A man from among the people of Najd with disheveled hair came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The humming sound of his voice could be heard but what he was saying could not be understood. He came closer and it was then known that he was asking about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Five times of prayer each day and night: He asked: Must I observe any more than them? He replied: No, unless you do it voluntarily. He (Talhah) said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned fasting during the month of Ramadan. He asked: Must I observe anything else? He replied: No, unless you do it voluntarily. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned Zakat to him. He asked: Must I pay anything else? He replied: No, unless you do it voluntarily. The man then turned away saying: I swear by Allah, I shall not add anything to this or fall short of it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The man will be successful if he speaks truth.

He will be successful, by his father, if he speaks the truth; he will enter Paradise, by his father, if he speaks the truth.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Gabriel (ﷺ) led me in prayer at the House (i.e. the Ka'bah). He prayed the noon prayer with me when the sun had passed the meridian to the extent of the thong of a sandal; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when the shadow of everything was as long as itself; he prayed the sunset prayer with me when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when the twilight had ended; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when food and drink become forbidden to one who is keeping the fast.

On the following day he prayed the noon prayer with me when his shadow was as long as himself; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when his shadow was twice as long as himself; he prayed the sunset prayer at the time when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when about the third of the night had passed; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when there was a fair amount of light.

Then turning to me he said: Muhammad, this is the time observed by the prophets before you, and the time is anywhere between two times.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted from al-Zuhri by Ma'mar, Malik, Ibn 'Uyainah, Shu'aib b. Abi Hamzah, and al-Laith b. Sa'd and others; but they did not mention the time in which he (the Prophet) had prayer, nor did they explain it. And similarly it has been narrated by Hisham b. 'Urwah and Habib b. Abu Mazruq from 'Urwah like the report of Ma'mar and his companions. But Habib did not make a mention of Bashir. And Wahb b. Kaisan reported on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (ﷺ) the time of the Maghrib prayer. He said: "Next day he (Gabriel) came to him at the time of the Maghrib prayer when the sun had already set. (He came both days) at the same time."

Abu Dawud said: Similarly, this tradition has been transmitted by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: "Then he (Gabriel) led me in the sunset prayer next day at the same time."

Similarly, this tradition has been narrated through a different chain by 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, through a chain from Hassan b. 'Atiyyah, from 'Amr b. Shu'aib, from his father, on the authority from the Prophet (ﷺ).

Abu Dawud said: Sulaiman b. Musa has narrated this tradition about the time of the Maghrib prayer from Musa from 'Ata on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (ﷺ). This version adds: He then offered the Isha prayer when a third of the night had passed, as narrated (he said the Isha prayer) when half the night had passed.

This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Buraidah on the authority of his father from the Prophet (ﷺ) in a similar way.

The time of the Zuhr prayer is as along as the time of the 'Asr prayer has not come; the time of the Asr prayer is as long as the sun has not become yellow ; the time of the Maghrib prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the Isha prayer is up to midnight; and the time of the Fajr prayer is as long as the sun has not risen.

We asked Jabir about the time of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: He used to offer the Zuhr prayer in the midday heat, the 'Asr prayer when the sun was bright, the Maghrib prayer when the sun had completely set, the Isha prayer early when many people were present, but late if there were few, and the Fajr prayer in the darkness (of the dawn).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would offer the Zuhr prayer when the sun had passed the meridian; he would offer 'Asr prayer after which one of us would visit the skirts of Medina and return him while the sun was still bright; I forgot what he said about the Maghrib prayer; he did not fear postponing the Isha prayer until a third of night had passed, or he said: until the midnight had passed. He would dislike sleeping before it or talking after it. And he would offer the Fajr prayer when a man could recognize his neighbor whom he recognized well; and he would recite from sixty to a hundred verses during it.

I would offer my noon prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and took a handful of gravels so that they might become cold in my hand and I placed them (before me) so that I may put my forehead on them at the time when I would prostrate. I did this due to the intensity of heat.

The extent of the shadow when the Messenger of Allah prayed (the noon prayer) was three to five feet in summer and five to seven feet in winter.

We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ). The mu'adhdhin intended to call for the Zuhr prayer. He said: Make it cooler. He then intended to call for prayer. He said twice or thrice: Make it cooler. We then witnessed the shadow of the mounds. He then said: The intensity of heat comes from the bubbling over of the Hell ; so when the heat is violent, offer (the Zuhr) prayer when it becomes cooler.

When the heat is violent, offer (the Zuhr) prayer when it becomes fairly cool, for the violent heat comes from the bubbling over the Hell.

Jabir b. Samurah reported that Bilal used to call for the noon prayer when the sun had declined.

Anas b. Malik said the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the 'Asr prayer when the sun was high and bright and living, then one would go off to al-'Awali and get there while the sun was still high.

Al-'Awali is situated at a distance of two miles or three (from Medina). He (the narrator) said: I think he said: or four miles.

By the life of the sun is meant that you may find heat in it.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would offer the Zuhr prayer while the sunlight was present in her apartment before it ascended (the walls).

We came upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Medina. He would postpone the afternoon prayer as long as the sun remained white and clear.

'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying on the day of Battle of Khandaq (Trench). They (the unbelievers) prevented us from offering the middle prayer i.e. 'Asr prayer. May Allah fill their houses and their graves with Hell-fire.