SECTION ON PRAYER · 3 – THE TIME WHEN THE PROPHET (PBUH) PERFORMED PRAYERS
Muḥammad ibn ʻĀmir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from Jābir, may Allah be pleased with him:
[That] I asked about the times at which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed his prayers. Jābir said: He performed the Ḍuḥa prayer at midday, the afternoon prayer while the sun was still vibrant, the evening prayer when the sun had set, and the night prayer; if the congregation was large, he would hasten it, and if it was small, he would delay it. And he performed the Fajr prayer during the twilight. (256) [276]
COMMENTARY
The vibrancy of the sun refers to its warmth and intensity, or the continuation of its brightness. The yellowing of the sun is considered its demise.
Abū Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) would perform the noon prayer at the time when the sun began to decline westward, and the afternoon prayer at a time when one could travel to the farthest part of Medina and return before the sun turned yellow. He would delay the evening prayer, and he did not see harm in delaying it until a third and half of the night had passed.
He disliked sleeping without having performed the evening prayer and speaking after performing it. He would perform the morning prayer at a time when one could recognize the face of a friend from among us. And he would recite between sixty and one hundred verses during the recitation in the morning prayer.