Hatred of Delaying Maghrib Salaah until the Appearance of Stars

السلام عليكم

In Shee`ah Islaam, the maghrib salaah begins when the sun sets, and the disappearance of the redness from the eastern horizon. We must NEVER try to delay our Maghrib Salaah intentionally.

We have aHaadeeth that says to do your maghrib salaah with ONE star in the sky, this Hadeeth does not contradict this article, in this article it is talking about stars in the sky, while the other aHaadeeth talk about one star in the sky. You can see one star in the sky basically right away as soon as the time of maghrib enters, you should see ONE star in the sky.

Here is Al-Toosi talking about the timing of Salaah Al-Maghrib:

و أوّل وقت صلاة المغرب عند غيبوبة الشّمس. و علامته سقوط القرص. و علامة سقوطه عدم الحمرة من جانب المشرق. و آخر وقته سقوط الشّفق، و هو الحمرة من ناحية المغرب

“The first time of Salaah Al-Maghrib is at the disappearance of the sun, and the sign is the falling of the disk (sun’s disk) (i.e sunset). The sign of the sunset is the absence of the redness (in the sky) from the east side. The final time (of maghrib) is the disappearance of the shafaq (evening twilight), and it is the (disappearance of) redness in terms of the west side.”
Source:

1.     Al-Toosi, Al-Nihaayah fee Majarrad Al-Fiqh wa Al-Fataawa, pg. 59

Now, unfortunately a lot of Shee`ahs delay their Maghrib Salaah until the appearance of stars in the sky, sometimes you see this happening in Shee`ah Masaajid as well.

This is totally against Shee`ah Islaam, actually this has been stated to be the belief of the followers of the KhaTTaabee faith. The KhaTTaabee faith is the faith that followed Aboo Al-KhaTTaab Muhammad bin Abee Zaynab.

Delaying your Maghrib Salaah until there are stars is the belief of the people who follow Aboo KhaTTaab.

وَ عَنْهُ عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ مَعْرُوفٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ ذَرِيحٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِنَّ أُنَاساً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ يُمَسُّونَ بِالْمَغْرِبِ حَتَّى تَشْتَبِكَ النُّجُومُ قَالَ أَبْرَأُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِمَّنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مُتَعَمِّداً

"I said to Abee `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) that people from companions of Abee Al-KhaTTaab (do) maghrib in the dark until the appearance of stars. He (عليه السلام) said: Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) does bara’a (disassociates from him) from one who does this intentionally.
Source:

1.     Al-Toosi, Tahdheeb Al-aHkaam, vol. 2, pg. 33, hadeeth # 53

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is SaHeeH (Authentic)
à Milaadh Al-Akhyaar, vol. 3, pg. 407

وَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّ أُنَاساً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ يُمَسُّونَ بِالْمَغْرِبِ حَتَّى تَشْتَبِكَ النُّجُومُ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبْرَأُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِمَّنْ يَفْعَلُ هَذَا مُتَعَمِّداً

"I said to Abee `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) that people from companions of Abee Al-KhaTTaab (do) maghrib in the dark until the appearance of stars. He (عليه السلام) said: Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) does bara’a (disassociates from him) from one who does this intentionally.
Source:

1.     Al-Toosi, Tahdheeb Al-aHkaam, vol. 2, pg. 253 - 254, hadeeth # 41

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (reliable)
à Milaadh Al-Akhyaar, vol. 4, pg. 309

و بهذا الإسناد عن إبراهيم عن أبي أسامة قال قال رجل لأبي عبد الله (ع) أؤخر المغرب حتى تستبين النجوم؟ قال فقال خطابية إن جبريل أنزلها على رسول الله (ص) حين سقط القرص.

“A man (asked) Abaa `Abd Allaah about delaying maghrib (salaah) until the appearance of stars? He said, So he said: KhaTaabiyyah, Verily Jibra’eel revealed onto the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) the period (of maghrib is) the dropping of the disk (sun’s disk) (i.e sunset).
Source:

1.     Al-Toosi, Tahdheeb al-aHkaam, vol. 2, ch. 13, pg. 258, hadeeth # 64

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (Reliable)
à Milaadh Al-Akhyaar, vol. 4, pg. 319

Other Sources to this hadeeth:

1.     Al-Kashee, Ikhtiyaar Ma`aarifah Al-Rijaal, pg. 290, hadeeth # 510

2.     Al-Toosi, Tahdheeb al-aHkaam, vol. 2, ch. 3, pg. 28, hadeeth # 31

3.     Al-Toosi, Tahdheeb al-aHkaam, vol. 2, ch. 3, pg. 32, hadeeth # 49

We also have other narrations that allude to the extreme hatred of delaying your prayers until the stars appear in the sky.

وَ قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع مَلْعُونٌ مَلْعُونٌ مَنْ أَخَّرَ الْمَغْرِبَ طَلَباً لِفَضْلِهَا وَ قِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْعِرَاقِ يُؤَخِّرُونَ الْمَغْرِبَ حَتَّى تَشْتَبِكُ النُّجُومُ فَقَالَ هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ عَدُوِّ اللَّهِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ

“And Al-Saadiq (عليه السلام) said: Accursed Accursed (mal`oon mal`oon) is whoever delays maghrib (salaah) from the claim of its faDeelah (time). And He said to him, the people of `iraaq delay maghrib (salaah) until the appearance of stars. So he (عليه السلام) said: This is from the actions of the enemy of Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) Abee Al-KhaTTaab
Source:

1.     Al-Sadooq, Man Laa YaHDuruh Al-Faqeeh, vol. 1, pg. 220, hadeeth # 661

There is a similar narration that is narrated in Sunnee books that talks about the extreme dislike of delaying the maghrib salaah until the appearance of stars in the sky:

لا تزال أمتي على الفطرة ما لم يؤخروا المغرب حتى تشتبك النجوم

The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم): “My ummah will continue to adhere to the fitrah so long as they do not delay Maghrib prayer until the stars appear.”
Source:

1.     Ibn Maajah, Sunan, hadeeth # 689

Grading:

1.     Al-Albaani said this hadeeth is SaHeeH
à SaHeeH wa Da`eef Sunan Ibn Maajah, vol. 2, pg. 261, hadeeth # 689

لا تزال أمتي بخير أو قال على الفطرة ما لم يؤخروا المغرب إلى أن تشتبك النجوم

The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: "My community will remain well, or he said: will remain on its natural condition, so long as it would not delay the evening prayer until the stars appear."
Source:

1.     Aboo Dawood, Sunan, hadeeth # 418

Grading:

1.     Al-Albaani said this hadeeth is Hasan SaHeeH
à SaHeeH wa Da`eef Sunan Abee Dawood, vol. 1, pg. 79, hadeeth # 418

السلام عليكم