What Are the Alternative Methods to Isha Time in High Latitudes When Isha Prayer Does Not Come In?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I live in Germany, and we go according to Abu Hanifa’s opinion and pray Isha later. This time no longer occurs in the summer, and some mosques use an alternative method to determine prayer time. As we had learned from Shaykh Faraz in a fiqh course, this is a legitimate option.

Just have two questions about this:

• What alternative methods are legitimate?
• If the alternative time is before the early Isha time, is it permissible to follow it, or do you pray Isha after the earlier time?

Example: The white light no longer disappears; the red twilight disappears at 11 pm. The calculation by the alternative method is 10:30 pm. Do I have to take the opinion of Sahibayn?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your important question.

Simple Approach

The simplest approach is to follow a local mosque, pray and fast according to its timetable. You should try to stick to one method and way unless you want to change to another due to a deeper understanding of the issue. Treat it as you would treat any other position upon which the ulama have differed: practice one unless there is an undue difficulty, in which case you should consult a reliable local scholar.

Alternative Method During Absence of Night (Faqid al-Layl)

When the ‘Isha times do not enter, which is when the white twilight does not disappear, you may perform Isha after 65 minutes, as many mosques do here in the UK.

Below is the fatwa by senior Muftis and Scholars:

Isha (Faqid al-Layl)

“This applies to the scenario when the twilight does not set for ʿIshāʾ times. Ishāʾ times at each latitude should be restricted to 65 minutes after the local Astronomical sunset on the longest day of the year, accounting for the refraction of sunlight. This is the latest sunset at most locations.”

I would like you to go through the well-researched deliberation and discussion in the following link, ʿIshāʾ at High Latitudes? | Wifaqul Ulama (Britain) in which Isha Time in High Latitudes is discussed in detail, how it should be calculated, problems with perpetual twilight, Isha occurring late, and if difficulty (harj) can be considered.

Related:

• How Can I Know the Time for Fajr in a Country Where There Is No Real Darkness?
• Shedding Light on the Dawn by Asim Yusuf [Book]

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.