Sūrah Al-Maʿārij The Ascending Stairways: Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī Qurʾānic Rulings and Law

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahAl-MaʿārijMeccanHuman frailty redeemed by prayer and charity

Key Fiqh IssuePrayer timing particularly the ẓuhr/ʿaṣr boundary debateFarḍ ʿayn within the specified timeMost practically significant prayer timing disagreement

School ComparisonḤanafī: ʿaṣr begins when shadow = 2x height; Mālikī: ʿaṣr when shadow = 1x height; Shāfiʿī: like Mālikī (shadow = 1x); Ḥanbalī: both opinions present early (like Mālikī) and late (like Ḥanafī)Farḍ ʿayn at correct timeḤanafī prays ẓuhr while others have already switched to ʿaṣr

Uṣūl PrincipleTaʿyīn al-awqāt specification of prayer times as fixed obligationsTime is a condition (shart)Praying outside the time window requires qaḍāʾ

Al-Qurṭubī derives from verse 34 "those who carefully maintain their prayers" the legal obligation of ṣalāh within its specified time window. He then maps the most practically significant timing disagreement: when does ẓuhr end and ʿaṣr begin? The Ḥanafī school follows the opinion that ẓuhr ends and ʿaṣr begins when the shadow of an object equals twice its height giving a longer ẓuhr and shorter ʿaṣr window. The Mālikī and Shāfiʿī schools follow the opinion that ʿaṣr begins when the shadow equals once the height giving an earlier ʿaṣr start.

Al-Qurṭubī notes the practical consequence: a person following the Ḥanafī timing is still in valid ẓuhr time when a Mālikī/Shāfiʿī-following person has already transitioned to ʿaṣr. This creates a situation where both are praying valid prayers within what their school recognizes as the correct time window the school disagreement is a legitimate ijtihād disagreement on ḥadīth interpretation, not an error on either side. The taʿyīn principle: once the time window closes, the prayer becomes qaḍāʾ (missed, requiring make-up) the time specification is a legal condition, not a recommendation.

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ Wa-lladhīna hum ʿalā ṣalātihim yuḥāfiẓūn Meaning: "And those who carefully maintain their prayers" Al-Qurṭubī: "yuḥāfiẓūn" (carefully maintain, guard) the root ḥ-f-ẓ (to guard/protect) implies not just performing but protecting the prayer's conditions: time, purity, qiblah, and proper form; prayer performed outside its time is not "guarded."

وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ Wa-lladhīna fī amwālihim ḥaqqun maʿlūmun li-l-sāʾili wa-l-maḥrūm Meaning: "And those in whose wealth is a known right for the petitioner and the deprived" Al-Qurṭubī: "ḥaqqun maʿlūm" (a known right) zakāh is "known" in the sense of being legally specified; the petitioner (sāʾil) and the deprived (maḥrūm) are two of the eight zakāh recipient categories; al-Qurṭubī derives this verse confirms zakāh's obligatory character as a "known" (specified) right.

The ẓuhr/ʿaṣr timing boundary is the most significant prayer time dispute: Ḥanafī (shadow = 2x height), Mālikī and Shāfiʿī (shadow = 1x height for ʿaṣr start).
Both Ḥanafī and Mālikī/Shāfiʿī prayer times are valid within their respective school frameworks ijtihād disagreement on ḥadīth interpretation, not error.
Taʿyīn: prayer time is a legal condition (shart); praying outside the window makes it qaḍāʾ requiring make-up the time specification is binding, not advisory.
"Yuḥāfiẓūn" (carefully maintain) not just performing prayers but protecting all their conditions; deliberate neglect of conditions invalidates the prayer.
Zakāh is "ḥaqqun maʿlūm" (a known, specified right) the Qurʾānic confirmation that zakāh is not voluntary charity but a legally specified obligation on qualifying wealth.

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