Sunan Abi Dawud

Sunan Abi Dawud 418

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، حَدَّثَنِي يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ مَرْثَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا أَبُو أَيُّوبَ غَازِيًا وَعُقْبَةُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَى مِصْرَ فَأَخَّرَ الْمَغْرِبَ فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَا هَذِهِ الصَّلاَةُ يَا عُقْبَةُ فَقَالَ شُغِلْنَا ‏.‏ قَالَ أَمَا سَمِعْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏"‏ لاَ تَزَالُ أُمَّتِي بِخَيْرٍ - أَوْ قَالَ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ - مَا لَمْ يُؤَخِّرُوا الْمَغْرِبَ إِلَى أَنْ تَشْتَبِكَ النُّجُومُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Translation

Marthad ibn Abd Allah said: When Abu Ayyub came to us on a military expedition, Uqbah ibn Amir was then governor of Egypt and had delayed the sunset prayer. Abu Ayyub stood up and asked him: “What prayer is this, Uqbah?” He replied: “We were occupied.” Abu Ayyub said: “Have you not heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘My community will remain well’—or he said, ‘upon its natural way’—‘so long as they do not delay sunset prayer until the stars are interwoven like a net’?”