The hadiths in question are:
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the offering of two prayers: -1. after the morning prayer till the sunrises. -2. after the `Asr prayer till the sun sets. (Bukhari 588)
Narrated `Aisha: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) never missed two rak`at before the Fajr prayer and after the `Asr prayer openly and secretly. (Bukhari 592)
Ibn Hajar says that the hadith from Abu Hurayrah clearly says the Prophet ﷺ forbade praying after Fajr until sunrise and after ʿAsr until sunset. But there are hadiths from others—like ʿAʾishah—that show the Prophet ﷺ still prayed two rakʿahs after ʿAsr.
He says this does not contradict the hadith of prohibition, because the Prophet ﷺ prayed those two rakʿahs for a specific reason—such as making up missed sunnah prayers. So, the general rule is that praying at those times is not allowed, unless there’s a reason. If there’s a reason, then it is allowed.
Some companions, like Muʿawiyah, said they never saw the Prophet ﷺ pray after ʿAsr. But others, like ʿAʾishah, said he did. Ibn Hajar says the one who confirms something is stronger than the one who denies it, because the one who denies may just not have seen it.
So in short: praying after ʿAsr is generally not allowed without a reason. But if someone missed a sunnah prayer earlier and makes it up after ʿAsr, that’s allowed. And the Prophet ﷺ did this, according to reliable reports.
Translation: His statement: “Muhammad ibn Aban narrated to us” refers to al-Balkhi, though it is also said he was al-Wasiti—but one of the two views is stronger. Both are trustworthy.
His statement: “from Muʿawiyah”—in the narration of al-Ismaʿili through the route of Muʿadh and others from Shuʿbah: “Muʿawiyah gave us a sermon.” The companions of Shuʿbah agreed that it was from Abu al-Tiyah from Humran. But ʿUthman ibn ʿUmar and Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi disagreed and said: from Abu al-Tiyah from Maʿbad al-Juhani from Muʿawiyah. The chain preferred by al-Bukhari is stronger, and it is possible that Abu al-Tiyah had two shaykhs in this narration.
His statement: “he would pray them”—meaning the two rakʿahs. In the version of al-Hamawi: “he would pray it”—meaning the prayer. There is also disagreement among the narrators about the wording: “from it” or “from them.”
The words of Muʿawiyah indicate that those he was addressing used to pray two rakʿahs after ʿAsr as a regular practice, just as one prays after Dhuhr. What he denied—that he never saw the Prophet ﷺ pray them—has been affirmed by others, and the one who affirms takes precedence over the one who denies.
In the next chapter (593), ʿAʾishah will say: “He would not pray them in the masjid.” But the narration affirming the prayer does not contradict the hadiths about the prohibition, because the affirming narration has a specific cause, as will be mentioned in the next chapter.
So whatever has a cause is joined to it, and the rest remains under the general prohibition. The prohibition is understood to apply to what has no cause. As for those who believe the prohibition is general and not limited, they interpret Muʿawiyah’s objection as being to voluntary prayer without a cause, and interpret the Prophet’s action as being specific to him. But the first view is clearly stronger. And Allah knows best.
Fath Al Bari By Ibn Hajar (2/582-583)
Ibn Hajar shows that there is a disagreement about praying nawafil (voluntary) prayers after ʿAsr. Some scholars allowed it without restriction—as long as it is not done at sunset—based on hadiths from ʿAʾishah saying the Prophet ﷺ always prayed two rakʿahs after ʿAsr.
Others said this constant practice was something specific to the Prophet ﷺ and not for others. Their proof is also from ʿAʾishah, who said he would do certain things himself but stop others from doing them, like fasting without breaks or praying after ʿAsr. They explained his prayers after ʿAsr as him making up missed sunnah prayers, which is allowed, and his constant doing of it was only for him.
Some narrations say he only did it once when he missed the sunnah of Dhuhr, so he prayed it after ʿAsr. But this contradicts ʿAʾishah’s hadiths saying he did it regularly. So Ibn Hajar says the one who affirms something is stronger than the one who denies, and the denial likely comes from someone who simply never saw it.
He also explains that some narrators like Ibn ʿAbbas and Umm Salamah didn’t see him doing it because he only prayed them in his house, not in the masjid, to avoid making it hard for the people.
In the end, Ibn Hajar brings many narrations and shows that the Prophet ﷺ did pray two rakʿahs after ʿAsr often, but the scholars disagreed about whether others should do the same.
Translation: Her statement in the hadith of ʿAʾishah: “By the One who took him, he never left them until he met Allah,” and her statement in another narration: “He never left the two prostrations after ʿAsr while he was with me, ever,” and in another version: “He never left them, whether secretly or openly,” and in the last version: “He never came to me in the afternoon except that he prayed two rakʿahs”—these narrations were used as proof by those who permitted voluntary prayers after ʿAsr unrestrictedly, as long as one does not intend to pray at the time of sunset. The different madhhabs regarding this have already been mentioned.
Those who held the view of general dislike answered by saying that this action of his shows that making up missed regular sunnahs is permissible without dislike. As for his constant practice of it, that is specific to him. The evidence for this is the narration of Dhakwan, the freedman of ʿAʾishah, who reported that she informed him: “He used to pray after ʿAsr and prohibit it. He used to fast continuously and prohibit that.” Abu Dawud narrated it (1280). And in the narration of Abu Salamah from ʿAʾishah about a similar story, at the end of it: “Whenever he prayed a prayer, he made it consistent.” Muslim narrated it (835). Al-Bayhaqi said: What was unique to the Prophet ﷺ was his persistence in doing so, not the principle of making up missed prayers itself.
As for what was narrated by Dhakwan from Umm Salamah in this story, that she said: “I said: O Messenger of Allah, should we make them up if we miss them?” He said: “No”—this is a weak narration that does not constitute valid evidence. I say: Al-Tahawi narrated it (1/306) and used it as proof that it was specific to him ﷺ—but it has its issues.
Benefit: Al-Tirmidhi (184) narrated from the route of Jarir from ʿAtaʾ ibn al-Saʾib from Saʿid ibn Jubayr from Ibn ʿAbbas who said: “The Prophet ﷺ only prayed the two rakʿahs after ʿAsr because some wealth came to him, which occupied him from the two rakʿahs after Dhuhr, so he prayed them after ʿAsr, then did not repeat it.” Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a good hadith.
I say: This is from the narration of Jarir from ʿAtaʾ, and he heard from him after his memory declined. If it is authentic, then it supports the hadith of Umm Salamah. But the apparent wording “then he did not repeat it” contradicts the hadith of ʿAʾishah mentioned in this chapter. So the negation is carried upon the knowledge of the narrator—that he did not witness it. And the one who affirms takes precedence over the one who denies.
Likewise, what was narrated by al-Nasai (579) from the route of Abu Salamah from Umm Salamah: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed two rakʿahs in her house after ʿAsr once.” In another narration (581) from her: “I never saw him pray them before or after.” The two narrations are reconciled by saying that he only used to pray them in his house, which is why Ibn ʿAbbas and Umm Salamah did not see him do so. This is also indicated by the statement of ʿAʾishah in the first narration: “He would not pray them in the masjid, fearing that it would become a burden on his ummah.”
His statement: “He heard ʿAʾishah say: ‘By the One who took him’”—in the narration of al-Bayhaqi (2/458) from the route of Ishaq ibn al-Hasan, and al-Ismaʿili from the route of Abu Zurʿah—both from Abu Nuʿaym, the teacher of al-Bukhari in this narration—it states that he entered upon her and asked her about the two rakʿahs after ʿAsr. She said: “By the One who took his soul,” meaning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It also includes: Ayman said to her, “ʿUmar used to forbid them and beat people for them.” She replied: “You have spoken the truth, but the Prophet used to pray them”—and then mentioned the matter.
The report from ʿUmar is also established in the narration of Kurayb from Umm Salamah, which we previously mentioned in the chapter “If he is spoken to while praying” (1233). At the beginning of that narration from Kurayb: “Ibn ʿAbbas, al-Miswar ibn Makhramah, and ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Azhar sent him to ʿAʾishah and said: Convey to her our greetings, and ask her about the two rakʿahs after ʿAsr. Say to her: We have been informed that you pray them, yet we have also been told that the Prophet ﷺ forbade them.” Ibn ʿAbbas said: “I used to strike people with ʿUmar for them.” Then the rest of the hadith follows.
Fath Al Bari By Ibn Hajar (2/
