Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

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Muharriz ibn Salamah al-Adani narrated to us: Ibn Abi Hazim narrated to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Harmalah, from Abu Ali al-Hamdani: He set out on a ship with Uqbah ibn Amir al-Juhani aboard. When the time came for one of the prayers, we asked Uqbah to lead us and said that he was the most entitled among us to do so, as a Companion of the Messenger of Allah. He refused and said that he had heard the Messenger of Allah say: Whoever leads the people in prayer and does it properly, the prayer is for him and for them; whoever falls short in any part of it, that is against him, not against them.

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Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us: My father narrated to us: Ismail narrated to us, from Qays, from Abu Masud, who said: A man came to the Prophet and said, Messenger of Allah, I arrive late for the dawn prayer because of so-and-so, who makes it long for us. Abu Masud said: I never saw the Messenger of Allah angrier in a sermon than he was that day. He said, People, some among you drive others away. Whoever among you leads the people in prayer should make it brief, for among them are the weak, the elderly, and those with needs.

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Ahmad ibn Abdah and Humayd ibn Masadah narrated to us; they said: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us: Abd al-Aziz ibn Suhayb informed us, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah would make the prayer brief while performing it completely.

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Muhammad ibn Rumh informed us: Al-Layth ibn Sad informed us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: Muadh ibn Jabal al-Ansari led his companions in the night prayer and made it long for them. A man among us left, prayed on his own, and departed. Muadh was told about him and said, He is a hypocrite. When the man heard that, he went to the Messenger of Allah and told him what Muadh had said. The Prophet said, Do you want to cause discord, Muadh? When you lead the people in prayer, recite By the sun and its morning brightness, Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, By the night when it covers, and Read in the name of your Lord.

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Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Ismail ibn Ulayyah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Said ibn Abi Hind, from Mutarrif ibn Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhir, who said: I heard Uthman ibn Abi al-As say: The last instruction the Prophet gave me, when he appointed me governor over al-Taif, was: Uthman, be moderate in prayer and take the people into account according to the weakest among them, for among them are the elderly, the young, the sick, those who have come from afar, and those with needs.

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Ali ibn Ismail narrated to us: Amr ibn Ali narrated to us: Yahya narrated to us: Shubah narrated to us: Amr ibn Murrah narrated to us, from Said ibn al-Musayyib, who said: Uthman ibn Abi al-As related that the last thing the Messenger of Allah said to him was: “When you lead a people in prayer, make it light for them.”

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Nasr ibn Ali al-Jahdami narrated to us: Abd al-Ala narrated to us: Said narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: I begin the prayer intending to make it long, but then I hear a child crying, so I make my prayer brief, knowing how distressed the child's mother is by the crying.

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Ismail ibn Abi Karimah al-Harrani narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Ulasah, from Hisham ibn Hassan, from al-Hasan, from Uthman ibn Abi al-As, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “I hear a child crying, so I make the prayer brief.”

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Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Umar ibn Abd al-Wahid and Bishr ibn Bakr narrated to us, from al-Awzai, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abdullah ibn Abi Qatadah, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: I stand in prayer intending to make it long, but then I hear a child crying, so I make it brief, not wanting to cause hardship for the child's mother.

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Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us: Waki narrated to us: Al-Amash narrated to us, from al-Musayyab ibn Rafi, from Tamim ibn Tarfah, from Jabir ibn Samurah al-Suwai, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “Will you not line up as the angels line up before their Lord?” We asked, “How do the angels line up before their Lord?” He said, “They complete the front rows and stand closely together in the row.”

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Yahya ibn Said narrated to us, from Shubah. And Nasr ibn Ali narrated to us: My father and Bishr ibn Umar narrated to us; they said: Shubah narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “Straighten your rows, for straightening the rows is part of completing the prayer.”

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Jafar narrated to us: Shubah narrated to us: Simak ibn Harb narrated to us that he heard al-Numan ibn Bashir say: The Messenger of Allah used to straighten the rows until he made them like a spear or an arrow shaft. He saw a man with his chest protruding, so the Messenger of Allah said: “Straighten your rows, or Allah will cause discord among you.”

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Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us: Ismail ibn Ayyash narrated to us: Hisham ibn Urwah narrated to us, from his father, from Aishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “Allah and His angels bless those who join the rows, and whoever fills a gap, Allah raises him by it one degree.”

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Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us: Hisham al-Dastawai informed us, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from Khalid ibn Madan, from al-Irbad ibn Sariyah: The Messenger of Allah used to ask forgiveness for the front row three times and for the second row once.

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Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Yahya ibn Said and Muhammad ibn Jafar narrated to us; they said: Shubah narrated to us: I heard Talhah ibn Musarrif say: I heard Abd al-Rahman ibn Awsajah say: I heard al-Bara ibn Azib say: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Allah and His angels bless the front rows.”

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Abu Thawr, Ibrahim ibn Khalid, narrated to us: Abu Qatan narrated to us: Shubah narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Khilas, from Abu Rafi, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “If people knew what is in the first row, they would cast lots for it.”

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Muhammad ibn al-Musaffa al-Himsi narrated to us: Anas ibn Iyad narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Alqamah narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “Allah and His angels bless the first row.”

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Ahmad ibn Abdah narrated to us: Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to us, from al-Ala, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah; and from Suhayl, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “The best rows for women are the last, and the worst are the first; the best rows for men are the first, and the worst are the last.”

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Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us: Waki narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Aqil, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “The best rows for men are those at the front and the worst are those at the back; the best rows for women are those at the back and the worst are those at the front.”

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Zayd ibn Akhzam Abu Talib narrated to us: Abu Dawud and Abu Qutaybah narrated to us; they said: Harun ibn Muslim narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Muawiyah ibn Qurrah, from his father, who said: In the time of the Messenger of Allah, we were forbidden to form rows between the pillars, and we were driven away from them forcefully.