'Aishah commanded me to write for her come passage from the Qur'an. She also added: When you reach the following verse, inform me: "Be guardian of your prayers and of the midmost prayer" (2:238). When I reached it, I informed her. She asked me to write: "Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and of the 'Asr prayer, and stand up with devotion of Allah" (2:238). 'Aishah then said: I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ أَبِي حَكِيمٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الزِّبْرِقَانَ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي الظُّهْرَ بِالْهَاجِرَةِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصَلِّي صَلاَةً أَشَدَّ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْهَا فَنَزَلَتْ { حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلاَةِ الْوُسْطَى } وَقَالَ " إِنَّ قَبْلَهَا صَلاَتَيْنِ وَبَعْدَهَا صَلاَتَيْنِ " .
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer the Zuhr prayer in midday heat; and no prayer was harder on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that this one. Hence the revelation came down: "Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer" (2:238). He (the narrator) said: There are two prayers before it and two prayers after it.
If anyone says a rak'ah of the 'Asr prayer before sunset, he has observed (the 'Asr prayer), and if anyone performs a rak'ah of the Fajr prayer, he has observed (the Fajr prayer).
We came upon Anas b. Malik after the Zuhr prayer. He stood for saying the 'Asr prayer. When he became free from praying, we mentioned to him about observing prayer in its early period or he himself mentioned it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: This is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray: He sits (watching the sun), and when it becomes yellow and is between the horns of the devil, or is on the horns of the devil, he rises and prays for rak'ahs quickly, remembering Allah only seldom during them.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الَّذِي تَفُوتُهُ صَلاَةُ الْعَصْرِ فَكَأَنَّمَا وُتِرَ أَهْلَهُ وَمَالَهُ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَقَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ " أُتِرَ " . وَاخْتُلِفَ عَلَى أَيُّوبَ فِيهِ وَقَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ عَنْ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " وُتِرَ " .
Anyone who loses his 'Asr prayer is like a person whose family has perished and whose property has been plundered. Abu Dawud said: 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar narrated the word utira (instead of wutira, meaning perished). The dispute on this point goes back to Ayyub. Al-Zuhri reported from Salim on the authority of this father from the Prophet (ﷺ) the word 'wutira'.
Marthad ibn Abdullah said: When AbuAyyub came upon us to fight the infidels and in those days Uqbah ibn Amir was the Governor of Egypt, he (Uqbah) delayed the sunset prayer. Hence AbuAyyub stood and said: What kind of prayer is this, Uqbah? He said: We were busy. He said: Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: My community will remain well, or he said: will remain on its natural condition, so long as it would not delay the evening prayer until the stars shine brightly just like a network.
I am the one who is best informed of the time of this prayer, i.e. the night prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer it at the hour when the moon went down on its third night.