Prayer

We used to pray behind the Prophet, and when he said, "God listens to him who praises Him," none of us bowed his back till the Prophet placed his forehead on the ground. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told how a man came when God’s Messenger had already prayed, and he said, “Will no one give alms* to this man and pray along with him?” Thereupon a man got up and prayed along with him. * This is a literal translation. The idea is that by joining with him he increased the reward the man would receive for his prayer, as prayer in company has a much greater reward than prayer alone.Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

The Prophet was seriously ill, and he asked whether the people had prayed. When I told him that they had not, but were waiting for him, he asked me to put some water for him in the tub, and I did so. He bathed, and when he was about to rise with difficulty he fainted. When he came round he asked if the people had prayed, and when I told him that they had not, but were waiting for him, he told me to put some water for him in the tub and sat down and bathed, but when he was about to rise with difficulty he fainted. On coming round he asked whether the people had prayed, and when I told him they had not, but were waiting for him, he asked me to put some water for him in the tub and sat down and bathed, but when he was about to rise with difficulty he fainted. When he came round he asked whether the people had prayed and I told him they had not, but were waiting for him. The people were staying in the mosque waiting for the Prophet for the last evening prayer, so the Prophet sent instructions to Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer. When the Messenger came to him and told him God’s Messenger was ordering him to lead the people in the prayer, Abu Bakr, who was a sensitive man, told ‘Umar to lead the people, but when ‘Umar replied, “You are more entitled to that,” Abu Bakr led the prayers during those days. Afterwards the Prophet experienced some improvement in his condition and went out between two men, one of whom was al-‘Abbas, to the noon prayer when Abu Bakr was leading the people. When Abu Bakr saw him he began to withdraw, but the Prophet signed to him not to do so. He told his two companions to set him down beside Abu Bakr, and they did so and he remained seated. ‘Ubaidallah said that he visited ‘Abdallah b. ‘Abbas and asked if he might submit to him what ‘A’isha had told him about the illness of God’s Messenger, and he said, “Go ahead.” He submitted to him what she had told and he objected to none of it, only asking whether she had named to him the man who accompanied al- ‘Abbas. When he replied that she had not, he said that he was ‘Ali. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

If one is in time for the rak'a he is credited with the sajda, but if one misses the recitation of Umm al- Qur'an (Al-Qur’an; 1) a great amount of good has passed him by. Malik transmitted it.

Busr b. Mihjan reported his father as saying he had been at a meeting along with God’s Messenger when the adhan for prayer was called. God’s Messenger got up and prayed, and when he returned he found Mihjan sitting where he had been, so he asked him, “What prevented you from praying along with the people? Are you not a Muslim?” He replied, “Certainly, Messenger of God; but I had already prayed at home.” God’s Messenger then said to him, “When you come to the mosque having mready prayed and the time for prayer comes, pray along with the people even if you have already prayed.” Malik and Nasa’i transmitted it.

I* pray at home and then go to the mosque and the time to begin the prayer comes, so I pray along with the congregation, but I feel some uneasiness about that. Abu Ayyub replied, “We asked the Prophet about that and he said that such a person gets a portion of the reward for corporate prayer.” * The Arabic has “One of us prays . . . then goes . . .” After that the first person singular is used. While such a construction is quite usual in 'Arabic, it makes impossible English, so I have used the first person all through.Malik and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Nafi‘ said that Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “If anyone prays the sunset or the morning prayer and then comes when the imam is praying them, he must not say them over again.” Malik transmitted it.

He said that God’s Messenger did not pray after the Friday noon prayer till he had departed. He would then pray two rak'as in his house. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Abdallah b. Mughaffal reported the Prophet as saying, “Pray before the sunset prayer,” adding when saying it a third time, “This applies to those who wish to do so.” That was because he did not wish the people to treat it as a sunna. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The gates of heaven are opened for four rak'as containing no taslim before the noon prayer.” Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘A'isha reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone prays twenty rak'as after the sunset prayer, God will build for him a house in paradise.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that between the time when he finished the evening prayer and the dawn prayer the Prophet used to pray eleven rak'as, uttering the salutation at the end of every two and observing the witr,* with a single one, and during that he would make a prostration about as long as one of you would take to recite fifty verses before raising his head. When the mu’adhdhin finished making the call for the dawn prayer and he saw the dawn clearly, he stood up and prayed two short rak'as, then lay down on his right side till the mu’adhdhin came to him for the iqama, whereupon he would go out. *Cf. chap. 36(Bukhari and Muslim.)

She said, “When the Prophet prayed the two rak'as of the dawn prayer, he would talk to me if I was awake, otherwise he would lie down.” Muslim transmitted it.

She said the Prophet used to pray thirteen rak'as during the night, including the witr and two rak'as of the dawn prayer. Muslim transmitted it.

Mu'awiya said, “You observe a prayer which we who were the companions of God's Messenger never saw him pray; indeed, he forbade them;”* meaning the two rak'as after the afternoon prayer. * The dual is used here, the reference being to the two rak’as. Bukhari transmitted it.

When it was a cold, rainy night, God’s Messenger used to command the mu’adhdhin to say, “Pray in your dwellings.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘A’isha said she heard God’s Messenger say, “Prayer is not to be said when food is served, or when the calls of nature prevent it.” Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When the wife of any of you asks permission to enter the mosque he must not prevent her.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Zainab the wife of ‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud told of God’s Messenger saying to them, “When one of you comes to the mosque she must not touch perfume.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “No woman who has used incense maybe present with us at the last evening prayer.” Muslim transmitted it.