What is the ruling on praying the lunar eclipse prayer after dawn breaks?
The majority of jurists hold the view that performing voluntary (Nafl) prayers after the dawn (Fajr) appears and before the Fajr obligatory prayer is disliked (makruh), with the exception of the two rak'ahs of the Fajr Sunnah. The Malikis permitted praying Witr for someone whose habit it was to pray at night but did not do so until dawn appeared, based on the Hadith: "Do not pray after Fajr except two rak'ahs." Jurists unanimously agreed that performing absolute voluntary prayers after the Fajr obligatory prayer is disliked. The Shafi'is held the permissibility of praying the eclipse prayer (Salat al-Khusuf) at this time, and this is also a view among the Hanbalis. The preponderant opinion is its permissibility due to the generality of the Hadith: "When you see it, hasten to prayer," and the eclipse prayer takes precedence over the obligatory prayer, unless there is a fear of the obligatory prayer's time expiring.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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