The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

Yahya ibn Yahya narrated to us: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us, from Ghalib al-Qattan, from Bakr ibn Abdullah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in intense heat. When one of us could not place his forehead firmly on the ground, he would spread out his garment and prostrate on it.

Yahya ibn Ayyub, Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah, Qutaybah, and Ibn Hujr narrated to us; they said: Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far narrated to us, from al-Ala ibn Abd al-Rahman, who said: He came to Anas ibn Malik at his home in Basra, which was beside the mosque, after he had finished the noon prayer. When we entered, Anas asked, “Have you prayed the afternoon prayer?” We said, “We have only just finished the noon prayer.” He said, “Then pray the afternoon prayer.” We stood and prayed. When we finished, he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say, “That is the prayer of the hypocrite: he sits watching the sun until it is between the horns of Satan, then gets up and pecks out four units, remembering Allah only a little in them.”

Mansur ibn Abi Muzahim narrated to us: Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Abu Bakr ibn Uthman ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf, who said: I heard Abu Umamah ibn Sahl say: We prayed the noon prayer with Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, then went out and came to Anas ibn Malik, whom we found praying the afternoon prayer. I said, “Uncle, what prayer is this that you are praying?” He said, “The afternoon prayer. This is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray with us.”

Amr ibn Sawwad al-Amiri, Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Muradi, and Ahmad ibn Isa narrated to us; their wordings are similar. Amr said: Ibn Wahb informed us; the other two said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us. Amr ibn al-Harith informed me, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, that Musa ibn Sa‘d al-Ansari told him, from Hafs ibn Ubayd Allah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the afternoon prayer. When he finished, a man from Banu Salimah came to him and said, “Messenger of Allah, we intend to slaughter one of our camels, and we would like you to be present.” He said, “Yes.” He went, and we went with him. We found that the camel had not yet been slaughtered, so it was slaughtered and cut up. Some of it was cooked, and we ate before the sun had set. Al-Muradi said: Ibn Wahb narrated this report to us from Ibn Lahi‘ah and Amr ibn al-Harith.

‘Awn ibn Sallam al-Kufi informed us: Muhammad ibn Talhah al-Yami informed us, from Zubayd, from Murrah, from Abdullah, who said: The polytheists detained the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) from the afternoon prayer until the sun had reddened or turned pale. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘They distracted us from the middle prayer—the afternoon prayer. May Allah fill their insides and their graves with fire!’ Or he said: ‘May Allah stuff their insides and their graves with fire!’