The Book of Prayer - Travellers

كتاب صلاة المسافرين وقصرها

Chapter 6: Joining two prayers when not traveling

Ibn 'Abbas reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed the noon and afternoon prayers together in Medina without being in a state of fear or in a state of journey. (Abu Zubair said: I asked Sa'id [one of the narrators] why he did that. He said: I asked Ibn 'Abbas as you have asked me, and he replied that he [the Holy Prophet] wanted that no one among his Ummah should be put to [unnecessary] hardship.)

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) combined the prayers as he set on a journey in the expedition to Tabuk. He combined the noon prayer with the afternoon prayer and the sunset prayer with the 'Isha' prayer. Sa'id (one of the rawis) said to Ibn 'Abbas

What prompted him to do this? He said: He wanted that his Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship.

Mu'adh reported

We set out with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the Tabuk expedition, and he observed the noon and afternoon prayers together and the sunset and 'Isha' prayers together.

Mu'adh b. Jabal reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) combined in the expedition to Tabuk the noon prayer with the afternoon prayer and the sunset prayer with the 'Isha' prayer. He (one of the narrators) said: What prompted him to do that? He (Mu'adh) replied that he (the Holy Prophet) wanted that his Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship.

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) combined the noon prayer with the afternoon prayer and the sunset prayer with the 'Isha' prayer in Medina without being in a state of danger or rainfall. And in the hadith transmitted by Waki' (the words are)

" I said to Ibn 'Abbas: What prompted him to do that? He said: So that his (Prophet's) Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship." And in the hadith transmitted by Mu'awiya (the words are):" It was said to Ibn 'Abbas: What did he intend thereby? He said he wanted that his Ummah should not be put to unnecessary hardship."

Ibn 'Abbas reported

I observed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) eight (rak'ahs) in combination, and seven rak'ahs in combination. I (one of the narrators) said: O Abd Sha'tha', I think that he (the Holy Prophet) had delayed the noon prayer and hastened the afternoon prayer, and he delayed the sunset prayer and hastened the 'Isha' prayer. He said: I also think so.

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed in Medina seven (rak'ahs) and eight (rak'ahs), i. e. (be combined) the noon and afternoon prayers (eight rak'ahs) and the sunset and 'Isha' prayers (seven rak'ahs).

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported

Ibn 'Abbas one day addressed us in the afternoon (after the afternoon prayer) till the sun disappeared and the stars appeared, and the people began to say: Prayer, prayer. A person from Banu Tamim came there. He neither slackened nor turned away, but (continued crying): Prayer, prayer. Ibn 'Abbas said: May you be deprived of your mother, do you teach me Sunnah? And then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) combining the noon and afternoon prayers and the sunset and 'Isha' prayers. 'Abdullah b. Shaqiq said: Some doubt was created in my mind about it. So I came to Abu Huraira and asked him (about it) and he testified his assertion.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq al-'Uqaili reported

A person said to Ibn 'Abbas (as he delayed the prayer): Prayer. He kept silence. He again said: Prayer. He again kept silence, and he again cried: Prayer. He again kept silence and said: May you be deprived of your mother, do you teach us about prayer? We used to combine two prayers during the life of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Chapter 7: It is permissible to leave to the right or left after finishing the prayer

Abdullah reported

None of you should give a share to Satan out of your self. He should not deem that it is necessary for him to turn but to the right only (after prayer). I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turning to the left.

A hadith like this has been narrated by A'mash, with the same chain of transmitters.

Suddi reported

I asked Anas how I should turn-to the right or to the left-when I say my prayers. He said: I have very often seen the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turning to the right.

Anas reported

The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) used to turn to the right (at the end of the prayer).

Chapter 8: It is recommended to stand to the right of the Imam

Bara' reported

When we prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) we cherished to be on his right side so that his face would turn towards us (at the end of the prayer), and he (the narrator) said: I heard him say: O my Lord! save me from Thy torment on the Day when Thoil, wouldst raise or gather Thy servants.

This hadith has been reported by Mis'ar with the same chain of transmitters, but he made no mention of

" His face would turn towards us."

Chapter 9: It is disliked to start a voluntary prayer after the Mu’adhdhin has started to say Iqamah for prayer, whether that is a regular sunnah, such as the sunnah of Subh or Zuhr, or anything else, and regardless of whether he knows that he will catch up with the rak`ah with the Imam or not

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

When the prayer commences then there is no prayer (valid), but the obligatory prayer. This hadith has been narrated by Warqa' with the same chain of transmitters.

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

When the prayer commences, there is no prayer but the obligatory one.

A hadith like this has been reported by Ishaq with the same chain of transmitters.

This hadith has been narrated by Abu Huraira with another chain of transmitters. Hammad (one of the narrators) said

I then met 'Amr (the other narrator) and he narrated it to me, but it was not transmitted directly from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

'Abdullah b. Malik b. Buhaina reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) happened to pass by a person who was busy in praying while the (Fard of the) dawn prayer had commenced. He said something to him, which we do not know what it was. When we turned back we surrounded him and said: What is it that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to you? He replied: He (the Holy Prophet) had said to me that he perceived as if one of them was about to observe four (rak'ahs) of the dawn prayer. Qa'nabi reported that 'Abdullah b. Malik b. Buhaina narrated it on the authority of his father. (Abu'l-Husain Muslim said): His assertion that he has narrated this hadith on the authority of his father is not correct.