this is not the case as it is performed before this i.e. in the darkness. Please advise. May Allaah Help you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
The start of the specified time of prayer is a condition of its validity for Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.} [Quran 4:103]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stated these times very clearly so that there is no room for confusion. The Hadeeth of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah Be Pleased with him, clarifies the time of every prayer. It states that the time of Fajr prayer starts from the break of dawn. The Hadeeth is narrated in Saheeh Muslim. Jaabir, may Allaah Be Pleased with him, narrated that Jibreel (Gabriel) came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and told him: "Rise and pray it. So, he prayed Ath-Thuhr when the sun left its meridian...Till he said: "He came to him for Al-Fajr prayer when dawn shone or brightened." [Ahmad, An-Nasaa’i and At-Tirmithi] Whoever is not sure of the beginning of the specified time should wait to be sure that his prayer is performed during the specified time. If something prevents him from making sure of the beginning of the time like fog, clouds or lights, there is no harm in depending on an accurate and trustworthy time device. Since the questioner mentioned that the prayer he is asking about takes place in the darkness, we would like to tell him that the presence of darkness does not contradict the beginning of dawn. ‘Aa’ishah 
narrated that the believing women observed Fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wrapped in their mantles. They then went back to their houses and were unrecognizable, because the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, prayed in the darkness (or the darkness of night still mixed with some light of the morning). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] The Hadeeth implies that these women used to pray and return to their houses while it was still dark which prevented them being recognized. Concerning delaying the prayer till the appearance of the white light as stated by the questioner, the Hadeeth that indicates this means, according to the majority, making sure of the beginning of dawn so that the prayer is not performed at the end of the night. It may also mean lengthening recitation in prayer so that it only ends by the appearance of the white light, not delaying performing it till the appearance of the white light according to the valid opinions of scholars.
At the end we say that the condition of the validity of prayer is the beginning of its specified time. Whoever meets this condition should pray. Whoever prays before the time, his prayer is not valid and it does not suffice for fulfilling the obligation. Nowadays, we can depend on calendars that specify the prayer times and the time of sunrise and sunset. They are accurate to a great extent. Thus, one can adjust the time through this and perform Fajr prayer a sufficient time before sunrise and after dawn and without delaying the prayer beyond its time.
Allaah Knows best.
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