Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I was praying witr, I finished at 4:28 instead of 4:27, is it considered praying on time if you
a) just start the prayer
b) finish at least half of the prayer
c) finish the whole prayer
Answer:
“Your Lord has decreed, that you worship none save Him, and (that you show) kindness to parents”
[Qur’an, 17.23]
Walaikum assalam,
If one initiates the prayer [i.e. by giving the opening takbir] within its prayer time, it is in itself considered a current performance (ada’) in the Hanafi school, as Imam Haskafi mentioned in his Durr al-Mukhtar, and confirmed by Ibn Abidin in his Radd al-Muhtar. [1.485]
However, it is also obligatory to complete a prayer within its prescribed time, and sinful to delay it such that some of it falls outside this time. It must also be noted that Fajr prayer is unique in that it is invalidated by when its prescribed time ends.
Allah Most High said,
“When you have performed the act of worship, remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining. And when you are in safety, observe proper worship. Worship at fixed times has been enjoined on the believers.” [Qur’an, 4.103]
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani
