The short answer
How to pray Asr in brief: follow the stages the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught in Sahih al-Bukhari 793, with calm in each. Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm gives Asr as four rak'ahs with no recitation aloud. Sahih Muslim 451b reports a surah after Al-Fatihah in the first two rak'ahs only.
How do you pray Asr, step by step?
The steps below follow the report of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, in which the Prophet taught a man how to pray 1. That report gives the stages, not a count, so the four rak'ahs come from the sources in the rakats section. For the whole prayer, see how to pray Salah, and for preparation see how to perform wudu. People also search for this as how to read Asr namaz: it is the same prayer.
- Say the opening takbir, Allahu akbar. 1
- Standing: recite Al-Fatihah, then a surah. The Prophet's words are that there is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book. 32
- Bow, and stay calm until you settle in the bow. 1
- Rise until you stand straight, and settle. 1
- Prostrate, and stay calm in the prostration. 1
- Rise and sit calmly until settled, between the two prostrations. 1
- Prostrate again, and stay calm. That completes the first rak'ah. Pray the second the same way, with Al-Fatihah and a surah. 12
- After the second rak'ah, sit and recite the tashahhud (the testimony said while seated). See the tashahhud lesson. 4
- Stand for the third and fourth rak'ahs, with the same stages and Al-Fatihah in each. 21 14
- Sit for the final tashahhud, then finish with the salam to the right and then to the left. Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, saw the Prophet turn enough for the whiteness of his cheek to be seen. 45
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 793
Is Asr recited aloud, and what is recited?
Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm says the community handed down Asr as four rak'ahs with no recitation aloud 14. Abu Qatadah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the Prophet recited the Opening of the Book and a surah in each of the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr. He sometimes let them hear the verse (Sahih al-Bukhari 762) 6. In another wording he adds that the last two rak'ahs had the Opening of the Book (Sahih Muslim 451b) 2. Neither report names a surah.
2AuthenticSahih Muslim 451b
Al-Fatihah in the standing
Learn Al-Fatihah with its meaning in the Al-Fatihah lesson. The Arabic and English are the checked Quran text.
Al-Fatihah 1:1 to 7
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement, You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path, The path of those whom You have favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray.
The words said in bowing, rising and prostration
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, describes a long night prayer in which the Prophet said these words (Sahih Muslim 772) 7. The report describes what he heard. It does not make the words compulsory, and it gives no number of repetitions.
Bowing, Sahih Muslim 772
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna rabbiyal-ʿaẓīm
Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent.
Rising, Sahih Muslim 772
سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ
Samiʿa Allāhu liman ḥamidah
Allah hears whoever praises Him.
Prostration, Sahih Muslim 772
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأَعْلَى
Subḥāna rabbiyal-aʿlā
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.
7AuthenticSahih Muslim 772
How many rakats are in Asr, with the sunnah?
Asr is four rak'ahs. Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm gives that count as one the community handed down 14. 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reports that the prayer was first made two rak'ahs, and after the Prophet migrated it was made four, while the prayer of travel stayed as it was (Sahih al-Bukhari 3935) 8. The count here is for someone at home; shortening while travelling has its own guide: qasr and prayer while travelling.
| Part | Rak'ahs | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Before Asr (voluntary) | Four | Mercy asked for one who prays them, in a report graded differently. 9 |
| Asr itself | Four | No recitation aloud, in Kitab al-Umm. 14 |
| After Asr | Not applicable | No prayer after Asr until the sun sets. 10 |
Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reports the Prophet saying: may Allah have mercy on a man who prays four rak'ahs before Asr (Sunan Abi Dawud 1271, graded differently) 9. Thirteen of the graders in the record accept it and two do not; the sources list names each one. The report asks mercy for the one who prays them and does not make them part of Asr. How each school's work treats these four:
| School | Position in the named work |
|---|---|
| Hanafi | Al-Shurunbulali's Maraqi al-Falah lists four before Asr among the recommended (mandub) prayers. They are not in his list of emphasised sunnahs, which is two before Fajr, four before and two after Zuhr, two after Maghrib and two after Isha. 1615 |
| Maliki | Al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir says voluntary prayer before Asr is emphasised as recommended, with no fixed number: two, four or six may be prayed, though he calls the more complete the reported set: four before Zuhr, four after it, four before Asr and six after Maghrib. 17 |
| Shafi'i | Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin gives four before Asr as one view (qila) in the list of regular sunnahs, and says all the listed prayers are sunnah; the difference is only over which are emphasised. 18 |
| Hanbali | Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni counts no rak'ahs before Asr among the ten regular sunnahs and calls Ibn 'Umar's report an encouragement. In the next kind, voluntary prayers alongside them, he lists four before Asr as recommended. 19 |
9Graded differently Sunan Abi Dawud 1271
For the counts of all five prayers, see how many rakats are in each prayer, and for how the voluntary prayers fit together, sunnah and nafl prayers.
When does Asr start, and what do the four schools say?
Asr starts when Zuhr's time ends, and the schools' works measure that point by shadows. A "shadow length" here is the length of an upright object's shadow, counted after taking away the shadow it already had when the sun was at its highest 2022. The Prophet gave Zuhr's time as running from when the sun has passed the middle of the sky, as long as Asr has not come (Sahih Muslim 612e) 11. The report does not give the shadow length. Each row below follows one named work.
| School | When Asr begins | Its end and preferred time |
|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | Al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah: Zuhr ends, for Abu Hanifa, when a thing's shadow is twice its length, not counting the shadow at the sun's turning; for his two companions (Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani), when it equals its length, which is also reported from Abu Hanifa. Asr begins when Zuhr ends, on both views. 20 | Al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah: Asr lasts until sunset. Delaying it is recommended while the sun has not changed, and delaying it until the sun changes is disliked (makruh). 20 |
| Maliki | Ibn Abi Zayd's al-Risalah: Asr begins at the end of Zuhr's time, when a thing's shadow equals its length after the midday shadow. 21 | Ibn Abi Zayd's al-Risalah: its end is when the shadow is twice the thing's length; it adds that Malik described its time as lasting while the sun has not turned yellow. 21 |
| Shafi'i | Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin: Asr begins when a thing's shadow equals it, not counting the shadow at the sun's zenith. 22 | Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin: Asr remains until sunset, and the preferred choice is not to delay it past the shadow being twice. 22 |
| Hanbali | Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni: Asr begins at the slightest increase of the shadow beyond the thing's length, joined to Zuhr's time. 23 | Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni: the preferred time ends at twice the shadow in one report from Ahmad, or, in the report he calls sounder, when the sun turns yellow. Delaying past it without an excuse is not permitted. 23 |
Ilmwell does not decide between these positions. Say your mosque's timetable and a friend's app give Asr times well apart: one likely reason is the shadow rule each one uses. The prayer times tool offers both settings, Standard (one shadow length) and Hanafi (two), and shows today's times for your place. For the line between Zuhr and Asr from the other side, see how to pray Dhuhr.
11AuthenticSahih Muslim 612e
When does Asr end?
Sahih Muslim 612e gives the time of Asr as lasting while the sun has not turned pale 11. The report gives no clock times. The schools' works in the table above add a preferred time. al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah and al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin say Asr remains until sunset 2022. Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni says delaying past the preferred time without an excuse is not permitted 23.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, heard the Prophet say there is no prayer after the morning prayer until the sun rises, and no prayer after Asr until the sun sets (Sahih al-Bukhari 586) 10. Which prayers the schools exempt, and the time just before sunset, are covered on zawal and the forbidden prayer times. If you have missed Asr, see missed prayers and making them up.
10AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 586
Why is Asr stressed in the Quran and hadith?
Al-Baqarah 2:238 tells the believers to guard the prayers and the middle prayer:
Al-Baqarah 2:238
حَـٰفِظُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلصَّلَوَٰتِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ٱلْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا۟ لِلَّهِ قَـٰنِتِينَ
Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and stand up with devotion to Allah.
The verse does not name the middle prayer. 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that on the day of the Confederates (al-Ahzab) the Prophet said the enemy had kept us from "the middle prayer, the Asr prayer". He then prayed it between Maghrib and Isha (Sahih Muslim 627f) 12.
The works differ on which prayer the verse means. Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni says most scholars, Abu Hanifa and his companions among them, held it to be Asr, and reports al-Shafi'i saying it is Subh (Fajr) 24. Ibn Abi Zayd's al-Risalah says Subh is the middle prayer according to the people of Madinah 25.
12AuthenticSahih Muslim 627f
Abu al-Malih, a Follower (of the generation after the Companions), reports that Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, told his companions to pray Asr early on a cloudy day during a campaign. His reason was that the Prophet said: "Whoever leaves the Asr prayer, his deeds have come to nothing" (Sahih al-Bukhari 553) 13. The report's words are about leaving the prayer. and it does not say that praying late within the time counts as leaving it.
13AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 553
For the surah with the same name, see Surah Al-Asr.
If you are unsure
The schools' named works above differ on when Asr begins and on the voluntary four before it. This guide does not cover recitation behind an imam, joining Asr with Zuhr while travelling, or several missed prayers. For your own situation, ask a teacher you trust.
In winter, Asr comes so early that it used to land in the middle of my afternoon meetings. I started setting a reminder twenty minutes before and praying in my car in the staff car park. It is not glamorous, but it works.
Try it: the reports
Three checks, each with its source.
1In Sahih Muslim 451b, what did the Prophet recite in the last two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr?
Answer: Al-Fatihah. Abu Qatadah reports Al-Fatihah and a surah in the first two rak'ahs, and Al-Fatihah in the last two. Source 2
2Does Sahih al-Bukhari 762 say no verse of Asr was ever heard?
Answer: No. He sometimes let them hear the verse. The report names Zuhr and Asr, and says he sometimes let them hear the verse. Source 6
3In Sahih al-Bukhari 553, what did Buraydah tell people to do on a cloudy day?
Answer: Pray Asr early. He told them to pray Asr early, and gave the Prophet's warning about leaving the Asr prayer. Source 13
Questions people ask
How many rakats is Asr, including the sunnah?
Asr itself is four rak'ahs: al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm gives it as four with no recitation aloud. Four voluntary rak'ahs before it appear in the report of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, in Sunan Abi Dawud 1271, which is graded differently. The four schools' works treat them as recommended or optional, and al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin lists four before Asr among the regular sunnahs in one view, not as part of the four obligatory rak'ahs.
What does Asr mean?
As a prayer name, Asr is the afternoon prayer. Al-Tabari's Jami' al-Bayan, discussing Surah Al-Asr, reports the word al-'asr explained as time and as the late afternoon, and holds that the name covers both. For the surah itself, see the Surah Al-Asr lesson.
Can you pray after Asr?
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, heard the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, say that there is no prayer after Asr until the sun sets (Sahih al-Bukhari 586). Which prayers the schools exempt from this, such as making up a missed prayer, is covered in zawal and the forbidden prayer times.
When does Asr end?
Sahih Muslim 612e gives Asr's time as lasting while the sun has not turned pale. Al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah (Hanafi) and al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin (Shafi'i) say it remains until sunset, with a preferred time before that; Ibn Qudamah's al-Mughni (Hanbali) says delaying past the preferred time without an excuse is not permitted. For today's times, use a local timetable or the prayer times tool.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
The Prophet taught a man the stages of prayer: takbir, recitation, bowing, rising, prostration, sitting, prostration, and calm in each.
Sahih al-Bukhari 793 Book 10, Hadith 188
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 2
Abu Qatadah reports that the Prophet recited the Opening of the Book and a surah in the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr, sometimes letting them hear the verse, and the Opening of the Book in the last two rak'ahs.
Sahih Muslim 451b Book 4, Hadith 175
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 3
The Prophet said there is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fatihat al-Kitab).
Sahih al-Bukhari 756 Book 10, Hadith 150
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 4
Aishah describes the Prophet reciting the tahiyyah at the end of every two rak'ahs and ending the prayer with the salam.
Sahih Muslim 498 Book 4, Hadith 272
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 5
'Amir ibn Sa'd reported from his father, Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to see the Prophet give the salam to his right and to his left.
Sahih Muslim 582 Book 5, Hadith 153
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 6
Abu Qatadah reports that the Prophet recited the Opening of the Book and a surah in each of the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr, and sometimes let them hear the verse.
Sahih al-Bukhari 762 Book 10, Hadith 156
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 7
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported praying one night behind the Prophet, who recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa' and Al 'Imran slowly, glorifying at verses of glory, asking at verses of asking and seeking protection at verses of protection, then bowed saying 'Glory be to my Mighty Lord' for about as long as he had stood, rose saying sami'a Allahu liman hamidah and stood about as long, then prostrated saying 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most High' for about as long.
Sahih Muslim 772 Book 6, Hadith 242
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 8
'Aisha reports that the prayer was first made obligatory as two rak'ahs; after the Prophet migrated it was made four, and the prayer of travel was left as it first was.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3935 Book 63, Hadith 160
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 9
Ibn 'Umar reports the Prophet saying: may Allah have mercy on a person who prays four rak'ahs before Asr.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1271 Book 5, Hadith 22
Graded differently. Here is who graded it which way:
- SoundAl-Albani, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban, 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili, Al-Mundhiri, Ibn al-Mulaqqin, Jamal al-Din al-Mardawi, Ahmad Shakir, Ibn Baz, Al-Wadi'i, Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
- WeakAbu Hafs 'Amr ibn 'Ali al-Fallas, Ibn al-Qattan
- Other remarksAbu Dawud, Ibn al-Qattan, Al-Mizzi, Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi, Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-'Iraqi, Ibn 'Uthaymin, 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili
See each grading in full, with its wording and where it was given
Scholars disagree about this hadith. Here is how each graded it, so you can follow the scholar you trust.
- حسن (hasan): Al-Albani, as shown on sunnah.com
- فيه محمد بن مهيان له مناكير منها هذا الخبر (Muhammad ibn Mihyan has denounced, munkar, reports, and this report is one of them): Abu Hafs 'Amr ibn 'Ali al-Fallas, as quoted in فيض القدير 4/ 24 (as listed on dorar.net)
- سكت عنه [وقد قال في رسالته لأهل مكة كل ما سكت عنه فهو صالح] (silent about it; in his letter to the people of Makkah he says what he is silent about is fit, salih): Abu Dawud, سنن أبي داود 1271 (as listed on dorar.net)
- غريب حسن (hasan gharib): Al-Tirmidhi, سنن الترمذي 430 (as listed on dorar.net)
- أخرجه في صحيحه (included in his Sahih): Ibn Hibban, صحيح ابن حبان 2453 (as listed on dorar.net)
- [أشار في المقدمة أنه صحيح الإسناد] (indicated in his introduction that its chain is sahih): 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili, الأحكام الشرعية الصغرى 293 (as listed on dorar.net)
- ضعيف (weak, da'if): Ibn al-Qattan, الوهم والإيهام 5/702 (as listed on dorar.net)
- [فيه] محمد بن مهران قال عمرو بن علي : روى عنه أبو داود الطيالسي أحاديث منكرة ، وهو من رواية أبي داود الطيالسي عنه (narrator criticism: 'Amr ibn 'Ali said Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi related denounced hadiths from Muhammad ibn Mihran): Ibn al-Qattan, الوهم والإيهام 4/191 (as listed on dorar.net)
- فيه محمد بن مهيان وهاه أبو زرعة (narrator criticism: Abu Zur'ah weakened Muhammad ibn Mihyan): Ibn al-Qattan, فيض القدير 4/ 24 (as listed on dorar.net)
- [إسناده صحيح أو حسن أو ما قاربهما] (its chain is sahih or hasan or close to them, by his stated convention): Al-Mundhiri, الترغيب والترهيب 1/275 (as listed on dorar.net)
- [فيه] محمد بن إبراهيم بن مسلم قال يحيى بن معين والدارقطني ليس به بأس وذكره ابن حبان في الثقات وقال كان يخطئ (narrator information: Ibn Ma'in and al-Daraqutni said of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muslim 'no harm in him'; Ibn Hibban listed him among the trustworthy and said he made mistakes): Al-Mizzi, تهذيب الكمال 16/27 (as listed on dorar.net)
- وهى أبو زرعة رواته (Abu Zur'ah weakened its narrators): Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi, المحرر في الحديث 135 (as listed on dorar.net)
- حسن (hasan): Ibn al-Mulaqqin, البدر المنير 4/286 (as listed on dorar.net)
- اختلف في هذا الحديث فصححه ابن حبان وعلله غيره (scholars differed on it: Ibn Hibban authenticated it and others found a defect in it): Ibn al-Qayyim, زاد المعاد 1/301 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده حسن (its chain is hasan): Jamal al-Din al-Mardawi, كفاية المستقنع لأدلة المقنع 253 (as listed on dorar.net)
- هذا الحديث بهذا اللفظ لا يعرف إلا من هذا الوجه وانتفت فيه وجوه المتابعات والشواهد فغلب عليه وصف الغرابة (this wording is known only by this route, with no corroborating routes or supports, so it is described as gharib): Al-'Iraqi, تحفة الأحوذي 2/283 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده صحيح (its chain is sahih): Ahmad Shakir, تخريج المسند لشاكر 8/183 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده صحيح (its chain is sahih): Ibn Baz, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن باز 10/291 (as listed on dorar.net)
- لا بأس بإسناده (there is no harm in its chain): Ibn Baz, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن باز 10/297 (as listed on dorar.net)
- صحيح (sahih): Ibn Baz, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن باز 10/299 (as listed on dorar.net)
- جيد لا بأس به (good, jayyid, no harm in it): Ibn Baz, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن باز 10/317 (as listed on dorar.net)
- صحيح (sahih): Ibn Baz, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن باز 13/55 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده جيد (its chain is good, jayyid): Ibn Baz, حاشية بلوغ المرام لابن باز 257 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده جيد لا بأس به (its chain is good, jayyid, no harm in it): Ibn Baz, الفوائد العلمية من الدروس البازية 5/62 (as listed on dorar.net)
- جيد (good, jayyid): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 107/7 (as listed on dorar.net)
- لا بأس به، جيد (no harm in it, good, jayyid): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 236/11 (as listed on dorar.net)
- جيد (good, jayyid): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 94/7 (as listed on dorar.net)
- جيد ولا بأس بإسناده (good, jayyid, no harm in its chain): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 359/25 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده جيد (its chain is good, jayyid): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 357/25 (as listed on dorar.net)
- لا بأس به صحيح (no harm in it, sahih): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 303/23 (as listed on dorar.net)
- [ثابت] (established, thabit): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 156/7 (as listed on dorar.net)
- جيد (good, jayyid): Ibn Baz, مجموع الشروح الفقهية. 168/3 (as listed on dorar.net)
- حسن (hasan): Al-Albani, صحيح أبي داود 1271 (as listed on dorar.net)
- حسن (hasan): Al-Albani, صحيح الترمذي 430 (as listed on dorar.net)
- فيه مقال؛ لأن من أهل العلم مَن ضعَّفه، ومنهم مَن حسَّنه (there is discussion about it: some scholars weakened it and some graded it hasan): Ibn 'Uthaymin, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن عثيمين 2/535 (as listed on dorar.net)
- حسنه بعض أهل العلم (some scholars graded it hasan): Ibn 'Uthaymin, فتاوى نور على الدرب لابن عثيمين 5/116 (as listed on dorar.net)
- فيه مقال عند الحفاظ، بعضهم طعن فيه وقال: لا يصح. (the hadith masters discuss it; some criticised it and said it is not sound): Ibn 'Uthaymin, لقاء الباب المفتوح 10/ 417 (as listed on dorar.net)
- حسن (hasan): Al-Wadi'i, الصحيح المسند 714 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده حسن (its chain is hasan): Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, تخريج صحيح ابن حبان 2453 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده حسن (its chain is hasan): Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, تخريج المسند لشعيب 5980 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده حسن (its chain is hasan): Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, تخريج سنن أبي داود 1271 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده حسن (its chain is hasan): Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, تخريج زاد المعاد 1/301 (as listed on dorar.net)
- إسناده حسن (its chain is hasan): Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, تخريج شرح السنة 893 (as listed on dorar.net)
- سكت عنه [وقد قال في المقدمة: وإن لم تكن فيه علة كان سكوتي عنه دليلا على صحته] (silent about it; his introduction says his silence, where there is no defect, indicates soundness): 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili, الأحكام الوسطى 2/ 70 (as listed on dorar.net)
- أخرجه في صحيحه (included in his Sahih): Ibn Khuzaymah, صحيح ابن خزيمة 2/ 356 (as listed on dorar.net)
- [حسن كما قال في المقدمة] (hasan, by the convention stated in his introduction): Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, هداية الرواة 2/25 (as listed on dorar.net)
- 10
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri heard the Prophet say there is no prayer after the morning prayer until the sun rises and no prayer after Asr until the sun sets.
Sahih al-Bukhari 586 Book 9, Hadith 61
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 11
Asked about the prayer times, the Prophet said the time of Zuhr is when the sun has passed the middle of the sky, as long as Asr has not come, and the time of Asr is as long as the sun has not turned pale.
Sahih Muslim 612e Book 5, Hadith 223
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 12
'Ali reports that on the day of the Confederates the Prophet said they had kept them from the middle prayer, the Asr prayer, and he prayed it between Maghrib and Isha.
Sahih Muslim 627f Book 5, Hadith 259
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 13
Abu al-Malih reports that Buraydah, on a cloudy day during a campaign, said to pray Asr early, because the Prophet said: whoever leaves the Asr prayer, his deeds have come to nothing.
Sahih al-Bukhari 553 Book 9, Hadith 30
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 14
Al-Shafi'i's Kitab al-Umm, Kitab al-Salah, 'Adad al-salawat al-khams: the general body of Muslims handed down the count of each prayer: Zuhr four rak'ahs with no aloud recitation, Asr four with no aloud recitation, Maghrib three (aloud in two, quiet in the third), Isha four (aloud in two, quiet in two) and Subh (Fajr) two, aloud in both.
- 15
Al-Shurunbulali (Hanafi), in Maraqi al-Falah, lists the emphasised sunnah prayers (sunnah mu'akkadah) around the daily prayers as: two before Fajr; two after Dhuhr; two after Maghrib; two after Isha; and four before Dhuhr. The commentary on the same page records that al-Marghinani narrated from Abu Hanifa that the two before Fajr are wajib.
- 16
Al-Shurunbulali (Hanafi), in Maraqi al-Falah: four rak'ahs before Isha and four after it are among the recommended (mandub) prayers, alongside the emphasised two after Isha in the list on the previous page.
- 17
Al-Dardir (Maliki), in al-Sharh al-Kabir: voluntary prayer is recommended at any time it is allowed, and the recommendation is emphasised after Maghrib, before and after Zuhr and before 'Asr, with no fixed number on which the recommendation depends; Isha is not named in that list.
- 18
Al-Nawawi (Shafi'i), in Minhaj al-Talibin: the regular sunnah prayers with the obligatory ones include two rak'ahs after Isha, with one view that Isha has no regular sunnah; all of them are sunnah, and the difference is only over which are emphasised.
- 19
Ibn Qudamah (Hanbali), in al-Mughni: the regular sunnahs (rawatib) are ten rak'ahs, without any before Asr; Ibn 'Umar's report of mercy for one who prays four before Asr is an encouragement, not one of the regular sunnahs; and among the voluntary prayers alongside the rawatib, four before Asr are recommended.
- 20
Al-Marghinani (Hanafi), in al-Hidayah: Zuhr's time ends, for Abu Hanifa, when everything's shadow is twice its length apart from the shadow at the sun's turning (fay' al-zawal); his two companions say when it equals its length, which is also a report from Abu Hanifa. Asr begins when Zuhr's time ends, on both views, and lasts until sunset. Delaying Asr is recommended while the sun has not changed, and delaying it until it changes is disliked.
- 21
Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (Maliki), in al-Risalah: Zuhr's time ends when everything's shadow equals its length after the midday shadow; Asr begins at the end of Zuhr's time and ends when the shadow is twice its length after the midday shadow; what Malik described is that its time lasts while the sun has not turned yellow.
- 22
Al-Nawawi (Shafi'i), in Minhaj al-Talibin: Zuhr's time runs from the sun's turning until something's shadow equals it apart from the shadow at the sun's zenith, which is the start of Asr; Asr lasts until sunset, and the preferred choice (ikhtiyar) is not to delay it past the point where the shadow is twice.
- 23
Ibn Qudamah (Hanbali), in al-Mughni: Asr's time begins at the slightest increase of the shadow over its length, joined to Zuhr's time; the preferred time ends when the shadow is twice its length in one report from Ahmad, or while the sun has not turned yellow in the report Ibn Qudamah calls sounder; delaying Asr past the preferred time without an excuse is not permitted.
- 24
Ibn Qudamah (Hanbali), in al-Mughni: the Asr prayer is the middle prayer in the view of most scholars, among them Abu Hanifa and his companions; al-Shafi'i and others said it is Subh, and other views name Zuhr, Maghrib and Isha.
- 25
Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (Maliki), in al-Risalah: Subh (Fajr) is the middle prayer according to the people of Madinah.
- 26
Al-Tabari, on Al-Asr 103:1, reports that the commentators differed on the meaning of al-'asr (time, one of the hours of the day, the late afternoon), and holds that the name covers time, the late afternoon, the night and the day.
- Q
Quran Arabic for Al-Fatihah 1:1 to 7 and Al-Baqarah 2:238.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- How to pray Salah: the whole prayerGuide
- How to pray DhuhrGuide
- How to pray MaghribGuide
- How to pray FajrGuide
- How to pray IshaGuide
- The five daily prayersGuide
- Zawal and the forbidden prayer timesGuide
- How many rak'ahs in each prayerGuide
- Tashahhud and Attahiyat: words and meaningWords lesson
- Surah Al-AsrQuran lesson
- Prayer timesTool
- Prayer and PurificationThe hub
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