Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
One reason for performing the prayer after letting the heat subside is that offering prayer in intense heat causes hardship, which makes it difficult to attain humility, submissiveness, tranquility, and calmness—the true essence of prayer. As narrated from Anas radi Allahu anhu, when we would perform prayer with the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at the peak of midday, the ground would be so hot that, to protect ourselves from its heat, we would prostrate on our garments.

It should be noted that the command to delay the Zuhr prayer and perform it after letting the heat subside applies only when there is severe heat. On this basis, during the winter season, it is recommended (mustahabb) to perform the Zuhr prayer at its earliest time.

(Fath al-Bari: 2/22)

Lexical Explanation:
«فَأَبْرِدُوا» is derived from «إِبْرَاد». It means: enter at a cool time.
By «بِالصَّلَاةِ» is meant the Zuhr prayer, i.e., perform the Zuhr prayer at a cool and cold time.
In «مِنْ فَيْحِ جَهَنَّمُ» «فَيْح», the “fa” has a fatha and the “ya” is sakin (quiescent). It refers to the heat and intensity of Hellfire, the vastness of its expanse, and its steam.

Benefits and Issues:
➊ From this hadith, it is understood that in the summer season, the Zuhr prayer should be performed with a slight delay. But what should be the limit of this delay? Regarding this, it is mentioned in Abu Dawud and Sunan al-Nasa’i that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would delay it in the summer until the shadow would become three to five steps long. [سنن أبى داود، الصلاة، باب فى المواقيت، حديث : 400، وسنن النسائي، المواقيت، باب آخر وقت الظهر، حديث : 504]
➋ Allamah Khattabi (rahimahullah) has said that this is not a universal rule for all regions; rather, its calculation will also differ according to longitude and latitude. In any case, in the summer season, it is recommended (mustahabb) to perform the Zuhr prayer with a slight delay; this is the opinion of the majority of the scholars.
➌ Allamah Sindhi has written in the margin of Sunan al-Nasa’i regarding this hadith that its meaning is that the maximum delay you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would make after the zenith was such that in summer the shadow would be three steps and in winter five to seven steps, and in this shadow both the original and the additional shadow were counted.