Muwatta Imam Malik — The Times of Prayer

He said, "Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi related to me from Malik ibn Anas from Ibn Shihab that one day Umar ibn Abdal-Aziz delayed the prayer. Urwa ibn az-Zubayr came and told him that al-Mughira ibn Shuba had delayed the prayer one day while he was in Kufa and Abu Masud al- Ansari had come to him and said, 'What's this, Mughira? Don't you know that the angel Jibril came down and prayed and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed.' Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then Jibril said, 'This is what you have been ordered to do.' Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz said, 'Be sure of what you relate, Urwa. Was it definitely Jibril who established the time of the prayer for the Messenger of Allah?' " Urwa said, "That's how it was related to Bashir ibn Abi Masud al-Ansari by his father

قال حدثني يحيى بن يحيى الليثي، عن مالك بن انس، عن ابن شهاب، ان عمر بن عبد العزيز، اخر الصلاة يوما فدخل عليه عروة بن الزبير فاخبره ان المغيرة بن شعبة اخر الصلاة يوما وهو بالكوفة فدخل عليه ابو مسعود الانصاري فقال ما هذا يا مغيرة اليس قد علمت ان جبريل نزل فصلى فصلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم صلى فصلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم صلى فصلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم صلى فصلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم صلى فصلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم قال " بهذا امرت " . فقال عمر بن عبد العزيز اعلم ما تحدث به يا عروة او ان جبريل هو الذي اقام لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقت الصلاة قال عروة كذلك كان بشير بن ابي مسعود الانصاري يحدث عن ابيه

Urwa said that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace used to pray asr while the sunlight was pouring into her room, before the sun itself had become visible (i.e. because it was still high in the sky)

قال عروة ولقد حدثتني عايشة زوج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يصلي العصر والشمس في حجرتها قبل ان تظهر

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Ata ibn Yasar said, "A man came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked him about the time of the subh prayer. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not answer him, but in the morning he prayed subh at first light. The following morning he prayed subh when it was much lighter, and then said, 'Where is the man who was asking about the time of the prayer?' The man replied, 'Here I am, Messenger of Allah.' He said,'The time is between these two

وحدثني يحيى، عن مالك، عن زيد بن اسلم، عن عطاء بن يسار، انه قال جاء رجل الى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فساله عن وقت صلاة الصبح قال فسكت عنه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى اذا كان من الغد صلى الصبح حين طلع الفجر ثم صلى الصبح من الغد بعد ان اسفر ثم قال " اين السايل عن وقت الصلاة " . قال ها انا ذا يا رسول الله . فقال " ما بين هذين وقت

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray subh and the women would leave wrapped in their garments and they could not yet be recognised in the darkness

وحدثني يحيى، عن مالك، عن يحيى بن سعيد، عن عمرة بنت عبد الرحمن، عن عايشة، زوج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم انها قالت ان كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ليصلي الصبح فينصرف النساء متلفعات بمروطهن ما يعرفن من الغلس

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar and from Busr ibn Said and from al-Araj-all of whom related it from Abu Hurayra - that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever manages to do a raka of subh before the sun has risen has done subh in time, and whoever manages to do a raka of asr before the sun has set has done asr in time

وحدثني عن مالك، عن زيد بن اسلم، عن عطاء بن يسار، وعن بسر بن سعيد، وعن الاعرج، كلهم يحدثونه عن ابي هريرة، ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال " من ادرك ركعة من الصبح قبل ان تطلع الشمس فقد ادرك الصبح ومن ادرك ركعة من العصر قبل ان تغرب الشمس فقد ادرك العصر

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi', the mawla of Abdullah ibn Umar, that Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to his governors saying, "The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever protects it and observes it carefully is protecting his deen, while whoever is negligent about it will be even more negligent about other things." Then he added, "Pray dhuhr any time from when the afternoon shade is the length of your forearm until the length of your shadow matches your height. Pray asr when the sun is still pure white, so that a rider can travel two or three farsakhs before the sun sets. Pray maghrib when the sun has set. Pray isha any time from when the redness in the western sky has disappeared until a third of the night has passed - and a person who sleeps, may he have no rest, a person who sleeps, may he have no rest. And pray subh when all the stars are visible and like a haze in the sky

وحدثني عن مالك، عن نافع، مولى عبد الله بن عمر ان عمر بن الخطاب، كتب الى عماله ان اهم امركم عندي الصلاة فمن حفظها وحافظ عليها حفظ دينه ومن ضيعها فهو لما سواها اضيع . ثم كتب ان صلوا الظهر اذا كان الفىء ذراعا الى ان يكون ظل احدكم مثله والعصر والشمس مرتفعة بيضاء نقية قدر ما يسير الراكب فرسخين او ثلاثة قبل غروب الشمس والمغرب اذا غربت الشمس والعشاء اذا غاب الشفق الى ثلث الليل فمن نام فلا نامت عينه فمن نام فلا نامت عينه فمن نام فلا نامت عينه والصبح والنجوم بادية مشتبكة

Yahya related to me from Malik, from his uncle Abu Suhayl from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to Abu Musa saying that he should pray dhuhr when the sun had started to decline, asr when the sun was still pure white before any yellowness had entered it maghrib when the sun had set, and to delay isha as long as he did not sleep, and to pray subh when the stars were all visible and like a haze in the sky and to read in it two long suras from the mufassal

وحدثني عن مالك، عن عمه ابي سهيل، عن ابيه، ان عمر بن الخطاب، كتب الى ابي موسى ان صل الظهر، اذا زاغت الشمس والعصر والشمس بيضاء نقية قبل ان يدخلها صفرة والمغرب اذا غربت الشمس واخر العشاء ما لم تنم وصل الصبح والنجوم بادية مشتبكة واقرا فيها بسورتين طويلتين من المفصل

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to Abu Musa al-Ashari that he should pray asr when the sun was still pure white so that a man could ride three farsakhs (before maghrib) and that he should pray Isha during the first third of the night, or, if he delayed it, then up until the middle of the night, and he warned him not to be forgetful

وحدثني عن مالك، عن هشام بن عروة، عن ابيه، ان عمر بن الخطاب، كتب الى ابي موسى الاشعري ان صل العصر، والشمس، بيضاء نقية قدر ما يسير الراكب ثلاثة فراسخ وان صل العشاء ما بينك وبين ثلث الليل فان اخرت فالى شطر الليل ولا تكن من الغافلين

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Ziyad that Abdullah ibn Rafi, the mawla of Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked Abu Hurayra about the time of the prayer. Abu Hurayra said, "Let me tell you. Pray dhuhr when the length of your shadow matches your height, asr when your shadow is twice your height, maghrib when the sun has set, isha in the first third of the night, and subh in the very first light of dawn," i.e. when the dawn has definitely come

وحدثني عن مالك، عن يزيد بن زياد، عن عبد الله بن رافع، مولى ام سلمة زوج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم انه سال ابا هريرة عن وقت الصلاة فقال ابو هريرة انا اخبرك صل الظهر اذا كان ظلك مثلك والعصر اذا كان ظلك مثليك والمغرب اذا غربت الشمس والعشاء ما بينك وبين ثلث الليل وصل الصبح بغبش . يعني الغلس

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha that Anas ibn Malik said, "We would pray asr and anyone who then went to the Bani Amr ibn Awf would find them praying asr

وحدثني عن مالك، عن اسحاق بن عبد الله بن ابي طلحة، عن انس بن مالك، انه قال كنا نصلي العصر ثم يخرج الانسان الى بني عمرو بن عوف فيجدهم يصلون العصر

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Anas ibn Malik said, "We would pray asr and anyone who then went to Quba would arrive there while the sun was still high

وحدثني عن مالك، عن ابن شهاب، عن انس بن مالك، انه قال كنا نصلي العصر ثم يذهب الذاهب الى قباء فياتيهم والشمس مرتفعة

Yahya related to me from Malik from Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahman that al Qasim ibn Muhammad said, "None of the companions that I met prayed dhuhr until well after noon,"(i.e.until when the sun had lost its fierceness)

وحدثني عن مالك، عن ربيعة بن ابي عبد الرحمن، عن القاسم بن محمد، انه قال ما ادركت الناس الا وهم يصلون الظهر بعشي

Yahya related to me from Malik from his uncle Abu Suhayl ibn Malik that his father said, "I used to see a carpet belonging to Aqil ibn Abi Talib spread out on the day of jumua up to the west wall of the mosque. When the shadow of the wall covered the whole carpet, Umar ibn al-Khattab would come out and pray the jumua prayer." Malik, Abu Suhayl's father, added, "We would then return after the jumua prayer and take our midday sleep

حدثني يحيى، عن مالك، عن عمه ابي سهيل بن مالك، عن ابيه، انه قال كنت ارى طنفسة لعقيل بن ابي طالب يوم الجمعة تطرح الى جدار المسجد الغربي فاذا غشي الطنفسة كلها ظل الجدار خرج عمر بن الخطاب وصلى الجمعة - قال مالك والد ابي سهيل - ثم نرجع بعد صلاة الجمعة فنقيل قايلة الضحاء

Yahya related to me from Malik from Amr ibn Yahya ibn Yahya al- Mazini from Ibn Abi Salit that Uthman ibn Affan prayed jumua in Madina and asr in Malal (a place seventeen miles from Madina). Malik commented, "That was by praying jumua just past midday and then travelling fast

وحدثني عن مالك، عن عمرو بن يحيى المازني، عن ابن ابي سليط، ان عثمان بن عفان، صلى الجمعة بالمدينة وصلى العصر بملل . قال مالك وذلك للتهجير وسرعة السير

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salama ibn Abdar-Rahman from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "Whoever catches a raka of the prayer has caught the prayer

حدثني يحيى، عن مالك، عن ابن شهاب، عن ابي سلمة بن عبد الرحمن، عن ابي هريرة، ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال " من ادرك ركعة من الصلاة فقد ادرك الصلاة

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say, "If the ruku has passed you by, so has the sajda

وحدثني عن مالك، عن نافع، ان عبد الله بن عمر بن الخطاب، كان يقول اذا فاتتك الركعة فقد فاتتك السجدة

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Umar and Zayd ibn Thabit used to say, "Whoever catches the raka`ah has caught the sajda

وحدثني عن مالك، انه بلغه ان عبد الله بن عمر، وزيد بن ثابت، كانا يقولان من ادرك الركعة فقد ادرك السجدة

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abu Hurayra used to say, "Whoever catches the ruku has caught the sajda and whoever misses the recitation of the umm al-Qur'an has missed much good

وحدثني يحيى، عن مالك، انه بلغه ان ابا هريرة، كان يقول من ادرك الركعة فقد ادرك السجدة ومن فاته قراءة ام القران فقد فاته خير كثير

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "Duluk ash-shams begins from when the sun passes the meridian

حدثني يحيى، عن مالك، عن نافع، ان عبد الله بن عمر، كان يقول دلوك الشمس ميلها

Yahya related to me from Malik that Da'ud ibn al-Husayn said that someone had told him Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say, "Duluk ash-shams begins from when the sun passes the meridian. Ghasaq al-layl is the gathering of the night and its darkness

وحدثني عن مالك، عن داود بن الحصين، قال اخبرني مخبر، ان عبد الله بن عباس، كان يقول دلوك الشمس اذا فاء الفىء وغسق الليل اجتماع الليل وظلمته