It is narrated from Ibn Shihab that one day ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) delayed the (‘Asr) prayer, so ‘Urwah bin Zubair came to him and said: (In the same way) Mughira bin Shu‘bah once delayed the prayer, so Sayyiduna Abu Mas‘ud Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and said: “Mughira, what is this? Do you not know that Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he led the prayer and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also prayed, then Jibril (peace be upon him) prayed and you also prayed, then he prayed and you also prayed, then he prayed and you also prayed, then (Jibril, peace be upon him) prayed and you also prayed, then Jibril (peace be upon him) said: ‘I have been commanded to do so in this manner.’” (Upon this) ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “‘Urwah, do you know what you are narrating? Did Jibril (peace be upon him) show the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) the times of prayer by performing them?” ‘Urwah said: “Bashir bin Abi Mas‘ud also narrated in the same way from his father.” ‘Urwah said: “Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the ‘Asr prayer at a time when the sunlight was still present in his chamber, even before it climbed up the wall.”
Hadith Referenceسنن دارمي / من كتاب الصللاة / 1219
Hadith Takhrijیہ حدیث صحیح متفق علیہ ہے۔ دیکھئے: [بخاري 521] ، [مسلم 610] و [أصحاب السنن، أحمد 274/5] ، [ابن حبان 1449] ، [الحميدي 456]
Brief Explanation
(Commentary on Hadiths 1218 to 1219)
From this hadith, it is understood that the timings of prayer (salat) hold great importance, because Jibril (alayhis salam) taught it both verbally and practically on behalf of Allah Ta’ala. Furthermore, it is shown that performing each prayer at its earliest time is greatly beloved to Allah.
As is mentioned in the hadith: Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radi Allahu anhu) asked, “Which deed is most beloved to Allah Ta’ala?” He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: “To perform the prayer at its earliest time.” «(أو كما قال عليه الصلاة والسلام)» See: Number (1259) and [بخاري 527].
In this hadith, besides the specification of the times for the five prayers, there are also many other benefits. One is that, in order to remove opposition to the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), it is permissible for scholars to go to the courts of rulers. Also, in this hadith, there is the virtue of performing prayer at its earliest time, and it is also established from this that accepting what is correct is proper.