Difference of opinion regarding the timings of salah among various schools of thought in Islam

In Islam, there are different schools of thought, also known as madhahib, which
emerged as a result of differences in jurisprudential interpretations. While these
schools generally agree on the fundamentals of Islamic belief, they may differ on
certain issues, including the timing of prayers. Each school, however, hold that
whenever their assumed time of prayer is happened to be, the mukallif (answerable) is
required to perform his prayer as soon as possible (except that of the prayer of ‘Isha,
which according to majority of scholars, yields more blessings if prayed late than
earlier). Here are some of the main schools of thought and their perspectives on few
prayer timings:
1. Hanafi School: The Hanafi school, followed by a large number of Muslims, including
many in South Asia, generally has more flexible prayer timings compared to other
schools. According to the Hanafi school, the Asr prayer time starts when the shadow
of an object is twice its length (rather than when it is equal to its length, as in other
schools). This leads to a later starting time for Asr prayer. According to modern
timings it is around 5:00 pm now-a-days in June, in Rawalpindi and its outskirts.
2. Shafi'i School: The Shafi'i school, which is predominant in Southeast Asia, follows
stricter timing for prayers. They consider the Asr prayer time to begin when the
shadow of an object is equal to its length. Therefore, the Asr prayer is performed
earlier compared to the Hanafi school.
3. Maliki School: The Maliki school, followed mainly in North Africa and some parts
of West Africa, has similar timings for prayers as the Shafi'i school. They also consider
the Asr prayer time to begin when the shadow of an object is equal to its length. This
is equivalent to 3:51 pm in June, in modern time meausrements, in Rawalpindi and its
outskirts.
4. Hanbali School: The Hanbali school, followed primarily in Saudi Arabia and the
Arabian Peninsula, generally has stricter prayer timings similar to the Shafi'i and
Maliki schools. They also consider the Asr prayer time to begin when the shadow of
 Difference of opinion regarding the timings of salah among various schools of thought in Islam

an object is equal to its length. Salafi and Zahiri school of thought assume the same
timings of salah as well.

Where, in Shia Islam, including the Ja'fari school of thought, there are indeed some
variations in the timing and practices of prayers compared to Sunni Islam. Here are
some specific differences:
1. Maghrib prayer: In Shia Islam, some followers wait for the complete disappearance
of twilight before performing the Maghrib prayer. This practice is known as "Istiwa"
and involves waiting until the redness in the western sky has completely faded away.
In modern time keeping it is considered to be 7:33 pm in June, in Rawalpindi and its
outskirts. This is in contrast to the Sunni practice where Maghrib prayer is performed
immediately after sunset.
2. Fajr prayer: Shia Muslims typically pray Fajr prayer at the time of dawn, before the
actual sunrise. Equivalent modern measurement is 3:29 am in June, in Rawalpindi and
its outskirts. This is in contrast to Sunni Muslims who often perform Fajr prayer after
the appearance of the true dawn, which is when the light spreads across the horizon.
3. Duhr and Asr prayers: Shia Muslims generally extend the time of Duhr prayer
(starting from 12:07 pm in June in Rwp and its outskirts) until the time of Asr prayer
begins. However according to many Shi’a scholars, the timing of Duhr can extend
upto the end of Asar’s timings. This practice allows for a wider time window to
perform both prayers. That is why many Shi’a communities pray both prayers
together. In contrast, Sunni Muslims typically perform Duhr prayer earlier and have a
distinct time for Asr prayer. According to them the timings of distinct prayers cannot
overlap, however according to shafi’i school and other athari schools, prayers (Duhr-
Asar and Maghrib-Isha) can be combined (jama’ bayin nas salaat), while they do not
consider the timings of these prayers to be overlapping.
These variations in prayer timings and practices stem from different interpretations of
religious texts and traditions among the Sunni and Shia scholars. Note that these
 Difference of opinion regarding the timings of salah among various schools of thought in Islam

differences do not affect the fundamental principles of prayer, and both Sunni and
Shia Muslims fulfill their religious obligations of performing the five daily prayers
within their respective traditions and teachings.
Essential to note is that these differences in prayer timings are based on varying
methods of interpreting Qur’an and Hadith (i.e. sayings and actions of the Prophet
Muhammad) and other sources of Islamic jurisprudence. Muslims follow the teachings
of their respective school of thought and adhere to the prayer timings prescribed by
their scholars. The goal remains the same across all schools, which is to fulfill the
religious obligation of performing the five daily prayers within the designated time
frames.