'Have you prayed 'Asr?' We said: 'No, we have just finished Zuhr.' He said: 'Pray 'Asr.' So we got up and prayed, and when we finished he said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "That is the prayer of the hypocrite: he sits and delays 'Asr prayer until (the sun) is between the horns of the Shaitan, then he gets up and pecks four (Rak'ahs) in which he only remembers Allah a little.'"
Hadith Text & Context
The hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i 511 describes a situation where companions had just finished Zuhr prayer when instructed to pray 'Asr immediately, followed by the Prophet's warning about delaying 'Asr prayer.
Scholarly Commentary
The command to pray 'Asr immediately after Zuhr demonstrates the importance of praying at the earliest permissible time, contrary to those who delay without valid reason.
"Between the horns of the Shaitan" refers to the time when the sun turns yellowish before sunset - a disliked time for prayer when hypocrites typically delay.
"Pecking four Rak'ahs" indicates rushing through prayer without proper concentration, merely fulfilling the physical motions without spiritual presence.
Legal Rulings
The preferred time for 'Asr begins when shadows equal object length after noon and continues until the sun begins turning yellow.
Delaying 'Asr until the sun turns yellow is severely reprehensible (makruh tahrimi) and resembles hypocritical behavior.
Prayer must combine proper physical form with spiritual presence - mere ritual without devotion is deficient.
Spiritual Dimensions
This hadith connects outward action with inward state - delaying prayers reflects spiritual negligence and hypocrisy.
The description emphasizes that true prayer requires full remembrance of Allah, not just mechanical performance.
Timely prayer demonstrates sincere devotion, while delay often indicates weak faith and attachment to worldly matters.