Maghrib prayer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maghrib prayer
Sunset in Mexico
Official name	صلاة المغرب
Also called	vespers
Observed by	Muslims
Type	Islamic
Significance	A Muslim prayer offered to God at the sunset hour of the day.
Observances	Sunnah prayers
Begins	Sunset/The moment when the redness of the east, which is found after sunset, disappears.
Ends	Dusk
Date	Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 132: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Frequency	Daily
Related to	Salah, Wazifa, Five Pillars of Islam

The Maghrib prayer (Arabic: صلاة المغرب, meaning "vespers") is the fourth of the five daily salah (Islamic prayers) that Muslims are required to perform. It is a special prayer offered to God at sunset.

Maghrib prayer at Masjid al-Haram in Saudi Arabia.

For Sunni Muslims, the time for the Maghrib prayer starts right after sunset. It follows the Asr prayer and ends when the night truly begins, just before the Isha prayer. For Shia Muslims, the Maghrib prayer time lasts until midnight. This is because they can perform the Maghrib and Isha prayers one after the other.

Sometimes, Sunni Muslims can also combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers. This is usually allowed if they are traveling or if it's difficult to pray them separately. In such cases, the Maghrib prayer time can extend from sunset until dawn, similar to the Shia tradition.

The daily prayers in Islam are made up of different units called rakat. The Maghrib prayer has three required (fard) rak'at. It also has two recommended (sunnah) and two optional (nafl) rak'at. When people pray together, the Imam (prayer leader) says the first two required rak'at aloud. The third required rak'at is prayed silently.

For a prayer to be valid, it must be performed within its specific time period. However, if someone has a good reason for being late, their prayer can still be valid if performed a bit later.

The five daily prayers are a very important part of Islam. They are considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam for Sunni Muslims. For Shia Muslims, they are one of the ten "Practices of the Religion" (Furū al-Dīn).

Different Names for Maghrib Prayer

The Maghrib prayer is known by different names in various languages around the world. This table shows some of them:

When to Pray Maghrib: Sunni Tradition

Time Begins

• The Maghrib prayer starts as soon as the sun has completely set below the horizon. This is right after the Asr prayer time ends.

Time Ends

• Most Sunni scholars believe the Maghrib prayer time ends when it becomes completely dark. This is when the yellow glow in the sky after sunset disappears.
• Some opinions say the time ends when the red glow in the sky is gone.

When to Pray Maghrib: Shia Tradition

Time Begins

• The Maghrib prayer begins when the redness in the eastern sky, which stays for a while after sunset, disappears from directly above your head.

Time Ends

• The prayer time usually ends at midnight. This is about eleven and a quarter hours after legal noon.
• However, if someone was asleep, forgot to pray, or faced difficult situations, the Maghrib prayer time can extend until the Fajr (morning) prayer time. This also applies to women whose prayer was delayed due to menstruation.

Even though there's a fairly long time to pray, it's considered important to perform the prayer as soon as its time begins.

Shia teachings allow the mid-day (Zuhr) and afternoon (Asr) prayers to be prayed one after another. Similarly, the evening (Maghrib) and night (Isha) prayers can be prayed in succession once enough time has passed after the first prayer.

After the Maghrib prayer begins, especially during the fasting month of Ramadan, a special meal called Iftar is eaten to break the fast.

See also

In Spanish: Salat Magrib para niños

• Other salah:
  • Fajr prayer (Morning)
  • Zuhr prayer (Mid-day)
  • Asr prayer (Afternoon)
  • Isha prayer (Night)
• Maariv – Jewish evening prayer; with same etymology
• Mandaean prayer at evening