After the whole day’s tiredness, I feel lazy to pray the Isha prayer. That’s why the question arises – how late can you pray Isha?
Because by removing fatigue and being refreshed, we feel comfortable praying Isha. But when problems arise, Jamaat is missed, and the night lasts.
For this, knowing how late you can pray isha is essential. So we can perform Isha’s prayer correctly at the right time.
What is Isha prayer?
Isha prayer is the last prayer among the five daily prayers. The five daily prayers start from Fajr, Zohr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha.
Isha prayer is obligatory for every adult Muslim woman and man. If a person voluntarily skips Isha’s prayer, he will be considered a sinner.
Many Islamic scholars have opined that a person who intentionally skips the Isha prayer has committed kufr.
But if it is incomplete, it will not be multiplied, such as fainting, menses of mad women, etc.
When does Isha prayer start?
After the time of Maghrib, the time for Isha prayer begins. Isha’s prayer starts one and a half two hours after sunset.
The night begins when the whole world is covered in darkness. And since the Isha prayer is a night prayer, it should be recited after the night starts.
Muslims perform the Fajr prayer in the first part of the day, the Maghrib prayer in the last part of the day, and the Isha prayer at night.
At the time of Maghrib, there is a red light in the western sky; the time for Isha begins after the red light sets.
How late can you pray Isha?
You can pray the Isha prayer late at midnight. Many Islamic scholars have said midnight is the best time to offer the Isha prayer.
Because – the Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – said in a hadith, if I had not feared for the weak and the sick, I would have ordered the Isha prayer to be performed at midnight.
So you can pray late till midnight. Even if, for some reason, it is not possible to offer Isha prayer at midnight, then it can be provided in the last hours of the night.
That is, you can perform the Isha prayer before the Fajr prayer. However, it cannot be made a Niyama Tantric Karma.
But since the Isha prayer is performed in mosques on the first night of congregation, it is better to do so with everyone.
Because Isha prayer is fard, performing Isha prayer in congregation is another fard. It is okay if someone misses Jamaat for some reason; that person can recite Isha in the middle of the night or the last night.
Will the reward be less if Isha prayer is performed late?
It is permissible to perform the Isha prayer late till midnight, but if the Jamaat is missed while performing the Isha prayer late till midnight, then the reward will be less in this case.
Because a person who prays in a congregation gets 27 times more reward than one who prays alone, it is better to perform the Isha prayer with the congregation, if possible, in the first part of the night.
Because it is almost impossible to pray in a congregation at midnight, but if someone has the opportunity to pray in a congregation at midnight, then the reward for that person will not be less.
Hadith about performing Isha’s prayer late
Abu Huraira – may God be pleased with him – said that the Messenger of God – may God bless him and grant him peace – said,
If I did not think it heavy on my ummah, I would order to pray one-third of the night or half the night.
(Ibn Majah -611).
Allah Ta’ala has made Salat obligatory on the believers within a specified time. So the believers must perform the prayer on time. This is one of the conditions of prayer in the terminology of the jurists.
Allah says:
“Surely the prayer is obligatory upon the Muslims at certain times.” (Surah Nisa: 103).
So it is not permissible to perform Salat before or after the time in general circumstances. If someone performs the Salat before the time, his Salat will be considered null and void. If someone does this knowingly, it will be a sin.
What is the best thing to pray to Isha for the first time?
It is not permissible to delay the prayer after the time of prayer without the permission of the Shari’ah. Because the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – called the prayer at the beginning of time as the best deed.
On the authority of Umm Farwah – may Allah be pleased with her – who said that when the Messenger of Allah, may God bless him and grant him peace, was asked about the best deed, he said, “To pray as soon as it is time for prayer.”
(Sunan Abu Dawud, 426)
Summary
How late can you pray Isha? Isha prayer starts after Maghrib, i.e., the time of Isha prayer begins after the sunset of the sun in the western sky.
It is better to perform the Isha prayer in the congregation. If Jamaat is missed, then Isha prayer can be offered at midnight.
If, for some reason, the Isha prayer is not performed in the middle of the night, the person can pray the Isha prayer before Fajr.