Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

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.

'Aishah commanded me to write for her come passage from the Qur'an. She also added: When you reach the following verse, inform me: "Be guardian of your prayers and of the midmost prayer" (2:238). When I reached it, I informed her. She asked me to write: "Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and of the 'Asr prayer, and stand up with devotion of Allah" (2:238). 'Aishah then said: I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer the Zuhr prayer in midday heat; and no prayer was harder on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that this one. Hence the revelation came down: "Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer" (2:238). He (the narrator) said: There are two prayers before it and two prayers after it.

If anyone says a rak'ah of the 'Asr prayer before sunset, he has observed (the 'Asr prayer), and if anyone performs a rak'ah of the Fajr prayer, he has observed (the Fajr prayer).

We came upon Anas b. Malik after the Zuhr prayer. He stood for saying the 'Asr prayer. When he became free from praying, we mentioned to him about observing prayer in its early period or he himself mentioned it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: This is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray: He sits (watching the sun), and when it becomes yellow and is between the horns of the devil, or is on the horns of the devil, he rises and prays for rak'ahs quickly, remembering Allah only seldom during them.

Abu Dawud said: 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar narrated the word utira (instead of wutira, meaning perished). The dispute on this point goes back to Ayyub. Al-Zuhri reported from Salim on the authority of this father from the Prophet (ﷺ) the word 'wutira'.

Delaying the 'Asr prayer means that the sunshine becomes yellow on the earth.

We used to offer the Maghrib prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) and then shoot arrows, one of us could see the place where arrow would fall.

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say the Maghrib prayer immediately after the sun had set when its upper side would disappear.

Marthad ibn Abdullah said: When AbuAyyub came upon us to fight the infidels and in those days Uqbah ibn Amir was the Governor of Egypt, he (Uqbah) delayed the sunset prayer. Hence AbuAyyub stood and said: What kind of prayer is this, Uqbah? He said: We were busy. He said: Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: My community will remain well, or he said: will remain on its natural condition, so long as it would not delay the evening prayer until the stars shine brightly just like a network.

I am the one who is best informed of the time of this prayer, i.e. the night prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer it at the hour when the moon went down on its third night.

We remained one night waiting for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to offer the Isha prayer. He came out to us when one-third of the night has passed or even after it. We did not know whether anything kept him occupied or there was some other matter. When he came out, he said: Are you waiting for this prayer ? Were it not that it would impose a burden on my people, I would normally pray with them at this time. He then gave orders to the mu'adhdhin who declared that the time of the prayer had come.