What "makruh time" means
There are short periods each day in which offering voluntary (nafl) prayer is discouraged. These are often called the forbidden or makruh times. They are tied to the sun's position, so — like the prayer times themselves — they shift slightly each day and with your latitude. Knowing them helps you plan voluntary prayers around them.
The three windows
- At sunrise — from the moment the sun begins to rise until it has fully cleared the horizon, roughly the first ten to fifteen minutes of the day.
- At midday (zawal) — the brief period when the sun is at its zenith, just before it begins to decline into Dhuhr.
- At sunset — the last several minutes before the sun disappears, as it is visibly setting.
SalatWaqt lists these windows on every city page so you can see exactly when they fall today.
The wisdom behind them
The classical explanation, drawn from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is that the rising and setting sun were historically objects of sun-worship. Avoiding prayer at the precise moments of sunrise and sunset keeps Muslim worship clearly distinct from that practice and centred on God alone. The midday pause is understood in a similar spirit.
What is not affected
These restrictions apply to voluntary prayer. The five obligatory prayers are never invalidated by them — and in fact each obligatory prayer is timed to begin after the relevant window has passed. Prayers with a specific cause, such as the funeral prayer or making up a missed obligatory prayer, are also generally permitted, according to many scholars. If in doubt about a specific case, ask a qualified local scholar.
How the windows are derived
Because the windows depend on sunrise, solar noon and sunset, they are calculated from the same astronomical data used for the prayer times. The sunrise window runs from sunrise for a short fixed period; the zawal window sits immediately before Dhuhr; the sunset window is the short interval ending at Maghrib. This is why the exact clock times change from day to day and city to city.
How long is each window?
The exact lengths are described in the hadith in terms of the sun's movement rather than fixed minutes, so scholars translate them into practical clock periods. As a working guide, the sunrise window lasts until the sun has fully risen and climbed a little above the horizon — commonly given as about ten to fifteen minutes. The zawal window is very brief, only the few minutes around the sun's exact zenith before it begins to decline. The sunset window covers the last several minutes of the sun visibly going down. Treating each as a short, well-defined pause rather than a long blackout keeps things simple and safe.
Common questions
Can I pray my obligatory prayer during these times? Yes. The obligatory prayers are never invalid in their own windows, and the daily times are arranged so each obligatory prayer begins after the relevant makruh moment. The restriction is on voluntary prayer.
What about prayers with a specific reason? Many scholars permit prayers that have a cause — such as the two units on entering a mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid), the funeral prayer, or making up a missed obligatory prayer — even within these windows. Practice varies between the schools, so follow your local scholar where they differ.
Why does my app show the windows shifting? Because they are tied to sunrise, midday and sunset, which move daily with the season and your latitude — exactly like the prayer times themselves.
Using this in daily life
If you like to pray Duha in the morning, begin it after the sunrise window has closed. If you are catching up on voluntary prayers in the late afternoon, finish before the sunset window opens. Treat these as brief, predictable pauses rather than obstacles — and let the obligatory prayers, which are never restricted, remain your anchor through the day.