Fath al-Rabbani

Under this chapter, the following sub-chapters and hadiths have been mentioned.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jibreel (peace be upon him) led me in prayer twice at the House of Allah. He made me perform the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined and the shadow was equal to a strap, the Asr prayer when the shadow of everything became equal to itself, the Maghrib prayer when the fasting person breaks his fast, the Isha prayer when the twilight disappeared, and the Fajr prayer when eating and drinking becomes forbidden for the fasting person. Then, on the next day, he made me perform the Zuhr prayer when the shadow of everything became equal to itself, the Asr prayer when the shadow of everything became twice its length, the Maghrib prayer when the fasting person breaks his fast, the Isha prayer in the first third of the night, and the Fajr prayer when it had become light. Then he turned to me and said: O Muhammad! This is the time of the Prophets before you. In another narration: This is your time and the time of the Prophets before you. The time for the relevant prayer is between these two times.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrated a similar hadith of the Prophet, except that in it is: And (on the next day) he led the Fajr prayer at such a time that it was near that the sun would rise, and then said: The time for prayer is between these two times.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said: Stand up and pray. So he led the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined. Then he came at the time of Asr and said: Stand up and pray the Asr prayer. So the Asr prayer was performed when the shadow of everything became equal to its length. He came at the time of Maghrib and said: Stand up and pray. So this prayer was performed when the sun had set. He came at the time of Isha and said: Stand up and pray. So this was performed when the twilight had disappeared. He came at the time of Fajr and said: Stand up and pray. So this prayer was performed when the dawn had appeared. The next day, he came at the time of Zuhr and said: Stand up and pray. So the Zuhr prayer was led when the shadow of everything became equal to its length. He came at the time of Asr and said: Stand up and pray. So the Asr prayer was performed when the shadow of everything became twice its length. Then he came for Maghrib when the sun had set; this (on both days) was at the same time, he did not deviate from it. Then he came for the Isha prayer when half or one third of the night had passed, so at that time the Isha prayer was performed. Then he came for Fajr when there was much brightness and said: Stand up and pray. So at that time the Fajr prayer was performed. Then he said: Between these two times is the time for the respective prayer.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The time for Zuhr prayer is from the declining of the sun until a man's shadow is equal to his height, that is, until the time for Asr begins. The time for Asr prayer is until the sun becomes yellow. The time for Maghrib prayer is until the twilight disappears. The time for Isha prayer is until the first half of the night. The time for Fajr prayer is from the appearance of dawn until sunrise. When the sun begins to rise, refrain from prayer, because it rises between the two horns of Satan.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Indeed, every prayer has a beginning time and an ending time. The beginning time for the Zuhr prayer is when the sun declines (from its zenith), and its ending time is until the time for Asr enters. The beginning time for Asr is when its time enters, and its ending time is until the sun becomes yellow. The beginning time for Maghrib is from the setting of the sun, and its ending time continues until the disappearance of the twilight (shafaq) from the horizon. The beginning time for Isha is from the disappearance of the twilight, and its ending time continues until the middle of the night. The beginning time for Fajr is from the appearance of dawn, and its ending time continues until the rising of the sun.

Mawla Anas Abu Sidqah says: I asked Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Zuhr prayer when the sun would decline, he would perform the Asr prayer between these two prayers, the Maghrib prayer when the sun would set, the Isha prayer after the disappearance of twilight, and the Fajr prayer from the appearance of dawn until the time when visibility became wide.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: Zuhr is at its named time, Asr is to be offered when the sun is white and alive, Maghrib is at its named time, and when we would return to our homes after offering Maghrib prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while our homes were at a distance of one mile each, we could still see the place where an arrow would fall. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would sometimes offer the Isha prayer early and sometimes delay it, and Fajr is also at its named time, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would offer it in the darkness mixed with light.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Zuhr prayer at midday during the intense heat, the Asr prayer when the sun was still bright, the Maghrib prayer when the sun had set, and the Isha prayer sometimes late and sometimes early. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that people had gathered, he would perform it early, and when he saw that people were late, he would delay it. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Fajr prayer in the light mixed with darkness.

Abu Minhal Sayyar bin Salam says: I went with my father to Sayyiduna Abu Barzah Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him). My father said to him: Tell us how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the obligatory prayers. He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Zuhr prayer, which you call "the first prayer," when the sun had declined, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Asr prayer, and one of us would return to his house in Madinah, but the sun would still be alive (i.e., shining). Sayyar says: I have forgotten what was said about Maghrib, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to prefer delaying the Isha prayer, and he disliked sleeping before it and talking after it, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) would finish the Fajr prayer at a time when a man could recognize the person sitting next to him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite sixty to one hundred verses in this prayer.

(Second chain) Sayyar bin Salamah says: My father and I went to Sayyiduna Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him about the prayer times of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined, and he would lead the Asr prayer, then a man would go to his house which was far from Madinah, but the sun would still be alive (i.e., not set). Sayyar says: I have forgotten the statement regarding Maghrib. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not mind delaying the Isha prayer up to one third of the night, and he disliked sleeping before this prayer and talking after it. And he would lead the Fajr prayer, then a man would return and be able to recognize the face of his companion, while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite sixty to one hundred verses in this prayer. Sayyar says: I do not know whether this amount of recitation was in one rak’ah or two.

Imam Zuhri says: We were with Umar bin Abdul Aziz, and once he delayed the Asr prayer. Urwah bin Zubair said to him: Basheer bin Abi Masood Ansari narrated to me that Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) once delayed the Asr prayer. Sayyiduna Abu Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Beware! By Allah! O Mughirah! Indeed, you know that Jibreel (peace be upon him) descended and led the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with him, and the people prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he descended and led the prayer, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with him, and the people prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), until they counted five prayers. In one narration, it is said: He said: Thus you have been commanded. Umar bin Abdul Aziz said: Urwah! Reflect on what you have said—was it Jibreel (peace be upon him) who began the prayer by leading you? Urwah said: Basheer bin Abi Masood narrated it to me in this way. After that, Umar used to recognize the time of prayer by a sign, until he departed from this world.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that a questioner came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and asked about the times of prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not give him any answer and ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him). So when dawn broke, he established the Fajr prayer at that time, when it was near that people could recognize each other. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered him, so he gave the Iqamah for Zuhr after the sun had declined, while someone was saying: Has the time of midday come or not? In any case, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) knew better than all of them. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered him and he established the Asr prayer when the sun was still high. Then he ordered him and he gave the Iqamah for Maghrib at the time of sunset. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered him and he established the Isha prayer at the time of the disappearance of twilight. Then on the next day, he delayed the Fajr prayer so much that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) finished it, someone was saying: The sun has risen, or it is about to rise. He delayed Zuhr until it was close to the time of Asr prayer of the previous day. Then he delayed Asr so much that when he finished it, someone was saying: The sun has turned yellow. Then he delayed the Maghrib prayer so much that it reached just before the disappearance of twilight, and he delayed the Isha prayer until the first third of the night. Then he called the questioner and said: The time is between these two times.

Sayyiduna Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him) has also narrated a similar hadith of the Prophet.