Sunan Abi Dawud

Sunan Abi Dawud 547

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا زَائِدَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا السَّائِبُ بْنُ حُبَيْشٍ، عَنْ مَعْدَانَ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ الْيَعْمُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏"‏ مَا مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ فِي قَرْيَةٍ وَلاَ بَدْوٍ لاَ تُقَامُ فِيهِمُ الصَّلاَةُ إِلاَّ قَدِ اسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ فَإِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُ الذِّئْبُ الْقَاصِيَةَ ‏" ‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ زَائِدَةُ قَالَ السَّائِبُ يَعْنِي بِالْجَمَاعَةِ الصَّلاَةَ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ ‏.‏

Translation

Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us: Zaʾidah narrated to us: al-Saʾib ibn Hubaysh narrated to us, from Maʿdan ibn Abi Talhah al-Yaʿmuri, from Abu al-Dardaʾ, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘Whenever three people in a village or the open country fail to establish the prayer among them, Satan has gained mastery over them. So keep to the congregation, for the wolf eats the one that strays apart.’ Zaʾidah said: al-Saʾib explained that “the congregation” means praying in congregation.