"I came to the Messenger of Allah, who became Muslim with you?' He said: 'Free men and slaves.' I said: 'Is there any moment which brings one closer to Allah than another?' He said: 'Yes, the last part of the night, so pray as much as you want until you pray Subh, then stop until the sun has risen until and it looks like a shield and (its shinning)spreads. Then pray as much as you want until an object's shadow is at its shortest, then stop until the sun passes its zenith, for Hell is stoked at midday. Then pray 'Asr, then stop until you pray 'Asr, then stop until the sun has set, for it sets between the horns of a Shaitan and rises between the horns of a Shaitan.'" [1][1] Similar has been recorded by Muslim.
The Book of the Times (of Prayer)
Sunan an-Nasa'i 584 | Similar narration in Sahih Muslim
Hadith Text
"I came to the Messenger of Allah, who became Muslim with you?' He said: 'Free men and slaves.' I said: 'Is there any moment which brings one closer to Allah than another?' He said: 'Yes, the last part of the night, so pray as much as you want until you pray Subh, then stop until the sun has risen until and it looks like a shield and (its shinning)spreads. Then pray as much as you want until an object's shadow is at its shortest, then stop until the sun passes its zenith, for Hell is stoked at midday. Then pray 'Asr, then stop until you pray 'Asr, then stop until the sun has set, for it sets between the horns of a Shaitan and rises between the horns of a Shaitan.'"
Scholarly Commentary
This hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i provides profound guidance on the optimal times for voluntary prayers and the prohibited periods. The Prophet (ﷺ) identifies the last portion of the night as particularly blessed for drawing nearer to Allah through prayer, continuing until Fajr. The three prohibited times for prayer are: 1) After Fajr until sunrise when the sun becomes clearly visible, 2) When the sun is at its zenith until it passes the meridian, and 3) After Asr until sunset.
The imagery of the sun rising and setting "between the horns of a Shaitan" signifies that these transitional periods are times when devils are most active and thus inappropriate for prayer. The mention that "Hell is stoked at midday" emphasizes the severity of praying during zenith when the sun's intensity mirrors the fire of Jahannam. These prohibitions apply only to voluntary prayers, not obligatory ones or missed prayers being made up.
Legal Rulings
The scholars of the four schools agree on the prohibition of voluntary prayers during these times, with exceptions for prayers with specific causes (sabab), such as the greeting of the mosque or making up missed obligatory prayers. The wisdom behind these restrictions includes avoiding resemblance to sun-worshippers who pray at sunrise and sunset, and following the divine wisdom in structuring worship times to maximize spiritual benefit and avoid times of satanic activity.