Bulugh al-Maram

Lexical Explanation:
«كَان فُلان» Some have said that by this is meant the governor of Madinah, Amr ibn Salamah. Others have said that it refers to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz rahimahullah, but this is not correct, because Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz rahimahullah was born after the death of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu.

From «يُخَفَّفُ العصر» it is understood that this concession applies to all the units (rak‘ahs) of the ‘Asr prayer in relation to Zuhr.

In «بِقِصَارِ الْمُفَصَّلِ» and «قِصَار», there is a kasrah (i-vowel) under the letter “qaf.” «قصيرة» is the plural of this. And “Mufassal”: that in which there are many pauses between verses. It should be noted that the last part of the Qur’an, which consists of short surahs, is called “Mufassal” because the surahs in this section are short, and the nature of each surah is such that it seems like a separate and independent discourse. There is a difference of opinion as to where the Mufassal section begins. The well-known view is that it starts from Surah al-Hujurat. There is also an opinion that it begins from some other surah, and its end is at the end of the Qur’an. Then, the Mufassal is divided into three types: “Tiwal Mufassal,” “Awsat Mufassal,” and “Qisar Mufassal.” Thus, according to the well-known opinion, Tiwal Mufassal starts from Surah al-Hujurat and continues up to Surah al-Buruj; Awsat Mufassal starts from Surah al-Buruj and continues up to Surah al-Bayyinah; and from Surah al-Bayyinah to the end of the Noble Qur’an is Qisar Mufassal.

Benefits and Issues:
➊ From this hadith, it is understood that all the surahs from Surah al-Hujurat to the end of the Noble Qur’an are called “Mufassalat.”
➋ There are three types of Mufassalat, as mentioned above.
➌ In the Fajr prayer, it is Sunnah to recite the long Mufassal surahs; in the ‘Isha prayer, the medium Mufassal surahs; and in the Maghrib prayer, the short Mufassal surahs.

Narrator of the Hadith: (Sulayman ibn Yasar rahimahullah) His kunyah is Abu Ayyub. The “ya” in «يَسَار» has a fatha (a-vowel). He was among the senior Tabi‘in. He is counted among the seven jurists (fuqaha’ sab‘ah). He was a great worshipper and jurist, and a scholar of very high rank. Many ahadith are narrated from him. He was the freed slave of Sayyidah Umm al-Mu’minin Maymunah radi Allahu anha. He passed away in 107 AH at the age of 73.

983. Commentary:

➊ Although in some narrations the ‘Asr prayer is described as being equal to the Zuhr prayer, according to numerous and stronger narrations, the ‘Asr prayer was approximately half the length of the Zuhr prayer. In this respect, it was more similar to the Maghrib prayer than to the Zuhr prayer.

➋ In the Maghrib prayer, the recitation should be very light (short).

➌ “Mufassal” refers to the last seventh section (manzil) of the Noble Qur’an, which contains the shorter surahs that are generally recited in prayers. Because the intervals (between surahs) are short, they are called “Mufassal.” Their beginning is from Surah al-Hujurat. There are various opinions regarding their further division. The most well-known is that the long Mufassal (Tiwal al-Mufassal) are from “al-Hujurat” to “al-Buruj,” the medium Mufassal (Awsat al-Mufassal) are from there to “al-Bayyinah,” and the short Mufassal (Qisar al-Mufassal) are from there to the end (of the Qur’an). The long Mufassal are recited in the Fajr (morning) prayer, the medium Mufassal in the ‘Isha and Zuhr prayers, and the short Mufassal in the Maghrib and ‘Asr prayers. In the Maghrib prayer, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would sometimes recite a long surah as well, but his usual practice was to recite from the short Mufassal. And Allah knows best.

984. Commentary: Benefit: See Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith: 983.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
Allamah Waheed al-Zaman states that the person referred to was Ali radi Allahu anhu, or Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, or Umar ibn Salamah radi Allahu anhu—that is, Abu Hurairah’s indication is towards one of these individuals. Their prayer closely resembled the prayer of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

➋
It is Sunnah to perform the ‘Asr prayer lighter than the Zuhr prayer. However, in it as well, the first units (rak‘ahs) should be relatively long and the last units should be shorter.