6/6. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 502 — Jibril Teaching Prayer Times
The End Of The Time For Zuhr
Jibril Teaching the Five Daily Prayer Times Hadith
Sunan an-Nasai : 502
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 502
أَخْبَرَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ حُرَيْثٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " هَذَا جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ جَاءَكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ " . فَصَلَّى الصُّبْحَ حِينَ طَلَعَ الْفَجْرُ وَصَلَّى الظُّهْرَ حِينَ زَاغَتِ الشَّمْسُ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ حِينَ رَأَى الظِّلَّ مِثْلَهُ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ حِينَ غَرَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَحَلَّ فِطْرُ الصَّائِمِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ حِينَ ذَهَبَ شَفَقُ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ الْغَدَ فَصَلَّى بِهِ الصُّبْحَ حِينَ أَسْفَرَ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ صَلَّى بِهِ الظُّهْرَ حِينَ كَانَ الظِّلُّ مِثْلَهُ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ حِينَ كَانَ الظِّلُّ مِثْلَيْهِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ بِوَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍ حِينَ غَرَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَحَلَّ فِطْرُ الصَّائِمِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ حِينَ ذَهَبَ سَاعَةٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ قَالَ " الصَّلاَةُ مَا بَيْنَ صَلاَتِكَ أَمْسِ وَصَلاَتِكَ الْيَوْمَ " .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: This is 'Jibril, peace be upon you, he came to teach you your religion. He prayed Subh when the dawn appeared, and he prayed Zuhr when the sun had (passed its zenith), and he prayed 'Asr when he saw that the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, then he prayed Maghrib when the sun had set and it is permissible for the fasting person to eat. Then he prayed 'Isha' when the twilight had disappeared.Then he came to him the following day and prayed Subh when it had got a little lighter, then he prayed Zuhr when the shadow of a thing was equal to its height, then he prayed 'Asr when the shadow of a thing was equal to twice its height, then he prayed Maghrib at the same time as before, then he prayed 'Isha' when a short period of the night had passed. Then he said: 'The prayer is between the times when you prayed yesterday and the times when you prayed today.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 502In-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 9English translation : Vol. 1, Book 6, Hadith 503
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 502
This Hadith is a clear hadith about prayer times. It describes Jibril coming to teach the religion by showing the times of Subh, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. On the first day, the prayers were performed at the earlier side of their times: Subh at dawn, Zuhr after the sun passed its zenith, Asr when the shadow matched the object, Maghrib after sunset, and Isha after twilight disappeared. On the next day, the prayers were shown later, such as Zuhr when the shadow matched the object and Asr when the shadow was twice its height. The final statement explains the point: prayer is between those times.
What we learn from this hadith
- Jibril taught prayer times through a practical two-day example.
- Each daily prayer has a defined time window.
- Maghrib begins when the sun sets and the fasting person may eat.
- Learning the religion includes learning how to pray at the right time.
