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Fatwa CenterThe Time of the Thuhr Prayer
Question
Assalamu alaikum. I go to an Islamic girls school which follows the hanafi madhab. In the summer we pray zuhr in school however in winter they believe we still have time to pray at home therefore we do not pray in class. The time that we get home from school is the time for asr, however they believe it is still zuhr time as they follow the hanafi madhab and they pray. There is no way for me to pray as because we are an Islamic school we pray in the classroom, not in prayer rooms (like for example mixed schools and schools with both non muslims and Muslims have). Am I allowed to join zuhr and asr or must I find a way to pray in school. (Please note some days asr can be very early and I will just be in class or finishing school at that time). Jazakumullahu Khairan
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
We have previously underlined in several Fataawa that the time of the Thuhr prayer ends when the length of the shadow of an object becomes similar to its own length plus the shadow that existed at the time of Zawaal (the time when the sun moves from its Zenith marking the beginning of the Thuhr time), according to the opinion of the majority of the scholars, which is the opinion adopted here at Islamweb. This marks the start time of the ‘Asr, contrary to the opinion of the Hanafi scholars who held that the time of the ‘Asr starts when the shadow of an object becomes twice its length plus the shadow that existed at the time of Zawaal.
Al-Mawsoo‘ah Al-Fiqhiyyah reads: “Scholars held different opinions regarding the end time of Thuhr prayer. The majority of the scholars held that its time ends when the shadow of an object becomes similar to its length plus the length of the shadow that existed at the time of Zawaal. The famous opinion narrated on the authority of Abu Haneefah is that the end of the Thuhr time is when the shadow of any object becomes twice its length plus the shadow that existed at the time of Zawaal.” [End of quote]
Therefore, it is impermissible for the student to delay the Thuhr prayer until the time of the ‘Asr begins, when the shadow of an object becomes similar to its length. He/she may perform the prayer anywhere in the school; the entire earth is a Masjid (place for prayer) and ritually pure to perform the prayer thereon. As for the students who follow the Hanafi school of Fiqh and believe that the time of the Thuhr lasts until the shadow of an object becomes twice its length, we do not make difficult for them what has been made easy if they choose to pray the Thuhr right before its end time according to the Hanafi school.
Allah Knows best.
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