Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 791
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِالصَّلاَةِ فَتُقَامَ ثُمَّ آمُرَ رَجُلاً فَيُصَلِّيَ بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أَنْطَلِقَ بِرِجَالٍ مَعَهُمْ حُزَمٌ مِنْ حَطَبٍ إِلَى قَوْمٍ لاَ يَشْهَدُونَ الصَّلاَةَ فَأُحَرِّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ بُيُوتَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ " .
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: Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘I considered ordering that the prayer be called and established, then ordering a man to lead the people in prayer, then going out with men carrying bundles of firewood to people who do not attend the prayer and burning their houses over them with fire.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report presents this as something the Prophet considered doing, not as an action carried out; the past-tense deliberative phrasing is preserved.