Chapter on the Prescribed Times

128 – ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“The time for Ẓuhr begins when the sun passes the zenith and lasts until a man’s shadow is equal to his height, so long as the time for ʿAṣr has not begun. The time for ʿAṣr continues until the sun turns yellow. The time for Maghrib lasts until the twilight has disappeared. The time for ʿIshāʾ extends until the middle of the night. The time for Ṣubḥ begins at the break of dawn and lasts until the sun rises.” Narrated by Muslim (1).

In another report of Muslim from the narration of Buraydah regarding ʿAṣr it says: “while the sun is white and clear” (2), and in the narration of Abū Mūsā: “when the sun is still high in the sky” (3).

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• “zalat al-shams”: it is said “zāla ʿan mawḍiʿihi” meaning “to move away”; here it refers to the sun’s declining from the middle of the sky toward the west.
• “taṣfarra al-shams”: the sun appears yellow as it nears setting; yellow is the hue that results when the red of dusk grows faint.