Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Al-Hasan ibn ʿAli narrated to us: Abu ʿAsim and ʿAbd al-Razzaq narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, who said: ʿUthman ibn al-Saʾib informed me: My father and Umm ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Mahdhurah informed me, from Abu Mahdhurah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), with a report like this one. It includes: ‘Prayer is better than sleep’ twice in the first call for the dawn prayer. Abu Dawud said: Musaddad’s report is clearer. It says: ‘He taught me the iqamah twice, phrase by phrase: Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest; I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation; Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest; there is no god but Allah.’ ʿAbd al-Razzaq said: ‘When you establish the prayer, say “The prayer is about to begin” twice. Did you hear that?’ Abu Mahdhurah would not cut or part his forelock because the Prophet had wiped over it.

Al-Hasan ibn ʿAli narrated to us: ʿAffan, Saʿid ibn ʿAmir, and Hajjaj narrated to us—the meaning is the same. They said: Hammam narrated to us: ʿAmir al-Ahwal narrated to us: Makhul narrated to me that Ibn Muhayriz told him that Abu Mahdhurah told him: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him the call to prayer as nineteen phrases and the iqamah as seventeen phrases. The call to prayer is: ‘Allah is greatest’ four times; ‘I testify that there is no god but Allah’ twice; ‘I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ twice; then those two testimonies repeated twice; ‘Come to prayer’ twice; ‘Come to salvation’ twice; ‘Allah is greatest’ twice; and ‘There is no god but Allah.’ The iqamah is: ‘Allah is greatest’ four times; each of the two testimonies twice; ‘Come to prayer’ twice; ‘Come to salvation’ twice; ‘The prayer is about to begin’ twice; ‘Allah is greatest’ twice; and ‘There is no god but Allah.’ This is how it appears in his book in the report of Abu Mahdhurah.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Abu ʿAsim narrated to us: Ibn Jurayj narrated to us: Ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Mahdhurah—meaning ʿAbd al-ʿAziz—informed me, from Ibn Muhayriz, from Abu Mahdhurah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself taught me the call to prayer. He said: ‘Say “Allah is greatest” four times; “I testify that there is no god but Allah” twice; and “I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” twice.’ Then he said: ‘Repeat, raising your voice: “I testify that there is no god but Allah” twice; “I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” twice; “Come to prayer” twice; “Come to salvation” twice; “Allah is greatest” twice; and “There is no god but Allah.”’

Al-Nufayli narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Ismaʿil ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Mahdhurah narrated to us: I heard my grandfather ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Mahdhurah mention that he heard Abu Mahdhurah say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the call to prayer phrase by phrase: ‘Allah is greatest’ four times; ‘I testify that there is no god but Allah’ twice; ‘I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ twice; then each of those two testimonies twice again; ‘Come to prayer’ twice; and ‘Come to salvation’ twice. He used to say at dawn: ‘Prayer is better than sleep.’

Muhammad ibn Dawud al-Iskandarani narrated to us: Ziyad—meaning Ibn Yunus—narrated to us, from Nafiʿ ibn ʿUmar—meaning al-Jumahi—from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Mahdhurah, who informed him, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Muhayriz al-Jumahi, from Abu Mahdhurah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him the call to prayer, saying: ‘Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest; I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ Then he mentioned the call as in the report of Ibn Jurayj from ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, with the same meaning. Abu Dawud said: In Malik ibn Dinar’s report, he said: ‘I asked Ibn Abi Mahdhurah, “Tell me your father’s call to prayer from the Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest”—and no more.’ The report of Jaʿfar ibn Sulayman from Ibn Abi Mahdhurah, from his uncle, from his grandfather, is similar, except that it says: ‘Then repeat and raise your voice: Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest.’

ʿAmr ibn Marzuq informed us: Shuʿbah informed us, from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, who said: I heard Ibn Abi Layla. And Ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, from Shuʿbah, from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, who said: I heard Ibn Abi Layla say: Prayer was prescribed in three stages. He said: Our companions narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘I wished that the Muslims’—or he said, ‘the believers’—prayer would be one united practice. I even considered sending men through the neighborhoods to announce the prayer time, and considered ordering men to stand on the forts and call the Muslims when it was time for prayer, until they struck—or nearly struck—the bell.’ Then a man from the Ansar came and said: ‘Messenger of Allah, when I left you, because I saw how concerned you were, I saw a man—as if he were wearing two green garments—stand on the mosque and call the prayer. He then sat briefly, stood again, and said the same, except that he said, “The prayer is about to begin.” Had people not said I was lying’—in Ibn al-Muthanna’s version, ‘had you not said I was lying’—‘I would have said that I was awake, not asleep.’ The Messenger of Allah said—in Ibn al-Muthanna’s version—‘Allah has shown you something good.’ ʿAmr’s version does not include ‘Allah has shown you something good; so tell Bilal to call the prayer.’ ʿUmar said: ‘I too saw what he saw, but since he had got ahead of me, I felt shy.’ Our companions narrated to us: When a man arrived during the prayer, he would ask how much of the prayer had already been performed, and they would tell him. They would join the Messenger of Allah in prayer, some standing, some bowing, some sitting, and some praying with him. Ibn al-Muthanna said: ʿAmr told me that Husayn also narrated this from Ibn Abi Layla, up to ‘until Muʿadh came.’ Shuʿbah said: I heard it from Husayn, who said, ‘I think he was in whatever position—’ up to the words ‘do likewise.’ Abu Dawud said: I then returned to the report of ʿAmr ibn Marzuq: Muʿadh came and they gestured to him. Shuʿbah said: I heard this from Husayn. He said that Muʿadh said: ‘I will be in whatever position you are in.’ They said: ‘Muʿadh has established a practice for you, so do likewise.’ Our companions also narrated to us: When the Messenger of Allah came to Medina, he ordered them to fast for three days. Then Ramadan was prescribed. They were people unaccustomed to fasting, and fasting was difficult for them. Whoever did not fast would feed a poor person. Then this verse was revealed: ‘So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it’ [Qur’an 2:185]. The concession was for the sick and the traveler, and they were ordered to fast. Our companions narrated to us: If a man broke his fast and then slept before eating, he would not eat until morning. ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab came and wanted to be intimate with his wife. She said: ‘I have fallen asleep.’ He thought she was making an excuse and went to her. A man from the Ansar wanted food, and they said: ‘Wait until we warm something for you.’ He fell asleep. When morning came, this verse was revealed to him: ‘Permitted to you on the night of fasting is intimacy with your wives…’ [Qur’an 2:187].

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us, from Abu Dawud. And Nasr ibn al-Muhajir narrated to us: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us, from al-Masʿudi, from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, from Ibn Abi Layla, from Muʿadh ibn Jabal, who said: Prayer was prescribed in three stages, and fasting was prescribed in three stages. Nasr gave the full report; Ibn al-Muthanna excerpted from it the story of their prayer toward Bayt al-Maqdis. He said: The third stage was when the Messenger of Allah came to Medina and prayed—meaning toward Bayt al-Maqdis—for thirteen months. Then Allah Most High revealed: ‘We have certainly seen the turning of your face toward the sky, so We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram; and wherever you are, turn your faces toward it’ [Qur’an 2:144]. Allah turned him toward the Kaʿbah. His report continued. Nasr named the man who saw the vision: ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd, a man of the Ansar, came. This version says he faced the qiblah and said: ‘Allah is greatest’ twice; ‘I testify that there is no god but Allah’ twice; ‘I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ twice; ‘Come to prayer’ twice; ‘Come to salvation’ twice; ‘Allah is greatest’ twice; there is no god but Allah. Then he waited a short while, stood, and said the same, adding ‘The prayer is about to begin’ twice after ‘Come to salvation.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Teach it to Bilal.’ Bilal then called it. Regarding fasting, he said: The Messenger of Allah used to fast three days each month and the day of ʿAshuraʾ. Then Allah Most High revealed ‘Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you’ through ‘feeding a poor person’ [Qur’an 2:183–184]. Whoever wished could fast, and whoever wished not to fast could feed a poor person each day; that sufficed. This was one stage. Then Allah revealed ‘The month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed’ through ‘other days’ [Qur’an 2:185]. Fasting was thus established for whoever witnessed the month, and the traveler was to make up the days. Feeding was established for an elderly man and woman unable to fast. Then Sirmah came after working through the day, and the report continued.

Sulayman ibn Harb and ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us: Hammad narrated to us, from Simak ibn ʿAtiyyah. And Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Wuhayb narrated to us—both from Ayyub, from Abu Qilabah, from Anas, who said: Bilal was instructed to make the call to prayer in pairs and the iqamah in odd-numbered phrases. Hammad added in his report: ‘except for the iqamah.’

Humayd ibn Masʿadah narrated to us: Ismaʿil narrated to us, from Khalid al-Hadhdhaʾ, from Abu Qilabah, from Anas, with a report like that of Wuhayb. Ismaʿil said: I related it to Ayyub, and he said: ‘except for the iqamah.’

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us: I heard Abu Jaʿfar relate, from Muslim Abu al-Muthanna, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the call to prayer was given in pairs, and the iqamah phrase by phrase, except that ‘The prayer is about to begin’ was said twice. When we heard the iqamah, we performed ablution and then went out to the prayer. Shuʿbah said: I heard no report from Abu Jaʿfar other than this hadith.

Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Faris narrated to us: Abu ʿAmir—meaning al-ʿAqadi, ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAmr—narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Abu Jaʿfar, the caller to prayer at the Mosque of al-ʿUryan, who said: I heard Abu al-Muthanna, the caller to prayer at the Great Mosque, say: I heard Ibn ʿUmar, and he related the rest of the report in similar wording.

ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Hammad ibn Khalid narrated to us: Muhammad ibn ʿAmr narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allah, from his uncle ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considered various ways of calling people to prayer, but did not implement any of them. Then ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd was shown the call to prayer in a dream. He went to the Prophet and told him, and he said: ‘Teach it to Bilal.’ He taught it to him, and Bilal called the prayer. ʿAbd Allah said: ‘I saw it, and I had wanted to do it.’ He replied: ‘Then you perform the iqamah.’

ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿUmar al-Qawariri narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us: Muhammad ibn ʿAmr—a man from Medina, one of the Ansar—narrated to us. He said: I heard ʿAbd Allah ibn Muhammad say: My grandfather ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd used to relate this report. He said: My grandfather pronounced the iqamah.

ʿAbd Allah ibn Maslamah narrated to us: ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar ibn Ghanim narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad—meaning al-Ifriqi—who heard Ziyad ibn Nuʿaym al-Hadrami, who heard Ziyad ibn al-Harith al-Sudaʿi say: At the first call for the dawn prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to call it, and I did. I kept asking: ‘Shall I establish the iqamah, Messenger of Allah?’ He kept looking east toward the dawn and saying: ‘No,’ until dawn broke. He came down and went out, then returned to me when his Companions had gathered—meaning, he performed ablution. Bilal wanted to establish the iqamah, but the Prophet of Allah said to him: ‘The brother of Sudaʿ has called the adhan; whoever calls the adhan is the one to establish the iqamah.’ So I established it.

ʿAbd Allah ibn Maslamah narrated to us: ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar ibn Ghanim narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad—meaning al-Ifriqi—who heard Ziyad ibn Nuʿaym al-Hadrami, who heard Ziyad ibn al-Harith al-Sudaʿi say: At the first call for the dawn prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to call it, and I did. I kept asking: ‘Shall I establish the iqamah, Messenger of Allah?’ He kept looking east toward the dawn and saying: ‘No,’ until dawn broke. He came down and went out, then returned to me when his Companions had gathered—meaning, he performed ablution. Bilal wanted to establish the iqamah, but the Prophet of Allah said to him: ‘The brother of Sudaʿ has called the adhan; whoever calls the adhan is the one to establish the iqamah.’ So I established it.

Hafs ibn ʿUmar al-Namari narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Musa ibn Abi ʿUthman, from Abu Yahya, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘The caller to prayer is forgiven as far as his voice reaches, and every moist and dry thing bears witness for him. One who attends the prayer is credited with twenty-five prayers, and what is between them is expiated for him.’

Al-Qaʿnabi narrated to us, from Malik, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-Aʿraj, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the call to prayer is made, Satan turns away, passing wind so that he cannot hear the call. When the call ends, he returns. When the iqamah is called, he turns away; when it ends, he returns and whispers between a person and himself, saying: “Remember such and such,” reminding him of things he had not been thinking about, until a man no longer knows how much he has prayed.’

Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us: al-Aʿmash narrated to us, from a man, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The imam is responsible, and the caller to prayer is entrusted. O Allah, guide the imams and forgive the callers to prayer.’

Al-Hasan ibn ʿAli narrated to us: Ibn Numayr narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, who said: I was informed about Abu Salih—and I think I must have heard it from him—from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said something similar.

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyub narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn al-Zubayr, from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, from a woman of Banu al-Najjar, who said: My house was one of the tallest houses around the mosque. Bilal used to call the dawn prayer from its roof. He would come before dawn and sit on the roof watching for it. When he saw it, he would stretch and say: ‘O Allah, I praise You and seek Your help against Quraysh, that they may uphold Your religion.’ Then he would call the prayer. She said: By Allah, I do not know that he ever omitted saying it on a single night.