Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Coming from a Maliki background I’m used to the prayer of Duha beginning a few minutes after sunrise and ending when the sun is at zawwal. But now I heard that the nafl prayer beginning at sunrise is only salat al-ishraq, and the Duha proper begins after a quarter of the day has passed. Is there any room in the hanafi madhhab to combine these two nafila prayers into one, like the other madhhabs do?
Walaikum assalam,
It is mentioned in the Fatawa al-Hindiyya (also known as Fatawa Alamgiri):
“From the recommended prayers is the duha prayer. Its minimum is 2 rakats, and its maximum is 12. Its time is from sunrise to when the sun is at its zenith (zawal).” [al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Salah, al-Bab al-Tasi` fi’l Nawafil]
It is mentioned by Imam al-Haskafi (and confirmed by Ibn Abidin) that while its minimum is 2 rakats, the minimum optimal amount is four rakats, as this was the general practice of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace). [Durr al-Mukhtar, Radd al-Muhtar]
Imam al-Hamawi says in Ghamz `Uyun al-Basa’ir Sharh al-Ashbah wa’l Naza’ir:
“(His saying: and the duha prayer) Its time is from sunrise to just before the sun is at its zenith. The author of al-Hawi said, “Its optimal time is after a quarter of the day has passed ” [1.124]
This was confirmed by Ibn Abidin in his Radd al-Muhtar.
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani.