Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Muhammad ibn ʿIsa narrated to us: Abu Muʿawiyah narrated to us, from Hilal ibn Maymun, from ʿAtaʾ ibn Yazid, from Abu Saʿid al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Prayer in congregation is equivalent to twenty-five prayers. If a person prays in open country and completes his bowing and prostration, it is equivalent to fifty prayers.’ Abu Dawud said: ʿAbd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad said in his version: ‘A man’s prayer in open country is multiplied beyond his prayer in congregation,’ and he related the report.

Yahya ibn Maʿin narrated to us: Abu ʿUbaydah al-Haddad narrated to us: Ismaʿil Abu Sulayman al-Kahhal narrated to us, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Aws, from Buraydah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘Give good tidings to those who walk to the mosques in the darkness: they will have a complete light on the Day of Resurrection.’

Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Anbari narrated to us that ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAmr related to them, from Dawud ibn Qays, who said: Saʿd ibn Ishaq narrated to me, from Abu Saʿid al-Maqburi, who said: Abu Thumamah al-Hannat narrated to me that Kaʿb ibn ʿUjrah encountered him as he was heading to the mosque—one of the two met the other—and found me interlacing my fingers. He forbade me to do that and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When one of you performs ablution well, then leaves intending for the mosque, let him not interlace his fingers, for he is in prayer.’

Muhammad ibn Muʿadh ibn ʿAbbad al-ʿAnbari narrated to us: Abu ʿAwanah narrated to us, from Yaʿla ibn ʿAtaʾ, from Maʿbad ibn Hurmuz, from Saʿid ibn al-Musayyab, who said: An Ansari man was near death and said: ‘I will relate a report to you, seeking reward in doing so. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: When one of you performs ablution well, then goes out to prayer, every time he lifts his right foot Allah, Mighty and Majestic, records a good deed for him, and every time he sets down his left foot Allah removes a sin from him. Let each of you live near or far. If he comes to the mosque and prays in congregation, he is forgiven. If he comes when some of the prayer has been performed and some remains, he prays what he catches and completes what remains; he receives the same. If he comes after they have finished the prayer and completes his prayer, he receives the same.’’

ʿAbd Allah ibn Maslamah narrated to us: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz—meaning Ibn Muhammad—narrated to us, from Muhammad—meaning Ibn Tahlaʾ—from Muhsin ibn ʿAli, from ʿAwf ibn al-Harith, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever performs ablution well, then goes out and finds that the people have already prayed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will grant him a reward like that of the one who prayed with them and attended it, without diminishing any of their reward.’

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Hammad narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn ʿAmr, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the mosques of Allah; rather, let them go out unperfumed.’

Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us: Hammad narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the mosques of Allah.’

ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us: al-ʿAwwam ibn Hawshab informed us: Habib ibn Abi Thabit narrated to me, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Do not prevent your women from the mosques; their homes are better for them.’

ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Jarir and Abu Muʿawiyah narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Mujahid, who said: ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Give women permission to go to the mosques at night.’ One of his sons said: ‘By Allah, we will not give them permission, lest they use it as a pretext. By Allah, we will not give them permission.’ He rebuked him angrily and said: ‘I tell you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Give them permission,” and you say, “We will not give them permission”?’

Al-Qaʿnabi narrated to us, from Malik, from Yahya ibn Saʿid, from ʿAmrah bint ʿAbd al-Rahman, who informed him that ʿAʾishah, wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said: ‘Had the Messenger of Allah seen what women have introduced, he would have prevented them from the mosque, as the women of the Children of Israel were prevented.’ Yahya said: I asked ʿAmrah: ‘Were the women of the Children of Israel prevented?’ She replied: ‘Yes.’

Ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us that ʿAmr ibn ʿAsim related to them: Hammam narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Muwarriq, from Abu al-Ahwas, from ʿAbd Allah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘A woman’s prayer in her house is better than her prayer in her room, and her prayer in her private chamber is better than her prayer in her house.’

Abu Maʿmar narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Warith narrated to us: Ayyub narrated to us, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘If only we left this door for the women.’ Nafiʿ said: Ibn ʿUmar never entered through it until he died. Abu Dawud said: Ismaʿil ibn Ibrahim narrated it from Ayyub, from Nafiʿ, who said that ʿUmar said it; this is more correct.

Ahmad ibn Salih narrated to us: ʿAnbasah narrated to us: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, who informed me that Saʿid ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman reported that Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘When the iqamah is given, do not come to it running; come walking, with tranquility. Pray whatever portion you catch, and complete whatever you miss.’ Abu Dawud said: al-Zubaydi, Ibn Abi Dhiʾb, Ibrahim ibn Saʿd, Maʿmar, and Shuʿayb ibn Abi Hamzah all narrated from al-Zuhri, ‘complete what you miss.’ Ibn ʿUyaynah alone narrated from al-Zuhri, ‘make up what you miss.’ Muhammad ibn ʿAmr from Abu Salamah from Abu Hurayrah, and Jaʿfar ibn Rabiʿah from al-Aʿraj from Abu Hurayrah, said ‘complete it.’ Ibn Masʿud, Abu Qatadah, and Anas also reported from the Prophet: ‘complete it.’

Abu al-Walid al-Tayalisi narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Saʿd ibn Ibrahim, who said: I heard Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘Come to prayer with tranquility. Pray what you catch, and make up what you have missed.’ Abu Dawud said: Ibn Sirin likewise narrated from Abu Hurayrah, ‘let him make it up.’ Abu Rafiʿ also narrated from Abu Hurayrah, and Abu Dharr is reported to have said, ‘complete what you catch and make up what you missed.’ There is variation in the wording from him.

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Wuhayb narrated to us, from Sulayman al-Aswad, from Abu al-Mutawakkil, from Abu Saʿid al-Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying alone and said: ‘Will someone give charity to him by praying with him?’

Hafs ibn ʿUmar narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us: Yaʿla ibn ʿAtaʾ informed me, from Jabir ibn Yazid ibn al-Aswad, from his father, who said: I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when I was a young boy. After he had prayed, there were two men in a corner of the mosque who had not prayed. He summoned them, and they were brought to him trembling. He asked: ‘What kept you from praying with us?’ They replied: ‘We had already prayed in our lodgings.’ He said: ‘Do not do that. If one of you has prayed in his lodging, then catches the imam before he has prayed, let him pray with him, for that will be a voluntary prayer for him.’

Ibn Muʿadh narrated to us: My father narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Yaʿla ibn ʿAtaʾ, from Jabir ibn Yazid, from his father, who said: I prayed the dawn prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at Mina, with a report of similar meaning.

Qutaybah narrated to us: Maʿn ibn ʿIsa narrated to us, from Saʿid ibn al-Saʾib, from Nuh ibn Saʿsaʿah, from Yazid ibn ʿAmir, who said: I arrived while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying. I sat down and did not join them in prayer. The Messenger of Allah turned toward us, saw Yazid sitting, and said: ‘Yazid, have you not become a Muslim?’ He replied: ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah, I have become a Muslim.’ He asked: ‘What kept you from joining the people in their prayer?’ He replied: ‘I had prayed at home, thinking you had already prayed.’ He said: ‘When you come for prayer and find the people, pray with them. Even if you have already prayed, that will be voluntary for you, and the other will be the obligatory prayer.’

Ahmad ibn Salih said: I read to Ibn Wahb, who said: ʿAmr informed me, from Bukayr, who heard ʿAfif ibn ʿAmr ibn al-Musayyab say: A man of Banu Asad ibn Khuzaymah narrated to me that he asked Abu Ayyub al-Ansari: ‘If one of us prays at home, then comes to the mosque and finds the prayer being established, and prays with them, he feels uneasy about it.’ Abu Ayyub replied: ‘We asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about that, and he said: “That is a share in the congregational prayer.”’

Abu Kamil narrated to us: Yazid ibn Zurayʿ narrated to us: Husayn narrated to us, from ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from Sulayman ibn Yasar—meaning the freedman of Maymunah—who said: I came to Ibn ʿUmar at al-Balat while they were praying. I said: ‘Will you not pray with them?’ He replied: ‘I have already prayed. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Do not pray one prayer twice in a day.”’