Miscalculating end of time of ‘Ishaa’ prayer

29-11-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. Out of ignorance, I have always miscalculated the end of the ‘Ishaa’ time as the middle point between the ‘Ishaa’ and the Fajr prayers, and not that of the Maghrib and Fajr prayers, and I possibly may have prayed many times when the time of ‘Ishaa’ was already over. Are my prayers valid, or do I have to repeat them? It never crossed my mind that this understanding is wrong or doubtful, so I never rechecked it though I did have access to sites like yours and alifta etc. I do not know if this actually constitutes ignorance or if it is negligence.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

We have already explained in fatwa 88333 and fatwa 96718 that the time of the ‘Ishaa’, which one has the choice to pray during any part of, extends to the middle of the night, and after that starts the time of necessity, which extends until the time of the Fajr prayer.

In any case, your prayer is valid and you do not have to make up for it whether it was performed during its prescribed time or after its time. In both cases, your prayer is valid and you are not required to repeat it.

Allah knows best.