What is ‘Zawaal time’ and why is it important?

by Asma bint Shameem

🔺First of all, many people mistakenly refer to midday as the time of Zawaal.

Zawaal does NOT mean the time the sun is at its highest point or zenith.

Rather, the word “Zawaal” means to “decline” or “fall”.

So Zawaal is “the time when the sun moves AWAY from its central meridian or highest point in the sky during the day.”

Therefore, Zawaal is actually the starting point of Dhuhr - when the sun starts to begin its descent.

It is PERMISSIBLE to pray at Zawaal time.

On the other hand, when the sun is at its highest peak in the afternoon sky (midday), THAT’S the time when it’s not allowed to offer prayers.

🔺 Knowing the time of midday and Zawaal is important because the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam specifically told us not to offer any Salaah at the time of the day when the sun is overhead at its highest point, until it has passed its zenith.

Once the sun reaches its highest point, it starts to decline (zawaal) and the prohibition to pray is lifted.

🔺 “Midday” is NOT at 12 noon necessarily.

🍃Uqbah ibn Aamir al-Juhani radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“There are three times at which the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam forbade us to pray or to bury our dead:

1. when the sun has clearly started to rise until it is fully risen,

1. when it is directly overhead at midday until it has passed its zenith, and

1. when the sun starts to set until it has fully set.”(Muslim)

🔺But isn’t ‘midday’ at 12 noon ?

No. Midday is NOT necessarily at 12 noon.

Midday is the exact MIDDLE point between the time of SUNRISE and SUNSET and since these times vary from place to place AND from season to season even in the same town or city, so does its middle point.

And so ‘midday’ may be at 12 noon OR it may be earlier or later.

🔺How to calculate ‘midday’ ?

To calculate midday or the highest point that the sun reaches on any given day, count the number of hours from sunrise to Sunset.

Divide that in half.

That’s the highest point of the sun. That’s midday.

🔺How long should I wait to pray ?

The sun is at its zenith for only a short period of time and so the scholars include a few minutes from either side of midday to calculate the forbidden time for prayer. And prayer must be avoided for that period of time.

So first determine ‘midday’ then add a few minutes before it and a few minutes after it, to be on the safe side.

This is the prohibited time to pray Salaah until the sun starts to decline.

Once the sun starts to descend, that’s when the time for Dhuhr starts and you can offer prayers.

So for example if sunrise is at 6 am and Sunset is at 8:30 pm, then you calculate that the number of hours between these two times.

And that equals 14 hours and 30 minutes.

Now divide that in half.

That gives us 7 hours and 15 minutes.

Add 7 hours and 15 minutes to sunrise time (that is, 6 am) so that means midday is at 1:15 pm.

So to know the time when you can’t pray, add a few minutes before 1:15. And a few minutes after 1:15.

In other words, the prohibited time is from 1:10 to 1:20 or even less in this particular time example.

Similarly you can calculate midday according to the time for sunrise and Sunset in your particular town or city.

Keep in mind that it will also vary from month to month.

🔺Why is it prohibited to pray at midday ?

We shouldn’t do our prayers at this time because the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam told us not to do so.

That’s reason enough for us as Muslims.

We hear and we obey.

We don’t question.

However, the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam also told us that the Fire of Hell is stoked up at midday and therefore we shouldn’t be praying at this time.

🍃He ﷺ said:

“Pray Fajr, then refrain from praying until the sun has risen and become high, for when it rises, it rises between the horns of the Shaytaan and at that time the kuffaar prostrate to it.

Then pray, for the prayer is witnessed and attended until the shadow of a spear falls directly north (midday).

Then refrain from praying, for at that time Hell is stoked up.

Then when the shadow moves forward, pray, for the prayer is witnessed and attended, until you have prayed ‘Asr.

Then refrain from praying until the sun has set, for it sets between the horns of the Shaytaan and at that time the kuffaar prostrate to it.” (Muslim 832)

🍃Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“With regard to the prohibition on praying when the sun is near its zenith, this is because this is the time when the Fire of Hell is intensified, as was reported from the Prophet ﷺ so we should refrain from praying at these times.”

(fatwas of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/354)

🔺Are ALL kinds of prayers prohibited at this time?

No.

The prohibition to pray at midday applies to GENERAL VOLUNTARY prayers, which the scholars call al-nafl al-mutlaq (general nafl prayer).

But IF there’s a NEED and a REASON to pray at midday, it’s ALLOWED EVEN at the prohibited times.

For example if you have to pray Tahiyyatul Masjid, or Tahiyyatul wudhu, or the two rak’ah after Tawaaf, or you have to pray the istikhaarah Prayer etc., then it’s allowed to pray such prayers even at the prohibited times because there’s a REASON why these prayers are being done.

🍃Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said about the hadeeth regarding prayer during the prohibited times:

“To sum up, this hadeeth is specific; if a person offers a prayer for which there is a reason, then it is not prohibited.

What I have mentioned....is the correct view, because there is no prohibition on the prayers for which there is a reason.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen 14/344)

🔺What about reading the Qur’aan or making wudhu or sajdah at-Tilaawah at this time ?

It is allowed to read the Qur’aan during the prohibited times of prayers, and it’s also allowed to do the sajdah for tilaawah at these times.

That’s because sajdah at-Tilaawah is NOT ‘Salaah’.

And the prohibition in the hadeeth is for ‘Salaah’ at midday and not for reading Qur’aan or making ‘sujood’ or other ibaadaat.

And Allaah knows best