“And worship Him (a portion) of the night (i.e., the offering of Maghrib and Ishâ prayers) . And glorify Him through the livelong night (i.e., the Tahajjud prayer).”
The Isha prayer is the last obligatory night prayer performed by Muslims between the Maghrib prayer and the Fajr prayer. It is the longest of the obligatory prayers and has the longest time window for its performance. The word Isha is derived from the Arabic language and translates to night, hence the name of the prayer. The Isha prayer is an extremely blessed prayer, and several hadiths state its significance. Such as,
‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: “Whoever prays the ‘Isha’ prayer in congregation is rewarded as if he had prayed for half of the night.” [Riyad as-Salihin 1071]
The Rakats of Isha Prayer
The Isha prayer consists of 17 rakats in total:
- Four Sunnah rakats
- Four Fard rakats
- Two Sunnah rakats
- Two Nafl rakats
- Three Witr rakats (according to Fiqh Hanafi.)
- Two Nafl rakats
Although there are only seven rakats that are obligatory in the Isha prayer (according to Fiqh Hanafi.), one should strive to pray all the rakats in the given order because:
“On Qayamah (the Day of Judgement), if there are any deficiencies in a person’s obligatory prayers, Allah will ask his angels to see if there are any sunnah prayers performed by the person. And if there are any sunnah prayers, they will be used to make up for the shortcomings in the obligatory prayers.” [Sunan Abi Dawud, 864]
Why the Isha Prayer?
Since the Isha prayer is performed at night, when all the day’s activities have settled, the Isha prayer provides a chance to connect deeply with Allah SWT and repent for any shortcomings throughout the day. And since it is the last prayer of the night, it serves as a reminder that a Muslim’s day should end with the worship of Allah SWT. It provides a window for self-reflection and allows an individual to seek blessings before they end their day.
The Time of Isha Prayer
The Prophet PBUH said, “The time for the night prayer extends until the midpoint of the average night.” [Sahih Muslim, 612d]
This hadith clearly states that one should not delay the Isha prayer until after midnight. One should be diligent in prayer and offer it as soon as he hears the call for it (adhan). But if, due to some reason, a person wasn’t able to pray Isha before midnight, he can pray it before dawn, as the time limit for the Isha prayer extends till dawn. However, if one is offering Isha in congregation, it is preferable to delay it until one-third of the night; however, it is not advisable to postpone it beyond midnight.
According To Fiqh Hanafi
Imam At-Tahawi, associated with the Hanafi school, explains that the time for the Isha prayer can be divided into three parts: the preferred time lasts until one-third of the night; the less preferable time continues until midnight; and the least preferable time is from midnight until dawn.
According To Fiqh Shafi
Imam An-Nawawi, from the Shafi’i school, states that the preferred time for the Isha prayer lasts until one-third of the night, while the permissible time continues until dawn.
According To Fiqh Hanbali
Ibn Qudamah, from the Hanbali school, notes that ideally, one should not postpone the Isha prayer beyond one-third of the night. If it is delayed until midnight, that is acceptable; however, after midnight, it falls into the category of darurah, which is meant for those facing extreme circumstances or valid excuses.
According To Fiqh Maliki
The Maliki scholar Al-Akhdhari (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that the preferred time for the Isha prayer begins with the disappearance of twilight and lasts until the first third of the night. The time of necessity for both the Maghrib and Isha prayers extends until dawn.
The Witr Prayer According To The Fiqhs
- The Hanafi Fiqh states that Witr is a wajib prayer, and whoever leaves it has to make up for it. In this fiqh, witr is a three-Rakat prayer.
- The Shafi Fiqh states that Witr is a sunnah e maukkada (confirmed sunnah). One who misses it doesn’t have to make up for it, but they will miss out on a great reward. In this fiqh, Witr can be of one, three, five, or seven rakats.
- The Malikis regard the Witr prayer as a confirmed Sunnah and note that it can consist of one, three, five, or seven rakats.
- The Hanbali Fiqh states that the witr prayer consists of a minimum of one rakʿah and can go up to a maximum of eleven rakʿahs.
Note: In both the Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought, as well as endorsed by certain scholars of the Hanbali school, it is deemed undesirable to perform the witr prayer as a single rakʿah. Nevertheless, they emphasize that it should be observed in this way if the imam leads the prayer in that manner.
Combining The Prayers
Several narrations state the Prophet PBUH combining prayers, such as:
“Mu’adh bin Jabal narrated that “During the Battle of Tabuk, the Prophet (PBUH) would adjust the timing of his prayers based on his departure. If he aimed to leave before Maghrib, he would postpone Maghrib and pray it together with Isha. However, if he was leaving after Maghrib, he would move Isha forward so that he could pray it alongside Maghrib.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 553]
Apart from the journey, there are also other reasons for which the Shariah permits Muslims to combine their prayers.
- A traveler can combine prayers as long as his journey is not disliked or prohibited.
- A sick person who will face hardship and turmoil if he doesn’t join his prayers can combine his prayers to fulfill his spiritual obligations more easily.
- A woman who is suffering from Istihadah (irregular bleeding) can combine her prayers because Istihadah is also considered a form of sickness.
- A person who can’t work out the time, such as a blind or underground person.
- A person who is unable to purify or to Tayammum for every prayer.
- A person who constantly suffers from nosebleeds.
- A person who is incontinent and constantly passes urine or Madhy.
- For someone who is breastfeeding, the difficulty arises from managing frequent impurities, making it challenging to purify oneself for every prayer.
- One who has a legitimate reason that makes it permissible not to pray Jum’ah and prayers in congregation, such as one who fears for his life or his wealth.
Note: The combined prayers can be prayed at either the time of the Maghrib prayer or at the time of the Isha prayer. Praying the combined prayers at another time is not permissible, according to Islamic law.
Other Reasons for Combining Maghrib and Isha Only
Apart from the scenarios mentioned above, there are other circumstances in which Muslims are allowed to join the Maghrib and Isha prayers together.
- In the event of rain, it soaks a Muslim’s clothes, shoes, and body and causes hardship.
- In the event of snow or hail, they come under the same rule as rain.
- When there is ice, the weather becomes extremely cold.
- In the case of mud and intense cold wind it causes hardship.