"O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will gain me admittance to Paradise." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the Salah, pay the Zakah and uphold the ties of kinship. Let go!" - as if he was riding his camel. [1] [1] As if he was riding his camel and the man had grabbed hold of its reins to ask this question.
"I heard Abu Juhaifah say: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set off at midday, during the time of intense heat' - (One of the narrators) Ibn Al-Muthanna said, to Al-Batha' - and he performed Wudu', and prayed Zuhr, two Rak'ahs, and 'Asr, two Rak'ahs, with a short spear ('Anzah) in front of him.
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنِ الْقَعْقَاعِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي يُونُسَ، مَوْلَى عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ أَمَرَتْنِي عَائِشَةُ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ لَهَا مُصْحَفًا فَقَالَتْ إِذَا بَلَغْتَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ فَآذِنِّي { حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلاَةِ الْوُسْطَى } فَلَمَّا بَلَغْتُهَا آذَنْتُهَا فَأَمْلَتْ عَلَىَّ حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلاَةِ الْوُسْطَى وَصَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ . ثُمَّ قَالَتْ سَمِعْتُهَا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
"Aishah told me to copy a Mushaf for her, and she said: 'When you reach this verse, call my attention: Guard strictly the Salawat especially the middle (Al-Wusta) Salah. [1] When I reached it, I called her attention and she dictated to me: 'Guard strictly the Salawat expecially the middle (Al-Wusta) Salah and the 'Asr prayer, and stand before Allah with obedience.' Then she said: 'I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).'" [1] Al-Baqarah 2:238.
"Abu Al-Malih narrated to me: 'We were with Buraidah on a cloudy day and he said: "Pray early, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever abandons Salat Al-'Asr, his good deeds will perish.'"
"We used to estimate how long the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood when praying in Zuhr and 'Asr. We estimated that he stood in Zuhr for as long as it take to recite thirty verses, as long as Surat As-Sajadah in the fits two Rak'ahs, and half that in the last two. And we estimated that he stood for as long in the fits two Rak'ahs, and half that in the last two. And we estimated that he stood for as long in the first two Rak'ahs of 'Asr as he stood in the last two Rak'ahs of Zuhr, and we estimated that he stood half as long as that in the last two Rak'ahs of 'Asr."
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to stand in Zuhr and recite the equivalent of thirty verses in each Rak'ah, then in the first two Rak'ahs of 'Asr he would stand for the equivalent of fifteen verses."