Observing Prayer Early in the Period - Section 1 Mishkat al-Masabih 592
Arabic hadith text
وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي الْعَصْرَ وَالشَّمْسُ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ حَيَّةٌ فَيَذْهَبُ الذَّاهِبُ إِلَى الْعَوَالِي فَيَأْتِيهِمْ وَالشَّمْسُ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ وَبَعْضُ الْعَوَالِي مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ على أَرْبَعَة أَمْيَال أَو نَحوه
Translation
Anas said that God’s Messenger used to pray the afternoon prayer when the sun was high and bright, then one would go off to al-'Awali (Villages on high ground outside Medina) and get there while the sun was still high. Parts of al-‘Awali were four miles or thereabouts from Medina. (Bukhari and Muslim.)