I am a hanafee imam in cape town which is 95% shaafee. I wolud like to know will it be permissible for me to perform the salaah of asr in the awal waqt as imam.

I am a hanafee imam in cape town which is 95% shaafee. I wolud like to know will it be permissible for me to perform the salaah of asr in the awal waqt as imam.the reason i ask the question is because at the moment my asr is later than the awal waqt and alot of mussalees come in  andperform their salaah and leave. I would also like to know that some hanafee brothers  read their asr salaah in awal waqt behind an imam and later on they repeat their asr salaah, is this necessary.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh

We make dua that you are in the best of health and Imaan.  Regarding your query, there are two views in the Hanafi Fiqh regarding the ending of Zuhr time and commencing of Asr Salah. 

1. Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) is of the view that it is when the shadow of any item reaches twice its size excluding the size of the shadow during midday.  This is the accepted and Mufta bihi (on which fatwa is on) view. 
2. The two students of Imam Abu Hanifa (ra), Imam Abu Yusuf (ra) and Imam Muhammad (ra), as well as Imam Shaf’ee (ra), Imam Malik (ra), and Imam Ahmed (ra) are of the view that it is when the shadow of any item reaches its size excluding the size of the shadow during midday.  Many Jurists have given fatwa on this view as well. 

Dar al-Mukhtar with Rad al-Muhtar (1:359) H.M. Saeed Company

( ووقت الظهر من زواله ) أي ميل ذكاء عن كبد السماء ( إلى بلوغ الظل مثليه ) وعنه مثله ، وهو قولهما وزفر والأئمة الثلاثة . قال الإمام الطحاوي : وبه نأخذ . وفي غرر الأذكار : وهو المأخوذ به . وفي البرهان : وهو الأظهر . لبيان جبريل . وهو نص في الباب . وفي الفيض : وعليه عمل الناس اليوم وبه يفتى…قال ابن عابدين وقد قال في البحر : لا يعدل عن قول الإمام إلى قولهما أو قول أحدهما إلا لضرورة من ضعف دليل أو تعامل ، بخلافه كالمزارعة وإن صرح المشايخ بأن الفتوى على قولهما كما هنا . ( قوله : وعليه عمل الناس اليوم ) أي في كثير من البلاد ، والأحسن ما في السراج عن شيخ الإسلام أن الاحتياط أن لا يؤخر الظهر إلى المثل ، وأن لا يصلي العصر حتى يبلغ المثلين ليكون مؤديا للصلاتين في وقتهما

If one is living in a community that is for example predominately Shafees, there is a leeway to perform Asr Salah after al-Mithl al-Awwal.  It may no be prudent to insist on performing Asr Salah after al-Mithl al-Thaani if it will break the congregation and cause disunity.  Efforts should be to unite the congregation and have a bigger Jamaat.

Fatawa Mehmoodia (16:317) Maktaba Mehmoodia

And Allah knows best

Wassalam

Ml. Ehzaz Ajmeri,
Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In’aamiyyah

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