Islamic Scientific Schools

In the Name of Allah---the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Shafaq Ahmar: A Modern Understanding Introduction The disappearance of Shafaq Ahmar (the red twilight) marks the beginning of the time for the Isha prayer according to the overwhelming majority of Islamic jurists. For centuries, Muslims have relied upon direct observation of the western horizon to determine the disappearance of this red glow. However, atmospheric conditions, geographical location, seasonal changes, and modern light pollution often make such observations difficult or unreliable. Modern atmospheric science now provides valuable insights into the physical nature of twilight. Rather than replacing the juristic definition, these scientific findings help us understand what Shafaq Ahmar actually is and how it behaves in Earth's atmosphere. One of the most significant recent contributions is the 2024 study published in Scientific Reports ( Nature Portfolio ), which investigated the evolution of twilight bri...

In the Name of Allah---the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Introduction The extreme latitudes of the Earth present one of the most challenging questions in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence. In regions near the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, normal astronomical signs that determine prayer and fasting times may partially or completely disappear. During the phenomenon known as the Midnight Sun, the sun remains above the horizon for weeks or months. During the Polar Night, it may not rise at all. Islamic acts of worship are traditionally linked to observable solar phenomena. Fajr begins with true dawn, Dhuhr with the sun's decline from the meridian, Maghrib with sunset, and Isha with the disappearance of twilight. When these signs cease to exist or become indistinguishable, Muslims face an important legal question: how are the obligations of prayer and fasting to be fulfilled? Remarkably, classical Islamic jurists addressed this issue centuries before Muslims permanently settle...

In the Name of Allah---the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Fajr and Isha Times: A Digital Dilemma Abstract The determination of Fajr and Isha prayer times has traditionally been one of the most observable aspects of Islamic worship. For over fourteen centuries, Muslims identified these prayer times directly through visible astronomical phenomena occurring during twilight. However, the transition from direct observation to digital computation has introduced significant challenges. Modern prayer time software must transform observable celestial events into mathematical algorithms, yet the astronomical behavior of twilight is far more complex than fixed numerical models can adequately represent. Most contemporary prayer time applications rely upon fixed solar depression angles to calculate Fajr and Isha. While computationally convenient, this approach often diverges from actual twilight observations because the visibility of dawn and dusk varies with latitude, season, atmospheric cond...

نماز وتر کا مسنون طریقہ امام موسیٰ بن احمد الحجاوی المقدسی الحنبلی رحمہ اللہ تعالیٰ فقہ حنبلی کے معتمد متن الاقناع میں نماز وتر کا طریقہ یوں بیان فرماتے ہیں نماز وتر کا مسنون طریقہ امام موسیٰ بن احمد الحجاوی المقدسی الحنبلی رحمہ اللہ تعالیٰ فقہ حنبلی کے معتمد متن الاقناع میں نماز وتر کا طریقہ یوں بیان فرماتے ہیں: ووقت الوتر بعد صلاة العشاء وسننها ولو في جمع تقديم إلى طلوع الفجر الثاني ولا يصح قبل العشاء والأفضل فعله آخر الليل لمن وثق من قيامه فيه وإلا أوتر قبل أن يرقد ويقضيه مع شفعه إذا فات وأقله ركعة ولا يكره بها مفردة ولو بلا عذر من مرض أو سفر ونحوهما وأكثره إحدى عشر ركعة يسلم من كل ركعتين ثم يوتر بركعة ويسن فعلها عقب الشفع بلا تأخير نصا وإن صلاها كلها بسلام واحد بأن سرد عشرا وتشهد ثم قام فأتى بالركعة أو سرد الجميع ولو يجلس إلا في الأخيرة جاز وكذا ما دونها وإن أوتر بتسع سرد ثمانيا وجلس وتشهد ولو يسلم ثم صلى التاسعة وتشهد وسلم وإن أوتر بسبع أو خمس لم يجلس إلا في آخرهن وهو أفضل منها وأدنى الكمال ثلاث بسلامين وهو أفضل ويستحب أن يتكلم بين الشفع والوتر ويجوز بسلام واحد ويكون سردا ويجوز ك...