Sūrah Aḍ-Ḍuḥā The Morning Hours: Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī Qurʾānic Rulings and Law

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahAḍ-ḌuḥāMeccanDivine comfort to the Prophet and the honor of morning

Key Fiqh IssueṢalāt al-ḍuḥā forenoon prayer: legal status, time, and rakaʿāt numberSunnah muʾakkadah (majority) / Makrūh then sunnah (some Mālikī)One of the most meritorious voluntary prayers

School ComparisonḤanafī: sunnah muʾakkadah, 2-8 rakaʿāt; early Mālikī: some said makrūh if habitual; later Mālikī: sunnah; Shāfiʿī: sunnah muʾakkadah, 2-12 rakaʿāt; Ḥanbalī: sunnah muʾakkadah, recommended 8 rakaʿātSunnah muʾakkadah (majority)Early Mālikī reservation about habitualness is now minority view

Uṣūl PrincipleAl-istinbāṭ min al-sīrah deriving rulings from the Prophet's practice historySunnah derivation methodThe Prophet's ḍuḥā prayer practice establishes it as sunnah

Al-Qurṭubī derives from verse 1 "by the morning brightness (aḍ-ḍuḥā)" the Qurʾānic honor given to the forenoon period, and uses this to introduce the fiqh discussion of ṣalāt al-ḍuḥā. He notes the prophetic practice: the Prophet prayed ḍuḥā prayer on various occasions, and his companions confirm its recommendation. Some early Mālikī scholars (Ibn al-Qāsim's minority position) considered habitual ḍuḥā prayer in the mosque makrūh because it had not been the continuous practice of the early Muslims; the later Mālikī consensus is that it is sunnah.

The time window: from when the sun has risen to the height of approximately a spear (about 15-20 minutes after sunrise) until just before the sun's zenith (approaching ẓuhr time). The Shāfiʿī school's broader rakaʿāt range (2 to 12, with 8 being the most reported from the Prophet on certain occasions) is most detailed. Al-Qurṭubī applies the uṣūl principle of istinbāṭ min al-sīrah: deriving the sunnah from the Prophet's practice history, noting that the different reported rakaʿāt counts reflect different occasions, not inconsistency.

وَالضُّحَىٰ وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ Wa-l-ḍuḥā wa-l-layli idhā sajā Meaning: "By the morning brightness and the night when it is still" Al-Qurṭubī: the parallel oath by ḍuḥā (morning brightness) and night stillness establishes two worship times the forenoon (ḍuḥā prayer) and the night (qiyām al-layl); the Qurʾānic honor given to these times grounds the sunnah of worship in them.

مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ Mā waddaʿaka rabbuka wa-mā qalā Meaning: "Your Lord has not abandoned you nor has He detested you" Al-Qurṭubī: the divine comfort to the Prophet during a pause in revelation grounds a fiqh principle: pauses in worship or good deeds do not indicate divine abandonment; the ḍuḥā prayer fills a natural pause in the morning and maintains connection to divine engagement.

Ṣalāt al-ḍuḥā is sunnah muʾakkadah by Ḥanafī, Shāfiʿī, Ḥanbalī, and later Mālikī consensus among the most meritorious voluntary prayers.
Early Mālikī minority position (Ibn al-Qāsim): habitual congregational ḍuḥā in the mosque is makrūh not the early Muslim practice; private ḍuḥā was accepted even by this position.
Time window: from about 15-20 minutes after sunrise until just before ẓuhr the forenoon period when the sun has risen and is growing higher.
Rakaʿāt: minimum 2, maximum 12 per various prophetic occasions; Ḥanbalī recommends 8; Shāfiʿī allows up to 12; any even number in between is valid.
Missing ḍuḥā habitually for no reason is blameworthy the prophetic statement "the prayer of the awwābīn (frequent returners to Allah) is when the young camels feel the heat of the sun" grounds its strong recommendation.

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