Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid us from praying or burying our deceased ones in them
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Three hours the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid us from praying or burying our deceased ones in them: when the sun begins to rise until it has fully risen; when the sun is at its zenith until it begins to decline; and when the sun starts setting until it has fully set.
Attribution: Narrated by Muslim
Grade: Authentic
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade offering a voluntary prayer or burying the deceased at three times during the day: The first time: When the sun begins to rise, from the moment it appears until it ascends to the height of a spear, which is estimated to be approximately a quarter of an hour. The second time: When the sun is in the middle of the sky and there is no shadow either to the east or the west, until it begins to decline from the middle of the sky and a shadow appears on the eastern side, marking the start of the time for Zhuhr prayer. This is a brief period, approximately five minutes. The third time: When the sun inclines and starts setting until it completely sets.
Benefits
The times when prayer is prohibited, as indicated by this and other Hadīths, are as follows: 1. After the Fajr prayer until the sun rises. 2. When the sun is rising until it ascends to the height of a spear by the sight of the eye, approximately 15 minutes. 3. When the sun is at its zenith, directly overhead, until it starts to decline. This is when there is no shadow to the east or the west, estimated by some to last about five minutes. 4. After the ‘Asr prayer until the sun sets. 5. When the sun turns yellow until it sets.
The prohibition of praying during these five specified times excludes obligatory prayers and those performed for specific reasons.
The prohibition of intentionally delaying burial until these three restricted times mentioned in the Hadīth, while permitting burial at any other time during the day or night.
The wisdom behind the prohibition of praying during these times: The fundamental principle is that a Muslim submits to the commands of Allah and avoids His prohibitions as an act of worship and does not stop acting upon them until he fully understands the wisdom or reason behind them. Rather, he must submit. Other Hadīths have clarified some of the rationales behind this: 1. At the time of noon, just before the sun passes its zenith, it is a time when Hellfire is intensely heated. 2. As for the rationale behind the prohibition of praying during sunrise and sunset, it lies in avoiding imitation of the polytheists, who prostrate to the sun when it rises and when it sets. 3. As for the prohibition of prayer after Fajr prayer until sunrise and after ‘Asr prayer until sunset, it serves to block any means of resemblance with the disbelievers. A Muslim avoids imitating them in their polytheism, as they prostrate to the sun during its rising and setting.
