Section: The repetition of the prayer is not mandatory. The Qadi said: It is not mandatory, according to a single narration. Some of our colleagues said there is another narration concerning it: that it is mandatory when with the imam of the neighborhood, because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded it. Our evidence is that it is a nafilah (supererogatory prayer), and a nafilah is not mandatory. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said: "Do not pray a prayer twice in one day." Recorded by Abu Dawud (19). Its meaning is two mandatory prayers. And Allah knows best, as the command indicates recommendation. Based on this, if he intends the repetition but only catches two rak'ahs, al-Amidi said: It is permissible for him to give the taslim with them because it is a nafilah, and it is recommended that he completes it because he intended it as four. Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, specified that he should complete it as four, due to his statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "And whatever you missed, complete it." (20)

236 - Issue: He said: (In every time in which prayer is prohibited, and it is after Fajr until the sun rises, and after Asr until the sun sets.)

Scholars have differed regarding the times in which prayer is prohibited. Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, held the view that it is from after Fajr until the sun rises to the height (1) of a spear, and after Asr until the sun sets, and during the time the sun is at its zenith until it passes the meridian. His companions counted them as five times: from Fajr until the sun rises is one time; from its rising until it reaches its height is one time; while it is at its zenith is one time; from Asr until the sun begins to set is one time; and until the setting is complete is one time. The correct view is that the fifth time is from when the sun begins to descend for sunset until it sets, because Uqbah ibn Amir said: "There are three times during which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to forbid us to pray or to bury our dead: when the sun rises clearly until it is high, when the person at noon is standing upright until it passes the meridian, and when the sun begins to descend for sunset until it sets." (2) He thus identified these three times, and two other times have been established for us by the hadith of Umar and Abu Sa'id (3), so the total is five. Those who made the fifth the time of sunset did so because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, singled it out with the prohibition in the hadith of Ibn Umar, from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said: "If the upper limb of the sun appears, then delay the prayer until it fully emerges, and if the upper limb of the sun disappears, then delay the prayer until it sets." (4) And in another hadith: "And do not seek to time your prayer with the rising of the sun nor its setting." (5) In any case, these mentioned times are ones in which prayer is prohibited; this is the position of al-Shafi'i and the scholars of opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y). Ibn al-Mundhir said: What is prohibited are only the three times mentioned in the hadith of Uqbah, due to the evidence of their being singled out with the prohibition in his hadith and the hadith of Ibn Umar. His statement: "Do not pray after Asr unless you pray while the sun is still high." Recorded by Abu Dawud (6). Aisha said: "Umar was mistaken; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, only forbade seeking to time one's prayer with the rising or setting of the sun." Our evidence is the hadiths we mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, and they are authentic.