Why Is There a Longer Gap between Maghrib and Isha in Some Mosques?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I follow that maghrib time is 1 hour 30 min long. Is that the time for Hanafis, since I also noticed some have 1 hour 20 min? Is using such a method as saying maghrib is every day 1 hour 30 min okay since it does not respect the actual place of the sun like it might be that in winter it is more than 1 hour 30 min, for example?
What about the Fajr time, is it also 1 hour 30 min long?
I use the prayer schedule of a bigger mosque organization for my city, although they don’t have a mosque, and I don’t know if they are reliable. So my question is, can I rely on them, or do I have to research how they estimate the times?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
The difference is due to the ending of the time of Maghrib. The time of maghrib is from sunset until the disappearance of the red twilight, which occurs first, according to the two companions, Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad. The opinion of Imam Abu Hanifa, however, is that the end of maghrib, hence the beginning of isha, occurs with the disappearance of the white twilight after sunset, which occurs thereafter.
The difference between the disappearance of the red and white twilight after sunset is said to be 3 degrees, usually 12 minutes. However, other factors could affect the time difference, such as the location and latitude of your country, which I am unaware of. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
For now, use the prayer times of the larger masjid of your community.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.
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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.
