A glance at the traditions

1. In his Musnad, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, the founder of the Ḥanbalī school of jurisprudence, thus narrates on the authority of Jābir ibn Zayd:

مع صلّيت :يقول عبّاس ابن سمع أنّه زيد بن جابر أخبرنى

سبعًا و جميعًا ثمانيًا – وسلّم [وآله] عليه الله صلى – الله رسول

عجّل و الظّهر أخّر أظنّه الشّعثاء أبا يا له قلت: قال: .جميعًا

.ذلك أظنّ أنا و قال: العشاء، عجّل و المغرب أخّر و العصر

Jābir ibn Zayd reports: I heard Ibn ‘Abbās say: I prayed behind the Apostle of Allah (ṣ) eight (rak‘ahs) in combination, and seven rak‘ahs in combination. I (one of the narrators) said: O Abū Sha‘thā’, I think that he (the Holy Prophet) had delayed ẓuhr prayer and offered ‘aṣr prayer soon afterward, and he delayed magrib prayer and offered ‘ishā’ prayer soon afterward. He said: I also think so.[1]

It is evident from this tradition that the Holy Prophet (ṣ) performed ‘aṣr immediately after ẓuhr, and ‘ishā’ immediately after maghrib without any interval in between.

2. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal narrates the following on the authority of ‘Abd Allāh ibn Shaqīq:

بدت و الشّمس غربت حتّىٰ العصر بعد يومًا عبّاس ابن خطبنا

بني من رجل القوم في و الصّلوة ينادونه النّاس علّق و النّجوم

أتعلّمني قال و فغضب قال: الصّلوة الصّلوة :يقول فجعل تميم

جمع – وسلّم [وآله] عليه الله صلى – الله رسول شهدت بالسّنّة؟

فوجدت الله عبد قال .العِشاء و المغرب و العصر، و الظّهر بين

.فوٰفقه فسألته هريرة أبا فلقيت شيئًا ذلك من نفسي في

Ibn al-‘Abbās one day delivered us a speech in the late afternoon (after the afternoon prayer) till the sun disappeared and the stars appeared. The people began to say: Prayer! Prayer! Among the people who were present was a man from Banū Tamīm. He started crying: Prayer! Prayer! Ibn ‘Abbas became angry and said: Do you want to teach me the Sunnah? And he added: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) perform afternoon prayer immediately after noon prayer and ‘ishā’ prayer immediately after maghrib prayer. ‘Abd Allāh ibn Shaqīq said: I felt I was not quite satisfied, so when I saw Abū Hurayrah and asked him, he confirmed ‘Abbās’ words.[2]

In this ḥadīth, two of the Companions, ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Abbās and Abū Hurayrah, testify to the fact that the Holy Prophet (ṣ) performed ‘aṣr immediately after ẓuhr, and ‘ishā’ immediately after maghrib and Ibn ‘Abbās imitated this act of the Prophet (ṣ).

3. Mālik ibn Anas, the founder of the Mālikī school of jurisprudence, thus writes in his book, Al-Muwaṭṭa’:

– وسلّم [وآله] عليه الله صلى – الله رسول صلّى

.سفرٍ ولا خوفٍ غير في جميعًا العشاء و المغرب و جميعًا العصر و الظّهر

The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) performed noon and afternoon prayers immediately one after the other, and performed maghrib and ‘ishā’ prayers immediately one after the other though he was neither in a state of fear nor on travels.[3]