Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, al-Hasan, al-Sha‘bi, al-Nakha‘i, and al-Awza‘i said: “After the prostrations” refers to the two rak‘ahs after the sunset prayer, while “at the setting of the stars” refers to the two rak‘ahs before the dawn prayer. This was also narrated by al-‘Awfi from Ibn Abbas (1), and it was narrated from him in a report traced back to the Prophet (2). This is the view of most exegetes.
Abd al-Wahid al-Malihi informed us; Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sam‘an informed us; Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Rayani informed us; Humayd ibn Zanjawayh narrated to us; Abu Ayyub al-Dimashqi narrated to us; al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us; Ibn Jurayj narrated to us from ‘Ata’, from ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr, from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: “Among all the voluntary prayers, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was most constant in observing the two rak‘ahs before the dawn prayer” (3).
Abu Uthman Sa‘id ibn Isma‘il al-Dabbi informed us; Abu Muhammad Abd al-Jabbar ibn Muhammad al-Jarahi informed us; Abu al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mahbubi narrated to us; Abu ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi narrated to us; Salih ibn Abd Allah narrated to us; Abu ‘Awanah narrated to us from Qatadah, from Zurarah ibn Abi Awfa, from Sa‘id ibn ⦗139/A⦘ Hisham, from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The two rak‘ahs of dawn are better than this world and all that it contains” (4).
Abu Uthman al-Dabbi informed us; Abu Muhammad al-Jarahi informed us; Abu al-Abbas al-Mahbubi informed us; Abu ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi narrated to us; Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us; Badal ibn al-Muhabbar narrated to us; Abd al-Malik ibn Ma‘dan narrated to us from ‘Asim ibn Bahdalah, from Abu Wa’il, from Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, who said: “I cannot count how often I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recite in the two rak‘ahs after the sunset prayer and in the two rak‘ahs before [the dawn prayer] (5): ‘Say, O disbelievers,’ and ‘Say: He is Allah, the One’” (6).