Prayer Section · 2 – Prayer Times
From Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Jibril led me in prayer near the Ka‘bah twice. On the first day, he performed the noon prayer when the sun had declined towards the west until its shadow was as long as the thong of a sandal; the afternoon prayer when its shadow was equal to its height; the evening prayer at the time when the fasting person breaks his fast; the night prayer at the time when the twilight faded; and the dawn prayer at the time when the first rays of light appeared and it was forbidden to eat or drink.
When the second day arrived, he performed the noon prayer when the shadow of a thing was one measure; the afternoon prayer when the shadow of everything was two measures; the evening prayer at the time when the fasting person breaks his fast; the night prayer when a third of the night had passed; and the dawn prayer when the surroundings were illuminated, and then he turned to me and said:
‘O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, this is the time of prayer for those prophets before you. And the time is between these two times.’"
It is narrated from Ibn al-Shabbān that:
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz was sitting on the pulpit one day and delayed the afternoon prayer somewhat. Urwa ibn Zubayr said to him, “Did Jibril not inform the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about the time of the prayer?” ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz said, "Explain what you have said." Urwa said: I heard Bashir ibn Abi Mas’ūd recounting that Abu Mas’ud al-Ansārī narrated from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, “Jibril came to me announcing the times of the prayers. I prayed with him. Then I prayed with him again. Then I prayed with him again. Then I prayed with him again. Then I prayed with him again. Then I prayed with him again.” Abu Mas’ud al-Ansārī was counting the five [prayers] with his fingers.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would perform the midday prayer when the sun began to decline westward. On days of intense heat, he would delay it somewhat. I saw him performing the afternoon prayer while the sun was high and white, before yellowness entered it. A person could leave Medina after the prayer and reach Zuhlujayfa before sunset. He would perform evening prayer as soon as the sun set, and night prayer when the horizon darkened. Sometimes he would delay evening prayer to gather a congregation. As for the morning prayer, he would perform it in the dim light, and sometimes when the darkness had dispersed. He continued performing it in the dim light until his death, never abandoning it.
Abu Dawud said: This hadith was narrated by Zuhri from Ma’mar, Malik ibn Uwayna, Shu’ayb ibn Hamza, Layth ibn Sa’d, and others. However, they did not mention the time he prayed or its explanation.
Hisham ibn Urwa and others narrated it in a manner similar to Ma’mar's narration from Urwa. But Habib ibn Abi Marzuk omitted Bashir. Wahab ibn Kaysan narrated from Jabir that he also recounted from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about the time of evening prayer. Jabir said: On the second day, Jibril came to him for evening prayer at the same time as he would come for a single time [of prayer]. [273]
Abu Dawud narrated from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: And it is related from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn As through the hadith of Hasan ibn Atiyya, from Amr ibn Shu’aib, who recounted from his father, who recounted from his grandfather, who recounted from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
A person asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) about the times of prayer.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) did not answer him, but when dawn broke, he ordered Bilal to pronounce the call for the morning prayer. A man performed the prayer in such darkness that he could not recognize the face of his companion or the person next to him. For the noon prayer, he commanded it to be pronounced when the sun turned towards the west, and at a time when someone knowledgeable about the day would say, “The day is half over.” For the afternoon prayer, he ordered it to be pronounced while the sun was still high and white. For the evening prayer, he ordered it to be pronounced when the sun had set. For the night prayer, he ordered it to be pronounced when the twilight had disappeared.
On the second day, he performed the morning prayer and immediately turned around. We said, “Has the sun risen?” He performed the noon prayer at the time of the afternoon prayer of the previous day; the afternoon prayer when the sun began to pale, or he said, "when it darkened;" and the night prayer when it was close to the disappearance of the light of evening, which would be approximately a third of the night. Then he said, “Where is the one who asked about the time of prayer? Indeed, the time is between these two [times].” [274]
Abu Dawud said:
Jabir narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him):
He related the time for the evening prayer as mentioned above. Jabir continued that the Messenger of Allah then performed the night prayer. Some of the companions said that he performed it at a third of the night, while others said at half of it.
Ibn Burayda also narrated from his father, who narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) in the same manner.
Narrated by Abdullah bin Amr, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“The time for the noon prayer continues until the time for the afternoon prayer enters; the time for the afternoon prayer continues until the sun turns yellow; the time for the evening prayer continues until the redness in the twilight subsides; the time for the night prayer continues until midnight; and the time for the morning prayer continues as long as the sun has not risen.” [275]
*Fevrushshafak*: It is the redness that remains on the horizon when the sun sets.
This redness disappears very quickly, so the evening prayer should be hastened.