Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Qays—meaning Ibn al-Rabiʿ—narrated to us. And Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Anbari narrated to us: Wakiʿ narrated to us, from Sufyan—both from ʿAwn ibn Abi Juhaifah, from his father, who said: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Mecca while he was in a red leather tent. Bilal came out and called the prayer, and I followed his mouth as it moved this way and that. Then the Messenger of Allah came out wearing a red Yemeni cloak, striped with a Qitri pattern. Musa said: I saw Bilal go out to al-Abtah and call the prayer. When he reached ‘Come to prayer; come to salvation,’ he turned his neck to the right and left, without turning his whole body. Then he went inside and brought out the short spear, and he related the rest of the report.

Muhammad ibn Kathir informed us: Sufyan informed us, from Zayd al-ʿAmmi, from Abu Iyas, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘A supplication made between the call to prayer and the iqamah is not rejected.’

ʿAbd Allah ibn Maslamah al-Qaʿnabi narrated to us, from Malik, from Ibn Shihab, from ʿAtaʾ ibn Yazid al-Laythi, from Abu Saʿid al-Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When you hear the call, say as the caller to prayer says.’

Muhammad ibn Salamah narrated to us: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from Ibn Lahiʿah, Haywah, and Saʿid ibn Abi Ayyub, from Kaʿb ibn ʿAlqamah, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr, from ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs, who heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘When you hear the caller to prayer, say as he says, then invoke blessings upon me; whoever invokes one blessing upon me, Allah will bless him ten times for it. Then ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to grant me al-Wasilah. It is a rank in Paradise that befits only one of Allah’s servants, and I hope to be that one. Whoever asks Allah to grant me al-Wasilah will have my intercession become due to him.’

Ibn al-Sarh and Muhammad ibn Salamah narrated to us: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from Hayy, from Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman—meaning al-Hubuli—from ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr, that a man said: ‘Messenger of Allah, the callers to prayer surpass us.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: ‘Say as they say, and when you have finished, ask, and you will be given.’

Qutaybah ibn Saʿid narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to us, from al-Hukaym ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Qays, from ʿAmir ibn Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas, from Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘Whoever, upon hearing the caller to prayer, says: “I too testify that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. I am pleased with Allah as Lord, with Muhammad as Messenger, and with Islam as religion,” will be forgiven.’

Ibrahim ibn Mahdi narrated to us: ʿAli ibn Mushir narrated to us, from Hisham ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿAʾishah, that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) heard the caller to prayer recite the testimony of faith, he would say: ‘And I too; and I too.’

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Jahdam narrated to me: Ismaʿil ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, from ʿUmarah ibn Ghaziyyah, from Khubayb ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Isaf, from Hafs ibn ʿAsim ibn ʿUmar, from his father, from his grandfather ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the caller to prayer says “Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest,” one of you should reply, “Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest.” When he says, “I testify that there is no god but Allah,” reply, “I testify that there is no god but Allah.” When he says, “I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” reply, “I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” When he says, “Come to prayer,” reply, “There is no might nor power except through Allah.” When he says, “Come to salvation,” reply, “There is no might nor power except through Allah.” When he says, “Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest,” reply, “Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest.” When he says, “There is no god but Allah,” and he says it from his heart, he will enter Paradise.’

Sulayman ibn Dawud al-ʿAtaki narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Thabit narrated to us: A man from Syria narrated to me, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, from Abu Umamah—or from one of the Prophet’s Companions—that Bilal began the iqamah. When he said, ‘The prayer is about to begin,’ the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘May Allah establish it and make it enduring.’ The rest of the iqamah was like the report of ʿUmar regarding the call to prayer.

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal narrated to us: ʿAli ibn ʿAyyash narrated to us: Shuʿayb ibn Abi Hamzah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir ibn ʿAbd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever, on hearing the call, says: “O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and of the prayer about to be established, grant Muhammad al-Wasilah and excellence, and raise him to the praiseworthy station You promised him,” will be entitled to intercession on the Day of Resurrection.’

Muʾammal ibn Ihab narrated to us: ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Walid al-ʿAdani narrated to us: al-Qasim ibn Maʿn narrated to us: al-Masʿudi narrated to us, from Abu Kathir, the freedman of Umm Salamah, from Umm Salamah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me to say at the call to the sunset prayer: ‘O Allah, this is the coming of Your night, the passing of Your day, and the voices of those calling You. So forgive me.’

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Hammad narrated to us: Saʿid al-Jurayri informed us, from Abu al-ʿAlaʾ, from Mutarrif ibn ʿAbd Allah, from ʿUthman ibn Abi al-ʿAs, who said—I also heard Musa say elsewhere that ʿUthman ibn Abi al-ʿAs said: ‘Messenger of Allah, appoint me as imam of my people.’ He replied: ‘You are their imam. Take account of the weakest among them, and appoint a caller to prayer who takes no payment for his call.’

Musa ibn Ismaʿil and Dawud ibn Shabib narrated to us—the meaning is the same. They said: Hammad narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, that Bilal called the prayer before dawn. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to return and announce: ‘Behold, the servant has slept! Behold, the servant has slept!’ Musa added: He returned and announced: ‘Behold, the servant has slept!’ Abu Dawud said: Hammad ibn Salamah alone narrated this hadith from Ayyub.

Ayyub ibn Mansur narrated to us: Shuʿayb ibn Harb narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Abi Rawwad, who informed us, from Nafiʿ, that a caller to prayer belonging to ʿUmar, named Masruh, called before dawn. ʿUmar ordered him to do so, and he related a report of similar meaning. Abu Dawud said: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated it from ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿUmar, from Nafiʿ or someone else, that one of ʿUmar’s callers to prayer was called Masruh—or another name. Abu Dawud said: al-Darawardi narrated it from ʿUbayd Allah, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said that ʿUmar had a caller to prayer named Masʿud, and related a report of similar meaning. This is more authentic than that version.

Zuhayr ibn Harb narrated to us: Wakiʿ narrated to us: Jaʿfar ibn Burqan narrated to us, from Shaddad, the freedman of ʿIyad ibn ʿAmir, from Bilal, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: ‘Do not call the prayer until dawn has become clear to you, like this’—and he spread his hands horizontally. Abu Dawud said: Shaddad, the freedman of ʿIyad, did not meet Bilal.

Muhammad ibn Salamah narrated to us: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from Yahya ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Salim ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar and Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman, from Hisham ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿAʾishah, that Ibn Umm Maktum was a caller to prayer for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was blind.

Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn al-Muhajir, from Abu al-Shaʿthaʾ, who said: We were with Abu Hurayrah in the mosque. A man left when the caller to prayer gave the call for the afternoon prayer. Abu Hurayrah said: ‘As for this man, he has disobeyed Abu al-Qasim (peace be upon him).’

ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Shababah narrated to us, from Israʾil, from Simak, from Jabir ibn Samurah, who said: Bilal would call the prayer, then wait. When he saw that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had come out, he would establish the prayer.

Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us: Abu Yahya al-Qattat narrated to us, from Mujahid, who said: I was with Ibn ʿUmar when a man made the additional call for the Zuhr or ʿAsr prayer. He said: ‘Come out with us; this is an innovation.’

Muslim ibn Ibrahim and Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Aban narrated to us, from Yahya, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Abi Qatadah, from his father, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘When the iqamah for prayer is given, do not stand until you see me.’ Abu Dawud said: Ayyub and Hajjaj al-Sawwaf also narrated it from Yahya. Hisham al-Dastawaʾi said: ‘Yahya wrote to me.’ Muʿawiyah ibn Sallam and ʿAli ibn al-Mubarak narrated it from Yahya, and both included: ‘until you see me, and remain tranquil.’