When Should I Pray the Zuhr Prayer If I Have Delayed It up to the Disliked Time of the Asr Prayer?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

If one missed Zuhr and delayed Asr to its disliked time for whatever reason, should one still perform the Zuhr prayer before the Asr prayer?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

No, if you have missed a prayer, yet at the same time, delayed praying `Asr until the disliked time, then you would pray the day’s `Asr prayer only.

This is because: (1) makeup prayers (such as Zuhr, in this case) aren’t valid during sunset, and (2) the order (tartib) is excused when sunset begins, until Maghrib time.

If you had delayed the prayers, however, until only enough time remained before sunset to pray either Zuhr or `Asr, then you would pray Zuhr, and thereafter, `Asr during sunset.

In any case, the person would be sinful for such a delay without a valid and legally acceptable excuse.

[Ibn `Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar `ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar (1.488)/Minhat al-Khaliq (2.89)]

Please also see: A Reader on Missed Prayers

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.