I went with my father to Abu Barzah al-Aslami, and my father asked him: How did the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) use to perform the obligatory prayers?

Explanation

In this Hadīth, Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the times of the obligatory prayers. He first related that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer the Zhuhr prayer when the sun began to move from the middle of the sky toward the west. This is the earliest time of the Zhuhr prayer. Then, he would offer the ‘Asr prayer, and after that some worshipers could go to their houses at the farthest place in Madīnah while the sun was still hot. This is the earliest time of the ‘Asr prayer. As for the Maghrib prayer, the narrator forgot what had been said about it. However, it has been established by reports and consensus that its time begins with sunset. The Hadīth also states that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) liked to delay offering the ‘Ishā' prayer, because the best time to offer it is the latter part of its preferred time. He disliked to sleep before offering ‘Ishā' prayer lest he might delay it beyond its preferred time or miss offering it in congregation. He also feared oversleeping and thus missing Qiyām al-Layl. He disliked having a conversation after offering the ‘Ishā' prayer lest it keeps him from offering the Fajr prayer on time or in congregation. After the Fajr prayer, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would leave at a time when a man could recognize the one sitting next to him, even though he would recite 60 to 100 verses in the prayer; an indication that he used to offer the prayer while it was still dark.

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