Asr (prayer)

Asr is one of the five daily mandatory Islamic prayers.
The Asr prayer consists of four obligatory cycles, rak'a. As with Dhuhr, if it is performed in congregation, the imam is silent except when announcing the takbir, i'tidal, and taslim.
The period of Asr begins approximately when the sun is halfway down from noon to sunset. Asr ends at sunset.
The middle prayer mentioned in the , is interpreted by Islamic scholars as being either the Asr prayer or the Fajr prayer. Muslims are commanded to protect the middle prayer, meaning that it should be performed at all costs.
Al-Asr is also the title of the 103rd sura of the Qur’ān.

Name variations

Format

The Asr prayer consist of four obligatory rakats, along with two or four sunnah rakats preceding it. Although, according to some madh'habs, it may be reduced to two rakaʿāts when travelling.

Ja'fari and Zaydi schools of thought

According to the Ja'fari and Zaydi schools of thought the time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:

Time begins: once the Dhuhr prayer has been recited.
Time ends: at the beginning of the setting of the Sun.

However, it is very important to recite the prayer as soon as the time begins. Letter 52 of Nahj al-Balagha contains instruction of Ali to his governors on the timings of salat, ''"The Asr prayers can be performed till the sun is still bright and enough time of the day is left for a person to cover a distance of six miles."''

Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafi’i, and Maliki schools of thought

The time period within which the Asr prayer must be recited is the following:

Time begins: The Sunni schools differ on when the time begins. The Maliki, Shafi`i, and Hanbali schools say it is at the time when the length of any object's shadow equals the length of the object itself plus the length of that object's shadow at noon. The dominant opinion in the Hanafi school says it begins when the length of any object's shadow is twice the length of the object plus the length of that object's shadow at noon.
Time ends: Once the sun has completely set below the horizon. However, it is frowned upon to delay the prayer without a legitimate excuse to the point of the day in which the sun turns a pale red or orange color as it begins to set, though it would still be considered to have been prayed on time.

The Islamic prophet Muhammad said, "He who observes Al-Bardayn will enter Jannah."
In another hadith:
Muhammad said 'He who misses his Asr Salat is as if he had lost his wife, children and all his wealth.’