"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: This is 'Jibril, peace be upon you, he came to teach you your religion. He prayed Subh when the dawn appeared, and he prayed Zuhr when the sun had (passed its zenith), and he prayed 'Asr when he saw that the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, then he prayed Maghrib when the sub had set and it is permissible for the fasting person to eat. Then he prayed 'Isha' when the twilight had disappeared. Then he came to him the following day and prayed Subh when it had got a little lighter, then he prayed Zuhr when the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, then he prayed 'Asr when the shadow of a thing was equal to twice its height, then he prayed Maghrib at the same time as before, then he prayed 'Isha' when a short period of the night had passed. Then he said: 'The prayer is between the times when you prayed yesterday and the times when you prayed today.'"
"The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed Zuhr when the length of (a person's shadow) was between three and five feet in summer, and between five and seven feet in winter."
"A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the times of prayer. He said: 'Pray with me.' So he prayed Zuhr when the sun had passsed its zenith, 'Asr when the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, Maghrib when the sun had set and 'Isha' when the twilight had disappeared." He said: "Then he prayed Zuhr when the shadow of a man was equal in length to his height, 'Asr when the length of a man's shadow was twice his height, and Maghrib just before the twilight disappeared." (One of the narrators) 'Abdullah bin Al-Harith said: "then he said: 'With regard to 'Isha' I think it is up to one-third of the night.'" [1]
[1] The speaker there is Thawr, who narrated it from 'Ata' from Jabir.
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray 'Asr, then a person could go to Quba'." One of them [1] said: "And he would come to them when they were prayed." The other said: "And the sub was still high."
[1] Both Az-Zuhri and Ishaq bin 'Abdullah narrated it from Anas, so the reference is about them.
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُصَلِّي الْعَصْرَ وَالشَّمْسُ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ حَيَّةٌ وَيَذْهَبُ الذَّاهِبُ إِلَى الْعَوَالِي وَالشَّمْسُ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ .
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray 'Asr when the sun was still high and bright, and a person could go to Al-'Awali [1] when the sun was still high."
[1] Al-'Awali is the southern most district of Al-Madinah, and it is very big. Its nearest limit is at a distance of about two miles from the center of Al-Madinah. While its furthest limit is about eight miles.
"I heard Abu Umamah bin Sahl say: 'We prayed Zuhr with 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz, then we went out and entered upon Anas bin Malik, and we found him praying 'Asr.'" I said: "O uncle, what is this prayer that you prayed?" He said: "'Asr; this is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that we used to pray with him."
"We prayed at the time of 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz, then we went to Anas bin Malik and found him praying. when he finished he said to us: 'Have you prayed?' We said: 'We prayed Zuhr.' He said: 'I prayed 'Asr.' They said: 'You have prayed early.' He said: 'Rather I prayed as I saw my companions pray.'"
Chapter 9: Stern Warning About Delaying 'Asr - كتاب المواقيت
Al-'Ala' narrated to us that he entered upon Anas bin Malik in his house in Al-Basrah, when he had finished Zuhr, and his house was beside the Masjid. "When we entered upon him, he said:
'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.'"
Chapter 10: The End Of The Time For 'Asr - كتاب المواقيت
It was narrated from Jabir bin 'Abdullah that Jibril came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to teach him the times of prayer. Jibril went forward, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) behind him and the people behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed Zurh when the sun had passed its zenith. Then he came to him when the shadow of a person was equal to his height, and did as he had done before; Jibril went forward, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) behind him and the people behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed 'Asr. Then Jibril came to him when the sun had set; Jibril went forward, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) behind him and the people behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed Al-Ghadah. [1] Then he came to him on the second day when a man's shadow was equal to his height, and did as he had done the day before, he prayed Zuhr. Then he came to him when the shadow of a man was twice his height, and did what he had done the day before, and prayed 'Asr. Then he came to him when the sun had set and did what he had done the day before, and prayed Maghrib. Then we slept and got up, and slept and got up again. Then he came to him and did what he had done the day before and prayed 'Isha.' The he came to him when the (the light of) dawn was spread (on the horizon) [2] and the starts were still clear in the sky, and he did the same as he had done the day before, and prayed Al-Ghadah. Then he said:
أَخْبَرَنَا يُوسُفُ بْنُ وَاضِحٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا قُدَامَةُ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ شِهَابٍ - عَنْ بُرْدٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُعَلِّمُهُ مَوَاقِيتَ الصَّلاَةِ فَتَقَدَّمَ جِبْرِيلُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَلْفَهُ وَالنَّاسُ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَصَلَّى الظُّهْرَ حِينَ زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَأَتَاهُ حِينَ كَانَ الظِّلُّ مِثْلَ شَخْصِهِ فَصَنَعَ كَمَا صَنَعَ فَتَقَدَّمَ جِبْرِيلُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَلْفَهُ وَالنَّاسُ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَصَلَّى الْعَصْرَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ حِينَ وَجَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ فَتَقَدَّمَ جِبْرِيلُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَلْفَهُ وَالنَّاسُ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَصَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ حِينَ غَابَ الشَّفَقُ فَتَقَدَّمَ جِبْرِيلُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَلْفَهُ وَالنَّاسُ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَصَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ حِينَ انْشَقَّ الْفَجْرُ فَتَقَدَّمَ جِبْرِيلُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَلْفَهُ وَالنَّاسُ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَصَلَّى الْغَدَاةَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ الْيَوْمَ الثَّانِيَ حِينَ كَانَ ظِلُّ الرَّجُلِ مِثْلَ شَخْصِهِ فَصَنَعَ مِثْلَ مَا صَنَعَ بِالأَمْسِ فَصَلَّى الظُّهْرَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ حِينَ كَانَ ظِلُّ الرَّجُلِ مِثْلَ شَخْصَيْهِ فَصَنَعَ كَمَا صَنَعَ بِالأَمْسِ فَصَلَّى الْعَصْرَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ حِينَ وَجَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ فَصَنَعَ كَمَا صَنَعَ بِالأَمْسِ فَصَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ فَنِمْنَا ثُمَّ قُمْنَا ثُمَّ نِمْنَا ثُمَّ قُمْنَا فَأَتَاهُ فَصَنَعَ كَمَا صَنَعَ بِالأَمْسِ فَصَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ حِينَ امْتَدَّ الْفَجْرُ وَأَصْبَحَ وَالنُّجُومُ بَادِيَةٌ مُشْتَبِكَةٌ فَصَنَعَ كَمَا صَنَعَ بِالأَمْسِ فَصَلَّى الْغَدَاةَ ثُمَّ قَالَ
" مَا بَيْنَ هَاتَيْنِ الصَّلاَتَيْنِ وَقْتٌ " .
' The time between these two is the time for prayer.'"
[1] Meaning Fajr, the morning prayer.
[2] The Fajr prayer was elongated because the Prophet recited at length during the prayer, so that it ended just before sunrise. That defined the end of the time for Fajr, as the beginning of the time was defined by the moment when he started the first Rak'ah.
"If any one of you catches the first prostration of 'Asr prayer before the sun sets, let him complete his prayer, and if he catches up with the first prostration of Fajr prayer before the sub rises, let him complete his prayer."
"Whoever catches up with a Rak'ah of the Subh prayer before the sun rises, then he has caught up with Subh, and whoever catches up with a Rak'ah of 'Asr prayer before the sun sets, then he has caught up with 'Asr."
'Are you not going to pray?' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'There is no prayer after 'Asr until the sun has set, nor after Subh until the sun has risen.'"
"A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked him about the times of prayer. He said: 'Stay with us for these two days.' Then he told Bilal to say the Iqamah at dawn and he prayed Fajr. Then he told him to do that when the sun had passed its zenith and he prayed Zuhr. Then he told him to do that when the sun was still bright, and he said the Iqamah for 'Asr. Then he told him to do that when the last part of the sun had dissapeared, and he said the Iqamah for Maghrib. Then he told him to do that when the twilight had disappeared and he said the Iqamah for 'Isha'. The following day, he prayed Fajr when there was light, then he delayed Zuhr until it was cooler, and waited until it was much cooler before praying 'Asr but the sun was still clear, so he prayed 'Asr later than on the first day. Then he prayed Maghrib before the twilight disappeared. Then he told him to say the Iqamah for 'Isha' when one-third of the night had passed, and he prayed, then he said: 'Where is the one who was asking about the times of prayer? The times of your prayer are between the times you have seen.'"
Chapter 13: Hastening To Pray Maghrib - كتاب المواقيت
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ حَسَّانَ بْنَ بِلاَلٍ، عَنْ رَجُلٍ، مِنْ أَسْلَمَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ مَعَ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمَغْرِبَ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُونَ إِلَى أَهَالِيهِمْ إِلَى أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ يَرْمُونَ وَيُبْصِرُونَ مَوَاقِعَ سِهَامِهِمْ .
It was narrated from a man of Aslam, who was one of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), that they used to pray Maghrib with the Prophet (ﷺ),then they would go back to their families in the furthest part of Al-Madinah, shooting arrows and seeing where they landed. [1]
[1] Because it was still bright enough.
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in praying 'Asr in Al-Mukhammas. He said: 'This prayer was enjoined upon those who came before you, but they neglected it. Whoever prays it regularly will have a two-fold reward, and there is no prayer after it until the Shahid appears." And the Shahid is "the star." [1]
[1] This is a statement of one of the narrators, and Allah knows best.
"Sometimes he (Qatadah, his teacher) narrated it as a Marfu' report and sometimes he did not" - "The time for Zuhr prayer is until 'Asr comes, and the time for 'Asr prayer is until the sun turns yellow. the time for Maghrib is until the twilight disappears, and the time for 'Isha' is until the night is halfway through, and the time for Subh is until the sun rises."
"A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) asking him about the times of prayer, and he did not answer him. He told Bilal to say the Iqamah at dawn broke, then he told him to say the Iqamah for Zuhr when the sun had passed its zenith and a person would say: 'It is the middle of the day,' but he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) knew better. Then he told him to say the Iqamah for 'Asr when the sun was still high. Then he told him to say the Iqamah for Maghrib when the sun had set. Then he told him to say the Iqamah for 'Isha' when the twilight had dissapeared. Then the next day he told him to say the Iqamah for Fajr, at a time such that when after he had finished one would say: 'The sun has risen.' Then he delayed Zuhr until it was nearly the time of 'Asr compared to the day before. Then he delayed 'Asr, to a time such that when he finished one would say: 'The su has turned red.' Then he delayed Maghrib until the twilight was about to disappear. Then he delayed 'Isha' until one-third of the night had passed. Then he said: 'The time (for prayer) is between these times.'"
"Muhammad bin 'Ali and I entered upon Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari. We said to him: 'Tell us about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' That was at the time of Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf. He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out and prayed Zuhr when the sun had passed its zenith and the shadow (of a thing) was the length of a sandal-strap. Then he prayed 'Asr when the shadow of a man was the length of a sandal-strap plus his height. Then he prayed Maghrib when the sun had set. Then he prayed 'Isha' when the twilight disappeared. Then he prayed Fajr when dawn broke. The next day he prayed Zuhr when a man's shadow was equal to his height. Then he prayed 'Asr when a man's shadow was twice his height, and (the time between the prayer and sunset) lasted as long as it takes a swift rider to reach Dhul-Hulaifah. Then he prayed Maghrib when the sun set, then he prayed 'Isha' when one-third or one-half of the night had passed'" - (One of the narrators) Zaid, was not sure - "then he prayed Fajr when it had become bright."
"I entered upon Abu Barzah, and my fatehr asked him: 'How did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray the prescribed prayers?' He said: 'He used to pray Zuhr, which you call Al-Uula (the first) when the sun passed its zenith; he used to pray 'Asr when one of us could go back to his hoome in the farthest part of Al-Madinah while the sun was still bright.' I forgot what he said about Maghrib. 'And he used to like to delay 'Isha', which you call Al-'Atamah, and he did not like to sleep before it nor talk after it. And he used to finish the Al-Ghadah (Fajr) prayer when a man could recognize his neighbor, and he used to recite (in it) between sixty and one hundred verses.'"
"Jibril, peace be upon him, came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when the sun had passed its zenith and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray Zuhr when the sun has passed its zenith.' Then he waited until a man's shadow was equal to his height. Then he came to him for 'Asr and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray 'Asr.' Then he waited until the sunset, then he came to him and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray Maghrib.' So he got up and prayed it when the sun had set. Then he waited until the twilight disappeared, then he came to him and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray 'Isha'.' So he got up and prayed it. Then he came to him when dawn broke and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray.' So he got up and prayed Subh.' So he got up and prayed Subh. Then he came to him the next day when a man's shadow was equal to his height, and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray.' So he prayed Zuhr. Then Jibril came to him when a man's shadow was equal to twice his length and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray.' So he prayed 'Asr. Then he came to him for Maghrib when the sun set, at exactly the same time as the day before, and said: 'Get up, O Muhammad, and pray.' So he prayed Maghrib. Then he came to him for 'Isha' when the first third of the night had passed, and said: 'Get up and pray.' So he prayed 'Isha'. Then he came to him for Subh when it had become very bright, and said: 'Get up and pray.' So he prayed Subh. Then he said: 'The times of prayer one between those two (limits).'"
"Al-Hajjaj arrived, and we asked Jabir bin 'Abdullah, who said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Zuhr at the time of intense heat, [1] and 'Asr when the sun was white and clear, and Maghrib when the sun set, and with 'Isha' it would depend - if he saw that the people had gathered, he would pray early, and if he saw that they had not come yet, he would delay it.'"
[1] Meaning, at the earliest time.