Narrative regarding the Time for `Asr Prayers

روي أنه كانت عائشة تقول: أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يصلي العصر والشمس في حجرتها قبل أن تظهر.

It is narrated that Ayesha (ra) used to say that the Prophet (pbuh) would offer the `Asr prayers while the sun [light] was [on the floor] in her room, before it¹ climbed [the walls]².

General Notes:

1. i.e., the sun.

2. Apparently, this refers to a time when the sun, in its decline, had just reached midway between its midday position and the horizon in the West, due to which the sunlight was still on the floor in the room, rather than on its walls.

Notes on the Text of the Narrative

This narrative or a part of it, with minor variations, has been reported in Bukhariy (narrative no. 499, 519, 520, 521 and 2936), Muslim (narrative no. 611), Mu'atta of Imam Maalik (narrative no. 2), Tirmidhi (narrative no. 159), Abu Dawood (narrative no. 407) Al-Nassaiy (narrative no. 505), Ibn Maajah (narrative no. 683), Ibn Khuzaymah (narrative no. 332), Ibn Hibban (narrative no. 1450 and 1521), Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (narrative no. 24141, 24598, 25677, 25726, 26421) Nassaiy's Sunan Al-Kubraa (narrative no. 1494), Bayhaqiy (narrative no. 1580, 1918, 1919 and 1920), Al-Darimiy (narrative no. 1186) Musnad of Abu Ya`laa (narrative no. 4420 and 4480), Abd al-Razzaq (narrative no. 2071, 2072 and 2073) and Musnad of Al-Humaydiy (narrative no. 170). The preferred text, except where otherwise specified, is the one reported in Muslim, narrative no. 611 (a).

The sentence “والشمس في حجرتها قبل أن تظهر” (i.e., “while the sun was in her room, before it climbed the walls”), is reported differently in various narratives. In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's narrative no. 519, it is reported as: “والشمس لم تخرج من حجرتها” (i.e., “while the sun [light] had not exited her room”); In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's narrative no. 520, it is reported as: “والشمس في حجرتها لم يظهر الفئ من حجرتها” (i.e., “while the sun was in her room and shadows had not appeared in it”); in some narratives, as in Bukhairy's narrative no. 521, it is reported as: “والشمس طالعة في حجرتي لم يظهر الفئ بعد” (i.e., “while the sun was shining in my room and shadows had not appeared yet”); in some narratives, as in Muslim's narrative no. 611 (b), it is reported as: “والشمس طالعة في حجرتي لم يفيء الفئ بعد” (i.e., while the sun was shining in my room, shadows had not lengthened yet”); in some narratives, as in Muslim's narrative no. 611 (c), it is reported as: “والشمس في حجرتها لم يظهر الفئ في حجرتها” (i.e., “while the sun was in her room and shadows had not appeared in her room”); in some narratives, as in Muslim's narrative no. 611 (d), it is reported as: “والشمس واقعة في حجرتي” (i.e., “while the sun was in my room”); in some narratives, as in Ibn Maajah's narrative no. 683, it is reported as “والشمس في حجرتي لم يظهرها الفئ بعد” (i.e., “while the sun was in my room and shadows had not stretched over it [that is, the room] yet”); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 25677, it is reported as: “قبل أن تخرج الشمس من حجرتي طالعة” (i.e., “before the sun exited my room”); in some narratives, as in Bayhaqiy's narrative no. 1918, it is reported as: “والشمس في حجرتها قبل أن تظهر الشمس” (i.e., “while the sun was in her room before the sun climbed the walls”); in some narratives, as in Bayhaqiy's narrative no. 1920, it is reported as: “والشمس في قعر حجرتي” (i.e., “while the sun was on the floor of her room”); in some narratives, as in Musnad Abu Ya`laa's narrative no. 4480, it is reported as: “والشمس طالعة في حجرتي” (i.e., “while the sun was shining in my room”); in some narratives, as in Musnad Al-Humaydiy's narrative no. 170 “والشمس طالعة في حجرتي لم يظهر الفئ عليها بعد” (i.e., “while the sun was shining in my room, the shadows had not overtaken the room yet”); in some narratives, as in Abd al-Razzaq's narrative no. 2073, it is reported as: “والشمس في حجرتها قبل أن تظهر ولم يظهر الفئ من حجرتها” (i.e., “while the sun was in her room, before it climbed the walls and shadows had not appeared in her room”).

Clearly, this extensive variation in the reporting of the sentence is indicative of the variation in the interpretation and understanding of the sentence ascribed to Ayesha (ra). It is extremely difficult, under these circumstances, to be able to say, with any degree of certainty, what may have been the actual words used by the Umm al-Mu'mineen. In view of this fact, the preference given to the words reported in Muslim's narrative no. 611 (a) is only on the basis of the point that most, if not all, of the variant narrations of the sentence correspond in meaning with this sentence.

(This write-up is prepared by the Hadith Cell of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi)