Routines from Fajr (Dawn Prayer) to Sunrise
Pen Excerpts: Mufti Muhammad Tasleemuddin Al-Mahmoodi
Under Faza'il-e-A'maal (Chapter: Virtues of Remembrance, Hadith Number 19), Sheikh-ul-Hadith Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhalvi Noor Allah Marqadahu has quoted the following in the benefits:
"Among the Hanafis, the author of Durr al-Mukhtar has declared talking after Fajr until sunrise as Makrooh (undesirable)."
"ويكره النوم قبل العشاء والكلام المباح بعدها وبعد طلوع الفجر إلى أدائه، ثم لا بأس بمشيه لحاجته، وقيل يكره إلى طلوع ذكاء، وقيل إلى ارتفاعها فيض."
(Al-Durr al-Mukhtar: Kitab al-Salat, 1/381, Publisher: HM Saeed)
It should be clear that this refers to ordinary worldly talk; engaging in religious talk or necessary actions is not prohibited. Therefore, it is found in the noble practice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that after Fajr, he ﷺ would listen to dreams and interpret them.
كَانَ رَسُولَ اللهُ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا انْصَرَفَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ (الفجر) يَقُولُ: هَلْ رَأَى أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمُ اللَّيْلَةَ رُؤْيَا، وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ يَبْقَى بَعْدِي مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ إِلَّا الرُّؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ. (رواہ ابوداؤد بروایة أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضی اللہ عنه : 5017)
Therefore, conducting Quran lessons in mosques after Fajr, holding religious gatherings and consultations, engaging in remembrance circles, explaining the six points of Tabligh, etc., are not prohibited.
If there is no religious work, then this time should be spent in remembrance and good deeds. Therefore, it is mentioned in a Hadith:
قالَ اللهُ تعالى: ابنَ آدمَ ! اذكُرني بعدَ الفجرِ، وبَعدَ العصرِ ساعةً، أَكْفِكَ ما بينَهُما
(Al-Suyuti, Al-Jami' al-Saghir (6037) Narrated by Ahmad in ((Al-Zuhd)) (203), and Abu Nu'aim in ((Al-Hilya)) (8/213) and the wording is theirs)
O son of Adam! Remember Me for a while after the morning prayer and after the afternoon prayer, and I will suffice you in between.... It is mentioned in a Hadith that keep remembering Allah, He will be helpful in fulfilling your needs. (Faza'il-e-A'maal)
Furthermore, in the same book, a story is mentioned: Umm al-Mu'minin Hazrat Juwairiyah bint Harith Radi Allahu Anha narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ left her at the time of the morning prayer to go for prayer, and she was sitting on her prayer mat (engaged in Tasbih). The Holy Prophet ﷺ returned after the Chasht prayer (around noon) and she was still sitting in the same state. The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked: Are you still in the same state in which I left you? She replied: Yes. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: After leaving you, I recited four words three times, and if they were weighed against everything you have recited since morning, they would outweigh it. Those words are:
سُبحَانَ اللہِ وَبِحَمدِہٖ عَدَدَ خَلقِه، وَرِضَا نَفسِه، وَزِنَةَ عَرشِه، وَمِدَادَ کَلِمَاتِه
Translation: I glorify Allah and praise Him to the number of His creation, to the extent of His pleasure, to the weight of His Throne, and according to the extent of His words.
The Mashaikh (spiritual guides) say that one should complete their daily routines in the early morning so that the freshness and spirituality of those deeds remain throughout the day, and they do not become disrupted due to the affairs of life.