Sleeping Before the ‘Isha’ Prayer

Question

What is the ruling on sleeping between Maghrib and ‘Isha’? A man says that by sleeping between Maghrib and ‘Isha’ the ‘Isha’ prayer becomes qada’ (missed), even if the sleeper then joined the congregation, even if he got up after sleeping only a little — his prayer still becomes qada’. Is this correct?

Answer

The time of ‘Isha’ begins with the disappearance of the twilight (shafaq) and lasts until before the true dawn; praying ‘Isha’ within this time is ada’ (on time), not qada’ — whether he prays it after waking from sleep or before sleeping. However, one should not sleep before praying ‘Isha’, so that there is no risk of missing the congregation.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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