The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ

Chapter 41: It is disliked to delay the prayers beyond their proper times, and what a person should do if the Imam delays the prayer

Abu Dharr reported

My friend (the Holy Prophet) bade me to hear and obey (the ruler) even if he is a slave having his feet and arms cut off, and observe prayer at its prescribed time. (And further said): It you find people having observed the prayer, you in fact saved your prayer, otherwise (if you join with them) that would be a Nafl prayer for you.

Chapter 42: The virtue of prayer in congregation, and clarifying the stern warning against staying away from it, and that it is fard kifayah

A hadith like this has been narrated by Abu Huraira.

Chapter 44: Prayer in congregation is one of the sunnah of guidance

'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported

I have seen the time when no one stayed away from prayer except a hypocrite, whose hypocrisy was well known, or a sick man, but if a sick man could walk between two persons (i.e. with the help of two persons with one on each side) he would come to prayer. And (further) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us the paths of right guidance, among which is prayer in the mosque in which the Adhan is called.

Chapter 46: The virtue of praying `Isha and Subh in congregation

'Abd al-Rahman b. Abd 'Amr reported

'Uthman b. 'Affan (narrated the mosque after evening prayer and sat alone. I also sat alone with him, so he said: 0, son of my brother, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He who observed the 'Isha' prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed up to midnight, and he who prayed the morning prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed the whole night.

Jundab b. 'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

He who prayed the morning prayer (in congregation) he is in fact under the protection of Allah. And it can never happen that Allah should demand anything from you in connection with the protection (that He guarantees) and one should not get it. He would then throw him in the fire of Hell.

Chapter 47: Concession allowing one to not attend the congregation if there is an excuse

'Itban b. Malik reported

I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the rest of the hadith is the same as narrated (above) except this that a man said: Where is Malik b. Dukhshun or Dukhaishin, and also made this addition that Mahmud said: I narrated this ver hadith to many people and among them was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari who said: I cannot think that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) could have said so as you say. He (the narrator) said: I took an oath that if I ever go to 'Itban. I would ask him about it. So I went to him and found him to be a very aged man, having lost his eyesight, but he was the Imam of the people. I sat by his side and asked about this hadith and he narrated it In the same way as he had narrated it for the first time. Then so many other obligatory acts and commands were revealed which we see having been completed. So he who wants that he should not be deceived would not be deceived.

Mahmud b. Rabi' reported

I well remember the disgorge of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he did (with water) from a bucket of our house. Mahmud said: 'Itban b. Malik narrated it to me that he had said: Messenger of Allah, I have lost my eyesight, and the rest of the hadith is the same up to these words:" He led us in two rak'ahs of prayer and we detained the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for serving him the pudding that we had prepared for him," and no mention has been made of what follows next from the addition made by Yunus and Ma'mar.

Chapter 48: It is permissible to offer voluntary prayers in congregation, and to pray on hasir (palm-fiber mats), khumrah (small mats), cloth, and other pure things

Anas b. Malik reported that his grandmother, Mulaika, invited the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to a dinner which she had prepared. He (the Holy Prophet) ate out of that and then said

Stand up so that I should observe prayer (in order to bless) you Anas b. Malik said: I stood up on a mat (belonging to us) which had turned dark on account of its long use. I sprinkled water over it (in order to soften it), and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood upon it, and I and an orphan formed a row behind him (the Holy Prophet) and the old woman was behind us, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in two rak'ahs of prayer and then went back.

Anas b. Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wits the best among people in character. On occasions, the time of prayer would come while he was in our house. He would then order to spread the mat lying under him. That was dusted and then water was sprinkled over it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then led the prayer and we stood behind him, and that mat was made of the leaves of date-palm.

Maimuna, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said prayer while I was by his side, and at times when he prostrated his cloth touched me, and he prayed on a small mat.

Chapter 49: The virtue of offering the obligatory prayers in congregation, the virtue of waiting for prayer and taking many steps towards the masjid, the virtue of walking to the masjid

Abu Huraira reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying

Everyone among you is constantly in prayer so long as the prayer detains him (for this noble objective) and nothing prevents him to return to his family but the prayer.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Hammam b. Munabbih on the authority of Abu Huraira.

Chapter 50: The virtue of taking many steps to the masjid

Ubayy b. Ka'b reported

There was a person among the Ansar whose house was situated at the farthest end of Medina, but he never in missed any prayer along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We felt pity for him and said to him: O, so and so, had you bought a donkey it would have saved you from the burning sand and would have saved you from the reptiles of the earth. He said: Listen I by Allah, I do not like my house to be situated by the side of Muhammad (ﷺ). I took (these words of his) ill and came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him about (these words). He (the Holy Prophet) called him and he said exactly like that (which he had mentioned to Ubbay b. Ka'b), but made a mention of this (also) that he wanted a reward for his steps. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: In fact for you is the reward which you expect.

Chapter 51: Walking to prayer erases sins and raises one in status

Abu Huraira reported

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be' upon him) said: He who purified himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the houses of Allah for the sake of performing a Fard (obligatory act) out of the Fara'id (obligatory acts) of Allah, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status.

Chapter 52: The virtue of sitting in one’s prayer place after Subh, and the virtue of the masajid

Simak b. Harb reported

I said to Jabir b. Samura: Did you sit in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him)? He said: Yes, very often. He (the Holy Prophet) used to sit at the place where he observed the morning or dawn prayer till the sun rose or when it had risen; he would stand, and they (his Companions) would talk about matters (pertaining to the days) of ignorance, and they would laugh (on these matters) while (the Holy Prophet) only smiled.

Chapter 54: It is recommended to say qunut in all prayers if a calamity befalls the Muslims – and refuge is sought from Allah (regarding that). It is recommended to say qunut in Subh at all times. And the clarification that it is to be said after raising the head from bowing in the final rak`ah, and it is recommended to say it out loud

Abu Salama b. Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf heard Abu Huraira say

(When) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (wished to invoke curse or blessing on someone, he would do so at the end) of the recitation in the dawn prayer, when he had pronounced Allah-o-Akbar (for bending) and then lifted his head (saying):" Allah listened to him who praised Him; our Lord! to Thee is all praise" ; he would then stand up and say:" Rescue al-Walid b. Walid, Salama b. Hisham, and 'Ayyash b. Abd Rabi'a, and the helpless among the Muslims. O Allah! trample severely Mudar and cause them a famine (which broke out at the time) of Joseph. O Allah! curse Lihyan, Ri'l, Dhakwan, 'Usayya, for they disobeyed Allah and His Messenger." (The narrator then adds): The news reached us that he abandoned (this) when this verse was revealed:" Thou but no concern in the matter whether He turns to them (mercifully) or chastises them; surely they are wrongdoers" (ill. 127)

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira by another chain of transmitters up to the words

" And cause them a famine like that (which broke out at the time) of Joseph," but the subsequent portion was not mentioned.

Chapter 32: The recommendation to delay Zuhr (until it has cooled down) in severe heat for one who finds it too hot in route to join the congregation

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said

When it is very hot, say (the noon prayer) when the extreme heat passes away, for intensity of heat is from the exhalation of Hell.

Another hadith like this has been transmitted by Abu Huraira.

Abu Huraira reported

Abu Huraira reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When it is a hot day, (delay) the prayer till the extreme heat passes away, for the intensity of heat is from the exhalation of Hell.