A Day in The Life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Abd a-Wahhab b. Nasir al-Turayri

After Sunset
When Maghrib prayer was called, the Prophet stayed only a
short while before he came out. He would find his companions
close to the pillars of the mosque, praying its voluntary prayer of
two rak 'ahs, as he encouraged them to do. He used to tell them:
"Pray two rak 'ahs before the Maghrib prayer." He repeated this
three times, but added after the third time, "if you wish". These are
two short rak 'ahs, because the time between the adhan and the start
of the congregational prayer at Maghrib was very short.
When the Prophet came into the mosque the prayer was called
and he immediately started. He used to pray Maghrib at the
beginning of its time range and finished it before the fall of
darkness. It is said that when a person left the mosque after
Maghrib, the light was still abundant. If he threw an arrow, he could
see where it landed.
His recitation of the Qur'an in Maghrib and his prayer was
mostly short. He might read a long passage, but this was rare. He
once read in Maghrib Surah 7, "The Heights",32 and on another
occasion he recited Surah 52, "Mount Sinai". Maghrib was the last
prayer he led before he passed away. On that occasion, he recited
Surah 77, "Sent Forth".
The Prophet did not sit to talk to his companions after
Maghrib as he talked to them after other prayers in the day. This
was due to the fact that people needed to go home for their dinner
and to rest. When he finished the obligatory prayer, he returned
home and offered a prayer of two rak 'ahs which is the regular
recommended prayer. He would then have his dinner, as this was
their regular dinner time. They might dine before offering Maghrib
prayer, if they were fasting. Hence, the Prophet said: "If dinner is
brought forth, start with it before you offer Maghrib. Do not place
it ahead of your dinner."
32 Surah 7 is the fourth longest surah in the Qur'an, running into 26 pages, while Surah 52
runs into 2.5 pages. Surah 77 only 1.5 pages and the Prophet divided it in the first two
rak 'abs.
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