Answer: One of the very important issues today is the discussion of prayer times, which, unfortunately, despite abundant and clear verses and narrations, religious people have resorted to astronomical findings that in significant cases differ from the criteria of the narrations. And even in cases where the result is not contrary to the religious principles, it is not considered a religious proof, and every believer must strive to learn their prayer times from the Quran and narrations. God willing, we will present a summary of the narrative criteria of prayer times in several parts so that it can be presented to those who are not aware of it.

First, we mention a few hadiths regarding the attention of the Shiites to prayer times:

عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ أَیُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ حَافَظَ عَلَی الصَّلَوَاتِ الْمَفْرُوضَةِ فَصَلَّاهَا لِوَقْتِهَا فَلَیْسَ هَذَا مِنَ الْغَافِلِینَ

Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 270

Translation: Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, said: 'Every believer who observes the obligatory prayers and performs them at their times, such a person is not among the negligent.'

عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ امْتَحِنُوا شِیعَتَنَا عِنْدَ ثَلَاثٍ عِنْدَ مَوَاقِیتِ الصَّلَاةِ کَیْفَ مُحَافَظَتُهُمْ عَلَیْهَا وَ عِنْدَ أَسْرَارِهِمْ کَیْفَ حِفْظُهُمْ لَهَا عِنْدَ عَدُوِّنَا وَ إِلَی أَمْوَالِهِمْ کَیْفَ مُوَاسَاتُهُمْ لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ فِیهَا

Khisaal, vol. 1, p. 103

Translation: Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'Test our Shiites with three things: at the time of prayer, how they observe it; and with their secrets, how they protect them from our enemies; and with their wealth, how they show solidarity and help their brothers with their wealth.'

سُوَيْدِ بْنِ غَفَلَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص: مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ اهْتَمَّ بِمَوَاقِيتِ الصَّلَاةِ وَ مَوَاضِعِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَّا ضَمِنْتُ لَهُ الرَّوْحَ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ انْقِطَاعَ الْهُمُومِ وَ الْأَحْزَانِ وَ النَّجَاةَ مِنَ النَّارِ كُنَّا مَرَّةً رُعَاةَ الْإِبِلِ فَصِرْنَا الْيَوْمَ رُعَاةَ الشمس

Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 148

Translation: Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: 'The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: 'There is no servant who pays attention to the times of prayer and the positions of the sun, except that I guarantee for him the soul and mercy at the time of death, the cessation of sorrow and grief, and salvation from the Fire. We used to be camel herders (in the past), and today we are sun herders.' (meaning we constantly watch the sun to determine the prayer times).'

In the hadith from Mahasin, vol. 1, p. 145, Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'You Shiites are the herders and observers of the sun and the moon...' (They constantly watch the sun and the moon to determine the prayer times and the times of the acts of the months).

Pay attention to two important narrations:

الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ إِنَّمَا جُعِلَتِ الصَّلَوَاتُ فِی هَذِهِ الْأَوْقَاتِ وَ لَمْ تُقَدَّمْ وَ لَمْ تُؤَخَّرْ لِأَنَّ الْأَوْقَاتَ الْمَشْهُورَةَ الْمَعْلُومَةَ الَّتِی تَعُمُّ أَهْلَ الْأَرْضِ فَیَعْرِفُهَا الْجَاهِلُ وَ الْعَالِمُ أَرْبَعَةٌ غُرُوبُ الشَّمْسِ مَشْهُورٌ مَعْرُوفٌ تَجِبُ عِنْدَهُ الْمَغْرِبُ الشَّفَقُ مَشْهُورٌ تَجِبُ عِنْدَهُ الْعِشَاءُ وَ طُلُوعُ الْفَجْرِ مَعْلُومٌ مَشْهُورٌ تَجِبُ عِنْدَهُ الْغَدَاةُ وَ زَوَالُ الشَّمْسِ مَشْهُورٌ مَعْلُومٌ یَجِبُ عِنْدَهُ الظُّهْرُ وَ لَمْ یَکُنْ لِلْعَصْرِ وَقْتٌ مَعْلُومٌ مَشْهُورٌ مِثْلُ هَذِهِ الْأَوْقَاتِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ فَجُعِلَ وَقْتُهَا عِنْدَ الْفَرَاغِ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ الَّتِی قَبْلَهَا

Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, vol. 2, p. 109

Translation: Imam Reza, peace be upon him, said: 'Indeed, the prayers have been placed at these times and have not been moved forward or backward because the specific and well-known times that are common to all people on earth and are known to both the ignorant and the knowledgeable are four times: one is the sunset, which is well-known and recognized, and at that time the Maghrib prayer becomes obligatory; and the twilight (the disappearance of the redness on the western side) is well-known, and at that time the Isha prayer becomes obligatory; and the rising of the dawn is known and well-known, and at that time the Fajr prayer is obligatory; and the zenith of the sun is also well-known and known, and at that time the Zuhr prayer is obligatory. And for the Asr prayer, there is no known and well-known time like these four times, so its time is set as the time after finishing the prayer before it, which is the Zuhr prayer.'

✅امام جواد علیه السلام در حدیث📚کافی ج٣ص٢٨٢ در مورد وقت نماز صبح فرمودند :فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَکَ وَ تَعَالَی لَمْ یَجْعَلْ خَلْقَهُ فِی شُبْهَةٍ مِنْ هَذَا

Meaning: 'Indeed, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has not put His creation in doubt regarding (the time of the Fajr prayer).'

Based on the two narrations above, it is completely clear that learning the prayer times does not require having an audio medium, or a visual one, or the internet, or a doctorate in astronomy, and there is no need for a geophysics specialist. Rather, even an illiterate village old woman can determine the time of prayer, and this sedition that astronomers have created all over the world today, and in their opinion, they extract the prayer times and provide them to Muslims, is a great trap to waste people's prayers. They say that when the sun is between 17 and 19 degrees below the horizon, the time for the Fajr prayer has entered! While Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has stated the criterion for the entry of the Fajr prayer time in the Quran and the divine proofs in various narrations, but unfortunately, the claimants of Islam all over the world abandon the Quran and the narrations and trust the words of astronomers, while in some seasons, there is a significant difference of minutes between the criterion of the astronomers and the criterion of the Quran based on experience. It is necessary for all aware people to strive to awaken all Muslims about this matter.

Regarding the time of the Fajr prayer, which is also the time of the beginning of fasting, first pay attention to the following verse:

وَ کُلُوا وَ اشْرَبُوا حَتَّی یَتَبَیَّنَ لَکُمُ الْخَیْطُ الْأَبْیَضُ مِنَ الْخَیْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ

Al-Baqarah, 187

Translation: 'And eat and drink until the whiteness of the day becomes distinct and clear to you from the blackness of the night.'

In the above verse, the distinction of the light of the morning from the darkness of the night is the criterion for the end of the night and the beginning of the day, the start of fasting, and the beginning of the prayer time.

أَبِی بَصِیر قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْداللَّه فَقُلْتُ مَتَی یَحْرُمُ الطَّعَامُ عَلَی الصَّائِمِ وَ تَحِلُّ الصَّلَاةُ صَلَاةُ الْفَجْرِ فَقَالَ إِذَا اعْتَرَضَ الْفَجْرُ فَکَانَ کَالْقُبْطِیَّةِ الْبَیْضَاءِ فَثَمَّ یَحْرُمُ الطَّعَامُ عَلَی الصَّائِمِ وَ تَحِلُّ الصَّلَاةُ صَلَاةُ الْفَجْر

Al-Kafi, vol. 4, p. 99

Abu Basir said: 'I asked Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him: 'When does it become forbidden for a person who intends to fast to eat food and permissible to perform the Fajr prayer?' The Imam said: 'When the light of the morning appears (from the east) and becomes like white Egyptian cloths, at this point, eating food is forbidden for the fasting person, and performing the Fajr prayer is permissible.'

رُوِیَ أَنَّ وَقْتَ الْغَدَاةِ إِذَا اعْتَرَضَ الْفَجْرُ فَأَضَاءَ حُسْناً وَ أَمَّا الْفَجْرُ الَّذِی یُشْبِهُ ذَنَبَ السِّرْحَانِ فَذَاکَ الْفَجْرُ الْکَاذِبُ وَ الْفَجْرُ الصَّادِقُ هُوَ الْمُعْتَرِضُ کَالْقَبَاطِیِّ

Al-Faqih, vol. 1, p. 501

Saduq said: 'It has been narrated that the time for the Fajr prayer is when the Fajr (the light of the morning) appears (in the east) and becomes well-lit. And as for that Fajr and light which is (vertical) and resembles the tail of a wolf, that is the false Fajr, and the true and honest Fajr is that which appears like white Egyptian cloths and covers the width of the horizon.'

عَنْ أَبِی عَبْداللَّه قَالَ وَقْتُ الْفَجْرِ حِینَ یَنْشَقُّ الْفَجْرُ إِلَی أَنْ یَتَجَلَّلَ الصُّبْحُ السَّمَاءَ وَ لَا یَنْبَغِی تَأْخِیرُ ذَلِکَ عَمْداً لَکِنَّهُ وَقْتٌ لِمَنْ شُغِلَ أَوْ نَسِیَ أَوْ نَامَ

Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 283

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'The time for the Fajr prayer is when the Fajr (the light of the morning) splits and rises until the time when (the light of the morning) illuminates (all of) the sky, and it is not appropriate to delay the Fajr prayer from this time. However, (the second time) is for those who were busy or forgot or were asleep.'

From the above narrations along with the experience of the believers, it is completely clear that near dawn, from the place where the sun rises, a vertical and rectangular light resembling the tail of a wolf rises, which is called the false Fajr. Of course, today, due to the excessive light of the cities and air pollution, it is less discernible. Minutes after that, the white light of the morning rises from the lower horizon and gradually covers the width of the sky, and this light in the sky begins to move towards the west. When this light rises and begins to move and becomes completely clear, the night has ended and the day has begun, and it becomes forbidden for the fasting person to eat, and it becomes permissible to perform the Fajr prayer. From the time this Fajr and light rises until this light gradually moves towards the west and covers the entire sky, is the first time for the Fajr prayer. According to verse 78 of Surah Al-Isra and the hadith in Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 282, a person who performs his Fajr prayer within this range is recorded once by the angels of the night and once by the angels of the day. After this time, until the sun rises, is the second time for the Fajr prayer, and in the narrations, it is called 'Salat al-Sibyan,' meaning 'the prayer of children,' and also the prayer of the forgetful, the one who overslept, and busy people. And we are obligated to perform our prayer at that first time, that is, from the time of its rising until the complete coverage of the sky by that light.

Also, pay attention to a few other points:

It has been proven by experience that when the official Fajr adhan is said, even the false Fajr has not yet risen, let alone the true Fajr!

In the hadith from Tafsir Ayyashi, vol. 1, p. 83, and others, Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: 'A person in the month of Ramadan should be careful and eat suhoor before the rising of the Fajr.'

Meaning that before the light of the morning becomes clear, he should stop eating food and drinking water, lest the Fajr has already come and he is eating.

It is necessary to spread the verses and narrations on this topic as much as possible so that those who are their people can benefit from them.

It is interesting to know that different astronomical institutions have significant differences, especially regarding the Fajr prayer, and each has calculated a specific time as the time of the prayers.

Unfortunately, today, all media say the adhan based on astronomical calculations and have made a serious mistake, especially regarding the Fajr prayer.

We ask the readers of this text that if it is still not possible for them to determine the Fajr prayer with this number of narrations mentioned in this text, they should let us know so that more narrations can be mentioned for them, God willing.