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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Shiite Apologetics Question Twenty-seven Why do Shiites perform ritual prayers (Salat) three times a day instead of five ? Answer: At the beginning, it is necessary to review some juridical points: All Islamic sects hold that it is permissible to perform the noon and the afternoon prayers successively on the day of Arafat. This is true with evening ( maghrib ) and `isha ' prayers at Muzdalifah.

The Hanafites believe that performing the noon and afternoon prayers successively and maghrib and `isha successively is restricted to `Arafah and Muzdalifah and not inclusive of any other circumstances. The Hanbalis, the Malikis and the Shafi`is say, In addition to above circumstance one can also perform the noon and afternoon prayers, or maghrib and `isha ' prayers successively when one is on a trip.

Certain law schools from among the above consider it permissible to say the prayers successively in time of emergency: when one is caught in the rain, or he is ill or he fears the attack of the enemy. [1] [1] Extracted from al-Fiqh `ala al-Madhahib al-Arba`ah, the book of al- The Shiites believe that there is, as follows, a specifically valued time for each of the prayers: for the noon and afternoon, evening and` isha' prayers. There is also a shared time. a.

The time that is specifically valued for the noon prayer is the canonical time, long enough to recite a four unit (rak`ah) prayer, allocated to performing the noon prayer only. b. The specific time for the afternoon prayer is the time one has left, long enough to perform only the afternoon prayer before the evening dusk sets in. c.

The shared time for the noon and afternoon prayers begins with the termination of the noon-prayer specific time, and lasts until the time is due for the afternoon prayer to begin. The Shiites claim that the noon and the afternoon prayers can be performed successively within this shared time span. The Sunnis, however, maintain that the noon-specific praying time begins as the religion has specified it, and terminates at the time when the shadow an object casts is as long as the object itself.

It is forbidden to perform the afternoon prayer during this time limit. Then comes the specific time for the afternoon prayer to begin, and extends so long as the evening dusk, maghrib time, has not set in. The noon prayer cannot be performed within this time allowance. Salat, al-jam` bayn al-salatayn taqadduman wa ta'akhkhuran. d.