[His saying: And the middle prayer]

[The First Aspect]

There is disagreement regarding its interpretation; one of them is that it is the Dhuhr (noon prayer).

2373 - Yunus b. Habib narrated to us, Dawud reported to us, Ibn Abi Dhi'b reported to us, from al-Zibriqan—meaning: Ibn 'Amr al-Damri—from Zahrah—meaning: Ibn Ma'bad—who said: We were sitting with Zayd b. Thabit, so they sent him to Usama, and they asked him about the middle prayer. He said: It is the Dhuhr prayer; the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to pray it during the heat of the day.

And the second aspect: that it is the 'Asr (afternoon prayer).

2374 - Ahmad b. Sinan narrated to us, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Mahdi reported to us, from Sufyan, from 'Asim, from Zirr, who said: I said to 'Ubaydah: Ask 'Ali about the middle prayer. So he asked him, and he said: We used to consider it the Fajr (dawn) or the Subh (morning) prayer, until I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say on the day of the Confederates (al-Ahzab): "They distracted us from the middle prayer, the 'Asr prayer. May Allah fill their graves and their interiors—or their houses—with fire."

And the third aspect: that it is the Maghrib (sunset prayer).

2375 - My father narrated to us, Abu al-Jumahir reported to us, Sa'id b. Bashir informed us, from Qatadah, from Abu al-Khalil, from his uncle, from Ibn 'Abbas, who said: The middle prayer is the Maghrib.

And the fourth aspect: that it is the Subh (morning prayer).

2376 - Bahr b. Nasr al-Khawlani al-Masri narrated to us, Ibn Wahb reported to us, Mu'awiyah b. Salih narrated to me that Abu 'Abd al-Rahman—meaning: Musa b. Mawhab—narrated to him that he asked Abu Umamah about the middle prayer, and he said: It is the Subh. Abu Muhammad said: This is one of the two opinions of Ibn 'Abbas, and one of the two opinions of Ibn 'Umar, Anas b. Malik, Abu al-'Aliyah, 'Ubayd b. 'Umayr, 'Ata', Mujahid, Jabir b. Zayd, 'Ikrimah, and al-Rabi' b. Anas, and the like.

And the fifth aspect: that it is all the prayers.

I read to Yunus b. 'Abd al-A'la, Ibn Wahb informed us, Hisham b. Sa'd narrated to me, saying: I was with Nafi', the freed slave of Ibn 'Umar, and with us was Raja' b. Haywah. Raja' said to us: Ask Nafi' about the middle prayer. So we asked him, and he said: A man once asked 'Abd Allah about it, and he said: It is all of them. Maintain them all.