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Asr Prayer Times

Shafii and Hanafi school of thoughts (madhabs) differ on the time of Asr. According to Shafii school of thought:

"Asr corresponds to the position of the sun such that the length of the shadow of an object is equal to
the length of the object plus the length of the object's shadow when the sun is at its zenith. The
corresponding angle changes with respect to time and place." ^*

"The time for Asr according to the Hanafi school is when the shadow of an object is TWICE the length of the
object plus the length of its shadow when the sun is at its zenith." ^*

Many years ago Fiqh Council of Saudi Arabia deliberated for one week in Makkah and look at the findings of Council of Astronomers to determine the criteria for Islamic prayer times, they explain that:

"A prayer offered before its prescribed time does not count whereas a prayer offered, for example, ten
minutes after the start of its time is valid. Erring on the side of slightly delaying a prayer is safer than
starting it slightly early." ^*

Using this principle and after consulting with local brothers from Shafii and Hanafi schools, ISGR adopted the hanafi method of computing Asr prayer times as the hanafi timings are later [On march 26, 2003 Asr in Richmond according to Shafii calendar is 3:46 PM and in hanafi calendar it is 4:39 PM].

This accommodates both madhabs and does not nullify the prayers of Muslims from either school.

^{* Source}
The Muslim World League
Secretariat General
Makkah Al-Mukarramah
Administration of the Fiqh Council
Ninth Session
1406 AH

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