In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Ifadah Center
for Human Studies and Research
presents:
Mukhtasar Sahih al-Bukhari.
The Book of Prayer Times.
Chapter: Prayer Times and Their Excellence.
On the authority of Ibn Shihab:
'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz once delayed the prayer.
Thereupon, 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr entered upon him
and informed him that al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah had once delayed the prayer while in Iraq,
so Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari entered upon him
and said:
"What is this, O Mughirah?
Do you not know that Gabriel, peace be upon him,
descended and prayed,
so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prayed;
then he prayed,
so the Messenger of Allah prayed;
then he prayed,
so the Messenger of Allah prayed;
then he prayed,
so the Messenger of Allah prayed;
then he prayed,
so the Messenger of Allah prayed;
and then he said:
'With this I have been commanded'?"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Chapter: Prayer Times and Their Excellence."
The prayer times intended here
are the temporal limits,
both their beginnings and endings.
" 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz once delayed the prayer":
meaning he delayed the 'Asr prayer past its preferred, recommended time,
though this was not his usual practice.
"What is this?":
meaning, what is this delay?
"that Gabriel, peace be upon him,
descended and prayed,
so the Messenger of Allah prayed":
their apparent wording suggests that his prayer, peace be upon him,
took place after Gabriel, peace be upon him, had finished praying;
however, what is explicitly stated in the Sunan collections
is that Gabriel, peace be upon him, led the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in prayer.
"With this I have been commanded":
meaning, to perform the prayers at these specified times.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from this hadith
that the prayer times are divinely ordained (tawqifiyyah),
and that the number of obligatory prayers is five.
The hadith also provides evidence that the prayer time is among its mandatory conditions,
and that a prayer is invalid if performed before its time.
It also shows the permissibility of questioning a scholar to seek clarification,
and the obligation of returning to the Sunnah in disputes.
On the authority of 'A'ishah:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to pray 'Asr
while the sun was still shining in her chamber before it ascended.
In another narration:
"while the sun was shining in my chamber, before the shade had ascended."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Before it ascended":
meaning before it climbed and rose onto the roof of the chamber.
"while the sun was shining in my chamber":
what is meant
is praying 'Asr early in its time.
Key benefits of the hadith:
The hadith indicates that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
used to pray 'Asr at the beginning of its designated time.
It also encourages hastening to perform the prayer at the beginning of its time.
Chapter:
Prayer is an Expiation.
On the authority of Shaqiq, who said:
I heard Hudhayfah say:
We were sitting with 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
and he said:
"Which of you remembers the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
regarding the tribulation (fitnah)?"
I said: "I do, exactly as he stated it."
He said:
"You are indeed bold in reciting it!"
I said:
"A man's tribulation regarding his family, wealth,
child, and neighbor
is expiated by prayer, fasting, charity,
and enjoining good and forbidding evil."
He said:
"This is not what I meant;
rather, the tribulation that will surge like the surging waves of the sea."
He replied:
"You have no cause for concern regarding it, O Commander of the Believers;
between you and it stands a closed door."
He asked:
"Will that door be broken down or opened?"
He said:
"It will be broken down."
He said:
"Then it will never be closed again!"
In another narration:
"Then it is all the more likely never to be closed until the Day of Resurrection."
And in another narration,
he said:
I said, "Indeed."
We asked:
"Did 'Umar know who the door was?"
He said, "Yes,
just as he knew that the night precedes tomorrow morning;
for I narrated to him a hadith that was free of errors."
Yet we were awed to ask Hudhayfah,
so we instructed Masruq, and he asked him,
and he said:
"The door is 'Umar."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The tribulation" (al-fitnah):
that is, trial and testing,
which can occur in both good and evil.
"I do, exactly as he stated it":
meaning, I have memorized it just as he pronounced it.
"Bold" (jari'):
boldness here means having the courage to speak or act without hesitation.
"Is expiated" (tukaffiruha):
expiation (kaffarah)
refers to an act or good deed whose nature
is to cover up sin and wipe it out.
"Enjoining":
meaning enjoining what is good.
"And forbidding":
meaning forbidding what is evil.
"Surge" (tamuj):
meaning it will churn violently, its waves colliding with one another,
because of its sheer magnitude and severity.
"Cause for concern" (ba's):
meaning distress or harm.
"I narrated to him a hadith that was free of errors":
meaning I related to him a true, verified narration
from the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
not derived from personal opinion or deduction.
"We were awed" (hibna):
meaning we were too hesitant and reverent.
"All the more likely" (ajdar):
meaning all the more fitting, expected, and certain.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from this hadith
a clear statement of the virtue of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him;
he was the protective barrier standing between tribulations and Islam,
and he was the door itself.
So as long as 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was alive,
those tribulations could not enter,
but once he passed away, they broke through.
The hadith also shows
that those major tribulations
would begin their emergence upon the death of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
and would never cease thereafter.
It also indicates that tribulations vary in severity, some being far greater than others.
It highlights that the lighter tribulations
are those a person faces regarding his neighbor, family, child, and wealth,
which consist of the everyday unpleasantness, grief,
neglect of duties, and similar minor faults that arise among them.
It also demonstrates the great virtue of Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him,
as he was the foremost memorizer and expert of the hadiths concerning tribulations.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him:
A man kissed a woman,
so he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and mentioned that to him.
Thereupon, it was revealed to him:
"And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds."
“Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.” (11:114)
"That is a reminder for those who remember."
The man asked:
"Is this exclusively for me?"
He replied:
"It is for whoever acts upon it from my Ummah."
Commentary on the hadith:
"A man": he was Abu al-Yusr,
Ka'b ibn 'Amr al-Sulami,
though it has been said to be someone else.
"At the two ends of the day":
meaning morning and evening.
"And at the approach of the night" (zulafan min al-layl):
zulfa denotes nearness or initial portions,
and what is meant is the night prayers.
"Do away with" (yudh-hibna):
meaning they erase and expiate them.
"A reminder for those who remember":
meaning they understand by it what Allah has commanded them and forbidden them,
and comply with those virtuous commands
that yield good deeds
and repel evils and misdeeds.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from this hadith
that no prescribed legal punishment (hadd) is incurred for kissing and the like,
such as touching and other minor offenses.
These fall under minor lapses (al-lamam) which are forgiven by avoiding major sins.
The hadith also shows
that establishing the five daily prayers
serves as a form of repentance for committing minor sins.
It contains an affirmation that the gate of repentance is ever open,
and that repentance is accepted.
The hadith also carries an indication of the virtue of delaying the dawn prayer until daybreak (isfor).
And it indicates that performing good deeds expiates past sins.
Chapter: The Virtue of Performing Prayer in Its Prescribed Time.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
saying, "O Messenger of Allah,
which deed is best?"
He replied, "Prayer at its appointed time."
I asked, "Then which?"
He replied, "Then dutifulness to parents."
I asked, "Then which?"
He replied, "Jihad in the cause of Allah."
So I refrained from asking the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) further;
had I asked for more, he would have told me more.
Commentary on the Hadith:
"Which deed is best?"
Meaning: which deed is best and most beloved to Allah Almighty?
"At its appointed time,"
meaning: performed within its prescribed time.
"Dutifulness to parents,"
meaning: serving them diligently,
and refraining from disobedience and mistreatment toward them.
"Had I asked for more, he would have told me more,"
meaning: had I asked him further questions,
he would have given me more answers.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
From this hadith it is understood:
That righteous deeds vary in virtue before Allah the Exalted.
It shows the propriety of asking about what is most beloved and virtuous to Allah,
so that one may strive harder to maintain it.
It highlights the great importance of honoring parents,
as it was given precedence over jihad,
thus harming them is strictly forbidden.
It demonstrates the permissibility of asking consecutive questions
and seeking legal verdicts on various matters in a single sitting.
It illustrates the scholar's gentleness and patience with the questioner.
It shows that prayer, dutifulness to parents, and jihad are foundational:
whoever maintains them will maintain other duties,
and whoever neglects them will be even more neglectful of other duties;
that is why they were singled out as the best of deeds.
Chapter: The Five Daily Prayers as an Expiation.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah,
that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"Consider: if there were a river at the door of one of you
in which he bathed five times every day,
what do you think that would leave of his dirt?"
They said, "It would leave nothing of his dirt."
He said, "Such is the likeness of the five daily prayers:
by means of them Allah wipes away sins."
Commentary on the Hadith:
"Consider," meaning: tell me.
"That" refers to the act of bathing.
"His dirt" means his filth.
"Wipes away" means expiates.
"Sins" (khataya) is the plural of khati'ah,
which refers to misdeeds and transgressions.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
From this hadith it is understood:
That sins are spiritual filth
that must be cleansed just like physical dirt.
It shows the use of striking parables
to clarify concepts and rulings.
Chapter: Neglecting the Prayer Beyond Its Time.
On the authority of al-Zuhri, who said:
I entered upon Anas ibn Malik
in Damascus while he was weeping,
so I asked, "What makes you weep?"
He replied, "I do not recognize anything of what I witnessed [in early Islam]
except this prayer,
and even this prayer has been neglected!"
Commentary on the Hadith:
Chapter: Neglecting the Prayer Beyond Its Time.
Neglecting it means delaying it—
that is, delaying it until its time expires—
as well as being deficient in its essential pillars and conditions.
"Of what I witnessed"
means: of the practice we were upon
during the era of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
From this hadith it is understood:
The permissibility of weeping over the neglect of religious duties
and the decline of people's religious condition.
It shows that the true standard
is the era of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
in acts of worship, speech, and conduct.
Chapter: Delaying the Zuhr Prayer to Cool Down in Extreme Heat.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah and 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
that he said:
"When the heat becomes intense,
delay the prayer until it cools down,
for intense heat is from the raging heat of Hellfire."
Commentary on the Hadith:
"Delay until it cools down,"
meaning: perform it in the cooler part of the afternoon,
which is the time when
the severity of the midday heat distinctly breaks,
because extreme heat dispels presence of mind and devotion.
"From the raging heat of Hellfire":
The term fayh
denotes the flaring and boiling intensity of heat.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
From this hadith it is understood:
That hardship brings about ease.
It shows the obligation to repel hardship
through available means.
It contains an indication that
Hellfire is already created and presently existing.
On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, who said:
We were with the Prophet (peace be upon him)
on a journey,
and the muezzin intended
to call the adhan for Zuhr.
But the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"Wait until it cools down."
Then he again intended to call the adhan,
so he said to him, "Wait until it cools down."
In one narration:
"Wait, wait,"
until we saw the shadows of the hillocks.
In another narration:
Then he intended to call the adhan,
so he said to him, "Wait until it cools down,"
until the shadows equaled the height of the hillocks.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said,
"Indeed, intense heat is from the raging heat of Hellfire;
so when the heat becomes intense,
delay the prayer until it cools down."
Commentary on the Hadith:
"The muezzin"
was Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him).
"The shadows of the hillocks":
Tulul is the plural of tall,
which refers to any elevated mound of earth or sand on the ground;
such mounds do not usually cast an apparent shadow
except well after the sun passes the meridian (zawal).
"The heat becomes intense,"
meaning: it grows severely hot.
"Delay the prayer until it cools down":
the intended meaning is:
wait until the extreme heat subsides.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
From this hadith it is understood:
The prescribed nature of calling the adhan and the iqamah while traveling.
It shows the eagerness to establish prayer
and bringing it to the attention of the imam and scholar.
The hadith indicates that Hellfire is created and presently existing,
and that hardship brings about ease.
The apparent meaning of the hadith
requires severe heat for delaying the Zuhr prayer to cool down.
It proves the permissibility of delaying prayer past the very beginning of its window,
though scholars differ regarding the extent of this delay.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah,
from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"When the heat becomes intense,
delay the prayer until it cools down,
for intense heat is from the raging heat of Hellfire.
Hellfire complained to its Lord,
saying:
'O my Lord, some parts of me have consumed others!'
So He granted it two breaths:
a breath in winter and a breath in summer.
This accounts for the severest heat you experience,
and the severest bitter cold (zamharir) you experience."
And on the authority of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Delay the prayer until it cools down."
In one narration:
"Delay the Zuhr prayer until it cools down,
for intense heat is from the raging heat of Hellfire."
Commentary on the Hadith:
"O my Lord, some parts of me have consumed others,"
meaning: due to its extreme intensity, it nearly incinerated itself.
"Zamharir"
means: extreme, bitter cold.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) informed us
that when Hellfire exhales in summer,
the heat of its breath intensifies the heat of the sun,
and when it exhales in winter,
its breath intensifies the severe cold reaching the earth,
which is zamharir.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
The hadith indicates that Hellfire is already created and presently existing,
and that Hellfire consists of blazing fire,
having fire in some of its regions
and bitter cold in others.
It also indicates that worldly fire is a portion of the Fire of the Hereafter.
It encourages taking heed from the fire and heat of this world,
remembering the Fire of the Hereafter, and fearing its torment.
We ask Allah for safety from it and from all tribulations.
Chapter: The Time of Zuhr at the Sun's Meridian (Zawal).
On the authority of Sayyar ibn Salamah, who said:
My father and I visited Abu Barzah al-Aslami,
and my father asked him,
"How did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) use to pray the obligatory prayers?"
He replied,
"He used to pray the midday prayer (al-Hajir)—which you call the first prayer—
when the sun had declined past the meridian."
In one narration:
He would pray Dhuhr when the sun passed its meridian,
and he would pray 'Asr,
after which one of us would return to his dwelling in the farthest outskirts of Madinah
while the sun was still bright and hot.
And I forgot what he said regarding Maghrib.
He preferred to delay 'Isha',
which you call al-'Atamah.
In another narration:
"He did not mind delaying 'Isha' until a third of the night had passed,"
then he said, "until midnight."
And he disliked sleeping before it
and engaging in conversation after it.
He would conclude the dawn prayer (Ghadah)
at a time when a man could recognize his companion sitting beside him,
and he would recite between sixty to a hundred verses.
Commentary on the hadith:
The time for Dhuhr begins at midday (zawal).
Zawal means the sun’s decline from the zenith of the sky.
"Al-Maktubah" refers to the obligatory prayers.
The verb kana (was) denotes regularity and continuity.
Al-Hajir:
Al-Hajir and al-Hajirah
refer to the period of intense midday heat.
It is called hajirah because the intense heat causes everything to halt and seek shelter.
"Which you call the first prayer":
It was called the first because it was the first prayer Jibril, peace be upon him, led with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Tadhada means to decline (tazul).
"To his dwelling" refers to his home and family.
"While the sun was still bright and hot" (hayyah):
Meaning its heat still lingered and had not subsided,
and its color remained pure, unchanged.
Al-'Atamah:
Al-'Atamah denotes the deep darkness of the night,
after the twilight has disappeared.
A'tama al-layl means the night has grown completely dark.
"He would conclude the dawn prayer":
Meaning he finished performing the Fajr prayer.
"His companion sitting beside him":
Referring to the person right next to him.
"And he would recite" — that is, during the Fajr prayer —
"between sixty to a hundred,"
meaning verses.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that the key to knowledge is asking questions.
The hadith also contains an indication that the Witr prayer is not obligatory.
It establishes that the prayer times are divinely prescribed (tawqifiyyah),
and the definitive standard for them is the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
It indicates that the time for Dhuhr begins with the sun's decline,
which is a point of scholarly consensus.
There is no interval between its ending and the beginning of 'Asr.
It indicates the recommendation of praying Fajr until the light of dawn spreads (isfor),
and lengthening the recitation within it.
It shows the dislike of staying up for casual conversation after 'Isha',
unless it serves a legitimate benefit,
such as seeking knowledge or the like.
It indicates the recommendation to delay Dhuhr slightly in extreme heat,
and the recommendation to delay the 'Isha' prayer
until a third or half of the night has passed.
Chapter: Delaying Dhuhr to the Time of 'Asr.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
prayed seven and eight rak'ahs in Madinah:
Dhuhr combined with 'Asr, and Maghrib combined with 'Isha'.
Commentary on the hadith:
"He prayed in Madinah" means while he was a resident, not traveling.
"Seven" refers to the combined rak'ahs of Maghrib and 'Isha',
and "eight" refers to the combined rak'ahs of Dhuhr and 'Asr.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that it is permissible to combine two prayers while not traveling.
The apparent wording of the hadith
indicates the permissibility of combining prayers as a resident when there is a genuine need.
Some scholars stipulated
that this should not be taken as a habitual practice.
The hadith also provides evidence for the shared range between prayer times.
Chapter: The Time of 'Asr.
On the authority of Abu Umamah ibn Sahl, who said:
We prayed Dhuhr with 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,
then we went out and entered upon Anas ibn Malik,
only to find him praying 'Asr.
I said, "O uncle, what prayer is this you have just prayed?"
He said, "'Asr,
and this is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
which we used to pray with him."
Commentary on the hadith:
"We prayed with 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,"
meaning in Madinah,
when 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz was governor, before he assumed the Caliphate,
because Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
passed away before 'Umar became Caliph.
Saying "O uncle" was an expression of veneration and honor
toward Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
as he was not his biological uncle.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that prayer times are divinely prescribed,
and their clarification is found in the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
It also demonstrates the permissibility of questioning a scholar
when his apparent action seems contrary to expectation.
On the authority of al-Zuhri, who said:
Anas ibn Malik narrated to me, saying:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to pray 'Asr
while the sun was still high and bright.
A person would then go to the High Orchards (al-'Awali),
— in another narration:
"Then a person would go to Banu 'Amr ibn 'Awf,"
and in another narration:
"Then someone among us would go to Quba' —
and reach them while the sun was still high.
Some of the 'Awali settlements of Madinah
were four miles or so away.
Commentary on the hadith:
"While the sun was still high and bright (hayyah)":
Meaning its heat lingered and its light remained pure.
"A person would then go,"
meaning one of those who had prayed with him,
"to al-'Awali,"
which were villages near Madinah
to the east.
The nearest of them to Madinah
was about two miles or more away,
and the farthest was eight miles away.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that it is recommended to pray 'Asr early in its time.
It also affirms that the prayer times
are divinely ordained,
and their practical demonstration lies in the actions of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Chapter: The Sin of Missing the 'Asr Prayer.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever misses the 'Asr prayer,
it is as though he has been bereaved of his family and wealth."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Whoever misses the 'Asr prayer":
Missing it means delaying it
past its prescribed time without an excuse,
for this is what incurs sin.
"It is as though he has been bereaved (wutira)":
Wutira means to suffer loss.
It is also said
that its meaning is having one's family and wealth stripped away,
leaving him entirely alone with neither kin nor property.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that one must beware of missing the 'Asr prayer,
just as one fears losing all their family and wealth.
It also contains an implicit encouragement to perform 'Asr promptly.
Chapter: One Who Abandons the 'Asr Prayer.
On the authority of Abu al-Malih, who said:
We were with Buraydah on an expedition on an overcast day,
and he said:
"Pray 'Asr early,
for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'Whoever abandons the 'Asr prayer,
his good deeds are nullified.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"On the authority of Abu al-Malih":
He is 'Amir ibn Usamah,
one of the Tabi'un.
"Pray early (bakkaru)":
Meaning hasten, perform it promptly, and take the initiative.
"His good deeds are nullified (habita 'amaluh)":
Meaning his deeds become void
and will not benefit him.
Key benefits of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that it is recommended to pray 'Asr early on an overcast day.
It also emphasizes the imperative of safeguarding the 'Asr prayer
and strongly warns against abandoning it.