ʿAsr begins. This is part of a hadith narrated by Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), traced back to the Prophet ﷺ in the following words:

“Each prayer has a beginning and an end. The beginning time for Zuhr is when the sun passes the zenith, and its final time is when the time for ʿAsr starts. The beginning time for ʿAsr is when its time begins, and its final time is when the sun turns yellow. The beginning time for Maghrib is when the sun sets, and its final time is when the twilight disappears. The beginning time for the last night prayer (ʿIshāʾ) is when the horizon grows dark, and its final time is midnight. The beginning time for Fajr is the appearance of dawn, and its final time is the rising of the sun.”

It was recorded by al-Tirmidhī (1/283–284), al-Ṭaḥāwī (1/89, 93), al-Dāraquṭnī (97), al-Bayhaqī (1/375–376), Aḥmad (2/232), and Ibn Ḥazm in al-Muḥallā (3/168), all through the chain of Muḥammad ibn Faḍl, from al-Aʿmash, from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from him. This chain is authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs, and Ibn Ḥazm declared it sound. Al-Bukhārī and others criticised it, claiming the correct version is mursal, but Ibn Ḥazm and others refuted that criticism—and they were correct—especially since it is corroborated by the report of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, who said:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the times of the prayers, and he replied: ‘The time for Fajr lasts until the first rim of the sun appears; the time for Zuhr begins when the sun slips from the centre of the sky and lasts until ʿAsr draws near; the time for ʿAsr continues until the sun turns yellow and its first rim sets; the time for Maghrib is from sunset until the twilight disappears; and the time for ʿIshāʾ extends until midnight.’”

Reported by Muslim (2/105) — this is his wording — Abū Dāwūd (1/64), N (90–91), and al-Ṭaḥāwī.