Sūrat al-Baqarah
Section 38 of 59 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
The Middle Prayer
In the midst of all of this discussion Allah (swt) returns to the acts of worship, at verse 238:
حَـٰفِظُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلصَّلَوَٰتِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ٱلْوُسْطَىٰ وَقُومُوا۟ لِلَّهِ قَـٰنِتِينَ
“Take due care of all the prayers, and the middle prayer, and stand before Allah in total devotion.” (2:238)
Be watchful, regular and mindful over all your prayers, and especially over the middle prayer. There is much discussion as to which the middle prayer is. Many of the ʿulamāʾ hold that it refers to the ʿAṣr prayer, that being, as it were, in the middle, and the more easily missed. By Maghrib a man is generally at home, in a moderate climate; at Fajr he is at home; at Ẓuhr there is a time in which he is settled. But ʿAṣr falls at the close of the business day, and it is very possible that amid the returning and the commute a man should miss it. Be particular about the ʿAṣr prayer above all.