The Book of Prayer - Travellers

Harmala ibn Yahya al-Tujibi narrated to me; 'Abd Allah ibn Wahb narrated to us; 'Amr—meaning Ibn al-Harith—informed me, from Bukayr, from Kurayb, the freedman of Ibn 'Abbas, that 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Azhar, and al-Miswar ibn Makhrama sent him to 'A'isha, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ). They said: Convey our greetings to her together, and ask her about the two rak'ahs after the 'Asr prayer. Tell her: We have been informed that you pray them, although we have heard that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade them. Ibn 'Abbas said: I used to turn people away from them along with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. Kurayb said: I went in to her and conveyed their message. She said: Ask Umm Salama. I returned to them and told them what she had said, and they sent me back to Umm Salama with the same message. Umm Salama said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbid them, then I saw him pray them. When he prayed them, he had performed the 'Asr prayer and then came in, while women from Banu Haram of the Ansar were with me. He prayed the two rak'ahs. I sent a young woman to him and told her: Stand beside him and say, Umm Salama asks: Messenger of Allah, I hear you forbidding these two rak'ahs, yet I see you praying them. If he gestures with his hand, step back from him. She did so. He gestured with his hand, and she stepped back. When he finished, he said: Daughter of Abu Umayya, you asked about the two rak'ahs after 'Asr. People from 'Abd al-Qays came to me with Islam from their people and kept me busy, so I missed the two rak'ahs that follow the noon prayer. These are those two.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shayba and Abu Kurayb both narrated to us, from Ibn Fudayl. Abu Bakr said: Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us, from Mukhtar ibn Fulful, who said: I asked Anas ibn Malik about voluntary prayer after 'Asr. He said: 'Umar would strike the hands of those praying after 'Asr. During the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ), we used to pray two rak'ahs after sunset and before the Maghrib prayer. I asked him: Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray them? He said: He saw us praying them, but neither commanded nor forbade us.

Shayban ibn Farrukh narrated to us; 'Abd al-Warith narrated to us, from 'Abd al-'Aziz—meaning Ibn Suhayb—from Anas ibn Malik, who said: When we were in Medina and the caller gave the call to the Maghrib prayer, people would hurry to the mosque pillars and pray two rak'ahs each, until a stranger entering the mosque would think the obligatory prayer had already been performed, because so many people were praying them.

'Ubayd Allah ibn Mu'adh al-'Anbari narrated to us; my father narrated to us; Shu'ba narrated to us, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from his father, from Salih ibn Khawwat ibn Jubayr, from Sahl ibn Abi Hathma, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led his companions in the prayer of danger. He arranged them behind him in two rows and prayed one rak'ah with those nearest him. Then he stood and remained standing while those behind them prayed one rak'ah. They then moved forward, and those who had been in front moved back. He prayed one rak'ah with them, then sat while those who had fallen behind prayed one rak'ah. Then he pronounced the salutation.

Yahya ibn Yahya said: I recited to Malik, from Yazid ibn Ruman, from Salih ibn Khawwat, from someone who prayed the prayer of danger with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the day of Dhat al-Riqa'. One group formed a row with him, while another faced the enemy. He prayed one rak'ah with those who were with him, then remained standing while they completed the prayer on their own. They then left and formed a row facing the enemy, and the other group came. He prayed the remaining rak'ah with them, then remained seated while they completed the prayer on their own. Then he pronounced the salutation with them.