It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever performs the Asr prayer and then continues to speak good words until evening, this deed will be more virtuous and equal to freeing eight slaves from the descendants of Ismail (peace be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Basrah Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the ‘Asr prayer. When he finished, he said: Indeed, this prayer was also presented to those before you, but they showed laziness in this matter and abandoned it. So whoever among you performs it will be granted double the reward, and after it there is no prayer until the“shahid”rises, and by“shahid”is meant the star.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr and Asr prayers. When they gather at the Fajr prayer, the angels of the night ascend and the angels of the day remain. Similarly, when they gather at the Asr prayer, the angels of the day ascend and the angels of the night remain. Then their Lord asks them: In what state did you leave My servants? They say: When we came to them, they were praying, and when we left them, they were praying. Sulaiman al-A’mash says: I think the narrator also mentioned these words (of the angels’ supplication): So forgive these people on the Day of Resurrection.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the day of the Battle of Ahzab: These polytheists have kept us busy from the middle prayer, that is, the Asr prayer. May Allah fill their graves and homes with fire. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed this prayer between Maghrib and Isha.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We used to think that by Salat al-Wusta was meant the Fajr prayer, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is the Asr prayer. By Salat al-Wusta, he (peace and blessings be upon him) meant the Asr prayer.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet fought against the enemy and did not finish until the ‘Asr prayer was delayed from its prescribed time. When he observed this situation, he said: O Allah! Fill with fire the houses and graves of those who kept us from the middle prayer (Salat al-Wusta), or he said something similar to this.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The middle prayer (Salat al-Wusta) is the Asr prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that Marwan asked him about the Salat al-Wusta (the Middle Prayer), and he replied: It is Zuhr (the noon prayer).

Mawla Aisha narrates from Abu Yunus, who says: Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) ordered me to write a Mushaf for her, and she said: When you reach this verse {حَافِظُوْا عَلَی الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاۃِ الْوُسْطٰی}, inform me. So when I reached this verse, I informed her, and she dictated this verse to me as: {حَافِظُوْا عَلَی الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاۃِ الْوُسْطٰی وَصَلَاۃِ الْعَصْرِ وَقُوْمُوْا لِلّٰہِ قَانِتِیْنَ} and said: I heard this verse from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in this way.