Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would lead the Asr prayer, and then there would be enough time that a person going towards Banu Haritha bin Harith could go and return before sunset. This was enough time that a man could slaughter a camel and prepare its meat before sunset. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would perform the Friday prayer after the sun had declined, and when he set out towards Makkah, he would perform two rak'ahs of Zuhr prayer near a tree.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that there was no one who performed the ‘Asr prayer earlier than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). There were two men among the Ansar whose houses were the farthest from the Prophet’s Mosque; one man was Sayyiduna Abu Lubabah bin ‘Abd al-Mundhir (may Allah be pleased with him), whose house was in Quba, and the other was Sayyiduna Abu ‘Isa bin Jabr (may Allah be pleased with him), whose house was in Banu Harithah. Both of them used to perform the ‘Asr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and when they reached their homes, they had not yet performed this prayer, meaning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform it so early.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would perform the ‘Asr prayer when the sun was white and had a halo. Then I would return to my family and relatives, who were in a corner of Madinah, and I would go to them and say: Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has performed the prayer, so you too get up and perform the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Asr prayer, then a person heading towards the settlements would reach them, but the sun would still be high (according to one narration), white and alive. Imam Zuhri said: These settlements were located at a distance of two, three, and (it is thought that the narrator also mentioned the word four) miles from Madinah Munawwarah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rafi’ bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We would perform the ‘Asr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then a camel would be slaughtered, then it would be divided into ten portions and cooked, and before the sun would set, we would eat the roasted meat. And in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would perform the Maghrib prayer, and when a man finished, he would be able to see the places where his arrows had fallen.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Urwah (may Allah be pleased with him), who says: I used to perform the Asr prayer with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and then I would reach the tree before the sun had set.

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Asr prayer while the sunlight (its brightness) was still in my chamber, and the shadow had not yet risen upwards.

(Second chain) It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Asr prayer while the sun was still in his chamber and the wall was open (not very high). (Aamir (the narrator) clarified this by gesturing with his hand.)

A man from Basra, Abdul Wahid bin Nafi' Kalabi, says: I was passing by the city mosque, and the call for the establishment of prayer (iqamah) was given. But an elder reproached the muezzin and said: Do you not know that my father told me that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to order this prayer to be delayed? I asked: Who is this elder? They said: This is Abdullah bin Rafi' bin Khudayj.

Abu Mulaaih says: We were with Sayyiduna Buraidah Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) in a battle. On a cloudy day, he said: Perform this prayer quickly, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever abandons the Asr prayer, his deeds will be lost.