We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Usfan, and Khalid bin Walid was leading the polytheists. We prayed Dhuhr, and the polytheists said, "We missed an opportunity, we caught them off guard. If only we had attacked them while they were praying."So the verse on shortening the prayer was revealed between Dhuhr and Asr. When the time for Asr came, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood facing the qiblah with the polytheists in front of him. One row formed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and behind that row another row formed.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ bowed and they all bowed with him. Then he prostrated, and the row directly behind him prostrated while the others remained standing to guard them. When the first group had completed their two prostrations and stood up, the others behind them prostrated.Then the row directly behind him moved back to the position of the rear row, and the rear row moved forward to the position of the first row. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then bowed and they all bowed with him. Then he prostrated, and the row directly behind him prostrated while the others stood guarding them. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat, along with the row directly behind him, the others prostrated. Then they all sat together, and he gave the salam to them all.He prayed it this way at Usfan, and he prayed it this way on the day of Banu Sulaym.
كنا مع رسول الله ﷺ بعسفان وعلى المشركين خالد بن الوليد، فصلينا الظهر، فقال المشركون: لقد أصبنا غرة، لقد أصبنا غفلة، لو كنا حملنا عليهم وهم الصلاة، فنزلت آية القصر بين الظهر والعصر، فلما حضرت العصر قام رسول الله ﷺ مستقبل القبلة، والمشركون أمامه، فصف خلف رسول الله ﷺ صف، وصف بعد ذلك الصف صف آخر فركع رسول الله ﷺ وركعوا جميعا، ثم سجد وسجد الصف الذين يلونه، وقام الآخرون يحرسونهم، فلما صلى هؤلاء السجدتين وقاموا سجد الآخرون الذين كانوا خلفهم، ثم تأخر الصف الذي يليه إلى مقام الآخرين، وتقدم الصف الأخير إلى مقام الصف الأول، ثم ركع رسول الله ﷺ وركعوا جميعا، ثم سجد وسجد الصف الذي يليه، وقام الآخرون يحرسونهم، فلما جلس رسول الله ﷺ والصف الذي يليه سجد الآخرون، ثم جلسوا جميعا، فسلم عليهم جميعا، فصلاها بعسفان، وصلاها يوم بني سليم.
Abu Dawud (1236) narrated it from Saeed bin Mansur, who said, Jareer bin Abdul-Hameed narrated to us, from Mansur, from Mujahid, from Abu Ayyash Zurqi, and he related it.Munziri said, "Bayhaqi said, 'This chain is sahih, except that some scholars knowledgeable in hadith doubt whether Mujahid heard directly from Abu Ayyash.' He then mentioned the hadith with a good chain from Mujahid, who said, 'Abu Ayyash narrated to us,' and he said this makes clear that Mujahid heard directly from Abu Ayyash. This is the end of his statement. His having heard from him directly is plausible, for he mentioned something indicating that Mujahid was born in the year twenty, and Abu Ayyash lived until after the year forty, or it is said, until after the year fifty."This is the end of Munziri's statement.I say, Mujahid explicitly stated that he heard it directly, in the report of Shubah, from Mansur, who said, "I heard Mujahid narrating from Abu Ayyash Zurqi." Imam Ahmad (16581) narrated it from Muhammad bin Jafar, who said, "Shubah narrated to us," and Nasai (1550) narrated it through two paths, from Muhammad bin Jafar, in the same way.Ibn Hibban (2876) and Hakim (1/33-338) also graded it sahih, narrating it through the path of Mansur, from Mujahid, and in Sahih Ibn Hibban it states, "Abu Ayyash Zurqi narrated to us," and he related it.Hakim said, "Sahih according to the criteria of the two sheikhs."Daraqutni (2/60) and Bayhaqi (3/254-255) also graded it sahih, as mentioned before.