Qatada said on the authority of Anas that the Prophet and Zaid b Anas had a meal at daybreak, and when they finished their meal God’s prophet got up to pray and performed the prayer. On being asked how long it was between the end of their meal and their beginning to pray Anas replied that it was about os long as a man takes to recite fifty verses. Bukhari transmitted it.

I asked the Prophet which action is dearest to God and he replied, “Prayer at its proper time.” I asked what came next, and he replied that it was kindness to parents. I asked what came next and he replied that it was jihad in God's path. He said, “He told me of them, and if I had asked for more he would have told me more.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir reported God’s Messenger as saying, “What lies between a man and infidelity is the abandonment of prayer.”* *This means that when a man does not make it his practice to observe the prayer he is no longer a Muslim.Muslim transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud told of a man coming to the Prophet and saying, “Messenger of God, I sported with a woman on the outskirts of Medina, and I got what I wanted from her short of having intercourse with her. Now here I am, so decide what you wish about me.” ‘Umar said to him, “God has concealed this about you. Would that you had kept it to yourself!” Ibn Mas'ud said that the Prophet gave no reply, so the man got up and went away. Then the Prophet sent a man after him to summon him, and he recited this verse to him. “And observe the prayer at the two ends of the day and the neighbouring parts of the night, for good deeds remove evil deeds. That is a reminder to those who remember (Al-Qur’an, 11:114).” One of the people asked, “Prophet of God, does this refer to him in particular?” He replied, “No, it refers to all men.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Dharr said that the Prophet went out in winter time when the leaves were falling, and took two branches of a tree whose leaves began to fall. He then addressed Abu Dharr who replied, “At your service, Messenger of God.” He said, “A Muslim observes prayer for God’s sake and his sins fall from him as these leaves fall from this tree.” Ahmad transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As said that the Prophet mentioned prayer one day saying, “If anyone keeps to it, it will be light, evidence and salvation for him on the day of resurrection; but if anyone does not keep to it, it will not be for him light, evidence, or salvation, and on the day of resurrection he will be associated with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, 1 and Ubayy b. Khalaf”2 1. These three are mentioned together in Al-Qur’an, 29:39; 40:24. A longer account is given of Qarun in 28:76 ff. Haman is mentioned also in 28:38. The Old Testament gives the story of Korah (Qarun) in Numbers, Chap. 16, and of Haman in Esther, Chaps, 3 ff.2. Ubayy had been an enemy of the Prophet in Mecca. Ubayy had said he would kill him, but the Prophet replied that if God willed he would kill Ubayy. At the battle of Uhud (3 A H.) Ubayy received a scratch, and remembering the Prophet’s words, he felt sure he was going to die. He died at Sarif, about six miles from Mecca, as he was returning home. See the Cairo edition of as-Sira an-nabawiya by Ibn Hisham, 1355/1936, vol.3, p. 89.Ahmad, Darimi, and Baihaqi in Shu'ab al-lman transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Shaqiq said that the companions of God’s Messenger did not consider the abandonment of any good deeds but prayer to be infidelity. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

“I heard Bashir b. Abu Mas'ud say that he heard Abu Mas'ud say that he heard God’s Messenger say, 'Gabriel came down and acted as my imam and I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him,’ reckoning with his fingers five times of prayer." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

My father and I visited Abu Barza al-Aslami and my father asked him how God’s Messenger used to observe the prescribed prayer. He replied, “He used to pray the noon prayer (al-hajir), which you call the first, when the sun was past the meridian; he would pray the afternoon prayer, after which one of us would return to his dwelling in the outskirts of Medina while the sun was still bright; (I forget what he said about the sunset prayer); he liked to postpone the night prayer, which you call al-atama, objecting to sleeping before it or talking after it and he would turn away from the morning prayer when a man could recognise his neighbour, and he would recite from sixty to a hundred verses during it.” A version has, “He did not mind postponing the night prayer till a third of the night had passed; and he did not like sleeping before it, or talking after it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We asked Jabir b. ‘Abdallah about the Prophet’s observance of prayer and he said, “He used to pray the noon prayer in the midday heat; the afternoon prayer when the sun was bright; the sunset prayer when the sun had completely set; the night prayer early if many were present, but late if there were few; and the dawn prayer just before daybreak.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Anas said that God’s Messenger used to pray the afternoon prayer when the sun was high and bright, then one would go off to al-'Awali (Villages on high ground outside Medina) and get there while the sun was still high. Parts of al-‘Awali were four miles or thereabouts from Medina. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

She also said that God’s Messenger would pray the Morning Prayer, and the women would depart wrapped up in their woolen garments, being unrecognizable because of the darkness before dawn. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The five [daily] prayers, Friday to Friday and Ramadan to Ramadan make atonement for what has happened since the previous one when major sins have been avoided.” Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn Mas'ud said that the extent of the shadow when God’s Messenger prayed the noon prayer was three to five feet in summer and five to seven feet in winter. Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Rafi‘ b. Khadij said, “We used to observe the sunset prayer with God’s Messenger, then one of us would go away when it was still possible to see the distance of a bowshot.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger did not pray any prayer at the last possible moment on two occasions during his whole life. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Ayyub reported God's Messenger as saying, “My people will continue to prosper (or he said, to follow Islam), as long as they do not postpone the sunset prayer till the stars are not in abundance.” Abu Dawud transmitted it and Darimi transmitted it from al-‘Abbas.

Rafi' b. Khadij reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Observe Morning Prayer at dawn, for it is the practice most productive of reward.”Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it, but Nasa’i does not have “for it is the practice most productive of reward.”

Rafi‘ b. Khadij said, “We u.ed to pray the afternoon prayer with God’s Messenger, then a camel would be slaughtered, divided into ten portions, and cooked, and we would eat well-done meat before sunset.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Qabisa b. Waqqas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “After my death you will have over you rulers who will delay the prayer, and it will be to your credit but to their discredit. So pray with them so long as they pray facing the qibla.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.