Astronomical Review of the Beginning of Prayer Times Before Isra’ Mi’raj

Abstract

Before Isra’ Mi’raj, the Prophet Muhammad and his companions had already performed night prayer as well as prayers in the morning and evening, which had roots in the traditions of earlier prophets. However, studies on the determination of the beginning of prayer times prior to Isra’ Mi’raj remain rarely examined, particularly from the perspective of Islamic astronomy (falak). This research aims to trace the historical and astronomical foundations of the beginning of prayer times before Isra’ Mi’raj. The method used is library research employing historical-textual and astronomical approaches. The results of the study show that before the obligation of the five daily prayers, prayer had already been prescribed with cosmic signs such as the alternation of day and night, where the night prayer was associated with one-third to two-thirds of the night, the morning prayer coincided with the emergence of the true dawn (fajr ṣādiq) on the eastern horizon, and the evening prayer occurred before sunset. This study confirms that from the beginning, the prescription of prayer has been closely related to astronomical phenomena that can be directly observed.