Imam Muslim narrates from Uqbah bin A’amir May Allah be pleased with him:
ثلاث ساعات كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينهانا أن نصلي فيهن أو أن نقبر فيهن موتانا حين تطلع الشمس بازغة حتى ترتفع وحين يقوم قائم الظهيرة حتى تميل الشمس وحين تضيف الشمس للغروب حتى تغرب
There were three times at which Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade us to pray, or bury our dead: When the sun begins to rise till it is fully up, when the sun is at its height at midday till it passes over the meridian, and when the sun draws near to setting till it sets.
(Saheeh Muslim)
Shaykh Yusuf Banuri writes in his commentary on Al-Jami’ At-Tirmizhi:
رواه مسلم في صحيحه من حديث عقبة بن عامر الحهني وكذا رواه الاربعة وروي مالك في معناه حديث عبد الله الصنابحي وقد تقدم نقله بنصه وفي معناه حديث عمرو بن عبسة عند مسلم في فضائل القران وعند الطحاوي في المواقيت.
It has narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from the Hadith of Uqbah bin A’amir Al-Juhani. The four books (Tirmizhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Nasaai) have also narrated it. Malik has narrated a similar meaning in the Hadith of Abdullah As-Sanaabahi the text of which has been mentioned earlier. And a similar meaning to this is in the Hadith of A’mr bin A’basa narrated by Imam Muslim in the Chapter of Virtues of the Quran and by Imam At-Tahawi in the Chapter of Times.
(See. Ma’arif As-Sunan p.124/2 Majlis Ad-Dawah wa At-Tahqeeq Al-Islaami)
Shaykh Zafar Ahmed Uthmani relates in his famous book I’laa As-Sunan
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri May Allah be pleased with him said:
سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول لا صلاة بعد الصبح حتى ترتفع الشمس ولا صلاة بعد العصر حتى تغيب الشمس
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "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."
Shaykh Uthmani citing the sources of the Hadith says:
اخرجه الشيخان والنسائي وابن ماجه عن ابي سعيد مرفوعا واحمد وابو داود وابن ماجه عن عمر مرفوعا قال المناوي: وهذا متواتر اه
It has been recorded by Bukahri and Muslim, Nasaai and Ibn Majah from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri to the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. And it has been recorded by Ahmed, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah from Umar to the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Imam Al-Manawi states: this is Mutawatir.
(See I’laa As-Sunan p.543/2 Dar Al-Fikr)
(See. Also Ma’arif As-Sunan p.123/2 Majlis Ad-Dawah wa At-Tahqeeq Al-Islaami)
Imam Ibn A’bideen states:
واعلم أن الأوقات المكروهة نوعان : الأول الشروق والاستواء والغروب والثاني ما بين الفجر والشمس ، وما بين صلاة العصر إلى الاصفرار ، فالنوع الأول لا ينعقد فيه شيء من الصلوات التي ذكرناها إذا شرع بها فيه ، وتبطل إن طرأ عليها إلا صلاة جنازة حضرت فيها وسجدة تليت آيتها فيها وعصر يومه والنفل والنذر المقيد بها وقضاء ما شرع به فيها ثم أفسده ، فتنعقد هذه الستة بلا كراهة أصلا في الأولى منها ، ومع الكراهة التنزيهية في الثانية والتحريمية في الثالثة ، وكذا في البواقي ، لكن مع وجوب القطع والقضاء في وقت غير مكروه : والنوع الثاني ينعقد فيه جميع الصلوات التي ذكرناها من غير كراهة ، إلا النفل والواجب لغيره فإنه ينعقد مع الكراهة ، فيجب القطع والقضاء في وقت غير مكروه ا هـ ح
Know that the disliked times are of two types:
1. Sunrise, zenith and sunset.
2. Between the Fajr prayer and sunrise, between Asar prayers and just before sunset when the sky becomes yellow.
As for the first type none of the Salaah (prayers) are valid if one starts at these times. Also Salaah will be nullified if one goes over into these times except for:
• the Janaazh prayers if it is ready at these times
• also prostration for recitation (Sajdah Tilawah) if it is recited at these times
• the Asar Salaah for that day (i.e. if one had not prayed Asar till it was close to sunrise)
• Any optional (Nafl)prayers
• Vowed prayers (which are also conditional to those times)
• Making up prayers which were nullified after commencing them.
These six will be valid without any disliking in the first (Janaazah) and slight disliking (makrooh tanzeeh) in the second (prostration of recitation) and extremely disliked (makrooh tahreem) in the third (praying the Asr at that time) and similar are the rest (i.e. the fourth, fifth and sixth). However it is necessary to break the prayers and pray at another time when it will not be disliked.
As for the second type then it any prayer at that type will be valid without any dislike except for optional prayer and wajib prayers which are due upon a person for other reasons. For indeed these are valid with dislike thus it is necessary to break them and make them up at another time when there is no dislike.
(See. Radd Al-Muhtaar p.34/2 Dar A’alam Al-Kutub)
Note: the prohibition at midday is not at 12 o’clock noon but at the time of Zenith when the sun is at its heighest point in the sky.
As for the reason for this prohibition:
Shaykh Yusuf Banuri writes:
ثم ان ملخص ما ذكروه من الفرق بين هذه الثلاثة المذكورة وهذين الوقتين: ان النهي في الثلاثة لمعني في الوقت وهو كونه منسوبا الي الشيطان فيظهر في حق الفرائض والنوافل وغيرهما وفي الوقتين للشغل بالفرض التقديري وشغله بالفرض التقديري اولي من شغله بالنفل فظهر المنع في حق النوافل دون الفرائض الحقيقي والواجب لعينه كما في العناية وغيرهما
After that a summary of what the Scholars have mentioned regarding the difference between these three and these two times: the prohibition concerning the three (times) is due to a meaning in the time and that is it being associated with Shaytaan. This (prohibition) appears in regards to obligatory, optional and other prayers. And (the prohibiton) in the two times is due to occupying (of the time) with implied obligatory prayers. And occupying it with implied obligatory prayer is given precedence over occupying it with optional prayers. Thus, the prohibition appears in the optional prayers and not the explicit obligatory (faraaidh) and ‘wajib li aynihi’ as is mentioned in ‘Al-I’naayah’ and others.
(See. Ma’arif As-Sunan p.126/2 Majlis Ad-Dawah wa At-Tahqeeq Al-Islaami)
As for the times in England, it is mentioned in a Hadith that prohibition at the time of sunrise is till the sun has risen in the sky to the length of a spear above the horizon. This can differ throughout the year and it would be safe to leave it approximately 20 minutes to be on the safe side.
According to what has been mentioned by the scholars it would be permissible to pray missed prayers after Asr as long as it is completed before sunset and after Fajr as long as it completed before sunrise.
