QM Forum
The Quran => Q&As with Joseph Islam - Information Only => Topic started by: Reader Questions on July 20, 2014, 02:16:33 AM
-
Dear brother Joseph Islam, Assalamu alaikum WR WB & Ramadan Kareem!
Have you written any article on when a day begins in Islam (whether at Magrib or Fajr)? Or can you provide brief notes on this question based on Quran (at your convenience only)
Take care always
Thanks, regards
-
Wa alaikum assalam and wishing you all the best in this Holy month of Ramadan, God willing.
Without drawing any parallels from Jewish belief or liturgy, from the standpoint of a popular understanding of Islam, the next day is understood to begin after the setting of the sun.
Notwithstanding the fact that a 24 hour count can begin at any point of the day, from a Quranic perspective at least, I humbly believe that the start of the day is generally understood to commence with 'Fajr'. There is some support for this for which I share a few brief points below.
For example:
- If there are five prayers to the day and if popular Islamic thought is accepted as to when day begins (sunset), the night prayer would then logically be the first prayer of the next day. This appears difficult to accept especially in light of the following point (2).
- The mention of 'middle prayer' (2:238) implies a mid-point prayer as part of a complete day. The mid-point prayer would be ‘Asr’ with 2 prayers after it (Maghrib and Isha) and 2 prayers before it (Fajr & Dhuhr). [1]
- Verses 91:1-4 seem to imply a day relationship with the brightness which appears with pre-dawn and complete rising of the sun. The ‘nahar’ ends with the onset of the night (layl) but this does not mean that the ‘day’ (yaum) is complete. The complete day includes the night and completed only until the next pre-dawn when the sun's rays light up the sky again. This is again supported by the following point (4).
- Verse 11:114 refers to establishing salaat at two ends of the 'nahar' with the additional approach to the night. Therefore, the night prayer is arguably included as part of the complete 'day-cycle' and does not form part of the next day as commonly accepted.
- In verse 69:7, Aad was destroyed by a fierce roaring wind which was unleashed on them for '7 nights and 8 days (ayyam)' in succession (husum-uninterrupted).
If the day (yaum) were to commence at night (after sunset) then the 8th day would commence on the 8th night and continue into the 8th night. In other words, the 8th day cannot commence without entering into the 8th night.
However, if the day (yaum) were to commence at dawn (fajr) then the 8th day would commence with the 8th dawn but with only 7 nights preceding it (as in verse 69:7) and the 8th day would not enter the 8th night immediately.
Hence, the latter scenario appears to be a better representation of the Quranic data which arguably, better intimates the commencement of ‘a day’ with dawn (fajr).
Please see the following illustration below:
http://quransmessage.com/charts%20and%20illustrations/day%20start/ds.jpg
. - Verse 97:5 of Surah al-Qadr implies that the new day begins with the ‘rising of the dawn’ (salamun hiya hatta matla-il-fajr - Peace until the emergence / break of the dawn).
- Fasting only commences from ‘fajr' - dawn (2:187) and ends at layl (night) not sunset [2]. If the next day was to commence after sunset, then fasting would be logically understood to start in the midst of the day cycle which would make the term ‘night of the fast’ somewhat problematic.
For example, in verse 2:187, permission is granted to approach one’s wives. If the day allegedly commences before the first fast of Ramadan, then this night does not appear to cogently reconcile with the term ‘night of the fasting’ especially in light of the permission that has been granted for conjugal relationships if the actual fasting period hasn’t even commenced. However, once fasting has commenced, ‘the night of the fasts’ and permission for conjugal relationships thereon can easily be reconciled with the first night after the fasting has commenced.
. - Verse 2:184 asks believers to fast a certain number of days (ayyaman) implying that the day is expected to commence when the fast commences which is at dawn (fajr) - 2:187.
It is important to remember that albeit that the sighting of the crescent of the moon in the evening shows the start of the next month, this does not mean that its sighting ushers the start of a ‘new day’. There remains a distinction, certainly as posited above, from a Quran’s perspective.
Finally, there is no explicit support from the Quran that the next ‘day’ commences at 'sunset'.
I hope that helps, God willing
Joseph
REFERENCES:
[1] THE FIVE PRAYERS FROM THE QURAN
http://quransmessage.com/articles/the%20five%20prayers%20from%20the%20quran%20FM3.htm
[2] FASTING IS PRESCRIBED UNTIL NIGHT NOT SUNSET
http://quransmessage.com/articles/fasting%20till%20night%20FM3.htm
-
Dear All,
As-salamu alaykum
Please kindly note that the above information has been included in an article which was published to the site a few days ago.
You can access this from the following link, God willing.
WHEN DOES THE NEW DAY BEGIN FROM A QURAN'S PERSPECTIVE?
http://quransmessage.com/articles/new%20day%20FM3.htm
025:047
"And He is the One who made for you the night (Arabic: layl) a covering and the sleep a rest and made the day (Arabic: nahar) a resurrection (Arabic: nushur)"
Regards,
Joseph