And no one has the right to say: ‘How can you act upon these narrations when their wordings differ and their meanings seem contradictory?!’ For some of them mention a ‘qamah’ (forearm’s length), some of them mention a ‘dhira’ (arm’s length), and some mention a ‘qadam’ (foot), and these are different measures. The response is that although the wording differs, the meanings are not contradictory from several aspects. One of them is: we have already explained that when the sun passes the meridian, the time for Dhuhr has entered, except for one who wishes to perform the supererogatory prayer (‘al-subhah’). And the performance of ‘subhah’ varies according to the individuals praying. So, whoever performs it in the time it takes for the sun to reach one ‘qadam’, then that is his time; and whoever prays until it reaches one ‘dhira’, then that is his time; and whoever continues until the sun’s shadow is one ‘qamah’, then that is his time. And Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, clearly stated this in the narration which we previously mentioned from Mansur ibn Hazim, From His عليه السلام words: ‘Shall I not inform you of something clearer than this? Then Imam عليه السلام said: When the sun passes the meridian, the time for Dhuhr has entered, except that there is a supererogatory prayer before it. So if you shorten it, then the time (of Dhuhr) is when you finish it; and if you lengthen it, then the time is when you finish it.’ And the second (point): That all which these narrations contain of the mention of ‘qamah’ (standing height), ‘dhira’ (forearm), and ‘qadam’ (foot), what is meant by them is the ‘dhira’ (forearm), and they, peace be upon them, have clarified this. It was narrated:
Commentary #3