Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:78

After He, the Exalted, mentioned the plotting of the disbelievers and consoled His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with what he was consoled, He commanded him to focus on his affair—the worship of his Lord, whose glory is exalted—and promised him that which would cause all creation to envy him. This includes an instruction to him not to occupy his heart with them. Or, it may be said that after He, glory be to Him, preceded with the discourse on divinity, the Resurrection, and prophethood, He commanded the most noble of acts of worship after faith, which is prayer.

Thus, He said, "Establish the prayer," meaning the obligatory one, "at the decline of the sun," meaning at its passing from the meridian circle. This is what has been narrated from Umar ibn al-Khattab, his son, Ibn Abbas (in one narration), Anas, Abu Barzah al-Aslami, al-Hasan, al-Sha’bi, ‘Ata, and Mujahid. The Imamiyyah also narrated it from Abu Ja’far and Abu ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them, and a host of others. Ibn Jarir, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh in his Musnad, Ibn Marduyah in his Tafsir, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Ma’rifah narrated from Abu Mas’ud ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me at the decline of the sun when it had passed the meridian, and he prayed the Dhuhr prayer with me."

It is also said that it refers to its setting (sunset), which is what has been narrated from ‘Ali—may Allah honor his face—and it was recorded by Ibn Marduyah, al-Tabarani, al-Hakim (who authenticated it), and others from Ibn Mas’ud, and by Ibn al-Mundhir and others from Ibn Mas’ud. It has also been narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam, al-Nakha’i, al-Dahhak, and al-Suddi, and Al-Farra’ and Ibn Qutaybah held this view, the latter citing the poet Dhu al-Rumma: “Lamps that are not those which stars guide, nor are they orbiting celestial spheres.”

The root of the word d-l-k (د ل ك) signifies transition. In the zawal (meridian decline), there is a transition from the meridian circle to what follows it, and in the ghurub (setting), there is a transition from the horizon circle to beneath it. Likewise, in the familiar act of rubbing (dalk), there is the transition of the hand from one place to another. In fact, every word beginning with dal and lam, regardless of its final letter, signifies this—such as dalaja (with a jim), meaning travel by night; dalaja (with the bucket), meaning walking from the wellhead to the spout; dalaha (with an undotted ha), meaning walking with a heavy, labored gait; dala’a (with an undotted ‘ayn), meaning sticking out one’s tongue; dalafa (with a fa), meaning walking with the gait of one in chains; and with a qaf (meaning the oozing of fluid from its source); and walaha (meaning the loss of one's mind), in which there is a metaphorical transition. This meaning encompasses both aforementioned interpretations, though it is said that the transition at sunset is more complete, as it is a transition from place to place and from appearance to concealment, whereas the zawal only involves the former.

It is also said that duluk is a derived verbal noun from the simple root—the familiar act of rubbing—which is more apparent in the case of zawal, for whoever looks at the sun at that moment rubs his eyes. In this case, "the rubbing of the sun" is a metaphor for the rubbing of the one who looks at it. One may find support for the first view, along with what has preceded, in the fact that the first prayer the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed during the day of the Night Journey (Isra’) was Dhuhr, and it has been confirmed that Gabriel, peace be upon him, began it after teaching the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, the manner of prayer over two days.

Al-Mubarrad said: The decline of the sun is from the moment of its zawal until its ghurub. Thus, the command to establish prayer at its decline is a command for two prayers: Dhuhr and ‘Asr. According to the other two views, it is a command for a single prayer: Dhuhr or ‘Asr. The lam (in li-duluk) is for timing and relates to "establish," and it carries the meaning of "after," as in the words of Mutammim ibn Nuwayrah mourning his brother: “When we were parted, it was as if I and Malik, for the length of our meeting, had not spent a single night together.” From this also comes the phrase, "I wrote it three [days] after the passing of the month." It can also mean "at." Al-Wahidi said: It is for causality, because the entry of the time is the reason for the obligation of the prayer.

"To the darkness of the night" means to the intensity of its darkness, as al-Raghib and others said, which is the time of ‘Isha.

Ibn al-Anbari recorded in al-Waqf from Ibn Abbas that Nafi’ ibn al-Azraq asked him: "Inform me of what ghasaq is." He replied: "The entry of the night with its darkness," and he cited the verse of Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma: “Her hands continued to give, indifferent, until the darkness of the night and the ghasaq descended.” Al-Nadr ibn Shumayl said: "The ghasaq of the night is the entry of its beginning," and the poet said: "Verily this night has grown dark (ghasaqa), and I have complained of anxiety and insomnia." He considers this to be the time of Maghrib. This is also narrated from Mujahid, and its root implies flowing; it is said that the eye ghasaqat when it sheds tears, as if the darkness pours upon the world.

It is said that what is intended by the ghasaq of the night is that which encompasses both the times of Maghrib and ‘Isha, extending until dawn, just as the duluk of the sun encompasses both the times of Dhuhr and ‘Asr. Thus, in the verse, by including the limit within the scope of the limited, and by combining what follows it, there is an indication of the times of the five prayers. A group of the Shi'a preferred this and used it as evidence that the time of Dhuhr extends until sunset and the time of Maghrib extends until midnight. This is one of the proofs for combining prayers while at home without an excuse, which they hold. They justified this with what al-‘Ayyashi narrated with his chain of transmission from ‘Ubaydah and Zurarah from Abu ‘Abdullah, who said concerning this verse: "Allah, the Exalted, ordained four prayers, the beginning of their time being from the decline of the sun until the middle of the night. Of these, two prayers have their beginning from the decline of the sun until sunset, save that this one is before that one, and two prayers have their beginning from sunset until the middle of the night, save that this one is before that one." This is the view upheld by al-Murtada regarding the times of prayer.

The view relied upon by the majority of exegetes is that the duluk of the sun is the time of Dhuhr and the ghasaq of the night is the time of ‘Isha, as is indicated by the introduction of the ghasaq and the fact that they did not suffice with "the night." The prepositional phrase relates to "establish." Abu al-Baqa’ allowed it to relate to an implied state (hal) of the prayer, i.e., "extended until the night." The first is more appropriate.

It is not intended to establish prayer between these two times in a continuous manner, but rather to establish each prayer in its time that was designated by the explanation of Gabriel, peace be upon him—the explanation confirmed in the authentic narrations which were not narrated by anyone whom the pure Imams declared to be a heretic or impure in their inner essence—just as the number of rak'ahs for each prayer is entrusted to his, peace and blessings be upon him, explanation. Perhaps the sufficiency of mentioning the beginning and the end of the prayer times without separating them is because a person is usually awake between these times, so some of them are connected to others, unlike the time of ‘Isha and Fajr; for by his occupation with sleep between them, one is cut off from the other. For this reason, the time of Fajr was separated from the other times.

Furthermore, the Shi'a who use the verse as evidence do not have a sound argument for the permissibility of combining Dhuhr and ‘Asr prayers, and Maghrib and ‘Isha prayers, unless something is added from the traditions. If nothing is added, the verse would more logically suggest the permissibility of combining all four together, not two and two. The weakness of using it for this claim is evident, and thus Abu Ja’far, among them, did not approve of it. Yes, what they hold is supported by the manifest meaning of some authentic ahadith, such as the hadith of Ibn Abbas—which is in Sahih Muslim—that "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed Dhuhr and ‘Asr combined in Medina," and in one narration, "he prayed eight together and seven together, without fear or travel."

There is a difference of opinion regarding its interpretation. Some interpreted it as a combination due to the excuse of rain, and combination due to that—both taqdim (advancing) and ta’khir (delaying)—is the school of Al-Shafi’i in the old (position), and only taqdim in the new (position), with the conditions mentioned in their books. Malik restricted the permissibility of combination due to rain to Maghrib and ‘Isha. This interpretation is famous from a group of major early authorities, but it is weak because it is also narrated from him in Sahih Muslim that "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, combined Dhuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha in Medina, without fear or rain." The assertion that it means "without heavy rain" is not accepted by anyone possessing even a little fairness, and the claim that it is anomalous (shadh) is not admitted.

Some interpreted it as being due to clouds, so the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed Dhuhr, then the clouds cleared and it became clear that the time for ‘Asr had entered, so he prayed it. The objection to this is that while it might have a slight probability regarding Dhuhr and ‘Asr, it has no probability regarding Maghrib and ‘Isha.

Others interpreted it as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, delaying the first prayer until the end of its time, so he prayed it then; when he finished it, the time for the second had entered, so he prayed it. Thus, the appearance was one of combination. The objection is that this is a departure from the manifest meaning that cannot be sustained, and it is also refuted by what is authentically narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Shaqiq, who said: "Ibn Abbas gave us a sermon one day after ‘Asr until the sun set and the stars appeared, and the people began to say, 'Prayer, Prayer.' A man from Banu Tamim came and would not falter or stop saying, 'Prayer, Prayer.' Ibn Abbas said: 'Are you teaching me the Sunnah, you motherless man? I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, combine Dhuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha.' ‘Abdullah ibn Shaqiq said: 'That caused some doubt in my heart, so I went to Abu Hurayrah and asked him, and he verified his statement.'"

Some said: It is interpreted as combining due to illness or the like, which is in its meaning as an excuse. This is the opinion of Imam Ahmad and al-Qadi Husayn among the Shafi'is, and it was chosen by al-Khattabi, al-Mutawalli, and al-Ruyani. Al-Nawawi said: "This is the chosen interpretation." The school of a group of Imams is that it is permissible to combine prayers while at home for a need, for someone who does not make a habit of it. This is the opinion of Ibn Sirin and Ashhab among the companions of Malik. Al-Khattabi narrated it from al-Qaffal al-Shashi the Elder, from the companions of Imam al-Shafi’i, from Abu Ishaq al-Marwazi, and from a group of the companions of hadith. Ibn al-Mundhir chose this view. It is supported by the manifest meaning of what is authentically narrated from Ibn Abbas, and also narrated by Muslim, that when he said: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, combined Dhuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha in Medina, without fear or rain," it was said to him, "Why did he do that?" He replied: "He wanted not to cause difficulty for any of his Ummah." This is from al-haraj, meaning hardship. He did not attribute it to illness or anything else.

We know from what we mentioned of Al-Tirmidhi’s statement at the end of his book—"There is no hadith in my book that the Ummah has unanimously agreed to abandon acting upon, except the hadith of Ibn Abbas regarding combining in Medina without fear or rain, and the hadith regarding the killing of the wine-drinker on the fourth occasion"—that this stems from a lack of thorough investigation. Yes, what he said regarding the second hadith is correct; they have explicitly stated that it is an abrogated hadith, and consensus has indicated its abrogation.

Ibn al-Humam said: The hadith of Ibn Abbas is contradicted by what is in Muslim from the hadith of the ta’ris (halting at night), that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There is no negligence in sleep; negligence is only in being awake—that one delays prayer until the time of another prayer enters." There is room for discussion on this.

Imam Abu Hanifah held that it is not permissible to combine Dhuhr and ‘Asr in the time of one of them, nor Maghrib and ‘Isha, absolutely, except at ‘Arafat—where one combines Dhuhr and ‘Asr due to the rites—and at Muzdalifah—where one combines Maghrib and ‘Isha due to that as well. He used the arguments he used, and in the two Sahihs, the Sunan of Abu Dawud, and others, there is nothing that supports such a restriction. You know that precaution lies in what the Imam—may Allah be pleased with him—held; the one who acts with precaution does not move the Dhuhr prayer, for instance, out of its certain time—concerning which there is no disagreement—into a time concerning which there is disagreement. More than one authority has stated that when a contradiction arises, the most precautionary course is to be preferred. The contradiction of traditions in this chapter is not hidden from the researcher.

Some claimed that what is intended by the prayer commanded to be established is the Maghrib prayer, and the mentioned specification is an explanation of the beginning and end of its time, provided that the limit is excluded. They used this as evidence that it extends until the disappearance of the twilight (shafaq). This is contrary to what Imam al-Shafi’i—may Allah be pleased with him—held in the new (position): that its time ends with the passing of the duration required for ritual ablution, washing, dry ablution, a brief search, the removal of filth covering the body, clothes, and the place, covering the nakedness, exercising effort to find the Qiblah, the call to prayer, the residence call, and all the preceding Sunnahs of the prayer, wearing a turban, wearing a tunic, walking to the place of the congregation, a hungry person eating until he is full, and seven rak'ahs. The time that accommodates all of this might exceed the time between sunset and the disappearance of the twilight.

Interpreting the ghasaq as the gathering and intensity of darkness supports the manifest narration of Imam Abu Hanifah—may Allah be pleased with him—that the beginning of the time for ‘Isha is until the shafaq disappears, meaning the whiteness that follows the redness in the western horizon, because darkness does not gather or intensify unless it disappears. This is not contradicted by the fact that the authentic hadiths are explicit that the beginning of its time is when the shafaq disappears, which in language is the known redness, because its interpretation as whiteness has also arrived. This is narrated from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, ‘Umar, Mu’adh ibn Jabal, and ‘A’ishah—may Allah be pleased with them all. ‘Abd al-Razzaq narrated it from Abu Hurayrah and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, and it was the view of al-Awza’i, al-Muzani, Ibn al-Mundhir, and al-Khattabi, and was chosen by al-Mubarrad and Tha’lab. What Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Abu Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: "The first time for ‘Isha is when the horizon disappears," is manifest in that the shafaq is the whiteness, for there is no disappearance of the horizon except by its setting.

Yes, his two companions (Abu Yusuf and Muhammad) held that it is the redness. This is the opinion of Ibn Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with them—and it was narrated by Asad ibn ‘Amr from the Imam as well. However, it is contrary to the manifest narration from him, and the correct, fatwa-based position is what came in the manifest narration. The researcher Ibn al-Humam, the scholar Qasim, Ibn Nujaym, and others have explicitly stated this. What Imam Abu al-Mafakhir said—that the Imam returned to their view and said it is the redness because it was established for him that the generality of the Companions held that view, and that the fatwa is based on it, and that al-Mahbubi and Sadr al-Shari’ah followed him—is of no value, because the return has not been established, and proving it against the report of the multitude from the multitude is a difficult task. Likewise, the claim of attributing it to the generality of the Companions is contrary to what has been reported, as you have heard, to the extent that al-Bayhaqi did not narrate that the shafaq is the redness except from Ibn ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with them.

What al-Daraqutni narrated from him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The shafaq is the redness; if it disappears, the prayer becomes obligatory," is considered by al-Bayhaqi and al-Nawawi to be correctly a statement suspended upon Ibn ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with them. A similar difference of opinion exists regarding the beginning of the time for ‘Asr. The Imam said: It is when the shadow of everything becomes twice its length after the zawal shadow. The two (companions) said: When the shadow of everything becomes its length after the zawal shadow. The fatwa of the researchers is upon his view, may Allah have mercy on him. In fact, Ibn Nujaym said: "It is not permissible to give a fatwa based on anything else," and he spoke at length on this in his treatise, Raf' al-Ghisha’ ‘an Waqtay al-‘Asr wa al-‘Isha’.

"And the recitation of Fajr" is a conjunction to the object of "Establish," or it is in the accusative case as an incitement, as al-Zajjal and Abu al-Baqa’ said. The majority hold the first view. The "recitation of Fajr" refers to its prayer, as has been narrated from Ibn Abbas and Mujahid. It was named Qur'an (recitation) because recitation is its pillar, just as it is named ruku’ (bowing) and sujud (prostration). This is an argument against Ibn ‘Ulayyah and al-Asamm in their claim that recitation is not a pillar of the prayer, as was stated in al-Kashshaf. This was refuted by saying that it does not indicate the status of a pillar, as it is possible that the basis of the metaphor is that recitation is recommended in it. In al-Kashshaf it is stated that this is refuted because the relation considered in releasing (a term) for other than the prayer and intending the prayer is the relation of whole and part, as evidenced by parallels. Here, when it is mentioned metaphorically, applying it to known parallels from induction is obligatory. Furthermore, recommendation is not a valid relation except through strain. Making Tasbih mean "prayer" is because Tasbih means perfect glorification, and the one praying is glorifying both in speech—by reciting the Fatihah, and in fact even in the Takbir (which is obligatory by consensus)—and in action—by bowing and prostrating, for example—which indicate perfect exaltation and veneration. It is thus the entire pillar, not because Tasbih means saying "Subhan Allah" so that it may be said it is a metaphor for prayer via what is recommended in it. This was replied to by saying that being content with the relation of recommendation—which al-Asamm and Ibn ‘Ulayyah claim—has no strain in it, for recitation is a part of the complete prayer, and it would be like parallels without harm or complication. Furthermore, their position on the Takbir is unknown, so the claim of consensus is not granted. Even if it were as he mentioned, the obligation would be sufficient for another relation, which is necessity, though there is debate on that.

Al-Jassas kept the Qur'an in its literal meaning and said: "In the verse is evidence for the obligation of recitation in the Fajr prayer, because the implication is 'Establish the recitation of Fajr,' and the command is for obligation, and there is no recitation in that time that is obligatory except in the prayer." He claimed that the meaning "Pray Fajr" is incorrect for two reasons: First, it is a turning away from the literal meaning without evidence. Second, "So pray it" (fa-tahajjad bihi) afterward forbids it, as there is no meaning for tahajjud for the Fajr prayer. The response is that the evidence stands—namely "Establish"—due to the fame of "Establish the prayer," not "Establish the recitation." The pronoun "it" (bihi) later can refer to the Qur'an in its literal sense as a device (istikhdam), which is more frequent than can be counted. Whenever the verse indicates the obligation of recitation in the Fajr prayer by text, the establishment of its obligation in other prayers is by analogy.

Some mentioned that in expressing the Fajr prayer specifically by what was mentioned is an indication that it requires a length of recitation not required in others, which is good. The Imam said: There is evidence in the verse that it is not taghlis (praying in the dark) in the Fajr prayer, because the Qur'an was added to Fajr in it; the meaning is "Establish the recitation of Fajr," and the command is for obligation. Fajr is the beginning of the rising of the dawn, for the darkness of the night breaks at that moment for the light of the morning. That is why Fajr is called Fajr. This requires the obligation of establishing the Fajr prayer at the first rising. Since there is consensus on the non-obligation of that, the recommendation remains, because obligation is an expression of the superiority of the prohibition of omission. If a barrier prevents the realization of obligation—like consensus here—then the prohibition of omission must be lifted, and the original superiority must remain so that opposition to the evidence is minimized. You know the disagreement among scholars regarding what remains after the lifting of obligation. What was mentioned is an opinion on the matter, but it does not benefit the goal, because the Fajr prayer is a name for the specific prayer, whether it occurs in darkness or at dawn. The authentic traditions indicate the Sunnah of isfar (delaying until dawn) in it, such as the hadith of Al-Tirmidhi—which he said is hasan sahih—"Perform Fajr at dawn, for it is greater in reward." To interpret this as "until Fajr is clear" (so there is no doubt in its rising) is because what is not clear is not judged as permissible for prayer, let alone attaining the reward mentioned at the end of the hadith. If the "greater" in it is interpreted as "great," it is refuted because the cause is inappropriate; for prayer is not valid without it. Moreover, what is in it is refuted by the narration of al-Tahawi: "Perform Fajr at dawn, for whenever you perform it at dawn, it is greater in reward or rewards," as he said. He narrated with his authentic chain from Ibrahim who said: "The companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not agree on anything as they agreed on tanwir (performing Fajr in the light)." It is impossible, considering their high status, for them to agree on the contrary of what their beloved, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, parted from them upon.

In the two Sahihs from Ibn Mas’ud: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, pray a prayer outside of its time, except two prayers: Maghrib and ‘Isha at Jam’ (Muzdalifah), and he prayed Fajr that day before its time, even though it was after the Fajr," as is indicated by the wording of al-Bukhari. Thus, the meaning is "before the time in which he was accustomed to perform it." It appears that he, peace and blessings be upon him, was not accustomed to taghlis, but he did it that day to extend the stay (at Muzdalifah). We hold it to be a Sunnah for the Fajr of Jam’ because of this hadith.

The report of ‘A’ishah—may Allah be pleased with her—that "He, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pray the morning in darkness, then women would testify with him, wrapped in their sheets, and then return to their houses, no one recognizing them from the darkness," was interpreted by some of her companions as darkness inside the mosque. This is contradicted by her words: "Then they would return to their houses, no one recognizing them from the darkness," as this darkness that prevented recognizing them on their way back home cannot be interpreted as darkness inside the mosque. And the claim that the meaning is "no one recognizing them inside the mosque" is contrary to the manifest meaning, assuming the sentence is a state (hal) for the pronoun "return." The manifest meaning is what we pointed out, and similarly, we made the sentence a state for the women or an attribute of them, as if it were said: "Women would testify with him, wrapped in their sheets, no one recognizing them from the darkness, then return to their houses." It is said that this was on a cloudy day, but "used to" (kana) makes that distant, as it is widely used for what he, peace and blessings be upon him, persisted in. It is also said it is abrogated, as indicated by the agreement of the Companions on tanwir. This is made distant by the fact that abrogation requires the previous existence of the abrogated, and the statement of Ibn Mas’ud, "I never saw," implies it had no precedence. Some said: In the contradictory reports here, the narration of the men is to be preferred, especially such as Ibn Mas’ud, for the situation is more visible to them in congregational prayer.

Al-Tahawi mentioned that what is proper is to enter the Fajr time in darkness and exit at dawn. This is the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah and his two companions, and it is contrary to what the companions mention about them regarding starting and ending at dawn, which is what the hadith of Al-Tirmidhi and others imply. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Furthermore, although the Fajr prayer is one of the five prayers ordained on the night of the Night Journey for him, peace and blessings be upon him, and for his Ummah, and this verse indicated the obligation of establishing it as such, he, peace and blessings be upon him, did not pray it on the morning of that night due to not knowing its manner at that time; he only learned the manner afterward. We mentioned earlier that the beginning was with the Dhuhr prayer, an indication that his religion, peace and blessings be upon him, will appear over (all) religions, just as it appeared over the rest of the prayers.

He, glory be to Him, lauded the status of the Fajr prayer here by His saying, "Indeed, the recitation of Fajr," as He did not say, "Indeed, it was witnessed."

Ahmad, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Hakim (who authenticated it) and a group narrated from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said in interpreting this: "The angels of the night and the angels of the day witness it." In the two Sahihs from him, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather in the Fajr prayer." Then Abu Hurayrah said: "Read if you wish, 'And the recitation of Fajr. Indeed, the recitation of Fajr is witnessed.'"

The intent by these angels are the scribes and the guardians; the angels of the day descend and the angels of the night ascend, and the two parties meet at that time. Likewise, the two parties meet—and the matter of descending and ascending is the reverse—at the time of ‘Asr, as has come in the narrations. This is something that troubles the Imam in his claim that this is also strong evidence that taghlis is better than tanwir, because if a person begins the prayer at the very start of dawn, the angels of the night are present due to the remaining darkness; if the prayer is extended due to the recitation and its lengthening, it (the darkness) vanishes, the light appears, and the (day) angels are present. This explanation—which only appeals to children—would necessitate saying that one should delay the ‘Asr prayer until the light vanishes and the darkness appears, which he does not hold, and indeed, no one holds it.

Whether the party that witnesses today, for example, witnesses tomorrow, or if every day a different party witnesses that has not witnessed before and will not witness after, is a matter of disagreement, and discussion on what relates to that will come, if Allah wills.

It is said that many of those who pray usually witness it. It is said that it is its right to be witnessed by a large congregation. It is said that the signs of power are witnessed and present in it: the change of light into darkness and wakefulness from sleep, which is the brother of death. This is a possibility raised by the Imam, who expanded on it, then said: "This is what is intended by His saying, 'Indeed, the recitation of Fajr is witnessed.'" Then he mentioned the possibility that the intent is that it is witnessed by a large congregation, and he also expanded on the investigation of that. You know that there is no room for the exclusivity indicated by his saying: "This is what is intended."

The exhortation and incitement to care for the affair of the Fajr prayer in this sentence is clear, for the servant at that time is escorted by noble ones and met by noble ones, so he should be in the best state about which the departing talks and for which the arriving rests.