Sahih al-Bukhari

Sahih al-Bukhari 2010

Arabic hadith text

وَعَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدٍ الْقَارِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ لَيْلَةً فِي رَمَضَانَ، إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، فَإِذَا النَّاسُ أَوْزَاعٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَيُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ فَيُصَلِّي بِصَلاَتِهِ الرَّهْطُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ إِنِّي أَرَى لَوْ جَمَعْتُ هَؤُلاَءِ عَلَى قَارِئٍ وَاحِدٍ لَكَانَ أَمْثَلَ‏.‏ ثُمَّ عَزَمَ فَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ مَعَهُ لَيْلَةً أُخْرَى، وَالنَّاسُ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلاَةِ قَارِئِهِمْ، قَالَ عُمَرُ نِعْمَ الْبِدْعَةُ هَذِهِ، وَالَّتِي يَنَامُونَ عَنْهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الَّتِي يَقُومُونَ‏.‏ يُرِيدُ آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُومُونَ أَوَّلَهُ‏.‏

Translation

Ibn Shihāb related from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd al-Qārī, who said: One night in Ramaḍān I went with ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) to the mosque. The people were scattered in separate groups: a man praying alone, and another praying with a small group following his prayer. ʿUmar said: ‘I think that if I gathered them behind a single reciter, it would be better.’ He then resolved to do so and gathered them behind Ubayy ibn Kaʿb. Another night I went out with him, and the people were praying behind their reciter. ʿUmar said: ‘What an excellent innovation this is! The prayer they leave for later in the night is better than the one they are performing now.’ He meant the latter part of the night; people used to pray in its early part.