Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 565
sahih

Narrated Muhammad bin `Amr:

We asked Jabir bin `Abdullah about the prayers of the Prophet (ﷺ) . He said, "He used to pray Zuhr prayer at midday, the `Asr when the sun was still hot, and the Maghrib after sunset (at its stated time). The `Isha was offered early if the people gathered, and used to be delayed if their number was less; and the morning prayer was offered when it was still dark. "

حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ـ هُوَ ابْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ ـ قَالَ سَأَلْنَا جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ صَلاَةِ النَّبِيِّ، صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ كَانَ يُصَلِّي الظُّهْرَ بِالْهَاجِرَةِ، وَالْعَصْرَ وَالشَّمْسُ حَيَّةٌ، وَالْمَغْرِبَ إِذَا وَجَبَتْ، وَالْعِشَاءَ إِذَا كَثُرَ النَّاسُ عَجَّلَ، وَإِذَا قَلُّوا أَخَّرَ، وَالصُّبْحَ بِغَلَسٍ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 9, Hadith 42
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 1, Book 10, Hadith 540 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Allah has ordained specific times for the obligatory prayers during which they must be done, as He (may He be exalted) says: {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times} [an-Nisa’ 4:103].. By His mercy towards His slaves, Allah has allocated plenty of time (for each prayer), out of consideration for their circumstances and situations. This hadith highlights the best time at which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered each prayer. Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Zuhr at the time when it is very hot, which is the middle of the day when heat is most intense. This time is called hajirah in Arabic, which comes from a root that refers to stopping or refraining, because the people stop their dealings and their comings and goings at this time, due to the extreme heat, and they take a nap.. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was still bright, before it had become yellow or changed. He would pray Maghrib when the sun disappeared, meaning that the disc of the sun dropped below the horizon. In the case of ‘Isha’ prayer, if a large number of people had gathered he would hasten to pray it, but if their numbers were few, he would delay it. In other words, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) paid attention to the situation of the worshippers. If they were present at the beginning of the time for the prayer, which is when the red afterglow disappears, they would pray, but if they had not yet come, he would delay it until almost half of the night had passed, for that is the best time for it, if it does not cause hardship. Then he would pray Fajr when the first light of dawn began to mix with the darkness of night. This hadith highlights the best times for offering the five daily prayers..
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