Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
It is sunnah to pray 2 units nafl (optional ritual prayers) when entering a Masjid but what if someone enters after ʿAsr and before Maghrib. Do they still need to pray the 2 nafl?
Answer:
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for your question.
This is a matter differed upon by the scholars due to interpretation of source texts.
Some jurists including Imam Shāfiʿīe (may Allāh’s mercy be with him) are of the opinion that the two units, once entering the masjid can be performed, regardless of when the entry takes place, due to the generality of the following report:
“If any of you enters the masjid, one should not sit until they have prayed two rakaʿahs.” (Bukhārī)
Other jurists, such as Imam Abū Ḥanīfah (may Allāh’s mercy be with him) state that these optional prayers should not be offered at the forbidden times (after Fajr (dawn) to sunrise, at Zawāl (midday) and from ʿAsr to Maghrib) due to narrations such as the following:
‘Uqbah bin ‘Ᾱmir said (Allāh be pleased with him), “ There were the times at which Allāh’s Messenger (peace and blessings upon him) forbade us to pray, or bury our dead; when the sun begins to rise until it is fully up, when the sun is at its height at midday until it passes over the meridian, and when the sun draws near to setting until it sets.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
“There is no Ṣalāh after the Fajr prayer until the sun rises, and no Ṣalāh after the `Asr prayer until the sun sets” (Bukhārī)
And Allāh Knows Best
