The Book of the Times (of Prayer)

It was narrated from Ibn Shihab that 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz delayed the 'Asr prayer a little. 'Urwah said to him: "Jibril came down and led the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in prayer." 'Umar said: "Watch what you are saying, O 'Urwah!" He said: "I heard Bashir bin Abi Mas'ud say: 'I heard Abu Mas'ud say: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Jibril came down and led me in prayer, and I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him - and he counted off five prayers on his fingers.'"

Shu'bah said: "Sayyar bin Salamah, narrated to us, he said: 'I heard my father ask Abu Barzah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' I said: 'Did you really hear him?' He said: 'As I can hear you now.' He said: 'I heard my father ask about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' He said: 'He would not mind if he delayed it - meaning 'Isha' until midnight, and he did not like to sleep before it or speak after it.'" Shu'bah said: "Then I met him later on and asked him. He said: 'He used to pray Zauhr when the sun had passed its zenith, and (he would pray) 'Asr and a man could walk to the farthest point in Al-Madinah and the sun would still be clear and hot. And Maghrib, I do not know the time he mentioned.' After that I met him and asked him, and he said: 'He used to pray Fajr then after the prayer a man could regarding it, sitting next to him, look at the face of someone he knew and he could recognize it.' He said: 'And he used to recite in it between sixty and one hundred (verses).'"

It was narrated from Az-Zuhri he said: "Anas told me that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out when the sun had passed its zenith, and led them in Zuhr prayer."

It was narrated that Khabbab said: "We complained to the Messenger of Alalh (ﷺ) about how hot the sand was, but he did not respond to our complaint." It was said to Abu Ishaq (one of the narrators): "Did they complain regarding his praying it early?" He said: "Yes."

Hamzah Al-'A'idhi said: "I heard Anas bin Malik say: 'When the Prophet (ﷺ) halted, he would not move on until he had prayed Zuhr.' A man said: 'Even if it was the middle of the day?' He said: 'Even if it was the middle of the day.'"

Khalid bin Dinar Abu Khaldah said: "I heard Anas bin Malik say: 'When it was hot, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would wait until it cooled down to pray, and when it was cold he would hasten to pray.'"

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'If it is very hot, wait until it cools down before you pray, for intense heat is a breeze from Hell.'"

It was narrated from Abu Musa in a Marfu' [1] report: "Wait until it cools down to pray Zuhr, for the heat you experience is a breeze from Hell."[1] Meaning he attributed it to the Prophet (ﷺ).

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: This is 'Jibril, peace be upon you, he came to teach you your religion. He prayed Subh when the dawn appeared, and he prayed Zuhr when the sun had (passed its zenith), and he prayed 'Asr when he saw that the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, then he prayed Maghrib when the sub had set and it is permissible for the fasting person to eat. Then he prayed 'Isha' when the twilight had disappeared. Then he came to him the following day and prayed Subh when it had got a little lighter, then he prayed Zuhr when the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, then he prayed 'Asr when the shadow of a thing was equal to twice its height, then he prayed Maghrib at the same time as before, then he prayed 'Isha' when a short period of the night had passed. Then he said: 'The prayer is between the times when you prayed yesterday and the times when you prayed today.'"

It was narrated that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed Zuhr when the length of (a person's shadow) was between three and five feet in summer, and between five and seven feet in winter."

It was narrated that Jabir said: "A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the times of prayer. He said: 'Pray with me.' So he prayed Zuhr when the sun had passsed its zenith, 'Asr when the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, Maghrib when the sun had set and 'Isha' when the twilight had disappeared." He said: "Then he prayed Zuhr when the shadow of a man was equal in length to his height, 'Asr when the length of a man's shadow was twice his height, and Maghrib just before the twilight disappeared." (One of the narrators) 'Abdullah bin Al-Harith said: "then he said: 'With regard to 'Isha' I think it is up to one-third of the night.'" [1][1] The speaker there is Thawr, who narrated it from 'Ata' from Jabir.

It was narrated from 'Aishah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed 'Asr when the sun was in her room and the shadow had not appeared on her wall.

It was narrated from Anas: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray 'Asr, then a person could go to Quba'." One of them [1] said: "And he would come to them when they were prayed." The other said: "And the sub was still high."[1] Both Az-Zuhri and Ishaq bin 'Abdullah narrated it from Anas, so the reference is about them.

It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray 'Asr when the sun was still high and bright, and a person could go to Al-'Awali [1] when the sun was still high."[1] Al-'Awali is the southern most district of Al-Madinah, and it is very big. Its nearest limit is at a distance of about two miles from the center of Al-Madinah. While its furthest limit is about eight miles.

It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to lead us in 'Asr prayer when the sun was still bright and high."

It was narrated that Abu Bakr bin 'Uthman bin Sahl bin Hunaif said: "I heard Abu Umamah bin Sahl say: 'We prayed Zuhr with 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz, then we went out and entered upon Anas bin Malik, and we found him praying 'Asr.'" I said: "O uncle, what is this prayer that you prayed?" He said: "'Asr; this is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that we used to pray with him."

It was narrated that Abu Salamah said: "We prayed at the time of 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz, then we went to Anas bin Malik and found him praying. when he finished he said to us: 'Have you prayed?' We said: 'We prayed Zuhr.' He said: 'I prayed 'Asr.' They said: 'You have prayed early.' He said: 'Rather I prayed as I saw my companions pray.'"

Al-'Ala' narrated to us that he entered upon Anas bin Malik in his house in Al-Basrah, when he had finished Zuhr, and his house was beside the Masjid. "When we entered upon him, he said: 'Have you prayed 'Asr?' We said: 'No, we have just finished Zuhr.' He said: 'Pray 'Asr.' So we got up and prayed, and when we finished he said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "That is the prayer of the hypocrite: he sits and delays 'Asr prayer until (the sun) is between the horns of the Shaitan, then he gets up and pecks four (Rak'ahs) in which he only remembers Allah a little.'"

It was narrated from Salim, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The one who misses 'Asr prayer, it is as if he has been robbed of his family and his wealth."

It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The one who misses 'Asr prayer, it is as if he has been robbed of his family and his wealth."

It was narrated from Jabir bin 'Abdullah that Jibril came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to teach him the times of prayer. Jibril went forward, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) behind him and the people behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed Zurh when the sun had passed its zenith. Then he came to him when the shadow of a person was equal to his height, and did as he had done before; Jibril went forward, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) behind him and the people behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed 'Asr. Then Jibril came to him when the sun had set; Jibril went forward, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) behind him and the people behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed Al-Ghadah. [1] Then he came to him on the second day when a man's shadow was equal to his height, and did as he had done the day before, he prayed Zuhr. Then he came to him when the shadow of a man was twice his height, and did what he had done the day before, and prayed 'Asr. Then he came to him when the sun had set and did what he had done the day before, and prayed Maghrib. Then we slept and got up, and slept and got up again. Then he came to him and did what he had done the day before and prayed 'Isha.' The he came to him when the (the light of) dawn was spread (on the horizon) [2] and the starts were still clear in the sky, and he did the same as he had done the day before, and prayed Al-Ghadah. Then he said: ' The time between these two is the time for prayer.'"[1] Meaning Fajr, the morning prayer.[2] The Fajr prayer was elongated because the Prophet recited at length during the prayer, so that it ended just before sunrise. That defined the end of the time for Fajr, as the beginning of the time was defined by the moment when he started the first Rak'ah.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever catches up with two Rak'ahs of 'Asr prayer before the sun sets, or one Rak'ah of the Subh prayer before the sun rises, has caught it."

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever catches up with one Rak'ah of 'Asr prayer before the sun sets, or catches up with one Rak'ah of Fajr before the sun rises, has caught it."

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "If any one of you catches the first prostration of 'Asr prayer before the sun sets, let him complete his prayer, and if he catches up with the first prostration of Fajr prayer before the sub rises, let him complete his prayer."

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever catches up with a Rak'ah of the Subh prayer before the sun rises, then he has caught up with Subh, and whoever catches up with a Rak'ah of 'Asr prayer before the sun sets, then he has caught up with 'Asr."

It was narrated from Nasr bin 'Abdur-Rahman, from his grandfather Mu'adh, that he performed Tawaf with Mu'adh bin 'Afra' but he did not pray. "I said: 'Are you not going to pray?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'There is no prayer after 'Asr until the sun has set, nor after Subh until the sun has risen.'"

It was narrated from Sulaiman bin Buraidah that his father said: "A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked him about the times of prayer. He said: 'Stay with us for these two days.' Then he told Bilal to say the Iqamah at dawn and he prayed Fajr. Then he told him to do that when the sun had passed its zenith and he prayed Zuhr. Then he told him to do that when the sun was still bright, and he said the Iqamah for 'Asr. Then he told him to do that when the last part of the sun had dissapeared, and he said the Iqamah for Maghrib. Then he told him to do that when the twilight had disappeared and he said the Iqamah for 'Isha'. The following day, he prayed Fajr when there was light, then he delayed Zuhr until it was cooler, and waited until it was much cooler before praying 'Asr but the sun was still clear, so he prayed 'Asr later than on the first day. Then he prayed Maghrib before the twilight disappeared. Then he told him to say the Iqamah for 'Isha' when one-third of the night had passed, and he prayed, then he said: 'Where is the one who was asking about the times of prayer? The times of your prayer are between the times you have seen.'"

It was narrated from a man of Aslam, who was one of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), that they used to pray Maghrib with the Prophet (ﷺ),then they would go back to their families in the furthest part of Al-Madinah, shooting arrows and seeing where they landed. [1][1] Because it was still bright enough.

It was narrated that Abu Basrah Al-Ghifari said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in praying 'Asr in Al-Mukhammas. He said: 'This prayer was enjoined upon those who came before you, but they neglected it. Whoever prays it regularly will have a two-fold reward, and there is no prayer after it until the Shahid appears." And the Shahid is "the star." [1][1] This is a statement of one of the narrators, and Allah knows best.

It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin 'Amr - and (one of the narrators) Shu'bah said: "Sometimes he (Qatadah, his teacher) narrated it as a Marfu' report and sometimes he did not" - "The time for Zuhr prayer is until 'Asr comes, and the time for 'Asr prayer is until the sun turns yellow. the time for Maghrib is until the twilight disappears, and the time for 'Isha' is until the night is halfway through, and the time for Subh is until the sun rises."