Dought & clear - ,- Times of Prayers - Which is the middle prayer?.

Which is the begining ofthe day- is it fajr or magrib. Please tell me.
Which is the middle prayer. If it is asr then, fajr is the beginning
of the day. Please clarify me in detail from the quran and the
hadeeth.
Praise be to Allaah.
Identifying the middle prayer which is mentioned in the verse
(interpretation of the meaning): "Guard strictly(five obligatory)
As-Salawaat (the prayers) especially the middle Salaah (i.e. the best
prayer). And stand before Allaah with obedience [and do not speak to
others during the Salaah (prayers)]" [al-Baqarah 2:238] is oneof the
matters concerning which there is a difference of opinion among the
scholars, and concerningwhich there are approximately 20 opinions, as
listed by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) in Fath
al-Baari (8/197). Al-Haafiz 'Abd al-Mu'min al-Dimyaati (may Allah have
mercy on him) wrote a book concerning that entitled Kashf al-Mughatta
fi Tabyeen al-Salaat al-Wusta. The strongest of these opinions are
two:
1. That it is Fajr prayer
This is the view of Abu Umaamah, Anas, Jaabir, Abu'l-'Aaliyah,
'Ubaydah ibn 'Umayr, 'Ata', 'Ikrimah, Mujaahid and others, and it is
one of the two views of Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbaas.
It is also the view of Maalik and of al-Shaafa'ias stated in al-Umm.
End quote from Fath al-Baari (8/196).
2. That it is 'Asr prayer
This is the view of most of the scholars, and it is the correct and
reliable view, because of the evidence to that effect inthe Qur'aan
and the Sunnah.
This is the view of 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib. Al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaa'i
narrated that Zurr ibn Hubaysh said: We said to 'Ubaydah: Ask'Ali
about the middle prayer. He asked him and he said: We used to think
that that was Fajr, until I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) say on the day of al-Ahzaab: "They
distracted us from the middle prayer, 'Asr prayer." This report states
that it is 'Asr in thewords of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him). The argument for it being Fajr is strong, but the
correct view is that it is 'Asr.
This is the view of Ibn Mas'ood and Abu Hurayrah, and it is the
correct view according to the madhhab of Abu Haneefah; it is also the
view of Ahmad and the view which most of the Shaafa'is adopted because
of the soundness of the hadeeth.
Al-Tirmidhi said: It is the view of most of the scholars among the Sahaabah.
Al-Mawardi said: This is the view of the majority of the Taabi'een.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said: It isthe view of most of scholars of hadeeth.
Among the Maalikis, this is the view of Ibn Habeeb, Ibn al-'Arabi and
Ibn 'Atiyyah. End quote from Fath al-Baari,8/196.
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
What is indicated by the saheeh hadeeths is that it is 'Asr, and this
is the favoured view. End quote.
Al-Majmoo', 3/61
Al-Haafiz al-Dimyaati mentioned some of the particular virtues that
are unique to 'Asr prayer:
· The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) emphasised the calamity of missing it and described it as loss of
family and wealth, when he said: "Whoever misses 'Asr prayer, it is
asif he has lost his family and his wealth."
· The good deeds of the one who misses it are lost.
· It was dearer to them than their own selves and their
parents, children, families and wealth.
· It was the first prayer at the time of which the fear prayer
was prescribed.
· It was the first prayer in which the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) turned to face the Ka'bah.
· The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"A man tries to sell an item after 'Asr by swearing an oath by
Allah...". So Allaah showed the seriousness of an oath sworn after 'Asr
prayer.
· Sulaymaan (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
destroyed a large number of horses because inspecting themdistracted
him from 'Asr prayer until the sun set.
· Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "By Al-'Asr (the
time). 2. Verily, man is in loss..." [al-'Asr 103:1-2]
· It was the middle prayer to be made obligatory, because the
first prayer to be made obligatory was Fajr and the last was 'Isha',
so it was the middle prayer inbeing made obligatory.
End quote. Kashf al-Mughta, p. 126-132
With regard to the question about the beginning of the day, and
whether it is during the night or the day, the answer is that the
night comes before the day. Sowhen the sun sets, the night belonging
to the following day has begun. Hence when the new moon of Ramadan is
sighted, the people pray Taraweeh that night because that nightis part
of Ramadan, and when they see the new moon of Eid, they do notpray
Taraweeh because that is part of Shawwaal.
But that does not imply that Fajr is the middle prayer, because what
is meant by middle here is the best, not the one that is in the middle
between two things.
See: al-Tahreer wa'l-Tanweer, 15/253; Tafseer Soorat al-Baqarah by Ibn
'Uthaymeen, 2/178.
And Allaah knows best.