The prayer times

It is narrated from Abu Mijlaz (may Allah have mercy on him) that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about the times of the prayers. The narrator said: (For the purpose of teaching,) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Fajr prayer (on the first day) in the ghalas, that is, the early darkness of dawn, then he prayed the Asr prayer in daylight (that is, while the sun was still high). When the next day came, he delayed the Fajr prayer until (people) began to say: "What has held him back?" Then he led the prayer. Then he delayed the Asr prayer as well, until it was said: "What has held him back?" Then he led the prayer. After that he asked: "Where is the questioner?" He replied: Here I am. He asked: "Were you present with us yesterday?" He replied: Yes. He asked: "And were you present with us today as well?" He replied: Yes. He said: "Whichever of these (limits) you choose, that is a time for the prayer, and what is between the two is also a time for the prayer."
Musnad al-Harith (Zawa'id al-Haythami): 249. The chain of this report is mursal because Abu Mijlaz is a Successor (Tabi'i); however, there are other authentic hadith on this subject that support it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the time of the Fajr prayer, so he said: "Pray it with me today and tomorrow." So when he was at Qa' Namirah in al-Juhfah, he prayed the Fajr prayer just as dawn broke (at the start of its time). Then, when we reached Dhu Tuwa, he delayed this prayer so much that people began to say (in alarm): Has the soul of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) been taken? And they said to one another: If only we had prayed it (ourselves). Then he came out and prayed it shortly before sunrise. Then he turned to the people and asked: "What were you saying?" They said: We said: If only we had prayed (ourselves). He said: "Had you done so, a punishment would have struck you." Then he called the man who had asked and said: "The time of the prayer is between these two times."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith. Its chain is broken (munqati') because it is not established that Ali bin Abdullah heard from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), and it also contains the tadlis of Ibn Jurayj; however, its meaning regarding the fixing of the prayer times is established and supported by other sahih hadith.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Harith bin Amr al-Hudhali (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a letter to Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him): "I have written to you about the prayer, and the thing most deserving of care and attention for the Muslims is the matter of their religion. I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) praying; of that I remember what I was able to remember, and I have forgotten what I (in human fashion) forgot. So pray the Zuhr prayer in the intense midday heat, when the sun has passed its zenith; pray the Asr prayer while the sun is still alive, bright and fresh, that is, before it turns yellow; pray the Maghrib prayer at the time the fasting person breaks his fast, that is, as soon as the sun sets; delay the Isha prayer as long as you do not fear that the people will fall asleep; and pray the dawn (Fajr) prayer in the darkness that lingers after daybreak, and lengthen the recitation in it."
Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh recorded this hadith in his Musnad, and the narrators in its chain are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him): "Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: 'Stand up and pray.' This was at the time of the sun's decline, when it had moved from its zenith. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and prayed the four rak'ahs of Zuhr." The narrator then related the complete, lengthy hadith.
Isma'il bin Abi Uways corroborated it (mutaba'ah) through Sulayman in the narration of Imam al-Bayhaqi, and there it is related in full.
I (Ibn Hajar) say: Its origin is in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) from the hadith of Bashir bin Abi Mas'ud, but without specifying the times, while Imam Abu Dawud recorded it with an explanation of the times. This chain is a good supporting witness (shahid) for the narration of Imam Abu Dawud, and I have quoted it here for the benefit it contains.
Al-Harith also narrated it through Dawud bin al-Muhabbar, Hammad bin Salamah, Yahya bin Sa'id and Abu Bakr bin Muhammad bin Amr bin Hazm, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and then he related the hadith in full detail.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he wrote to Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him): "Pray the Zuhr prayer when the sun has passed its zenith; pray the Asr prayer while the sun is still bright, white and clear in its original brilliance; pray the Maghrib prayer as soon as the sun sets; and pray the Isha prayer in the time between the disappearance of the twilight (redness) and the end of the first half of the night, for that is the Sunnah. Establish the dawn (Fajr) prayer while darkness still remains, and make the recitation in it long."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah recorded this report in his Musnad, and all its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy). This instruction is also narrated with reliable chains in other books of hadith, and it explains the preferred times of the prayers.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Hazm (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Jibril (peace be upon him) came and led the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in prayer, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in the (Zuhr) prayer when the sun had passed its zenith. Then he led the Asr prayer when the shadow of everything had become equal to it, then he led the Maghrib prayer when the sun had set, then after that he offered the Isha prayer as if he intended (to wait for) the disappearance of the twilight (redness), then he led the Fajr prayer in the ghalas (darkness) when true dawn had broken. Then Jibril (peace be upon him) came again the next day and led the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Zuhr prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in Zuhr when the shadow of everything had become equal to it. Then he led the Asr prayer when the shadow had become twice its length, then he led the Maghrib prayer at the same single time (as on the first day), when the sun had set, then he offered the Isha prayer after a good part of the night had passed, and then he led the Fajr prayer when it had become fully light (isfar)."
This chain is hasan (good), except that Muhammad bin Amr bin Hazm did not hear directly from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) because of his young age. So if the pronoun in (the word) "jaddihi" (his grandfather) refers back to Abu Bakr, then the soundness of this report depends on Abu Bakr having heard from (his grandfather) Amr.

Musa bin Mutayr narrates from his father (Mutayr) that he asked Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): "Tell me about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) which he kept to constantly, for it has reached me that he sometimes delayed and sometimes brought forward (the prayer, according to circumstances); but tell me about the manner of the prayer that was his constant practice, as if I were seeing it with my own eyes." He said: "the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray Zuhr when the sun had passed its zenith, and if it was summer he would pray it once it had cooled down (somewhat later). He would pray Asr while the sun was still white and very bright. He would pray Maghrib when the disc of the sun had completely set, and he would finish the prayer while the light of the stars could not yet be seen (clearly in the sky). He would delay the Isha prayer until, when he feared that sleep would overcome the Companions, he would say: 'O Bilal, give the adhan.' And I heard him say: 'Were it not that my Ummah would fall asleep (waiting) for it, I would have loved to delay this prayer to a third of the night or half the night.' And we would leave the Fajr prayer while we could clearly see the light of the stars."
Part of this hadith is also narrated in the books of Sunan through other chains.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say concerning the prayer: "Do not offer the prayer before its time merely in order to be free (for other matters), and do not delay it (without valid reason) because of some need or occupation."
This chain is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): We complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the heat of the ground and the intense heat (at the time of the Zuhr prayer), but he did not grant us relief from this complaint (by changing the time), and he said: "Seek help through 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (there is no power to avoid sin and no strength to do good except with the help of Allah), for this phrase repels ninety-nine kinds of hardship and distress, the least of which is grief and worry."
Imam Ibn Abi Umar al-Adani recorded this hadith in his Musnad. Its chain contains a narrator named Balhat bin Abbad, who is da'if (weak); and its first part (about the complaint) is also found in Sahih Muslim.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Bilal, pray the Fajr prayer when it is well lit: make it as light as is needed for people to clearly see the places where their (shot) arrows land."
Imam Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah recorded this hadith in his "Musannaf", and this report concerns the virtue of offering the Fajr prayer in the light of dawn (isfar).

It is narrated from one of the Companions of the Messenger (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Pray the Fajr prayer when the light has spread (in isfar), for the more you pray it in the light, the greater this deed will be for you in terms of reward and virtue."
Imam al-Bazzar also narrated this report with his own chain from Asim bin Umar, from his father, from his grandfather, with the same meaning; and Imam al-Bazzar also stated explicitly that no one else corroborated the narrator named Fulayh in narrating it with this chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): "the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would offer the Maghrib prayer (so early in its time) that when the people returned to their families (after finishing the prayer), (there was still so much light that) if they shot arrows they could clearly see the places where their arrows landed."
Imam Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah recorded this report. In its chain, Ibn Abi Layla is da'if (weak) because of his poor memory; however, the meaning of offering the Maghrib prayer early is found in other sahih hadith.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out from Makkah at sunset, and he did not pray until he reached a place called Sarif, which is nine miles from Makkah.
This hadith contains evidence for the breadth of the time of the Maghrib prayer and the length of its duration.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Qaylah bint Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Fajr prayer when the light of dawn had only just appeared and the stars in the sky were intertwined (clearly visible). Because of the darkness, we women could not recognise one another, and the men were in the same state: they too could barely recognise one another."
Imam Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi recorded it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "The time of no prayer passes until the time of the next prayer after it begins."
Musnad Musaddad: 263. In the chain of this report, Layth bin Abi Sulaym is a weak narrator; however, this is a well-known scholarly statement narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), which indicates the breadth of the prayer times.

It is narrated from Amr bin Dinar that he said: "We used to pray Fajr with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), then we would go to (the area of Makkah called) Jiyad, attend to our needs there, and then return. And Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: 'We used to pray Fajr behind Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him) in the ghalas (that is, the early darkness after true dawn), and when one of us went back home (after the prayer), he could not even recognise the person beside him (because of the darkness).'"
This report establishes that in the era of Umar, and in Makkah during the time of Sayyiduna Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), care was taken to offer the Fajr prayer at the start of its time, so that after finishing the prayer a person could be free in good time for the day's work and worldly needs.

Hisham bin Urwah narrates from his father, from Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said to the Ansari man who had reminded him of the time of the Asr prayer: "Yes indeed, bear witness that we used to offer the Asr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (at a time) when the sun was completely white and clear (that is, high with its full heat and light). Then we would go (from there) to Banu Amr bin Awf, though that place was two miles from Madinah, and even then the sun would still be present in its same original brilliance (that is, it had not turned yellow)."
Imam al-Harith recorded this hadith in his Musnad; however, the hadith scholars have declared the narrator Dawud bin al-Muhabbar in its chain da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Bara' bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about the times of the prayer. So he brought the prayer forward and delayed it (that is, he showed him by praying at the beginning of the time on one day and at the end of the time on the other), and said: "The time of the prayer is between these two (times)."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad (266). In its chain, Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla has been judged da'if (weak) because of his poor memory; however, other sahih hadith on fixing the prayer times are found in the Six Books and elsewhere, and they support this meaning.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the shadow (of a thing, after the zenith) reaches from one and a half cubits to two cubits, then pray the Zuhr prayer."
And the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Mahdhurah (may Allah be pleased with him) has already passed in the Book of the Adhan.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer the Fajr prayer when it was well lit (that is, when the light of morning had spread)."
Imam al-Harith recorded this hadith in his Musnad; however, its chain includes a narrator named Abd al-Aziz bin Aban, whom the imams of narrator criticism have declared a liar and matruk (abandoned). Therefore, technically, this report is very weak and cannot be used as evidence.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Offer the Fajr prayer in full light (that is, when the light of morning has become well apparent), for this deed is greater in obtaining reward and more virtuous."
In the chain of this hadith, the narrator Ayyub bin Sinan is da'if (weak); however, other reliable reports with this meaning exist in the books of hadith, encouraging the offering of the Fajr prayer in the light of dawn (isfar), and this is a recommended practice according to the Hanafis.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One of you offers the prayer (late), yet the part of its (best) time that he misses is far heavier and more painful for him than (the loss of) his family and his wealth."
In the chain of this report, the narrator Ya'qub bin al-Walid al-Madani is a liar and matruk (abandoned), on account of which this report is very weak or fabricated.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Talq (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, a man offers the prayer, yet the (virtuous part) of its time that he missed was better and more precious for him than his family and his wealth."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad. It encourages offering the prayer at the start of its time, so that the believer is not deprived of that great reward which far surpasses worldly rank and wealth.

Mus'ab bin Sa'd narrates from his father: I said to my father: "O my dear father, what is your view of the saying of Allah Almighty: (Those who are heedless of their prayer) [Surah al-Ma'un: 5]? Which of us does not make mistakes (in prayer)? Or who is there in whose heart thoughts do not come (during the prayer)?" He replied: "That (ordinary human forgetfulness) is not what is meant; rather, it means wasting the times of the prayer, that is, a person becomes so absorbed in play and amusement that he lets the time of the prayer pass."
According to another chain, Mus'ab bin Sa'd said: I asked my father: "O my dear father, (Those who are heedless of their prayer) [Surah al-Ma'un: 5]: does it mean one of us forgetting during the prayer, or whisperings arising in his heart?" Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Does that not happen to all of us? (It certainly does.) But the heedless one (mentioned in the verse) is (the one who delays the prayer beyond its time)." Then he repeated the same first statement.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about those who are heedless of their prayers, (Those who are heedless of their prayer) [Surah al-Ma'un: 5], and he said: "They are those who take the prayer out of its appointed time (that is, delay it without excuse)."
Imam al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Other hadith masters (huffaz) narrated it as mawquf (a Companion's statement), and no one other than Ikrimah bin Ibrahim narrated it as marfu' (from the Prophet).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, after me there will soon be rulers and imams who will be steeped in sin and wrongdoing; they will offer the prayer away from its proper (preferred and Sunnah) time (by delaying it). So when they adopt such a course, offer the prayer at its correct time, and make the prayer offered with them (again in congregation) a voluntary prayer for yourselves."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith, and its supporting witnesses are found in Sahih Muslim; this report is sahih by virtue of its supporting witnesses.