247. What Is The Cut Off Time For Ishaa Prayers?

By Asma bint Shameem 

The cut off time for ishaa prayer is until *midnight*. 

That’s what the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said in an authentic hadeeth. 

He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“The time of Ishaa is until midnight” (Muslim)

However keep in mind that *“midnight”* is not always *12 am* like most of us believe. 

Islaamically, ‘midnight’ is the *middle point* between Maghrib and fajr. 

So count the number of hours from Maghrib till fajr, divide that in half and the midpoint is midnight. 

So for example, if Maghrib is at 7 pm and fajr is at 6:00 am, that’s a total of 11 and half hours. 

That’s eleven hours from 7 pm to 6 am. 

And midpoint of that would be HALF of eleven, which is five and hours. 

So count five and half hours from Maghrib time (i.e.7 pm) and that would give you 12:30. 

Similarly just calculate the midpoint for each night. 

That’ll give you the time for midnight. And it will vary from place to place and season to season. 

However if there’s a “VALID” REASON for delaying ishaa, one can pray it up until fajr. 

That’ll be the *‘emergency time’* for ishaa.

Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:

“Ishaa  prayer must be performed before midnight, and it is not permissible to delay it until midnight, because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

“The time of ‘Isha’ is until midnight” (narrated by Muslim, al-Masaajid wa Mawaadi’ al-Salaah, 964). 

So you have to pray it before midnight, based on the length of the night, because the night may be longer or shorter, so the guideline is how many hours the night lasts. 

If the night is ten hours long, then it is not permissible to delay it until the end of the fifth hour. 

The best way it to pray it in the first third of the night. 

If a person prays it at the beginning of the time for ‘Ishaa, that is OK, but if he delays it a little while, that is preferable, because the Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to recommend delaying ‘Isha’ prayer for a little while. 

But if someone prays it at the beginning of its time, after the twilight – the reddish afterglow along the horizon – has vanished, there is nothing wrong with that.”

[Majmoo’ah Fataawa 10/386]

And Allaah knows best