Performing the Zuhr salaah when the Shadow is Only One Mithal

Q: Salaah-377: We are working here in Saudi Arabia and are living in Jeddah. White many of us are Indians belonging to the Hanafi Madh'hab, there are also many who are of Yemeni origin. There company has built a Masjid for us, but the Yemenis insist on performing the Asr salaah at one Mithal even though we have tried to explain to them to consider us and to perform the salaah at two Mithal. They are however adamant not to concede. What will then be the ruling if a Hanafi perform salaah with them?

Answer: The jurists differ with regard to whether the time for Asr starts at one Mithal or two. As a precaution, the Zuhr salaah is performed before one Mithal and the Asr salaah after two Mithal.

Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Raafi RAH. who was the freed slave of Hadhrat Ummu Salamah RADI. reports that he once asked Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. about the times for salaah. Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. told him to perform the Zuhr salaah at one Mithal and the Asr salaah at two Mithal.

If you perform your Asr salaah before two Mithal as you ask, there will be a doubt in your salaah and if you perform it after two Mithal, there will be no doubts because it is proper according to all the jurists. When it concerns acts of Ibaadah, extra precaution should always be taken. Since your co-workers are adamant, you should perform your salaah in another Masjid and if this is not possible or too difficult, you may perform salaah with the rest of them and then repeat it alone after two Mithal. And Allaah knows best what is most correct.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2