(a) Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) says that it reached him from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that they both held that the middle prayer means the morning prayer.
(b) Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) says: This is my view.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2168
It is narrated from Abu Raja' al-Utaridi that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in the morning prayer while he was the governor of Basrah. He recited the qunut before the bowing (ruku') and raised his hands so high that if a man had been in front of him, he would have seen the whiteness of his armpits. When he had completed the prayer, he turned his face towards us and said: This is the prayer about which Allah Almighty has said in His Book: "Guard the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah in devout obedience." [Surah al-Baqarah: 238]
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2170
It is narrated from Abu Raja' that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in the Fajr prayer and recited the qunut before the bowing (ruku'). When he finished the prayer with the salam, he said: This is the middle prayer about which the Exalted Lord has said: "And stand before Allah in devout obedience." [Surah al-Baqarah: 238]
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2171
(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the middle prayer is the morning prayer.
(b) Likewise, this report is also transmitted from Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), and he too drew from it the same evidence that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) drew. This is also the view of Tawus, Mujahid, Ikrimah and Ata' (may Allah have mercy on them).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2172
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحيح لغيره
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح لغيره۔ اخرجه ابن ابي شبية 8616»
(a) It is narrated from Abu Yunus, the freed slave of the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): She ordered me to write a copy of the Qur'an (mushaf) for her, then she said: "When you reach this verse, 'Guard the prayers, especially the middle prayer' [Surah al-Baqarah: 238], let me know." When I reached that place, I informed her, and she dictated to me: "Guard the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and the Asr prayer as well, and stand before Allah in devout obedience." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."
(b) In this there is evidence that the Asr prayer is one prayer and the middle prayer is another.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2173
It is narrated from Amr bin Rafi' (may Allah have mercy on him): I was writing a copy of the Qur'an (mushaf) for the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Mother of the Believers, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she said: When you reach this verse, "Guard the prayers, especially the middle prayer" [Surah al-Baqarah: 238], let me know. When I reached this verse, I informed her (may Allah be pleased with her), and she dictated this to me: "Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer, and the Asr prayer, and stand before Allah in devout obedience."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2174
It is narrated from Nafi' that the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her), instructed the scribe regarding the copy of the Qur'an (mushaf) that was being written for her: "When you reach the mention of the prayer, leave its place blank, so that I may tell you what I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting." So he did so. She (may Allah be pleased with her) dictated: "Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer, and the Asr prayer too." Nafi' said: I saw the waw (the letter 'and') written hanging.
This report is musnad (connected to the Prophet), except that there is irsal (a gap) on the part of Nafi'; he then confirmed it with what he reported of his own observation. And the report of Zayd bin Aslam through Amr the scribe is mawsul (connected); even though it is mawquf, it is a supporting witness to the soundness of the report of Ubaydullah bin Umar from Nafi'.
Through another chain it is transmitted from Umar bin Rafi', the freed slave of Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): I used to write copies of the Qur'an in the time of the Mothers of the Believers, and Sayyidah Hafsah bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with her) had me write a copy for her. She said to me: "My son, when you reach this verse, 'Guard the prayers, especially the middle prayer' [Surah al-Baqarah: 238], do not write it until you bring it to me, and I will dictate it to you as I memorised it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said: When I reached this verse, I took the sheet and the inkpot to her. She said: "Write: 'Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer, which is the Asr prayer, and stand before Allah in devout obedience.'"
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2175
Muhammad bin Ishaq differed from the reports of Zayd bin Aslam and Ubaydullah bin Umar in both the chain and the text: in the chain he said "Umar bin Rafi'," whereas he is in fact Amr bin Rafi', and "Umar" is not correct, as al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said; and in the text he said "which is the Asr prayer," whereas it is in fact "and the Asr prayer." The text of the hadith of Aishah has also been narrated differently, and what is correct is what we have mentioned.
It is transmitted from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he recited: "Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer, and the Asr prayer."
The Book and then the Sunnah have singled out the Fajr prayer for additional virtue.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2176
Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The angels of the day and the night gather in the Fajr prayer." Then Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Recite this verse if you wish: "And (establish) the recitation of dawn; indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed." [Surah al-Isra: 78]
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2177
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever offers the Isha prayer in congregation, it is as if he stood in prayer for half the night, and whoever offers the Fajr prayer in congregation, it is as if he stood in prayer for the whole night."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2178
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jundab bin Sufyan al-Alaqi (may Allah be pleased with him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever offers the morning prayer is under the protection of Allah. So look, O son of Adam, lest Allah demand from you anything concerning His protection."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2179
(a) It is narrated from Jundab bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever offers the morning prayer is under the protection (refuge) of Allah, so let Allah Almighty never demand from you anything concerning His protection, for whomever He demands anything from, He will seize him and throw him on his face into the fire of Hell."
(b) The Book and the Sunnah have mentioned great virtue for both the morning and the Asr prayers.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2180
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح۔ مضٰي في الذي قبله من حديث جندب بن عبدالله»
Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when suddenly his (peace and blessings be upon him) gaze fell upon the full moon, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Listen! You will surely see your Lord just as you see this moon; you will feel no difficulty in seeing Him," or he said: "you will have no doubt. If you are able, then make sure to offer the prayer before sunrise (Fajr) and the prayer before sunset (Asr) (that is, let nothing distract you from these two prayers). Do not get caught up in some task and leave them." Then he recited this verse: "And glorify the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting." [Surah Taha: 130]
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2181
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: "Angels come down to you in succession, some angels by day and some by night, and they gather in the Fajr and Asr prayers. Then those who spent the night among you ascend to the Lord of Majesty and Honour, and Allah Almighty asks them, though He knows everything: 'In what state did you leave My servants?' The angels say: 'When we went to them they were praying, and when we left them they were still praying.'"
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2182
Abu Bakr bin Abdullah bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his father (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever offers the two cool prayers (Fajr and Asr) will surely enter Paradise."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2184
Abu Bakr bin Abdullah bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his father (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays the two cool prayers will surely enter Paradise."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2185
(a) Abu Bakr bin Abdullah bin Qays narrates from his father (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays the two cool prayers will surely enter Paradise."
(b) Some grammarians say that 'ghudwatan wa 'ashiyyan' means morning and evening.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2186
Ibn Umarah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his father (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays before the sun rises and before it sets will not enter Hell." There was a man from the people of Basrah with him, and he asked: "Did you really hear this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said: "Yes! I heard it, and I can also bear witness to it." The man said: "I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say this at the very place where you heard it."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2187
(a) Abdullah bin Fadalah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from his father, who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me matters of the religion of Islam. Among them was this: "Guard the five prayers (that is, offer them at their appointed times)." I said: These are the times when I am busy, so give me a comprehensive command which, if I hold to it, will suffice for me. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Guard the 'asrayn (the two 'Asr) prayers." This word ('asrayn) was not used in our dialect. I asked: What is meant by 'asrayn? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The two prayers before sunrise and before sunset."
(b) The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) says that his (peace and blessings be upon him) meaning was: guard these prayers by offering them at the beginning of their times. But when the man offered the excuse of his occupations, that he would not be able to pray at the appointed time and there would be delay, he (peace and blessings be upon him) told him specifically about these two prayers that he should offer them at the beginning of their time. And Allah knows best, and success is only from Allah.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2188