On His saying (Exalted is He): "Establish the prayer at the decline of the sun"

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: In the saying of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, "Establish the prayer at the decline (duluk) of the sun" [al-Isra: 78], the decline of the sun means the turning of the shadow; and in His saying, "And by the night and what it envelops (wa ma wasaq)" [al-Inshiqaq: 17], "wa ma wasaq" means "and what it gathers (wa ma jama'a)".

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means the sun's inclining towards the west after midday.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: In the saying of Allah Almighty, "Establish the prayer at the decline (duluk) of the sun" [al-Isra: 78], the decline of the sun means its setting.

Tawus said: In the saying of Allah Almighty, "Establish the prayer at the decline (duluk) of the sun" [al-Isra: 78], the decline of the sun means its inclining before it sets.

Mujahid said: I used to lead my master al-Sa'ib about, as he was blind. One day he asked me: "Adalakat al-shams?" (Has the sun declined?) I said: "Yes." Upon that he prayed Zuhr.

Al-Aswad said: I was sitting with Sayyiduna Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) (may Allah be pleased with him) in his house. Meanwhile the sun set, and Sayyiduna Abdullah recited this verse: "Establish the prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night" [al-Isra: 78]. Then he said: "By the One besides whom there is no god, this means the time at which the fasting person breaks his fast and the time of this prayer arrives."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means the sun's inclining towards the west.

Abu Ja'far said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means the sun's passing the meridian (zawal).

Al-Sha'bi said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means the sun's passing the meridian (zawal).

Mujahid said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means the sun's passing the meridian (zawal), and the darkness of the night (ghasaq al-layl) means the setting of the sun.

Sayyiduna Abdullah and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means its inclining at the time of setting.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The decline (duluk) of the sun means the setting of the sun.