Sunan Ibn Majah
The Book of the Prayer
كتاب الصلاة
Chapter 1
أَبْوَابِ مَوَاقِيتِ الصَّلاَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah and Ahmad ibn Sinan reported to us; they said: Ishaq ibn Yusuf al-Azraq informed us; Sufyan informed us. And Ali ibn Maymun al-Raqqi reported to us; Makhlad ibn Yazid reported to us, from Sufyan, from Alqamah ibn Marthad, from Sulayman ibn Buraydah, from his father, who said: ‘A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about the prayer times. He said, “Pray with us these two days.” When the sun passed its zenith, he ordered Bilal to call the adhan, then to give the iqamah for the noon prayer. Then he ordered him to give the iqamah for the afternoon prayer while the sun was still high, bright, and clear. Then he ordered him to give the iqamah for the sunset prayer when the sun had set, then to give the iqamah for the night prayer when the twilight had disappeared, then to give the iqamah for dawn prayer when dawn broke. The next day he ordered him to call the adhan for the noon prayer, then delayed it until it was cooler, taking care to let it cool. Then he prayed the afternoon prayer while the sun was still high, delaying it later than he had the previous day. He prayed the sunset prayer before the twilight disappeared, the night prayer after a third of the night had passed, and dawn prayer when it had grown light. Then he said, “Where is the man who asked about the prayer times?” The man replied, “I am here, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “The time for your prayers lies between the times you have seen.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report specifies timings across two days; all prayer names, sequence markers, and relative timing contrasts are retained.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Rumh al-Misri informed us; al-Layth ibn Sad informed us, from Ibn Shihab, who was seated on the cushions of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz during his governorship of Medina, with Urwah ibn al-Zubayr. Umar delayed the afternoon prayer somewhat, so Urwah said to him: ‘Gabriel came down and led the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in prayer.’ Umar said to him, ‘Be sure of what you are saying, Urwah.’ He replied: ‘I heard Bashir ibn Abi Masud say: I heard Abu Masud say: I heard the Messenger of Allah say, “Gabriel came down and led me in prayer. I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him,” counting five prayers on his fingers.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic includes the setting during Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz's governorship in Medina, Umar's rebuke, the complete nested chain, and the narrator's finger-counting action; these are all retained.
Chapter 2
وَقْتِ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah reported to us; Sufyan ibn Uyaynah reported to us, from al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aishah, who said: ‘The believing women used to pray the dawn prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then return to their families without anyone recognizing them’—meaning because of the darkness before daybreak.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final explanation ‘meaning because of the pre-dawn darkness’ is present in the Arabic source and is retained.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ubayd ibn Asbat ibn Muhammad al-Qurashi reported to us; his father reported to us, from al-Amash, from Ibrahim, from Abdullah—and al-Amash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)—regarding the verse: ‘And the recitation at dawn; indeed, the recitation at dawn is witnessed.’ He said: ‘It is witnessed by the angels of the night and the day.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic preserves two routes before the quoted verse and its explanation; both are retained. No verse reference is added.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim al-Dimashqi reported to us; al-Walid ibn Muslim reported to us; al-Awzai reported to us; Nahik ibn Yarim al-Awzai reported to us; Mughith ibn Sumayy reported to us, who said: ‘I prayed the dawn prayer with Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr in the pre-dawn darkness. When he pronounced the salutation, I turned to Ibn Umar and asked, “What prayer is this?” He replied, “This is how we used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar. When Umar was stabbed, Uthman made it later, until it was light.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says Uthman ‘made it later/brightened it’; the translation does not add a legal rationale.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah informed us; Sufyan ibn Uyaynah informed us, from Ibn Ajlan, who heard Asim ibn Umar ibn Qatadah—whose grandfather was a veteran of Badr—relate from Mahmud ibn Labid, from Rafi ibn Khadij, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Pray the dawn prayer when it is bright, for that brings a greater reward’—or he said, ‘your reward.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source preserves an alternative wording, ‘the reward’ or ‘your reward’; both are retained.
Chapter 3
وَقْتِ صَلاَةِ الظُّهْرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; Yahya ibn Said reported to us, from Shubah, from Simak ibn Harb, from Jabir ibn Samurah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the noon prayer when the sun had declined from its zenith.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; Yahya ibn Said reported to us, from Awf ibn Abi Jamila, from Sayyar ibn Salamah, from Abu Barzah al-Aslami, who said: ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the midday prayer—which you call Zuhr—when the sun had declined from its zenith.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source uses the term salat al-hajir and explicitly glosses it as the prayer called Zuhr by the addressee; both are retained.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali ibn Muhammad reported to us; Waki reported to us; al-Amash reported to us, from Abu Ishaq, from Harithah ibn Mudarrib al-Abdi, from Khabbab, who said: ‘We complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the heat of the scorching ground, but he did not grant us relief.’ Al-Qattan said: Abu Hatim reported to us; al-Ansari reported to us; Awf reported to us, with a similar report.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic expression rendered ‘did not grant us relief’ is idiomatic and can be read as the Prophet not relieving them of the heat or not giving them the respite they sought; the similar second chain is retained.
فَلَمْ يُشْكِنَا
The verb is compressed and may imply not granting respite or relief from the heat.
Which English rendering best preserves the expression in this context without inferring a specific request?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Kurayb reported to us; Muawiyah ibn Hisham reported to us, from Sufyan, from Zayd ibn Jubayr, from Khishf ibn Malik, from his father, from Abdullah ibn Masud, who said: ‘We complained to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the heat of the scorching ground, but he did not grant us relief.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The verb يُشْكِنَا is rendered conservatively as not granting relief; it may indicate not providing respite from the heat.
فَلَمْ يُشْكِنَا
The concise verb may mean he did not grant them respite or relieve them from the heat.
Is ‘grant us respite’ preferable to ‘grant us relief’ here?
Chapter 4
الإِبْرَادِ بِالظُّهْرِ فِي شِدَّةِ الْحَرِّ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar reported to us; Malik ibn Anas reported to us; Abu al-Zinad reported to us, from al-Araj, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the heat becomes intense, delay the prayer until it cools, for the intensity of the heat is from the blast of Hell.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source literally refers to the severe heat as arising from the exhalation/breath of Jahannam; ‘blast of Hell’ keeps the imagery concise.
فَإِنَّ شِدَّةَ الْحَرِّ مِنْ فَيْحِ جَهَنَّمَ
The noun فَيْح denotes a wafting/exhalation of heat; the chosen ‘blast’ is a concise rendering of that image.
Would ‘breath’ or ‘waft of heat’ better convey the source's image in natural English?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Ramh narrated to us: Al-Layth ibn Sa'd informed us, from Ibn Shihab, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Salamah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the heat becomes intense, delay the Zuhr prayer until it cools, for the intensity of the heat is from the blast of Hell.’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Sa'id, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Delay the Zuhr prayer until it cools, for the intensity of the heat is from the blast of Hell.’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Tamim ibn al-Muntasir al-Wasiti narrated to us: Ishaq ibn Yusuf narrated to us, from Sharik, from Bayan, from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, who said: We used to pray Zuhr with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at midday, in the intense heat. He said to us: ‘Delay the prayer until it cools, for the intensity of the heat is from the blast of Hell.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source uses al-hajirah, the midday period, to describe when they prayed Zuhr.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Umar narrated to us: 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi narrated to us, from 'Ubaydullah, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Delay the Zuhr prayer until it cools.’
Chapter 5
وَقْتِ صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Ramh narrated to us: Al-Layth ibn Sa'd informed us, from Ibn Shihab, from Anas ibn Malik, who told him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray 'Asr while the sun was still high and bright. A person could then go to al-'Awali while the sun was still high.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Al-'Awali is retained as a place name; the Arabic describes the sun as high and حيّة (literally ‘alive’).
وَالشَّمْسُ مُرْتَفِعَةٌ حَيَّةٌ
The unusual adjective حيّة literally means ‘alive’; its intended sense in this description is uncertain.
Should حيّة be rendered ‘bright’, ‘hot’, or retained more literally?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from 'Urwah, from 'A'ishah, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed 'Asr while the sun was in my chamber and its shadow had not yet appeared there.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source literally says the sun was in her hujrah (private room/chamber); the final clause says the fay' (shadow after the sun's decline) had not yet appeared there.
Chapter 6
الْمُحَافَظَةِ عَلَى صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn 'Abdah narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from 'Asim ibn Bahdalah, from Zirr ibn Hubaysh, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the day of the Trench: ‘May Allah fill their houses and graves with fire, just as they kept us from the middle prayer.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source identifies the prayer as al-salat al-wusta (the middle prayer) without naming it here.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn 'Ammar narrated to us: Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from Ibn 'Umar, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever misses the 'Asr prayer, it is as though his family and property have been taken from him.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic verb وُتِرَ conveys being bereaved or deprived; its object is his family and wealth.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hafs ibn 'Amr narrated to us: 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us. (A second route:) Yahya ibn Hakim narrated to us: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us. Both said: Muhammad ibn Talhah narrated to us, from Zubayd, from Murrah, from 'Abdullah, who said: The polytheists detained the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from the 'Asr prayer until the sun set. He said: ‘They kept us from the middle prayer. May Allah fill their graves and houses with fire.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source gives two transmission routes, joined by the compiler's ḥāʾ symbol, before they converge at Muhammad ibn Talhah.