The Time of Morning Salah (Prayer)

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَخْبِرْنِي بِأَفْضَلِ الْمَوَاقِيتِ فِي صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ فَقَالَ مَعَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ‌ وَ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كانَ مَشْهُوداً[1] يَعْنِي صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرِ تَشْهَدُهُ مَلَائِكَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَ مَلَائِكَةُ النَّهَارِ فَإِذَا صَلَّى الْعَبْدُ الصُّبْحَ مَعَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ أُثْبِتَتْ لَهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَثْبَتَهَا مَلَائِكَةُ ا

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), to teach me about the most excellent time for the morning Salah (prayer). He (the Imam) (a.s.), said, ‘About the coming of dawn, Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, says, “You must perform Salah (prayer)) and the recitation at dawn. The recitation at dawn certainly was witnessed.”

الصُّبْحُ هُوَ الَّذِي إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُ مُعْتَرِضاً كَأَنَّهُ بَيَاضُ سُورَى‌[2].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Dawn is when you find a white line like the whiteness of Sur 5 (a certain section of Euphrates river in Iraq) 5 ”

وَقْتُ الْفَجْرِ حِينَ يَبْدُو حَتَّى يُضِي‌ءَ.

‘The time for morning Salah (prayer) is when it (the white line) appears until the coming out of rays (of the sun).’”

وَقْتُ الْفَجْرِ حِينَ يَنْشَقُّ الْفَجْرُ إِلَى أَنْ يَتَجَلَّلَ الصُّبْحُ السَّمَاءَ[3] وَ لَا يَنْبَغِي تَأْخِيرُ ذَلِكَ عَمْداً لَكِنَّهُ وَقْتٌ لِمَنْ شُغِلَ أَوْ نَسِيَ أَوْ نَامَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘The time for morning Salah (prayer) begins when dawn opens, until morning (with rays) brightens the sky. It is not proper to delay purposely; however, there is time for those who are preoccupied, forget or are sleeping.”

ِ الْعَسْكَرِيِّ ع قَالَ: إِذَا انْتَصَفَ اللَّيْلُ ظَهَرَ بَيَاضٌ فِي وَسَطِ السَّمَاءِ شِبْهُ عَمُودٍ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ تُضِي‌ءُ لَهُ الدُّنْيَا فَيَكُونُ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ يَذْهَبُ وَ يُظْلِمُ فَإِذَا بَقِيَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ ظَهَرَ بَيَاضٌ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأَضَاءَتْ لَهُ الدُّنْيَا فَيَكُونُ سَاعَةً[1] ثُمَّ يَذْهَبُ وَ هُوَ وَقْتُ صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ يُظْلِمُ قَبْلَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ يَطْلُعُ الْفَجْرُ الصَّادِ

“Abu al-Hassan, al-‘Askariy (a.s.), has said, ‘At midnight a white spot appears in the middle of the sky like a pillar of iron, because of which it gives light in the world. This is there for an hour, then it goes out and it becomes dark. When there is one-third of the night left, whiteness appears in the east, which g