Maghrib

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Maghrib is the fourth daily salat in Islam, offered at sunset. The word maghrib is an Arabic term for "of the setting (sun)"; from the root "ghuroob", "to set"; "to be hidden" (but it is not used for the setting of the moon). It is also used in a manner similar to the metaphorical use of "to be eclipsed", which is used in the English language.

Contents

1 Maghrib prayer

1.1 Shia Islam
1.2 Sunni Islam
1.3 See also

Maghrib prayer

The Maghrib prayer is the sunset daily prayer performed by practising Muslims. It is the fourth of the five daily prayers (salat). The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of (the ten) Furoo-ul-deen, according to Shia Islam. It is a 3 rak'ah daily prayer and is prayed aloud. The prayer that follows the Maghrib daily prayer is the Isha prayer (night-time daily prayer).

In both types of Islam, the Maghrib daily prayer has three required (Fard) rak'ah. However, in Sunni Islam, two Sunnah rak'ah following the Fard raka'ah are highly recomended. The Maghrib prayer also is the fastest daily prayer Muslims usually shall hold, due to its occupancy of the shortest time period allowed to recite.

Last but not least, the Maghrib prayer indicates the end of the daily Muslim obligatory fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Shia Islam

The time period within which the Maghrib daily prayer must be recited is the following:

Time begins: once the Sun has completely set beneath the horizon.
Time ends: at midnight. This is not necessarily at 24:00h; rather it is the time exactly between sunset and the beginning of dawn.

However, it is very important to recite the prayer as soon as the time begins.

Sunni Islam

The time period within which the Maghrib daily prayer must be recited is the following:

Time begins: once the Sun has completely set beneath the horizon.
Time ends: it is a consensus that the time for Maghrib salat ends when the Isha salat begins. However, there is a disgreement amongst Sunni scholars as to when that does occur. According to some, the time ends when complete darkness has arrived and the disappearance of the white twilight. Others claim that the time ends when the red has disappeared from the sky. These times can be approximated by using the sun as a measure. When the sun has descended 12 degrees below the horizon, it is the equivalent to the disappearance of the red from the sky. For approximating when complete darkness begins, some astrologist argue that it occurs when the sun has descended 15 degrees below the horizon while others use the more safe number of 18 degreesaround one and a half hours after the beginning of the setting of the Sun.

However, it is very important to recite the prayer as soon as the time begins.