The Book of Prayers

كتاب الصلاة

Chapter 34: The Recitation For Zuhr And 'Asr

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported

The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in every rak'ah of the first two rak'ahs of the noon prayer about thirty verses and in the last two about fifteen verses or half (of the first rak'ah) and in every rak'ah of the 'Asr prayer of the first two rak'ahs about fifteen verses and in the last two verses half (of the first ones).

Jabir b. Samura reported

'Umar said to Sa'd: They complain against you in every matter, even in prayer. He (Sa'd) said: I prolong (standing) in the first two (rak'ahs) and shorten it in the last two, and I make no negligence in following the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He ('Umar) remarked: This is what is expected of you, or, that is what I deemed of you.

Qaz'a reported

I came to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and he was surrounded by people. When the people departed from him I said: I am not going to ask you what these people have been asking you. I want to ask you about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (Abu Sa'id) said: There is no good for you in this. He (Qaz'a), however, repeated (his demand). He then said: The noon prayer would start and one of us would go to Baqi' and, having relieved himself, would come to his home, then perform ablution and go to the mosque, and (he would find) The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the first rak'ah.

Chapter 35: Recitation in As-Subh

Ziyad b. 'Ilaqa reported it on the authority of his uncle that he said the morning prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he recited in the first rak'ah

"And the tall palm trees having flower spikes piled one above another (l. 10) or perhaps Surah Qaf."

Jabir b. Samura reported

The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in the morning prayer" Qaf. By the Glorious Quran." and his prayer afterward shortened.

Chapter 36: Recitation During 'Isha

Al-Bara' b. 'Azib reported that he said prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he recited

" By the Fig and the Olive."

Jabir reported that Mu'adh b. Jabal used to pray with the Apostle (ﷺ), then came and led his people in prayer. One night he said the night prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He then came to his people and led them in prayer beginning with Surat al-Baqara. A man turned aside, pronounced the taslim (salutation for concluding the prayer), then prayed alone and departed. The people said to him

Have you become a hypocrite, so and so? He said: I swear by Allah that I have not, but I will certainly go to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and will inform (him) about this. He then came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah, we look after camels used for watering and work by day. Mu'adh said the night prayer with you. He then came and began with Surat al-Baqara. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then turned to Mu'adh and said: Are you there to (put the people) to trial? Recite such and recite such (and such a surah). It is transmitted on the authority of Jabir, as told by Sufyan, that he (the Holy Prophet) had said: "By the sun and its morning brightness" (Surah xci), "By brightness" (Surah xciii), "By the night when it spreads" (Surah xcii), and "Glorify the name of thy most high Lord" (Surah lxxxii).

Chapter 31: Moderation When Reciting Qur'an In A Prayer When It Is To Be Recited Out Loud, And Making it Neither Too Loud Nor Too Soft, And When There Is The Fear Of Negative Consequences If It Is Recited Out Loud

Ibn 'Abbas reported

The word of (Allah) Great and Glorious: 'And utter not thy prayer loudly, nor be low in it" (xvii. 110) was revealed as the Messenger of Allah (may peace beupon him) was hiding himself in Mecca. When he led his Companions in prayer he raised his voice (while reciting the) Qur'an. And when the polytheists heard that, they reviled the Qur'an and Him Who revealed it and him who brought it. Upon this Allah, the Exalted, said to His Apostle (ﷺ): Utter not thy prayer so loudly that the polytheists may hear thy recitation and (recite it) not so low that it may be inaudible to your Companions. Make them hear the Qur'an, but do not recite it loudly and seek a (middle) way between these. Recite between loud and low tone.

Chapter 33: Reciting Out Aloud In As-Subh And Reciting To The Jinn

This hadith has been reported by Dawud with the same chain of transmitters up to the word (s)

" The traces of their embers." Sha'bi said: They (the Jinn) asked about their provision, and they were the Jinn of al-jazira, up to the end of the hadith, and the words of Sha'bi have been directly transmitted from the hadith of Abdullah.

Chapter 34: The Recitation For Zuhr And 'Asr

This hadith is narrated by Jabir b. Samura but with the addition of these words

" (Sa'd said): These bedouins presume to teach me prayer."

Chapter 35: Recitation in As-Subh

Qutba b. Malik reported

I said prayer and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led it and he recited" Qaf. (I.). By the Glorious Qur'an," till he recited" and the tall palm trees" (l. 10). I wanted to repeat it but I could not follow its significance.

Qutba b. Malik reported that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reciting in the morning prayer this

" And the tall palm trees having flower spikes piled one above another" (Al-Qur'an 50:10).

Jabir b. Samura reported

The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in the noon prayer:" By the night when it envelopes" (xcii.), and in the afternoon like this, but he prolonged the morning prayer as compared to that (noon and afternoon prayers).

Jabir b. Samura reported

The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in the noon prayer:" Glorify the name of thy Most High Lord in the morning prayer longer than this" (lxxxvii.)

Chapter 31: Moderation When Reciting Qur'an In A Prayer When It Is To Be Recited Out Loud, And Making it Neither Too Loud Nor Too Soft, And When There Is The Fear Of Negative Consequences If It Is Recited Out Loud

'A'isha reported that so far as these words of (Allah) Glorious and High are concerned

" And utter not thy prayer loudly, not be low in it" (xvii. 110) relate to supplication (du'a').

Chapter 33: Reciting Out Aloud In As-Subh And Reciting To The Jinn

Dawud reported from 'Amir who said

I asked 'Alqama if Ibn Mas'ud was present with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the night of the Jinn (the night when the Prophet met them). He (Ibn Mas'uad) said: No, but we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one night and we missed him. We searched for him in the valleys and the hills and said. He has either been taken away (by jinn) or has been secretly killed. He (the narrator) said. We spent the worst night which people could ever spend. When it was dawn we saw him coming from the side of Hiri'. He (the narrator) reported. We said: Messenger of Allah, we missed you and searched for you, but we could not find you and we spent the worst night which people could ever spend. He (the Holy Prophet) said: There came to me an inviter on behalf of the Jinn and I went along with him and recited to them the Qur'an. He (the narrator) said: He then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers. They (the Jinn) asked him (the Holy Prophet) about their provision and he said: Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it will fall in your hand it would be covered with flesh, and the dung of (the camels) is fodder for your animals. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Don't perform istinja with these (things) for these are the food of your brothers (Jinn).

Ma'n reported.. I heard it from my father who said

I asked Masruq who informed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the night when they heard the Qur'an. He said: Your father, Ibn Mas'ud, narrated it to me that a tree informed him about that.

Chapter 34: The Recitation For Zuhr And 'Asr

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported

We used to estimate how long Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood in the noon and afternoon prayers, and we estimated hat he stood in the first two rak'ahs of the noon prayer as long as it takes to recite Alif Lam Mim, Tanzil, i. e. as-Sajda. We estimated that he stood half that time in the last two rak'ahs; that he stood in the first two of the afternoon as long as he did in the last two at noon; and in the last two of the afternoon prayer about half that time. Abu Bakr in his narration has made no mention of Alif Lam Mim, Tanzil, but said: As long as it takes to recite thirty verses.

This hadith his been narrated by 'Abu al-Malik with the same chain of transmitters.

Chapter 35: Recitation in As-Subh

Abdullah b. Sa'id reported

The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) led us in the morning prayer in Mecca and began Sarat al-Mu'minin (xxiii ) but when he came to the mention of Moses and Aaron (verse. 45) or to the mention of Jesus (verse 50), a cough got the better of him, and he bowed. 'Abdullah b. Sa'ib was present there, and in the hadith narrated by Abd al-Razzaq (the words are): He cut short (the recitation) and bowed.