The meaning of the middle prayer

I heard Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, say: The middle prayer is the noon prayer, and it is the first prayer whom Allah sent down (in commandment) upon His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family.

Aisha wrote a book (containing the Qur’an) and said: If you pass by the verse of prayer, then do not write it until I dictate it to you. Then, when I passed by it, she dictated it to me as: «Maintain the prayers, and (in particular) the middle prayer and the prayer of the afternoon». (2:238) [1]

I was writing the book (which contained the Qur’an) from Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and she said: If you reach this verse, then write: «Maintain the prayers, and (in particular) the middle prayer and the prayer of the afternoon». (2:238)

Aisha ordered me to write for her a book (containing the Qur’an), and she said: If you reach this verse, then write: «Maintain the prayers, and (in particular) the middle prayer and the prayer of the afternoon», and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.» (2:238) Then Aisha said: I heard it, by Allah, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family.

The compiler of this book said: Hence, these reports are an argument in our favor against the opponents [1]. The middle prayer is the noon prayer.

I asked him, meaning Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, about what Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, has obliged with regards to prayer, so he said: Five prayers during the night and day. I said: Did Allah, Exalted is He, name them and clarify them in His Book? He said: Yes. Allah, Exalted is He, said to His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: «Establish the prayer at the setting of the sun until the darkness of the night» (17:78). Its setting is its vanishing. Hence, between the setting of the sun until the darkness of the night, there are four prayers which He named, clarified and set a time to. The darkness of the night is its middle-point. Then He said: «and the Qur’an of the dawn. Indeed, the Qur’an of the dawn is ever witnessed.» (17:78) This is the fifth. He, Blessed and Exalted is He, said with regards to that: «Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day» (11:114), and its two ends is the sundown and the early morning, «and at the approach of the night» (11:114), and that is the prayer of the last evening. He, Exalted and Glorious is He,also said: «Maintain the prayers, and (in particular) the middle prayer» (2:238), that is the noon prayer, and it was the first prayer the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and it is in the middle of two prayers during the day, the prayer of the early morning and the afternoon prayer, «and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient» (2:238) during the middle prayer.