And because the prohibition in the afternoon is connected to the prayer itself, not to the time, the same applies to Fajr: the prohibition is connected to the prayer itself. If this is the sound view, then how do we answer the hadith cited by the author as evidence?

The answer is twofold:

First: the hadith is weak. (1)

Second: even assuming that the hadith is authentic, his words, “There is no prayer after the rising of dawn,” are to be understood as negating its being legislated. That is, a person is not prescribed to offer voluntary prayers after the rising of dawn except for the two rak'ahs of Fajr. This is correct, for after dawn has risen, one should not offer voluntary prayers other than the two rak'ahs of Fajr. Thus, if you entered the mosque and prayed the two rak'ahs of Fajr, and the time for the prayer had not yet come, and you said, “I will offer a voluntary prayer,” we would say to you: Do not do so, for this is not legislated. Yet, if you did it, you would not be sinful. We only say that it is not legislated because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would only pray two brief rak'ahs after the rising of dawn. (2) This is the Sunnah prayer of Fajr alone; that is, even lengthening those two rak'ahs is not legislated.

From Its Rising Until It Has Risen to the Height of a Spear

His statement: “And from its rising until it has risen to the height of a spear.”

That is, from the rising of the disc of the sun.

“The height of a spear” means the height of a spear as it appears to the eye. This is the second period.