A group from Quraysh passed by Zayd bin Thabit while they were gathered together, so they sent two of their young servants to ask him about the middle prayer. He said, "It is the Asr prayer."Then two men from among them got up and went to him and asked him, and he said, "It is the Zuhr prayer."They then left and went to Usama bin Zayd and asked him, and he said, "It is the Zuhr prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray Zuhr in the intense midday heat, and there would be no one behind him except a row or two of people, since others were taking their afternoon rest or attending to their trade. So Allah the Exalted revealed, 'Maintain the prayers, and the middle prayer, and stand before Allah devoutly obedient' [Baqarah 2:238]."He said, then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Some men must stop neglecting this prayer, or I will burn down their houses."
حدثنا يزيد عن ابن أبي ذئب
أن رهطا من قريش مر بهم زيد بن ثابت وهم مجتمعون فأرسلوا إليه غلامين لهم يسألانه عن الصلاة الوسطى فقال هي العصر فقام إليه رجلان منهم فسألاه فقال هي الظهر ثم انصرفا إلى أسامة بن زيد فسألاه فقال هي الظهر إن رسول الله ﷺ كان يصلي الظهر بالهجير ولا يكون وراءه إلا الصف والصفان من الناس في قائلتهم وفي تجارتهم فأنزل الله تعالى {حافظوا على الصلوات والصلاة الوسطى وقوموا لله قانتين} قال فقال رسول الله ﷺ لينتهين رجال أو لأحرقن بيوتهم