CHAPTER: The Times Of As-Salat.
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: Gabriel صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم led me in prayer at the House (i. e. the Kabah). He prayed the noon prayer with me when the sun had passed the meridian to the extent of the thong of a sandal; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when the shadow of everything was as long as itself; he prayed the sunset prayer with me when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when the twilight had ended; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when food and drink become forbidden to one who is keeping the fast. On the following day he prayed the noon prayer with me when his shadow was as long as himself; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when his shadow was twice as long as himself; he prayed the sunset prayer at the time when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when about the third of the night had passed; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when there was a fair amount of light. Then turning to me he said: Muhammad, this is the time observed by the prophets before you, and the time is anywhere between two times.
Ibn Shihab said: Umar bin Abdul Aziz was sitting on the pulpit and he somewhat postponed the afternoon prayer. Urwah bin al-Zubair said to him: Gabriel informed Muhammed صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم of the time of prayer . So Umar said to him: Be sure of what you are saying . Urwah then replied: I heard Bashir bin Abu Masud say that he heard Abu Masud al-Ansari say that he heard the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلمsay: 'Gabriel came down and informed me of the time of prayer, and I prayed along with him, then prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, reckoning with his fingers five times of the prayer. ' I saw the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم offering the Duhr prayer when the sun had passed the meridian. Sometimes he would delay it when it was sever heat ; and I witnessed that he prayer the Asr prayer when the sun was high and bright before the yellowness had overcome it; then a man could go off after the prayer and reach Dhu'l-Hulaifah before the sunset, and he would pray Maghrib when the sun had set ; and he would pray the 'Isha prayer when darkness prevailed over the horizon; sometime he would delay it until the people assembled; and once he prayer the fair prayer in the darkness of dawn and at another time he prayed it when it became fairly light; but later on he continued to pray in the darkness of dawn until his death; he never prayed it again in the light of the dawn. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted from al-Zuhri by Mamar, Malik, Ibn Uyainah, Shuaib bin Abi Hamzah, and al-Laith bin Saad and others; but they did not mention the time in which he (the Prophet) had prayer, nor did they explain it. And similarly it has been narrated by Hisham bin Urwah and Habib bin Abu Mazruq from Urwah like the report of Mamar and his companions. But Habib did not make a mention of Bashir. And Wahb bin Kaisan reported on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم the time of the Maghrib prayer. He said: Next day he (Gabriel) came to him at the time of the Maghrib prayer when the sun had already set. (He came both days) at the same time. Abu Dawud said: Similarly, this tradition has been transmitted by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. He said: Then he (Gabriel) led me in the sunset prayer next day at the same time. Similarly, this tradition has been narrated through a different chain by Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, through a chain from Hassan bin Atiyyah, from Amr bin Shuaib, from his father, on the authority from the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم.
Abu Musa reported: A man asked the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم [about the prayer times] but he did reply to him but he commanded Bilal, who made the announcement for the beginning of the time of the the fair prayer prayer when the dawn broke. He offered (the fair prayer) when a man (due to darkness) could not recognize the face of his companion ; or a man could not know the person who stood by his side. He then commanded Bilal who made announcement for the beginning of the time of the Zuhr prayer when the sun had passed the meridian until some said: Has the noon come ? While he (the Prophet) knew (the time) well. He the commanded Bilal who announced the beginning of the time of the Asr prayer when the sun was white and high. When the sunset he commanded Bilal who announced beginning of the time of the Maghrib prayer. When the twilight disappeared he commanded Bilal who announced the beginning of the Isha prayer. Next day he offered the Fajr prayer and returned until we said: Has the sun rise ? He observed the Zuhr prayer at the time he has previously observed the Asr prayer. He offered the Asr prayer at the time when the sun had become yellow or the evening had come. He offered the Maghrib prayer before the twilight had ended. He observed the Isha prayer when a third of the night had passed. He then asked: Where is the man who was asking me about the time of prayer. (Then replying to him he said): The time (of your prayer) lies within these two limits. Abu Dawud said: Sulaiman bin Musa has narrated this tradition about the time of the Maghrib prayer from Musa from Ata on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. This version adds: He then offered the Isha prayer when a third of the night had passed, as narrated (he said the Isha prayer) when half the night had passed. This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Buraidah on the authority of his father from the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in a similar way.
Abdullah bin Amr reported the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم as saying: The time of the Zuhr prayer is as along as the time of the Asr prayer has not come; the time of the Asr prayer is as long as the sun has not become yellow ; the time of the Maghrib prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the Isha prayer is up to midnight; and the time of the Fajr prayer is as long as the sun has not risen.
