What is the authenticity of the hadith: “Delay the Fajr prayer until the light of dawn appears, for that is greater in reward”

Question:
Some people delay the Fajr prayer until the light of dawn appears, justifying this by saying: it is mentioned in a hadith, which is: Is this hadith authentic? And how is it reconciled with the hadith: ?

Answer:
The hadith mentioned is authentic. It was narrated by Imam Ahmad and the compilers of the Sunan collections with a sound chain from Rafi' ibn Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him). It does not contradict the authentic hadiths indicating that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the Fajr prayer in the darkness of the pre-dawn, nor does it contradict the hadith: . Rather, its meaning, according to the majority of scholars, is to delay the Fajr prayer until the dawn becomes clear, and then perform it before the darkness of the pre-dawn disappears, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform it. However, at Muzdalifah, it is better to hasten it from the time the dawn appears, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did so during the Farewell Pilgrimage.
In this way, the authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the time for performing the Fajr prayer are reconciled, and all of this is in terms of what is preferable.
It is permissible to delay it until the end of its time, before the sun rises, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both). And success is from Allah.