Chapter on Times of Prayer and Sign of Each of Its Times

Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Sama’ah narrated from Sulayman ibn Dawud, from Ali ibn Abi Hamzah, who said: The ‘zawal’ (sun’s meridian) was mentioned in the presence of Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, so Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, said: “You take a stick whose length is three spans (‘shibr’), and if it is longer, that is clearer. It should be erected upright. As long as you see the shadow decreasing, the sun has not yet passed the meridian. But when the shadow begins to increase after its decrease, then the sun has passed the meridian (‘zalat’).”