The Book of Leading the Prayer (Al-Imamah)

Qutaybah narrated to us from Malik, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from a man of Banu Ad-Dayl called Busr ibn Mihjan, from Mihjan, who was sitting in an assembly with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The call to prayer was given, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood, then returned while Mihjan remained seated. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked him, 'What prevented you from praying? Are you not a Muslim?' He replied, 'Yes, but I had already prayed at home.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'When you come, pray with the people, even if you have already prayed.'

Ziyad ibn Ayyub narrated to us: Hushaym narrated to us: Ya‘la ibn Ata narrated to us: Jabir ibn Yazid ibn Al-Aswad Al-Amiri narrated to us from his father, who said: I attended the dawn prayer with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the Mosque of Al-Khayf. When he finished, he saw two men at the back of the people who had not prayed with him. He said, 'Bring them to me.' They were brought to him, trembling. He asked, 'What prevented you from praying with us?' They said, 'Messenger of Allah, we had already prayed at our lodging.' He said, 'Do not do that. When you have prayed at your lodging and then come to a mosque where a congregation is praying, pray with them; it will be a voluntary prayer for you.'

Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Ala and Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Sudran narrated to us—the wording is his—from Khalid ibn Al-Harith, who said: Shu‘bah narrated to us from Budayl, who said: I heard Abu Al-Aliyah relate from Abdullah ibn As-Samit, from Abu Dharr, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke to me and struck my thigh, saying, 'What will you do if you remain among people who delay the prayer beyond its prescribed time?' I asked, 'What do you command me to do?' He said, 'Pray at its prescribed time, then go about your business. If the prayer is called while you are in the mosque, then pray.'

Ibrahim ibn Muhammad At-Taymi informed us: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us from Husayn Al-Muallim, from Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, from Sulayman, the client of Maymunah, who said: I saw Ibn Umar sitting at Al-Balat while the people were praying. I asked, 'Abu Abdur-Rahman, why are you not praying?' He said, 'I have already prayed. I heard the Messenger of Allah say: A prayer should not be repeated twice in one day.'

Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Ar-Rahman Az-Zuhri narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us: Az-Zuhri narrated to us from Sa‘id, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'When you come to prayer, do not come rushing. Walk to it calmly and with composure. Whatever part you catch, pray; and whatever you miss, complete.'

Amr ibn Sawwad ibn Al-Aswad ibn Amr narrated to us: Ibn Wahb informed us: Ibn Jurayj informed us from Manbudh, from Al-Fadl ibn Ubaydullah, from Abu Rafi, who said: After praying the afternoon prayer, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would go to Banu Abd Al-Ashhal and speak with them until sunset approached. Abu Rafi said: While the Prophet ﷺ was hurrying toward the sunset prayer, we passed by Al-Baqi. He said, 'Fie on you, fie on you!' I was troubled by this and fell behind, thinking he meant me. He said, 'What is the matter? Keep walking.' I asked, 'Did I do something wrong?' He said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'You said fie to me.' He replied, 'No. It was so-and-so. I had sent him to collect from such-and-such a tribe, and he embezzled a namirah. Now he is clothed in one like it made of fire.'

Harun ibn Abdullah narrated to us: Muawiyah ibn Amr narrated to us: Abu Ishaq narrated to us from Ibn Jurayj, who said: Manbudh—a man from the household of Abu Rafi—informed me from Al-Fadl ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abi Rafi, from Abu Rafi, with a report similar to the preceding one.

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Mughirah informed us: Uthman narrated to us from Shu‘ayb, from Az-Zuhri, who said: Abu Salamah ibn Abd Ar-Rahman and Abu Abdullah Al-Aghar informed me that Abu Hurayrah narrated to them that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'The one who comes early to prayer is like someone who offers a camel; the one after him is like someone who offers a cow; the one after him is like someone who offers a ram; the one after him is like someone who offers a chicken; and the one after him is like someone who offers an egg.'

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us: Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak informed us from Zakariyya, who said: Amr ibn Dinar told me: I heard Ata ibn Yasar relate from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'When the iqamah for prayer is given, there is no prayer except the obligatory one.'

Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Al-Hakam and Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Muhammad narrated to us from Shu‘bah, from Warqa ibn Umar, from Amr ibn Dinar, from Ata ibn Yasar, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, 'When the iqamah for prayer is given, there is no prayer except the obligatory one.'

Qutaybah narrated to us: Abu Awanah narrated to us from Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim, from Hafs ibn Asim, from Ibn Buhaynah, who said: The iqamah for the dawn prayer was given, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a man praying while the caller was giving the iqamah. He said, 'Are you praying four rak‘ahs for the dawn prayer?'

Yahya ibn Habib ibn Arabi narrated to us: Hammad narrated to us: Asim narrated to us from Abdullah ibn Sarjis, who said: A man came while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was praying the dawn prayer. He prayed two rak‘ahs, then joined the prayer. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had finished, he said, 'So-and-so, which of those was your prayer: the one you prayed with us, or the one you prayed by yourself?'

Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Ar-Rahman narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us: Ishaq ibn Abdullah told me: I heard Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to our house. The orphan among us and I prayed behind him, and Umm Sulaym prayed behind us.

Qutaybah narrated to us: Nuh (meaning Ibn Qays) narrated to us from Ibn Malik (namely Amr), from Abu Al-Jawza, from Ibn Abbas, who said: There was a very beautiful woman who prayed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, among the most beautiful of people. Some men would move forward to the first row so they would not see her, while others would hang back to the last row so that, when bowing, they could look at her from beneath their armpits. Then Allah, Mighty and Sublime, revealed: We certainly know those of you who come forward and those who hang back.

Humayd ibn Mas‘adah narrated to us from Yazid ibn Zuray, who said: Sa‘id narrated to us from Ziyad Al-A‘lam, who said: Al-Hasan narrated to us that Abu Bakrah told him he entered the mosque while the Prophet ﷺ was bowing, so he bowed before reaching the row. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'May Allah increase your eagerness, but do not do that again.'

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak narrated to us: Abu Usamah narrated to me: Al-Walid ibn Kathir narrated to me from Sa‘id ibn Abi Sa‘id, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: One day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed, then turned away and said, 'So-and-so, will you not improve your prayer? Does a person praying not consider how he prays for himself? I can see behind me just as I can see in front of me.'

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us from Malik, from Nafi‘, from Ibn Umar, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray two rak‘ahs before the noon prayer and two after it. He prayed two rak‘ahs after the sunset prayer in his house, and two after the night prayer. He would not pray after the Friday prayer until he had left, then he would pray two rak‘ahs.

Ismail ibn Masud informed us: Yazid ibn Zuray narrated to us: Shu‘bah narrated to us from Abu Ishaq, from Asim ibn Damrah, who said: We asked Ali about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said, 'Which of you could manage it?' We replied, 'Even if we cannot manage it, we want to hear.' He said: When the sun reached a position on this side corresponding to its position on the other side at the time of the afternoon prayer, he prayed two rak‘ahs. When it reached the position corresponding to its position at noon, he prayed four rak‘ahs. He prayed four rak‘ahs before the noon prayer and two after it. He prayed four rak‘ahs before the afternoon prayer, separating every two rak‘ahs with a salutation, invoking peace upon the angels brought near, the prophets, and the believers and Muslims who follow them.

Muhammad ibn Al-Muthanna narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Abd Ar-Rahman narrated to us: Husayn ibn Abd Ar-Rahman narrated to us from Abu Ishaq, from Asim ibn Damrah, who said: I asked Ali ibn Abi Talib about the Messenger of Allah's ﷺ daytime prayers before the obligatory prayers. He said, 'Who can manage that?' Then he told us: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray two rak‘ahs when the sun passed its zenith, and four rak‘ahs before midday, with the salutation at the end.