The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—also slept through the Fajr prayer, together with ‘Alī and the other Companions, until the sun had risen, yet it was not brought back for them (1) to the east.

If, however, allowing the prayer’s time to pass is forbidden, then missing (2) the ‘Asr prayer is a major sin. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Whoever misses the ‘Asr prayer, it is as though he has been bereft of his family and wealth.” (3)

‘Alī knew that it was the middle prayer, namely the ‘Asr prayer. It is reported in the two Sahīh collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“They distracted us from the middle prayer, the ‘Asr prayer, until the sun had set. May Allah fill their bellies and their houses with fire.” (4)

This occurred during the Battle of the Trench, and Khaybar came after the Trench.

‘Alī was far too noble to commit [the like of] (5) this major sin and have Gabriel and the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—condone it. For anyone who did this, it would count among his faults, not his merits. Allah has kept ‘Alī free of such a failing. Moreover, if he missed the prayer, the sun’s return would not absolve him of the sin.

Furthermore, if this incident occurred at Khaybar, in the open country before the army, when the Muslims numbered more than fourteen hundred, it would have been something the army could see