The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer)

Hilal ibn al-‘Ala’ ibn Hilal reported to us; he said: al-Mu‘afa ibn Sulayman reported to us; he said: al-Qasim—namely, Ibn Ma‘n—reported to us, from al-A‘mash, from ‘Umarah, from Abu ‘Atiyyah, who said: ‘A’ishah said: “Turning around during prayer is a snatching that Satan steals from the prayer.”

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: al-Layth reported to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fell ill, and we prayed behind him while he was seated. Abu Bakr was saying the takbir so that the people could hear his takbir. He turned toward us, saw that we were standing, and gestured to us, so we sat down and prayed following his prayer while seated. When he said the taslim, he said: “A short while ago you were doing what the Persians and Romans do: they stand before their kings while those kings are seated. Do not do that. Follow your imams: if he prays standing, then pray standing; and if he prays seated, then pray seated.”

Abu ‘Ammar al-Husayn ibn Hurayth reported to us; he said: al-Fadl ibn Musa reported to us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sa‘id ibn Abi Hind, from Thawr ibn Zayd, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to turn to his right and left during prayer, but he would not twist his neck behind his back.

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, from Sufyan and Yazid—namely, Ibn Zuray‘—from Ma‘mar, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Damdam ibn Jawas, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded that the two black ones be killed during prayer.

Muhammad ibn Rafi‘ reported to us; he said: Sulayman ibn Dawud, Abu Dawud, reported to us; he said: Hisham—namely, Ibn Abi ‘Abd Allah—reported to us, from Ma‘mar, from Yahya, from Damdam, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded that the two black ones be killed during prayer.

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Malik reported to us, from ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, from ‘Amr ibn Sulaym, from Abu Qatadah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray while carrying Umamah. When he prostrated, he put her down, and when he stood, he lifted her up.

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Sufyan reported to us, from ‘Uthman ibn Abi Sulayman, from ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, from ‘Amr ibn Sulaym, from Abu Qatadah, who said: I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) leading the people in prayer while carrying Umamah bint Abi al-‘As on his shoulder. When he bowed, he put her down; when he had finished prostrating, he lifted her up again.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us; he said: Hatim ibn Wardan reported to us; he said: Burd ibn Sinan, Abu al-‘Ala’, reported to us, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Urwah, from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: I came to open the door while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was praying a voluntary prayer. The door was toward the qiblah, so he walked to his right or his left, opened the door, then returned to his place of prayer.

Qutaybah and Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna—and the wording here is his—both reported to us; they said: Sufyan reported to us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: “Glorifying Allah is for men, and clapping is for women.” Ibn al-Muthanna added: “during prayer.”

Muhammad ibn Salamah reported to us; he said: Ibn Wahb reported to us, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman informed me that they had both heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Glorifying Allah is for men, and clapping is for women.”

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad reported to us, from al-A‘mash. (A second chain:) Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abd Allah informed us, from Sulayman al-A‘mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Glorifying Allah is for men, and clapping is for women.”

‘Ubayd Allah ibn Sa‘id reported to us; Yahya ibn Sa‘id reported to us, from ‘Awf, who said: Muhammad ibn Sirin narrated to me, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: “Glorifying Allah is for men, and clapping is for women.”

Muhammad ibn Qudamah reported to us; he said: Jarir reported to us, from al-Mughirah, from al-Harith al-‘Ukli, from Abu Zur‘ah ibn ‘Amr ibn Jarir, who said: ‘Abd Allah ibn Naji narrated to us, from ‘Ali, who said: I had a time when I would come to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When I came to him, if I found him praying, he would clear his throat, and I would enter; if I found him free, he would give me permission.

Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd informed me; he said: Ibn ‘Ayyash reported to us, from Mughirah, from al-Harith al-‘Ukli, from Ibn Naji, who said: ‘Ali said: I had two times to visit the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), one at night and one during the day. Whenever I entered at night, he would clear his throat for me.

Al-Qasim ibn Zakariyya ibn Dinar reported to us; he said: Abu Usamah reported to us; he said: Shurahbil—meaning Ibn Mudrik—narrated to me; he said: ‘Abd Allah ibn Naji narrated to me, from his father, who said: ‘Ali said to me: I held a position with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that no one among all creation held. I would come to him every dawn and say, “Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah.” If he cleared his throat, I would return to my family; otherwise, I would enter to see him.

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abd Allah informed us, from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Thabit al-Bunani, from Mutarrif, from his father, who said: I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was praying, and from inside his chest came a rumbling like that of a boiling pot—meaning, he was weeping.

Muhammad ibn Salamah reported to us, from Ibn Wahb, from Mu‘awiyah ibn Salih, who said: Rabi‘ah ibn Yazid narrated to me, from Abu Idris al-Khawlani, from Abu al-Darda’, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood to pray, and we heard him say, “I seek refuge in Allah from you.” Then he said, “I curse you with Allah’s curse,” three times, and stretched out his hand as if reaching for something. When he finished praying, we said: “O Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something during the prayer that we had never heard you say before, and we saw you stretch out your hand.” He said: “The enemy of Allah, Iblis, came with a flame of fire to put it in my face. I said, ‘I seek refuge in Allah from you,’ three times. Then I said, ‘I curse you with Allah’s curse,’ but he did not withdraw, even after three times. Then I wanted to seize him. By Allah, were it not for the supplication of our brother Sulayman, he would have ended up bound, and the children of the people of Medina would have played with him.”

Kathir ibn ‘Ubayd reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Harb reported to us, from al-Zubaydi, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood to pray, and we stood with him. A Bedouin said while praying: “O Allah, have mercy on me and Muhammad, and do not have mercy on anyone else with us.” When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the taslim, he said to the Bedouin: “You have restricted something vast”—meaning the mercy of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.

‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Zuhri reported to us; he said: Sufyan reported to us; he said: I remember this from al-Zuhri, who said: Sa‘id informed me, from Abu Hurayrah, that a Bedouin entered the mosque and prayed two rak‘ahs. Then he said: “O Allah, have mercy on me and Muhammad, and do not have mercy on anyone else with us.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “You have restricted something vast.”

Ishaq ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Yusuf reported to us; he said: al-Awza‘i reported to us; he said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir narrated to me, from Hilal ibn Abi Maymunah, who said: ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar narrated to me, from Mu‘awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami, who said: I said: “O Messenger of Allah, we were only recently in a state of ignorance, then Allah brought Islam. Yet there are men among us who take omens.” He said: “That is something they find within themselves, so let it not turn them away.” I said: “And there are men among us who go to soothsayers.” He said: “Do not go to them.” I said: “And there are men among us who draw lines.” He said: “One of the Prophets used to draw lines. Whoever’s line matches his, that is the one.”

He said: While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man among the people sneezed, and I said: “May Allah have mercy on you.” The people stared hard at me, so I said: “May my mother lose me! Why are you looking at me?” The people struck their hands against their thighs. When I realized that they were trying to silence me, I fell silent. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had finished, he called me. May my father and mother be sacrificed for him: he neither struck me, nor rebuked me, nor reviled me. I have never seen, before or after him, a teacher better than he. He said: “This prayer of ours is not a place for any speech of people; it is only glorification of Allah, declaring His greatness, and recitation of the Qur’an.”

He said: Then I went to look at a small flock of sheep of mine, which a girl in my service was tending near Uhud and al-Jawwaniyyah. When I looked, I found that the wolf had taken one of the sheep. I am a man from the children of Adam, and I become angry as they do, so I struck her once. Then I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and told him. He regarded what I had done as a grave matter. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, should I set her free?” He said: “Bring her to me.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to her: “Where is Allah, the Mighty and Majestic?” She said: “In the heaven.” He said: “And who am I?” She said: “You are the Messenger of Allah.” He said: “She is a believer, so set her free.”