What are the prohibited times for prayer by the hour?

The times when voluntary prayers are forbidden are determined by three periods, which vary according to country and season:

1. From the appearance of dawn until approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise. 2. Approximately fifteen minutes before the Dhuhr prayer time begins, until the Dhuhr time enters. 3. From the moment the Asr prayer is performed until the sun's disk completely sets. The prohibition begins from performing the Asr prayer, not from the beginning of its time.

The proof for this is the long Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim from Amr ibn Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him), where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(Perform the Fajr prayer, then refrain from prayer until the sun rises and until it is elevated... Then pray... until the shadow of a spear becomes equal [to its length], then refrain from prayer... And when the shadow approaches [its longest point], then pray... until you perform the Asr prayer, then refrain from prayer until the sun sets)."

It is worth noting that the prohibition specifically applies to purely voluntary prayers. As for prayers with a reason, such as the prayer of greeting the mosque (Tahiyyat al-Masjid), the two Rak'ahs after ablution, or the two Rak'ahs of Tawaf, they may be performed at any time.