Q: I reside in an area and noticed that both mussallees and trustees of the local masjid are unmindful of zawaal, this is mainly on a Juma as we come early for jumah.
I find that people are performing nafl salaah during this time including the trustees and Ulema. The other masjids that I attend during this time either put on a light or a sign that say zawal.
I would like to know the following:
Firstly when is zawaal and how long does it last for? Example the times I see on the calendar for today as well as salaah times from crescent mobile says zawal 11:59am.
Does this mean zawal sets in at this time or ends at this time?
During this time of zawal what should be done and what should not be done?
Should I bring this to the attention of the trustees and will I be accountable For this if I don't?
This has been going on for the past 3 years or so. I dont want people to be offended and neither do I want to commit any wrong actions, thus when attending this masjid I look at zawal time on my phone and as a precaution I commence my nafl salaah 10 mins after the stipulated zawal time.
A:
1. Zawaal refers to the time where the sun moves away from the zenith. When the sun is at the zenith (waqt ul istiwaa) it is impermissible to perform Salaah. To determine exactly how long is the zawaal time is difficult. Hence, ulama advise a few minutes before and a few minutes after that the namaaz should not be performed. Some suggest five to eight minutes before and five to eight minutes after.
2. Yes.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Checked & Approved: