| Holiday Name: | Asr prayer |
| Type: | Islam |
| Official Name: | صلاة العصر، الصلاة الوسطى، صلاة العشي، صلاة الآصال |
| Nickname: | Afternoon prayer |
| Observedby: | Muslims |
| Longtype: | Islamic |
| Significance: | A Muslim prayer offered to Allah at the afternoon hour of the day. |
| Begins: | Afternoon |
| Ends: | Sunset |
| Frequency: | Daily |
| Observances: | Fard |
| Relatedto: | Salah, Wazifa, Five Pillars of Islam |
The Asr prayer (Arabic: صلاة العصر , "afternoon prayer") is one of the mandatory five daily Islamic prayers.
The Asr prayer consists of four obligatory cycles, rakat. An additional four rakat sunna prayer is recommended to be performed before the obligatory prayer.[1] As with Zuhr prayer, if it is performed in congregation, the imam is silent except when announcing the takbir,[2] i'tidal,[3] and taslim.[4]
The period of Asr prayer begins approximately when the sun is halfway down from noon to sunset (various schools of thought of Islam differ on the starting point; some say that it begins when the shadow of an object equals its actual length plus its shadow during noon, others say that the actual length must be doubled). Asr prayer ends at sunset.
The middle prayer mentioned in the Qur'an, Sura 2 Al-Baqara, verse 238 is interpreted by Islamic scholars as being either the Asr prayer or the Fajr prayer. Muslims are commanded to protect the middle prayer, meaning that it should be performed at all costs.[5]
The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion (Furū al-Dīn) according to Shia Islam.
Al-Asr is the title of the 103rd sura of the Qur’ān.
| Region/country | Language | Main | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic: صلاة العصر (Ṣalāt al-ʿAṣr) | |||
| Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kashmir | Persian, Kashmiri | Persian: {{nq|نماز دیگر، نماز عصر | |
| Afghanistan, Pakistan | Pashto | Pushto; Pashto: {{nq|مازدیګر, | |
| Urdu, Hindi | Urdu: {{nq|نماز عصر, अस्र नमाज़ (Asar namaaz) | ||
| Pakistan | Punjabi | دیگر دی نماز (diigar di namaz) | |
| İkindi namazı | |||
| Sous (Morocco) | Tashelhit | ⵜⴰⵥⴰⵍⵍⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵓⴽⵣⵉⵏ (Taẓallit n tukzin) | |
| Rif (Morocco) | Tarifit | Řɛaṣaa | |
| Əsr namazı | |||
| Namazi i pasditës | |||
| Ikindija-namaz | |||
| Bangladesh, India | আসর, আছর (Asor) | ||
| Salaada Casir | |||
| Salat asar, Solat asar | |||
| Maldives | Dhivehi | އަސުރު ނަމާދު (Asuru namādhu) | |
| Asr namozi | |||
| Екінті намазы (Ekinti namazy) |
The Asr prayer consist of four obligatory rakats, along with two or four sunnah rakats preceding it. Although, according to some madh'habs, it may be reduced to two rakaʿāts when travelling.[6]
According to the Ja'fari and Zaydi schools of thought the time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:
However, it is very important to recite the prayer as soon as the time begins. Letter 52 of Nahj al-Balagha contains instruction of Ali to his governors on the timings of salat, "The Asr prayers can be performed till the sun is still bright and enough time of the day is left for a person to cover a distance of six miles."
The time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:
The Islamic prophet Muhammad said, "He who observes Al-Bardayn (i.e., Fajr and ‘Asr prayers) will enter Jannah."[9]
In another hadith:Muhammad said 'He who misses his Asr Salat (i.e. performs it after its specified time) is as if he had lost his wife, children and all his wealth.’ (Sahih Muslim)