Question 759 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 7

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

Regarding prayer in the mentioned places: If a true, complete sunrise and sunset are distinguishable for a person-with darkness, light, and a true dawn-he acts according to them, as explained in The Laws of Islam. If sunrise and sunset are distinguishable for him, but darkness and light-the true dawn-before sunrise are not distinguishable, then the time of sunset prayer is the setting of the sun, and the time of dawn prayer extends from one and a half hours before sunrise until sunrise. This applies if the period of night, or the sun’s absence, exceeds one and a half hours. If the period of night, or the sun’s absence, is one and a half hours or less, then the time of dawn prayer extends from after sunset and the amount of time sufficient to perform the sunset and night prayers until before sunrise. The time for beginning abstention extends until even a moment before sunrise, whether the sun’s absence lasts one hour or ten hours. If sunrise and sunset are not distinguishable for him, then either night continues or day continues for twenty-four hours. In both cases, he divides the time into twelve hours of day and twelve hours of night. As for how he determines them-that is, the boundaries of each twelve hours: During continuous daylight, he can determine midday for the day from the highest point reached by the sun’s disk during that day. This point is midday, meaning the midpoint of the twelve hours. If night is continuous-that is, there is no sunrise-the time with the greatest illumination is midday, meaning the midpoint of the twelve hours. This midday is the time of the sun’s decline, at which he performs the noon and afternoon prayers. The time of dawn prayer extends from one and a half hours before the assumed sunrise until sunrise. He performs sunset prayer at the assumed sunset. Fasting relies upon the times of the rising of dawn and sunset, or the times of dawn prayer and sunset prayer. Ahmed Alhasan