When is prayer disliked, and when is it forbidden?

It has been authentically established that there is a prohibition against performing voluntary prayers (Nawafil) at specific times. In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying and burying the dead at three times: when the sun rises until it has ascended, when the sun is at its zenith until it declines, and when the sun inclines to set until it has completely set. In Sahihayn (Bukhari and Muslim), he forbade praying after the Fajr prayer until the sun rises, and after the Asr prayer until the sun sets.

The prohibition of initiating voluntary prayers at these times is considered haram (forbidden) by the Hanbalis and Shafi'is, with the exception of prayers that have a specific reason (Dhawāt al-Asbāb). As for the Malikis, the times of prohibition are divided into times of hurmah (strict prohibition), such as at sunrise and sunset, during the Friday sermon, and when the obligatory prayer is being established, and times of karahah (disliked), such as after the Fajr prayer until the sun has ascended, and after the Asr prayer until the sun sets. The obligatory prayers are not included in this prohibition, so they are performed whenever a person remembers them.