The Islamic Midnight

The Islamic Midnight

The Islamic midnight is a special time that is connected to the prayer times. It marks the end of the Isha prayer. Therefore, the Isha prayer should only be performed later in an emergency or if one has overslept.

The evidence in Sahih Muslim in the Hadith of 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:

"It was reported to us by Abu Ghassan al-Misma'iy and Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna, who said: Mu'adh reported to us - and he was the son of Hisham -, my father told me, from Qatada, from Abu Ayyub, from Abdullah ibn Amr, that the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'When you perform the Fajr prayer, its time is until the first ray of the sun rises. Then, when you perform the Dhuhr prayer, its time is until the afternoon arrives. When you perform the Asr prayer, its time is until the sun turns yellow. When you perform the Maghrib prayer, its time is until the twilight disappears. When you perform the Isha prayer, its time is until the middle of the night.'"

(Sahih Muslim, Chapter: The Times of the Five Prayers)

There are also less common opinions that the Isha prayer ends either at a third of the night or with Fajr. However, to ensure the time is valid for everyone, regardless of which opinion one follows, the Islamic midnight is given as the end on this page. It is the earliest time and thus falls within the valid prayer time according to all three opinions.