Sahih Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 256-264
Chapter 36: The evidence for those who say that “the middle
prayer” is the `Asr prayer.
'Ali reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said: On the day (of the Battle) of Ahzab we were diverted from the middle
prayer, till the sun set. May Allah fill their graves or their houses, or their
stomachs with fire. The narrator is in doubt about" houses" and"
stomachs". (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 256)
This hadith has heed
narrated by Qatada with the same chain of transmitters. And he said:
Their houses and their
graves (be filled with fire), and did not express doubt over the words,"
houses" and" graves". (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 257)
Yahya heard 'Ali saying
that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said on the day (of the Battle) of Ahzab, while
sitting in one of the openings of the ditch:
They (the enemies) have
diverted us from the middle prayer till the sun set. May Allah fill their
graves and their houses with fire, or their graves and stomachs with fire. (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 258)
'Ali reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said on the day (of the Battle) of Ahzab: They diverted us from saying the
middle prayer, i. e. the 'Asr prayer. May Allah fill their houses and graves
with fire; he then observed this prayer between the evening prayer and the
night prayer. (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 259)
'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud)
reported that the polytheists detained the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) from
observing the afternoon prayer till the sun became red or it became yellow.
Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
They have diverted us from
(offering) the middle prayer. i. e. the 'Asr prayer. May Allah fill their
bellies and their graves with fire, or he said: May Allah stuff their bellies
and their graves with fire. (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 260)
Abu Yunus, the freed slave
of 'A'isha said:
'A'isha ordered me to
transcribe a copy of the Qur'an for her and said: When you reach this
verse:" Guard the prayers and the middle prayer" (ii. 238), inform
me; so when I reached it, I informed her and she gave me dictation (like this):
Guard the prayers and the middle prayer and the afternoon prayer, and stand up
truly obedient to Allah. 'A'isha said: This is how I have heard from the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 261)
Al-Bara' b. 'Azib reported:
This verse was revealed (in
this way):" Guard the prayers and the 'Asr prayer." We recited it (in
this very way) so long as Allah desired. Allah, then, abrogated it and it was
revealed:" Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer." A person who
was sitting with Shaqiq (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said:
Now it implies the 'Asr prayer. Upon this al-Bara' said: I have already
informed you how this (verse) was revealed and how Allah abrogated it, and
Allah knows best.
Imam Muslim said: Ashja'i
narrated it from Sufyan al-Thauri, who narrated it from al-Aswad b. Qais, who
narrated it from 'Uqba, who narrated it from al-Bara' b. 'Azib who said: We
recited with the Prophet (ﷺ) (the above-mentioned verse like this, i. e.
instead of Salat al- Wusta, Salat al-'Asr) for a certain period. as It has been
mentioned (in the above-quoted hadith). (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 262)
Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported
that Umar b. al-Khattab had been cursing the pagans of the Quraish an the day
(of the Battle) of Khandaq (Ditch). (He came to the Holy Prophet) and said:
Messenger of Allah, by God,
I could not say. the 'Asr prayer till the sun set. Upon this the Messenger (ﷺ)
said: By Allah I, too, have not observed it. So we went to a valley. The
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed ablution and we too performed ablution, and
then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the 'Asr prayer after the sun had set. and
then said the evening prayer after it. (Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 263)
This hadith has
been reported by Yahya b. Abd Kathir with the same chain of transmitters.
(Sahih
Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 264)
Sahih Muslim Book 5 – Hadith 256-264
Sahih Muslim
Book 5 – Hadith 251-255 - SOLTLANE