[Sharh Muwatta Imaam Maalik – Shaikh Zubair Ali Zai] – Hadeeth No.5 –:– The Time for Asr Prayer

 Translation of Mukhtasar Muwatta Imaam Maalik

Hadeeth No.1 – The Imaam Should be Followed

Hadeeth No.2 – The Permissibility To Kill A Disbelieving Combatant After Conquering Them

Hadeeth No.3 –   Beginning From The Right Side Whilst Distributing Something

Hadeeth No.4 – It is not Allowed to be Angry (with your Fellow Muslim brother) For More than 3 Days

HADEETH NO.5

The Time For Asr Prayer

Mentioning the five hadeeth of Abee Bakr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Ubaydillah ibn Abdillah ibn Shihaab az-Zuhree from Anas.

[No.5]    And with the same chain of narration he said, “We would pray Asr and then anyone who went to Quba would arrive whilst the Sun was high”

[GRADING] – [SAHEEH]

Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhree clarified (hearing this hadeeth from Anas (RadhiAllaahu Anhu) in Bukharee (no.550)

[REFERENCES] – [AGREED UPON]

al-Muwatta (Yahya’s narration (1/9 hadeeth no.10, book 1, chapter 1 hadeeth no.11) at-Tamheed (6/177) and al-Istidhkaar (no.9)

Transmitted by Bukharee (no.551) and Muslim (no.621) from the hadeeth of Maalik.

[UNDERSTANDING FROM THE HADEETH]

1)      At the time of the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhee Was-Sallam) the distance from Madeenah Munawwarah to Quba was 2 (Arabic) miles. (See Mu’jamul Buldaan (4/302). The Arabic Hashimee mile is equivalent to 4000 arm lengths meaning 1609 metres. (See al-Qamoos ul-Waheed (pg.1597) From this calculation the distance is 3 kilometres and 218 metres. It is known (from this hadeeth) that the Asr prayer (after when the shadow of everything is as long as (equivalent to) itself) should be prayed quickly.

2)      The noble Messenger (Sallalahu Alayhee Was-Sallam) said, “Jibraeel (Alayhee-Sallam) prayed the Asr prayer with me until the time when everything’s shadow is as long as (equivalent to) itself. (Sunan at-Tirmidhee: (no.149) and its chain is [Hasan] good and Tirmidhee said, “ [Hasan] good hadeeth” and Ibn Khuzaimah authenticated it: (no.352) and Ibn Hibbaan: (no.279) and Ibn al-Jarood: (no.149), and Haakim (1/193) and Nimawi in Aathaar as-Sunan: (no.194) and others)

3)      There is no established proof to perform the Asr prayer when everything’s shadow is twice as long as itself, without a valid excuse legislated in the Sharee’ah. Nimawi the (Hanafi) blind follower writes, “And I have not found an explicitly clear, authentic or weak hadith that the time for Zuhr stays until when everything’s shadow is twice as long as itself. (Aathaar as-Sunan: (no.199)

4)      The Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhee Was-Sallam) declared those people who pray the Asr prayer late without a valid excuse legislated in the Sharee’ah as being hypocrites. (Saheeh Muslim (no.622)  (numbering) Darussalam: (no.1412)