Prayer Times
Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 33
وَقَالَ أَبُو أُسَامَةَ زَيْدٌ اَلشَّحَّامُ: صَعِدْتُ مَرَّةً جَبَلَ أَبِي قُبَيْسٍ وَ اَلنَّاسُ يُصَلُّونَ اَلْمَغْرِبَ فَرَأَيْتُ اَلشَّمْسَ لَمْ تَغِبْ إِنَّمَا تَوَارَتْ خَلْفَ اَلْجَبَلِ عَنِ اَلنَّاسِ فَلَقِيتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لِي «وَ لِمَ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ بِئْسَ مَا صَنَعْتَ إِنَّمَا تُصَلِّيهَا إِذَا لَمْ تَرَهَا خَلْفَ اَلْجَبَلِ غَابَتْ أَوْ غَارَتْ مَا لَمْ يَتَجَلَّلْهَا سَحَابٌ أَوْ ظُلْمَةٌ تُظِلُّهَا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ مَشْرِقُكَ وَ مَغْرِبُكَ وَ لَيْسَ عَلَى اَلنَّاسِ أَنْ يَبْحَثُوا.
Abu Usama Zayd al-Shahham said: "One time, I climbed the mountain of Abu Qubais, and the people were praying Maghrib. I saw that the sun had not completely set; it had only disappeared behind the mountain from the view of the people. I met Abu Abdullah عليه السلام Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq عليه السلام and informed him of this. Imam عليه السلام said to me: 'Why did you do that? It was not a good action. You should perform the Maghrib prayer when you can no longer see the sun behind the mountain, whether it has set or gone down, unless it is obscured by a cloud or darkness that covers it. What concerns you is your eastern horizon and western horizon, and people are not required to investigate further.'"
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh