Question:
What is the ruling of performing sunnah prayer after Asar? I once read a hadith where the Prophet PBUH always perform sunnah prayer after Asar, although what I’ve learned was that sunnah prayer after Asar is prohibited.
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the many countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
There are several narrations that state the Prophet PBUH perform sunnah prayer after Asar. From Ummu Salamah R.Anha:
شُغِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْعَصْرِ فَصَلاَّهُمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got distracted and did not pray the two Rak'ahs before 'Asr so he prayed them after 'Asr."
Sunan al-Nasa’ie (587)
From Aisyah R.Anha, she said:
وَالَّذِي ذَهَبَ بِهِ مَا تَرَكَهُمَا حَتَّى لَقِيَ اللَّهَ، وَمَا لَقِيَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى حَتَّى ثَقُلَ عَنِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَكَانَ يُصَلِّي كَثِيرًا مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ قَاعِدًا ـ تَعْنِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ ـ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّيهِمَا، وَلاَ يُصَلِّيهِمَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ يُثَقِّلَ عَلَى أُمَّتِهِ، وَكَانَ يُحِبُّ مَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ
“By Allah, Who took away the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) never missed them (two rak`at) after the `Asr prayer till he met Allah and he did not meet Allah till it became heavy for him to pray while standing so he used to offer most of the prayers while sitting. (She meant the two rak`at after `Asr) He used to pray them in the house and never prayed them in the mosque lest it might be hard for his followers and he loved what was easy for them.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (590)
Al-Aswad and Masruq said:
نَشْهَدُ عَلَى عَائِشَةَ - رضى الله عنها - أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلاَّ صَلَّى بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ
“We bear witness that Saidatina Aisyah R.Anha once said, there is not a day that the Prophet PBUH did not pray two rak’at after ‘Asr.”
Sunan Abi Dawud (1279)
However, there is a hadith that prohibit sunnah prayer after Subuh and Asar, where Abu Sa’id al-Khudri RA narrated, the Prophet PBUH said:
لاَ صَلاَةَ بَعْدَ الصُّبْحِ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ الشَّمْسُ ، وَلاَ صَلاَةَ بَعْدَ العَصْرِ حَتَّى تَغِيبَ الشَّمْسُ
“There is no prayer after the morning prayer till the sun rises, and there is no prayer after the `Asr prayer till the sun sets.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (586)
Commentary of Hadith
According to Imam Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, the above narrations are evidences used by scholars who ruled it permissible to perform sunnah prayer, as long as his intention is not to pray when the sun is setting. While scholars who ruled it makruh state that the Prophet PBUH did so to explain the permissibility of replacing (qadha’) any missed sunnah rawatib prayers. As for the hadith which state the Prophet PBUH continuously perform sunnah 2 rakaat prayer after Asar during his life, it is specific for him and the evidence for this is a hadith from Aisyah R.Anha:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُصَلِّي بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ وَيَنْهَى عَنْهَا
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray after the afternoon prayer but prohibited others from it,”
Sunan Abu Daud (1280)
Imam al-Baihaqi said, the part which is specific for the Prophet PBUH is mudawamah which means performing it continuously, while for replacing missed rawatib prayer is applicable for all. (Refer Fath al-Bari 2/64)
Imam Ahmad said, he himself did not perform sunnah prayer after Asar but he does not prohibit others from performing it. (Refer Al-Tamhid lima fi al-Muwattha’ min al-Ma’ani wa al-Asanid13/37)
According to Imam Zakariyya al-Ansari, continuous (mudawamah) 2 rakaat prayer is specific for the Prophet PBUH. (Refer Asna al-Mathalib fi Syarh Raudh al-Thalib 1/124)
Whereas, scholars of al-Lajnah al-Da’imah said that it is prohibited to perform sunnah prayer after Asar for it is in prohibited times to pray. As for a narration that state the Prophet PBUH never missed praying 2 rakaat of sunnah prayer after Asar, in truth, the Prophet PBUH never missed replacing the sunnah Zohor prayer that he missed and this is specific for him. However, it is permissible to perform sunnah prayers after Asar for specific reasons such as sunnah tahiyatul masjid prayer, sunnah eclipse prayer, sunnah jenazah prayer and sunnah tawaf prayer. (Refer Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da’imah, 6/173-174)
Disposition and Conclusion
To conclude, we are inclined towards the opinion that state continuous sunnah prayer after Asar is specific for the Prophet PBUH and the Prophet PBUH was actually replacing sunnah Zohor prayer that he missed.
Thus, it is permissible to replace sunnah rawatib prayer that one has missed after Asar (and after Subuh). The same as it is permissible to perform sunnah prayer for specific reasons that precede prayer such as sunnah ablution prayer or sunnah tahiyatul masjid prayer.
Wallahua’lam.