Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Al-Zuhri said: Al-Awali is two or three miles away—he thought the report may have said four.

Khaythamah said: “Its being alive means that you can feel its heat.”

Urwah said: Aishah told me that the Messenger of Allah used to pray the afternoon prayer while the sun was still in her room, before it rose higher.

Ali ibn Shayban said: We came to the Messenger of Allah in Medina. He would delay the afternoon prayer while the sun remained white and clear.

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that on the day of the Battle of the Trench, the Messenger of Allah said: “They kept us from the middle prayer—the afternoon prayer. May Allah fill their houses and graves with fire.”

Abu Yunus, the client of Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), said: Aishah asked me to write a copy of the Quran for her and said: “When you reach this verse, tell me: ‘Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer.’” When I reached it, I told her, and she dictated: “Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer, and the afternoon prayer, and stand before Allah devoutly.” Aishah then said: “I heard it from the Messenger of Allah.”

Zayd ibn Thabit said: The Messenger of Allah used to pray noon in the midday heat, and no prayer was harder on the Companions than that one. Then the verse was revealed: “Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer.” He said: “There are two prayers before it and two prayers after it.”

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever catches one rakah of the afternoon prayer before sunset has caught it; and whoever catches one rakah of the dawn prayer before sunrise has caught it.”

Al-Ala ibn Abd al-Rahman said: We visited Anas ibn Malik after noon. He stood and prayed the afternoon prayer. When he finished, we mentioned hastening the prayer—or he mentioned it himself. He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘That is the prayer of the hypocrites, that is the prayer of the hypocrites, that is the prayer of the hypocrites: one of them sits until the sun yellows and is between the horns of Satan—or on the horns of Satan—then gets up and pecks out four rakahs, remembering Allah only a little in them.’”

Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever misses the afternoon prayer is as though he had been deprived of his family and wealth.” Abu Dawud said: Ubayd Allah ibn Umar transmitted the wording “utira” (deprived), and the wording differs in the versions from Ayyub. Al-Zuhri reported from Salim, from his father, from the Prophet, the wording “wutira.”

Al-Awza‘i said: Delaying the afternoon prayer means that you see the sunlight on the ground turning yellow.

Al-Awza‘i said: Delaying the afternoon prayer means that you see the sunlight on the ground turning yellow.

Al-Awza‘i said: Delaying the afternoon prayer means that you see the sunlight on the ground turning yellow.

Al-Awza‘i said: Delaying the afternoon prayer means that you see the sunlight on the ground turning yellow.

Al-Awza‘i said: Delaying the afternoon prayer means that you see the sunlight on the ground turning yellow.

Anas ibn Malik said: We used to pray sunset prayer with the Prophet, then shoot arrows, and each of us could see where his arrow landed.

Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ said: The Prophet used to pray sunset prayer as soon as the sun set and its upper edge disappeared.

Marthad ibn Abd Allah said: When Abu Ayyub came to us on a military expedition, Uqbah ibn Amir was then governor of Egypt and had delayed the sunset prayer. Abu Ayyub stood up and asked him: “What prayer is this, Uqbah?” He replied: “We were occupied.” Abu Ayyub said: “Have you not heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘My community will remain well’—or he said, ‘upon its natural way’—‘so long as they do not delay sunset prayer until the stars are interwoven like a net’?”

Al-Numan ibn Bashir said: I am the most knowledgeable of people about the time of this prayer, the later night prayer. The Messenger of Allah used to pray it when the moon set on its third night.

Abd Allah ibn Umar said: One night we waited for the Messenger of Allah to lead the night prayer. He came out when a third of the night had passed, or later. We did not know whether something had kept him or whether something else had happened. When he came out, he said: “Are you waiting for this prayer? Were it not a burden on my community, I would pray it with you at this time.” Then he ordered the caller to announce the start of the prayer.