The Times of Salah

The five daily Islamic prayers must also be made during specific times of the day. These times are:

• Fajr – From the onset of dawn until sunrise
• Zuhr – From just after noontime until mid-afternoon
• Asr – From mid-afternoon until sunset
• Maghrib – From sunset until the full darkness of night
• Isha – From beginning of the night until the middle of the night (not midnight)

These five prayers are mandatory for all Muslims. But we are not limited to only praying during these times. Muslims are encouraged to make voluntary Salah throughout the day. These voluntary prayers are sometimes called Naafil or Sunnah prayers.

Islamic Prayers Are Obligatory

Now keep this in mind. The five daily prayers are OBLIGATORY for Muslims. We cannot just abandon the Islamic prayers. The Salah are part of our identity as Muslims.
In fact, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has stated:
(The difference) between the believer and the disbeliever is the Salah.” For this reason, many Islamic scholars say that a person who deliberately abandons the Muslim prayers, and never makes them up, is not a Muslim.
For those of you who are Muslim but are negligent on your prayers, take this opportunity to make the change now. You must immediately correct this, and make the Salah a part of your daily routine.
And for those that are not Muslim, I encourage you to find out more about Islam and consider the benefits of the Islamic prayers. You will be amazed at how your life changes when you focus on the Creator as often as we Muslims do.