Ada

Letter A · Updated Sep 5, 2026

In plain terms

*Ada* is performing an act of worship inside the time the law set for it.

What it means for me: This is why a mufti's first question about a missed or delayed prayer is often 'when did you pray it?'. The answer decides which chapter of fiqh applies: ada, or the different rules for qada. Knowing the time matters as much as knowing the act itself.

Example: A man wakes to find the sun already up and asks about the dawn prayer. From the answer's first line, he learns his question is no longer about ada. It has moved to a different chapter.

Do not confuse with: *Qada* and *i'adah*. Ada is done in time, and qada is done after time runs out. I'adah repeats the act within the same time, for a defect in the first try.

If scholars differ: Some scholars call a person who caught part of the time and finished after it ended a performer of ada. Others call the same person someone who is making qada. The difference is named here as a difference and not decided; the mufti is the reference.

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