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?
Answer:
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.