Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
750. A person can start offering prayers only when be becomes certain
that the time has set in or when two just (Adil) persons inform that the time
has set in. In fact, one can rely upon the Adhan, or on advice of a person who
knows the timings and is reliable.
751. If a person cannot be certain about the Prime time for prayers
due to a personal handicap like blindness or being in the prison cell, he should
delay the prayer till such time when he feels sure that the time has set in. And
as an obligatory precaution, he should act the same way when there are general
hindrances like dust or clouds.
752. If a person is satisfied on the basis of any one of the above
methods that the time for prayers has set in and he begins offering prayers, but
then realises during the prayers that the time has not yet set in, his prayer is
void. And the position is the same if he realises after the prayers that he has
offered the entire prayers before time. However, if one learns as he prays that
the time has just entered or if he learns after the prayers that the time
entered while he was in the process of praying, his Namaz will be valid.
753. If a person is heedless of the fact that he should pray after
ensuring that the time has set in, and if he realises after the prayers that he
had offered the entire prayers in time, his prayer is in order. And if he
realises that he had offered his prayers before time or does not realise whether
he had offered the prayers within time or not, his prayers will be void. In
fact, if he realises after offering prayers that the time for prayers had set in
while he was praying, he should offer that prayers again.
754. If a person was certain that the time for prayers had set in, and
began offering prayers but while praying, he doubted whether or not the time for
it had actually set in, his prayers would be void. However, if he is certain
while offering prayers that the time for it has set in, but doubts whether what
he has already performed in the prayer, has been in time or not, his prayer is
valid.
755. If the time left for Namaz is so little that if we perform some
Mustahab acts of the prayers, an obligatory part of the prayers will fall beyond
the prescribed time, one should not perform those Mustahab acts. For example, if
on account of reciting qunut a part of the prayers will lapse beyond time, one
should do without qunut.
756. If the time at the disposal of a person is sufficient for
performing one Rak'at only he should offer the prayers with the Niyyat of Ada,
i.e. offering the same in time. However, one should not delay offering prayers
intentionally.
757. If a person who is not a traveller has at his disposal time for
offering five Rak'ats till sunset he should offer both Zuhr and Asr prayers. And
if he has less time than that he should offer only Asr prayers, and thereafter
he should give Qadha of Zuhr prayers. Similarly if he has sufficient time upto
midnight for offering five Rak'ats, he should offer Maghrib and Isha prayers and
if he has less time than that he should offer only Isha prayers and then offer
Maghrib prayers, without making a Niyyat of Ada (i.e. being in time) or Qadha.
758. If a person who is a traveller has sufficient time at his
disposal till sunset for offering three Rak'ats he should offer Zuhr and Asr
prayers and if he has lesser time than that, he should offer only Asr prayers
and then offer Qadha of Zuhr prayers. And if he has time enough for offering 4
Rak'ats till midnight he should offer Maghrib and Isha prayers, and if he has
just enough time for three Rak'ats he should offer Isha first and then Maghrib
so that at least one Rak'at falls within time.
And if the time is for lesser
than three Rak'ats, then he should first offer Isha prayers, followed by Maghrib
without the Niyyat of Ada or Qadha. However, if he learns after completing Isha
prayers that there is still time for at least one Rak'at, or more, he should
hasten to offer Maghrib with the Niyyat of Ada.
759. It is Mustahab that a person should offer prayers at the Prime
time prescribed for it, and great emphasis has been laid on it; alternatively,
the nearer the prayers are to its Prime time, the better, except where there is
good reason for delay, like, waiting to join the prayers in congregation
(Namaz-e-Jamaat).
760. If a person has a justifiable excuse for offering prayers with
tayammum and he wishes to offer it at the Prime time knowing that his excuse
will continue till the end of the prescribed time, or having no hope for
redress, he can offer prayers in the early part of the time. But if he has a
hope that the excuse will cease to exist, he should wait till his excuse is
removed. In case his excuse is not removed, he would offer prayers in the last
part of the time.
But, in so doing, it is not necessary that he should wait
so much that he may be able to perform only the obligatory acts of the prayers.
In fact, if he has time for the Mustahab acts like Adhan, Iqamah and qunut as
well, he can perform tayammum and offer prayers along with these Mustahab acts.
As for other excuses which do not justify tayammum, it is permissible for
him to offer prayers at its Prime time, even if he has not lost hope about
redress. However, if the excuse actually ceases to exist while he is praying, he
must repeat the prayers.
761. If a person does not know the rules about prayers, doubts
occurring in it, or about the forgotten parts, and if he feels that such
problems would probably arise in his Namaz, he should defer from its Prime time
so as to learn the relevant rules. However, if he is hopeful that he can offer
prayers correctly he may pray at its Prime time. And if no problem arose during
the prayers, his prayers would be correct and valid.
But if a problem arose
and the rules relating to it were not known to him, he would be allowed to act
on one of the two probabilities and complete the prayers. And, after the
prayers, he should enquire about the rule so that if his prayers had been void
he would offer it again, and if it had been valid, he need not repeat.
762. If there is ample time for prayers, and at the same time his
creditor demands repayment of his loan from him, he should repay the loan first,
if possible, and then offer prayers. Similarly, if there emerges another
obligatory matter which demands immediate attention, like if a man sees that the
Masjid is Najis he should make it Pak first and then offer prayers. And in both
the cases if he offers his prayers first he commits a sin but his prayer is in
order.