Can I Pray Isha Early Because of My Anxiety?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I’ve had severe anxiety for over a decade. I tried several treatments that did not work. I live in the United Kingdom, and Isha is currently late, at 10:30 p.m. I stay awake until I have prayed Isha, but then I take longer to get to bed and wake up tired and anxious. Is it permissible for me to perform Isha before the appointed time?

Answer

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

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

An obligatory prayer performed before its time has entered won’t be valid. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

Allah, Most High, says: “Indeed, performing prayers is a duty on the believers at the appointed times.” [Quran, 4:103]

Solutions Available to You

1. I sincerely sympathize with your difficulties, and I find your efforts for so many years to work through your issues without failing to pray extremely inspiring.
   Praying on time is the most difficult thing in Islam. Even more difficult than facing enemies at war.
   To prove this point in his book Fath al-Qadir, the Hanafi jurist Kamal Ibn al-Humam, (Allah be pleased with him) used the following hadith:
   Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah, what is the best deed?” The Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him) answered: “To pray on time.”
   Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) said: “And then what?” The Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him) answered: “Excellence towards one parent.”
   Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) said: “And then what?”  The Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him) answered: “Fighting for the sake of Allah.” [Bukhari]
   Thus it is normal to struggle to pray on time. This is how things are supposed to be for believers. But don’t forget Allah’s words: “Surely with hardship comes ease.” [Quran, 94:5]
   Turn yourself towards Allah, Most High, during this struggle and ask Him for help. Remembrance of Allah (Dhikr) is a sure way to resolve your anxiety issues.
   Allah, Most High, says: “Without a doubt in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” [Quran, 13:28]
   Please see: Prophetic Supplications to Cure Illnesses
2. Please don’t give up on the therapeutic routes to find a solution to your issues. Medicine is constantly evolving and the solutions available today could very well have increased in comparison to what was available to you 10 years ago.
   Don’t forget that not all doctors are equally qualified or keep at heart the best interest of their patients.
   Thus please consider consulting several doctors regarding your issues, especially sleep physicians (somnologists) and specialists who can help you with your anxieties, especially if they are grounded in our Islamic tradition.
3. There are only two months and 15 days during the year when the Isha prayer is beyond 10.30 PM in London. These are mostly summer months. You could try to organize your work schedule to be able to take your vacation in the summer.
4. If you cannot take your vacation during this time, you could try to organize your day in concertation with your employer and coworkers to allow you to sleep during the morning, limiting the effects of a late Isha on the quality of your sleep.
5. Another solution could be to sleep early before Isha time enters and to wake up early before the middle of the night (ie, the middle point between Maghreb time and Fajr time which is roughly 1 AM during the late Isha time for you. You would have slept 5 hours already).
   There is no dislikedness in doing so except for the fact that it is not proper for a believer to sleep between Maghrib and Isha. Thus try to avoid this solution if possible.
6. If this is too difficult for you, you could delay the Isha prayer right before Fajr time enters. This is disliked according to the Hanafi school, but your prayer would remain valid. It is better than not praying at all. This solution would give you six hours of undisturbed sleep. Please use this solution as a last resort if everything above has failed.

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