Short answer
Not in the Hanafi school. The two rakats after tawaf are wajib, but praying them after Asr until sunset, or after Fajr until a little after sunrise, is makruh tahrimi. Do the tawaf, then pray the two rakats once the disliked time is over. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools allow them at any time.
Two rakats after every tawaf are wajib. They are not prayed in the disliked times: after the Fajr prayer until the sun has risen, after the Asr prayer until sunset, and at sunrise, zenith and sunset. If delayed, they are still owed and may be prayed anywhere later; no dam is due.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i and Hanbali
- The two rakats of tawaf may be prayed at any time, including after Fajr and Asr, based on the hadith "do not prevent anyone who circles this House and prays at any hour". In both schools they are a stressed sunnah, not wajib.
- Maliki
- Like the Hanafis, they are delayed out of the disliked times.
Explanation
Many people call these the "umrah nafl" or "tawaf nafl". The Quran says "take from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer", and the Prophet ﷺ prayed two rakats there after his tawaf. The Hanafi school makes them wajib.
The Prophet ﷺ also said there is no prayer after Fajr until the sun rises, or after Asr until it sets. The Hanafis apply this to the tawaf rakats. Umar ibn al-Khattab did tawaf after Fajr, saw the sun had not yet risen, and rode on to Dhu Tuwa before praying his two rakats. A'ishah objected to people who stood to pray them exactly at the disliked time.
- Tawaf after Asr: wait until after Maghrib. Pray the Maghrib fard first, then the two rakats of tawaf, then the Maghrib sunnah.
- Tawaf after Fajr: wait until about 15 to 20 minutes after sunrise.
- Several tawafs: pray two rakats for each tawaf when the time opens.
- Where: behind the Station of Ibrahim is best; anywhere in the mosque, or even outside it, is valid.
- Forgot them entirely: pray them whenever you remember, even at home.
The Shafi'i view is a strong one based on a sound hadith, so do not argue with someone praying them after Asr. For the rest of the steps, see our umrah guide.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:125
وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا ٱلْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًۭا وَٱتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَٰهِۦمَ مُصَلًّۭى ۖ وَعَهِدْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِۦمَ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلَ أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَٱلْعَٰكِفِينَ وَٱلرُّكَّعِ ٱلسُّجُودِ ﴿١٢٥﴾
And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people and [a place of] security. And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer. And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], "Purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer]."
The basis of the two rakats after tawaf.
Sahih al-Bukhari 586
Sahih... لا صلاة بعد الصبح حتى ترتفع الشمس ولا صلاة بعد العصر حتى تغيب الشمس ...
"There is no prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen, and no prayer after Asr until the sun has set."
The general prohibition the Hanafis apply to the tawaf rakats.
Muwatta Malik 818
Graded in the Muwatta... فلم ير الشمس طلعت فركب حتى أناخ بذي طوى فصلى ركعتين ...
"Umar saw that the sun had not risen, so he rode until he stopped at Dhu Tuwa and prayed two rakats."
Umar delayed the tawaf rakats out of the disliked time.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 868
Grading to be checked... لا تمنعوا أحدا طاف بهذا البيت وصلى أية ساعة شاء من ليل أو نهار ...
"Do not prevent anyone who circles this House and prays at whatever hour he wishes, night or day."
The evidence of those who allow the rakats at any time.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, on the two rakats of tawaf. They are wajib.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, on the disliked times. The tawaf rakats are not prayed after Fajr and Asr.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah, prayers with a cause in disliked times. The Shafi'i permission.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.