Maghrib is offered the moment the sun fully sinks beneath the horizon.

As for ʿIshāʾ, the state of the congregation is taken into consideration. If the worshippers assemble at the very beginning of its time—that is, once the red after-glow has vanished—they pray immediately. If they have not yet gathered, the prayer is deferred to a point just shy of the first half of the night, for that is its optimal time were it not for the hardship a long wait would impose.

The dawn prayer is performed at the first mingling of light and darkness.

Benefit
It may be inferred from this hadith that, in general, it is preferable to hasten to Zhuhr as soon as its time begins. That, however, is qualified by the report of Abū Hurayrah in which the Prophet ﷺ said: “When the heat becomes intense, cool the prayer, for the severity of heat comes from the blast of Hell-fire” (agreed upon). In the narration of Khabbāb preserved by Muslim he said: “We complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the scorching ground, yet he did not accommodate us,” meaning they had asked that Zhuhr be delayed past the time of cooling but were not granted that concession, for fear that the prayer time might expire.

Points derived from the hadith

1. It is best to perform each prayer at the start of its appointed time, except for ʿIshāʾ.
2. For ʿIshāʾ, delaying the prayer—up to the middle of the night—is superior, as authentic reports state, unless the congregation has already gathered, in which case it is performed immediately to spare them the hardship of waiting.
3. The optimal course for the imam is to take the condition of the followers into account: shortening the prayer while still completing its integrals, or lengthening it so long as that does not cause undue fatigue.
4. The hadith is evidence for praying Fajr in the pre-dawn darkness (taghlīs), and therefore an argument against those who prefer isfār (full daylight), as noted earlier.
5. The narration also shows that praying in congregation takes precedence over offering the prayer at the very first moment of its time, as illustrated by the Prophet’s consideration of the congregation in timing ʿIshāʾ.

Hadith 4
Abū al-Minhāl Siyyār ibn Salamah related: “My father and I visited Abū Barzah al-Aslamī. My father asked him, ‘How did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perform the prescribed prayers?’

He replied, ‘He would pray al-hājirah—the one you call al-ūlā—when the sun had just declined from the meridian; he would pray ʿAsr, and then one of us would return to his quarters in …’