علم الزمن والوقت
In a branching research, researchers can apply the rules we set out based on authentic Nobel Sunnah in order to create the Prophet’s daily schedule, by taking into account all the situations and all expectations. Such academic work requires tracking Sunnah scripts one after another and benefiting from any possible piece of it, in order to prove the existence of such deed before …. This is what can be called as: historicizing Prophet’s daily life or daily scheduling jurisprudence.
It is obvious that fundamental research is not aimed at comprehending all the branches, yet at explaining the approach and general fundamentals, therefore, it will focus on providing the latest research obtained as samples up to now, in order to make a general induction of Hadith scripts for other tasks. ²
| The Fourth Period: From Dhuhr to Asr Prayer |
Performing Dhuhr Prayer in Congregation:
The call for Dhuhr prayer is an announcement for the end of the daily work and morning time, and the beginning of afternoon time through congregational prayer of Dhuhr in the mosque. “So (give)
glory to God, When ye reach eventide And when ye rise in the morning, To Him be praise, In the
heavens and on earth; And in the late afternoon And when the day Begins to decline” (Ar’Rūm chapter: verses (17-18) when the day beings to decline, it indicates Dhuhr prayer. (1).
The Hadith of Aisha narrated by Muslim is explicit about this, when she said: “The Prophet used to pray 04 Rakat at home then goes to perform prayer in congregation with people” (2).
Like previous periods of the day, this period has begun by prayer and ended up by prayer, as a focus on the pivotal role of prayer in the daily schedule.
After Dhuhr time, Nafila (supererogatory prayer):
In the Hadith narrated by Ibn Umar: he said “I learned to pray 10 Rakat from the Prophet peace be upon him, two rakat before Dhuhr and two after Dhuhr” (3)“… in addition to the previous Hadith narrated by Aisha, wherein the Prophet peace be upon him prays in congregation …. Then enters the house to pray two other Rakat …”.
Siesta:
Siesta lexically means: “afternoon time: which is taking rest or napping in the midday time” (4), which also means taking nap” (5).
Sahl said: we were praying Jum’ah prayer with the Prophet peace be upon him before taking a nap” (6).
The Prophet peace be upon him did not waste a chance to take a nap even on his way to the invasion, Jabir ibn Abdullah May Allah be pleased with him stated that “he proceeded in the company of Allah’s Apostle towards Najd to participate in a Ghazwa. (Holybattle) When Allah’s Apostle returned, he too returned with him. Midday came upon them while they were in a valley having many thorny trees. Allah’s Apostle and the people dismounted and dispersed to rest in the shade of the trees. Allah’s Apostle rested under a tree and hung his sword on it. We all took a nap and suddenly we heard Allah’s Apostle calling us. (We woke up) to see a bedouin with him. The Prophet said, “This bedouin took out my sword (7) while I was sleeping and when I woke up, I found the unsheathed sword in his hand and he challenged me saying, ‘Who will save you from me?’ I said thrice, ‘Allah.’ The Prophet did not punish him but sat down” (8).
In “Religious General Behaviors” Al-Maqdisi devoted a whole chapter about “advantages of taking siesta and about sleeping during daytime” he said “Abdullah ibn Umar said: my father sleeps at noon during winter or summer season. Umar ibn al-Khattab May Allah be pleased him says: Take the noon nap, for the Shaytan does not nap” (9). Ibn Hajar inferred from the Hadiths that napping was part of Muslims’ daily habits” (10). In some jurisprudential sources, we learn that part of slaves’ rights granted by their masters “are taking time for napping, sleeping and time for prayer” (11).
Does nap concern hot countries and Islamic countries only as mentioned by Al-Qaradhawi (12), or recommended for all countries as stated by Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (13), Shentout and al-Khalidi (14).
In my opinion, the answer is related to other factors, mainly:
– The perspective of napping: “sleeping at noon” (16), is it “taking rest in the midday when it gets hot even if there is no need to sleep” (17).
– Season: is it during winter or summer season? Because the length of daylight is completely different between the two seasons in many countries.
– Is nap taken by morning people? Because napping suits morning people best.
– Is napping a preparation for standing in qiyam al layl (night prayer)? Maybe because those who stand for the night prayer are not used to that.
In general, the whole schedule is comprehensive, which depends on the customs, surrounding, objectives and circumstances.
State of Undress with a Spouse:
The Holy Qur’an pointed three times of undress, He said “the while you doff your clothes for the noonday heat” (An-Noor Chapter: verse No: 58).
Ibn Abbas interpreted this hadith saying: “Allah is the Most Forbearing the Most Merciful wants us to get privacy, people used to have no curtains or partitions in their homes, because servants, boys or widows may enter in on man when he is in an intimate situation his wife, therefore he commanded them to seek permission before entering, before covering and decency, then people no longer acted like that” (18).
There is a Hadith stating that the Prophet peace be upon him used to visit his 11 wives” (19), one hour during the day and another in the evening”. This hour during the day can be said as napping time only.
The hour during which the Prophet does not leave his house unless for urgent matters:
The Prophet’s companions did not get used to see the Prophet peace be upon him during this time, this is what we learned from the story narrated by Ibn Hisham that Aisha Umm al-Muminin said “Rarely did the Prophet peace be upon him fail to visit Abu Bakr’s house everyday, either in the morning or in the evening. When the permission for migration to Medina was granted, all of a sudden the Prophet peace be upon him came to us at noon and Abu Bakr was informed, who said, “Certainly the Prophet peace be upon him has come for some urgent matter …” (20).
According to another Hadith, we figure out that the Apostle of Allah May peace and prayer be upon him does not usually preach during afternoons because his companions were used to take nap and it was difficult to give up on napping, the narrated as follow: ““The Apostle of Allah peace be upon him prayed one day, and ascended the pulpit, and he never used to ascend it, before that, except on Fridays. The people were alarmed by that, and some were standing and some were sitting. He gestured to them with his hand, telling them to sit. (Then he said:) ‘By Allah, I am not standing here for something that will benefit you, an exhortation or warning. Rather Tamim Dari has come to me and told me something that prevented me from taking a rest because of the joy and delight (I felt), and I wanted to spread that joy among you” (21).
| Praying Dhuhr in congregation | ||
| After Dhuhr, Nafila | Siesta | Staying with spouse |
| The hour during which the Prophet doesn’t leave his house unless for urgent matters |
| The performed Tasks between Dhuhr and Asr Prayer According to the Holy Sunnah |
Time between Dhuhr and Asr prayer represents rest time: prayer, nap, undressing with the spouse, which is like a daily station through which a number of rules are applied, which are:
Persistence with Dhuhr prayer, sleeping and undressing with the spouse except for urgent cases.
Observing moderation in deeds (and if it is not possible, trying to be near moderation): because this time is devoted for taking rest after spending working hours and seeking Allah’s bounty during the day, it is also a preparation to fulfill duties in the second phase of the day.
Balancing between tasks: during this period, there is a need for fulfilling the duties of invocation and prayer towards the Almighty Allah, sleep and rest for one’s wellbeing, including time for the spouse. In our religion, “it is instructed to spend time on prayer without harming one’s body or abandoning people; Sharia law was built upon ease not hardships” (22).
| The Fifth Period: From Asr to Maghreb Prayer |
Performing Asr Prayer in Congregation:
Asr time represents the period when angels of the day meet with angels of the night, therefore we were commanded by Allah to care about this prayer, in the authentic Hadith the Prophet peace be upon him said: “There are angels who take turns in visiting you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and the afternoon (‘Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night with you, ascend to the heaven and their God, Who knows better about them, asks: ‘In what condition did you leave My slaves?’ They reply: ‘We left them while they were performing prayer and we went to them while they were performing prayer” (23).
Therefore, it is mandatory to care about this prayer like other compulsory prayers as a main priority in the daily tasks, which must be performed on time as commanded. Prayer marks the biggest difference between Muslims and infidels’ daily program, regardless of their level, their age, their environmental and natural circumstances…
No prayer After Asr Time:
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri said: I heard Allah’s Apostle peace be upon him say: “No prayer is to be offered after the morning prayer until the sun rises, or after the afternoon prayer until the sun sets” we learn that prayer is banned during this period.
After Asr Prayer, Time to Fulfill Other Tasks:
Previous studies did not manage to set the differences between Asr and Maghreb time, for instance:
– Al-Ghazali restricted this period in “Dua, invocation, reading the Holy Qur’an and contemplation” (25).
– Suwaidan point out that “it is a second phase of activities, during which man is physically and psychologically prepared to resume the daily work until sunset”26.
– Shentout says: Muslim individual “gets up from a nap at Asr call to prayer to perform it in congregation, then stays half an hour or an hour with his family, spent on learning, then returns to his daily work, performs some social commitments, or cultural activities”27.
-Al-Khalidi devotes after Asr prayer to “visiting relatives, social commitments and religious guidance, sharing others’ joys and sorrows, visiting patients, helping needy people or arranging a meeting with companions and friends”28, hence, people of knowledge should not isolate themselves from the rest of Muslims.
Such variation suggests that between Asr and Maghreb prayer there is a free time; any attempt to determine the type of deed is a premature attempt, because we counted a number of deeds that the Prophet peace be upon him used to perform during this time of the day, some of these examples are as follow:
– Visiting people and running public affairs: according to the Hadith reported by Aisha: “Rarely did the Prophet peace be upon him fail to visit Abu Bakr’s house everyday, either in the morning or in the evening”29 this was during his stay in Mecca, when he migrated to Medina “(He once appointed) worker to collect the sadaqah. When he returned he said: This is for you and this was given to me as present. So the Prophet peace be upon him stood on the pulpit in one afternoon, and after praising and extolling Allah he said: What is the matter with a collector of sadaqah. We send him (to collect sadaqah), and when he return he says: This is for you and this is a present which was given to me. Why did he not sit in his father’s or mother’s house and see whether it would be given to him or not ? Whoever takes any of it will inevitably bring it on the Day of Resurrection, be it a camel which rumbles, an ox which bellows, or sheep which-bleats”30.
– Education, issuing Fatwa and running public affairs: “Allah’s Apostle ascended the pulpit in one afternoon and after praising and extolling Allah he said:, “What’s the matter with about those people who stipulate conditions which are not in Allah’s Laws? Whoever stipulates such conditions as are not in Allah’s Laws, then those conditions are invalid even if he stipulated a hundred such conditions” 31.
– Pursing battles in the wars: I went on an expedition with God’s Apostle, and when dawn came he waited till the sun rose and when it rose he fought. Then when midday came he stopped till the sun passed the meridian and when it had done so he fought till the afternoon, when he stopped till he prayed the afternoon prayer, and then fought. Qatada told that it used to be said that the winds of victory blew at that time and the believers made supplication for their armies during their prayer”. Including the Hadith of “May Allah fill their (the infidels’) graves and houses with fire, as they have kept us so busy that we could not offer the middle prayer till the sun had set” and that prayer according to a number of jurists was the `Asr prayer.” (34).
We can notice that such short period spent on different deeds is not established upon authentic scripts. Therefore, the period between Asr and Maghreb prayer can be devoted for worships, social, academic, political or family activities … all of them do matter.
Dinner:
The Apostle peace be upon him sometimes eats dinner before Maghreb prayer, he even commands to have dinner first when they both take place at the same time, he says “‘If dinner is about to be served and the prayer time has arrived begin with dinner before you pray the Maghrib prayer, and do not hasten your dinner” (35).
Sleeping after Asr Prayer is disliked:
It was reported by Abu Ya’la that Aisha May Allah be pleased with her narrated that Allah’s Apostle said: “whoever sleeps after Asr prayer should only blame himself if he loses his mind” (36). However, this hadith is known to be weak, but sleeping is disliked according to a number of Prophet’s companions, like: Othman ibn Affan, Amr ibn al-As (37) and some Imams like Imam Ahmed (38).
Such rule is referred to some factors, such as:
– The Apostle was not known for sleeping during this time.
– It is the best time to perform some deeds and fulfill tasks.
Following the Apostle’s hadiths about the period between Asr and Maghreb time, we learn that it is not his habit, nor the habit of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them to sleep at this time. In fact, they usually keep themselves busy with good deeds and hasten for that.
| Praying Asr in Congregation | ||||
| Visiting people and running public affairs. | Education and issuing fatwa | Pursuing battles in the war | Dinner | Other duties |
| No prayer after Asr | ||||
| Sleeping is disliked after Asr prayer |
| Deeds performed between Asr and Maghreb Time according to Nobel Sunnah |
This period is considered as the second phase of the day, during which most of the morning tasks can be fulfilled, whether resuming work, learning or serving the interests of people …etc. It is time to move from one task to another, according to the rule of “If you have finished one task then stand up (for worship)” as well as balancing between duties… and so on.
By the end of this period, the daily cycle ends and another day begins within sunset, therefore, the program derived from the Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him has been accomplished with good deeds.
The following table combines all the Apostle’s deeds during the day, by taking into account the following:
- It should be established upon the rules that were formulated during the whole research: baptized time, purposes …
- It should clearly distinguish between tasks and consider task prioritization.
- There are other tasks that were not included, which can still be derived by this branching research to perfectly complete the table.
- It should consider the difference between the seasons, levels of perception and races, because this program is not compulsory except for mandatory tasks.
| Introduction by Prayer | Deed | Time | Priority | Duration | Achievement |
| Maghreb Prayer Time | Performing congregational prayer of Maghreb in the mosque | 20:12 | 1 | 15 mn | |
| Supererogatory prayer, invocation and waiting in the mosque for the next prayer | |||||
| Educational classes | |||||
| Feeding poor people and focusing on the nation’s issues | |||||
| Before Isha Prayer | Dinner meal | ||||
| Sleeping is disliked during this time | |||||
| Isha Prayer Time | Performing Isha prayer | 21:52 | 1 | 15 mn | |
| After Isha Prayer | Supererogatory prayer, invocation and standing for the night prayer | 22:07 | |||
| Sleeping early, sleeping in the middle of the night | |||||
| Staying up learning, serving Muslims’ interests or spending time with the family | |||||
| Staying up for no obvious reason is disfavored, state of undress, beware of causing moral and material damages. | |||||
| Before Fajr Prayer | Two rakat in the house, two thirds of state of undress. | ||||
| Fajr Prayer Time | Performing Fajr Prayer | 03:47 | 1 | 15 mn | |
| Beginning of the day | Invocation, staying in the house, supererogatory prayer of Fajr | ||||
| Educational class Running public affairs, going out for Jihad, performing the business of trade | |||||
| Duha Time | Duha prayer A number of good deeds | ||||
| Before Duhr Prayer | Two supererogatory prayers in the house | ||||
| Sleeping is disliked after Fajr prayer | |||||
| Eating some dates and lunch sometimes | |||||
| Duhr Prayer Time | Performing congregational prayer of Duhr in the mosque | 13:04 | 1 | 15 mn | |
| Afternoon Time | Two rakat in the house, invocation and Iʿtikāf in the mosque | ||||
| Taking a nap, undressing with the spouse | |||||
| The time during which the Prophet doesn’t leave the house | |||||
| Asr Prayer Time | Performing congregational prayer of Asr in the mosque | 16:44 | 1 | 15 mn | |
| Visiting others, running public affairs, education, fatwa, pursuing the battles in the wars | |||||
| Eating dinner sometimes |
| Introduction to the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) Daily Program |
The Sixth Chapter Results:
After the presentation of daily program made by the previous initiatives on the one hand, by Sunnah and biography of the Prophet on the other, the research reached a number of conclusions, the most important of which are:
1 – Counting about eight attempts to formulate an integrated daily schedule, some of which were written by early scholars and some by contemporary scholars.
2 – Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali –as far as we know- was the first person to suggest writing an integrated daily schedule and determined its aspects and procedures.
3 – These attempts have advantages, mainly: relying on authentic religious sources, in particular the Holy Qur’an and Nobel Sunnah, including all periods of the day, as well as making prayer as a reference and as a central pillar, in addition to understanding perfectly the Prophet’s detailed schedule.
4 – The main disadvantages are:
- They all use different terminology.
- They are not organized under one consistent methodology.
- The general rules that control the daily program were not indicated, therefore, some of these attempts generated dominant times.
- Purposes were not determined and applied on the daily schedule in direct way.
- Lack of interests in goals and priorities.
- There is no specific chain that integrates the sciences produced by the Islamic thought into the Muslim’s daily schedule.
- These attempts lack text investigation and inductive reasoning.
5 – In an attempt to complete the efforts exerted during the previous attempts in setting a Muslim’s daily schedule, I followed the Nobel Sunnah and biography of the Prophet peace be upon him and the results were as follow:
6 – The Prophet peace be upon him established his life upon a number of rules, which were like the foundations that have entirely affected his daily schedule, the most important of which were: persistence, Observing moderation in deeds and trying to be near moderation, “If you have finished one task then stand up (for worship)”, balancing between tasks and succession planning.
7 – We have tried to set a table for the Prophet peace be upon him during the day, starting from Maghreb prayer, which demonstrated clearly that prayer is the symbol that controls the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) daily schedule, which is a reference through which day tasks begin and end up with.
8 – Other than compulsory tasks, the Apostle peace be upon him used to perform multiple good deeds in a marvelous rhythm to the point that we can talk about a new miracle called: miracle in the daily schedule, rhythm and ability to perform several tasks in a short time, because the Apostle May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him is the best example and the cosmic man.
9 – People of all races, ages, times and places are able to consider the schedule of the Apostle May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him the perfect example for theirs, because it was established upon baptized time and was characterized by comprehension and flexibility, in addition to focusing on priorities.
10 – The research formulated the Apostle’s (peace and blessings be upon him) daily schedule in tables according to the periods of the day, then gathered all in one table, which can be considered as a an initial platform for creativity in this field.
Review was made in collaboration with Bahmed Refiss –In presence of his son Aissa, as an EFL student- on Tuesday 23 Jumada II 1422 A.H., corresponding to Tuesday 11 September 2001 in Mokhatr’s house, during Duhra time.
Review with Mustapha son of Mohamed Cherifi in El Hamiz on Monday evening 29 Jumada II 1422 A.H., corresponding to 17 September 2001, after Isha prayer during an evening chat, wishing him the best of luck.
Printing this chapter was carried out – Thanks to Allah- on Monday 14/01/2002 during Duha prayer time, the rest is to complete the general tables, chapter results, research outcomes, appendices and indexes.
1 – Look above – P269.
2 – already already edited, P334.
3 – already edited, P334.
4 – IBN MANZUR: Lisan al-Arab; No: 11/ P577.
5 – The Same Source – look al-Razi: Mukhtar as-Sihah – P559.
6 – Narrated by al-Bukhari, the book of al-Jummah (Friday), Chapter of The afternoon nap after the Jumu’ah (prayer); No: 1/ P899 with chain.
7 – “Taking out sword: unsheathing it” Ibn Manzur: Lisan al-Arab; No: 7/285.
8 – Narrated by al-Bukhari, the book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter of Whoever hung his sword on a tree at midday nap Vol: 3/ 1065 with chain.
9 – AL-MAQDISI: Religious General Behaviors, Vol/P161.
10 – IBN HAJAR: Fath al-Bari; Vol 11/70.
11 – IBN MUFLIH, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abdullah al-Hanbali (died in 884 A.H./ 1479) (al-Mubd’i;The Islamic Office, Beirut; 1400 A.H. No: 8/225, Ibn Dawyan, Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Salem (died in 1353 A.H./ 1934): Manar As-Sabil; analyzed by Essam al-Kalajy; al-Maarif Library, Riyadh; ed.2: 1405 A.H./ P276.
12 – QARADAWI: Time in the Life of a Muslim; P29.
13 – AL-GHAZALI: The Revival of the Religious Sciences; P401-402.
14 – SHENTOUT: The Role of Muslim House; P136.
15 – AL-KHALIDI: The Bright Plan; P139.
16 – IBN MANZUR: Lisan al-Arab; Vol: 11/P577.
17 – IBN MANZUR: The Same Source; Vol: 11/P578.
18 – Narrated by Abu Dawud; Book of General Behaviors, Chapter of Asking permission to enter at the three times of undress.
19 –reported above, P347.
20 – Ibn Hisham: Sirat Ibn Hisham; Vol 2/ P97, narrated by al-Bukhari; book of If somebody buys some goods or (an) animal and let it with the seller, or it dies before he takes it into his possession; Vot 2/ P751, No. 2031 in chain.
21 – Narrated by Ibn Majah, book of tribulations, chapter of the tribulation of Dajjal, the emergence of ‘Esa bin Maryam and the emergence of Gog and Magog; Vol 2/ P1354, No. 4074.
22 –AS-SAN’ANI: Subul as-Salaam.
23 –Narrated by Al-Bukhari: Book of Times of the Prayer; Chapter of Excellence of the Morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr Prayers Vol1/ P203.
24 – Narrated by Al-Bukhari, already transmitted.
25 –Al-GHAZALI : Revival of the Religious Sciences; P403.
26 – SUWAIDAN: As-Salat Siha wa Wiqaya; P164.
27 – SHENTOUT: Dawr al-Bayt al-muslim; 136.
28 – AL-KHALIDI: The Bright Plan; P137.
29 – Already transmitted, P359, 172.
30 – Narrated by Al-Bukhari: Book of Oaths and Vows, Chapter of the Prophet’s Oath; Vol 6, P2446, No. 6260.
31 – Narrated by Muslim, Book of Emancipation, Chapter of Wala’ is for the manumitted (of the Slave).
32 – Ibn Hajar: Fatha Al-Bari; Vol 6 / P121.
33 – Narrated by Al-Bukhari, already transmitted.
34 – Look at a number of Hadiths that tackled the meaning of middle prayer – Ibn Abi Shayba, classified; Vol 2 / 387.
