The Book of Qiyam Al-Lail (The Night Prayer) and Voluntary Prayers During the Day

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna informed us; he said: ‘Uthman ibn ‘Umar narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Masruq, from ‘A’ishah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not omit four rak‘ahs before Zuhr and two rak‘ahs before Fajr. Most of Shu‘bah’s students who transmitted this hadith differed with him and did not mention Masruq.

Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Hakam informed me; he said: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, who heard his father relate that he heard ‘A’ishah say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would not omit four rak‘ahs before Zuhr and two rak‘ahs before dawn. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman said: ‘This is the correct version in our view, and the report of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Umar is mistaken. Allah Most High knows best.’

Harun ibn Ishaq informed us; he said: ‘Abdah narrated to us, from Sa‘id, from Qatadah, from Zurarah ibn Awfa, from Sa‘d ibn Hisham, from ‘A’ishah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘The two rak‘ahs of Fajr are better than this world and all that it contains.’

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: al-Layth narrated to us, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that when the call for the dawn prayer was made, he would pray two brief rak‘ahs before rising to go to the prayer.

Muhammad ibn Mansur informed us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us; he said: ‘Amr narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: Hafsah informed me that when dawn brightened, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray two rak‘ahs.

‘Amr ibn Mansur informed us; he said: ‘Ali ibn ‘Ayyash narrated to us; he said: Shu‘ayb narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, who said: ‘Urwah informed me, from ‘A’ishah, who said: When the caller fell silent after the first call for the dawn prayer, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would rise and pray two brief rak‘ahs before the dawn prayer, after dawn had become clear. Then he would lie down on his right side.

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abdullah narrated to us, from al-Awza‘i, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abu Salamah, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: ‘Do not be like so-and-so. He used to pray at night, then gave up praying at night.’

Al-Harith ibn Asad informed us; he said: Bishr ibn Bakr narrated to us; he said: al-Awza‘i narrated to me; he said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir narrated to me, from ‘Umar ibn al-Hakam ibn Thawban, who said: Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated to me, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘O ‘Abdullah, do not be like so-and-so. He used to pray at night, then gave up praying at night.’

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Basri informed us; he said: Khalid ibn al-Harith narrated to us; he said: I read to ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja‘far, from Nafi‘, from Safiyyah, from Hafsah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he used to pray the two rak‘ahs of Fajr as two brief rak‘ahs.

Shu‘ayb ibn Shu‘ayb ibn Ishaq informed us; he said: ‘Abd al-Wahhab narrated to us; he said: Shu‘ayb informed us; he said: al-Awza‘i narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to me; he said: Nafi‘ narrated to me; he said: Ibn ‘Umar narrated to me; he said: Hafsah narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two brief rak‘ahs between the call and the iqamah for the dawn prayer. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman said: ‘Both reports are mistaken in our view. Allah Most High knows best.’

Ishaq ibn Mansur informed us; he said: Yahya informed us; he said: al-Awza‘i narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to me, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two brief rak‘ahs between the call and the prayer.

Hisham ibn ‘Ammar informed us; he said: Yahya—meaning Ibn Hamzah—narrated to us; he said: al-Awza‘i narrated to us, from Yahya, from Abu Salamah, who said: He and Nafi‘—from Ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah—[reported] that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two brief rak‘ahs between the call and the iqamah: the two rak‘ahs of Fajr.

Ishaq ibn Mansur informed us; he said: Mu‘adh ibn Hisham narrated to us; he said: My father narrated to me, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, who said: Nafi‘ narrated to me that Ibn ‘Umar told him that Hafsah told him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two brief rak‘ahs between the call and the iqamah for the dawn prayer.

Yahya ibn Muhammad informed us; he said: Muhammad ibn Jahdam narrated to us; Isma‘il said: ‘Umar ibn Nafi‘ narrated to us, from his father, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: Hafsah informed me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two rak‘ahs before the dawn prayer.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam informed us; he said: Ishaq ibn al-Furat informed us, from Yahya ibn Ayyub, who said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to me; he said: Nafi‘ informed us, from Ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah, who informed him that when the call for the dawn prayer was made, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform two prostrations before the dawn prayer.

‘Abdullah ibn Ishaq informed us, from Abu ‘Asim, from Ibn Jurayj, who said: Musa ibn ‘Uqbah informed me, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah, Mother of the Believers, who informed him that when the caller fell silent, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray two brief rak‘ahs.

Muhammad ibn Salamah informed us; he said: Ibn al-Qasim informed us, from Malik, who said: Nafi‘ narrated to me, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, that Hafsah, Mother of the Believers, informed him that when the caller had fallen silent after the call to the dawn prayer and dawn had appeared, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray two brief rak‘ahs before the prayer was commenced.

Isma‘il ibn Mas‘ud informed us; he said: Khalid ibn al-Harith narrated to us; he said: ‘Ubaydullah narrated to us, from Nafi‘, from ‘Abdullah, who said: My sister Hafsah told me that he used to pray two brief rak‘ahs before dawn.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yazid informed us; he said: My father narrated to us; he said: Juwayriyah ibn Asma’ narrated to us, from Nafi‘, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two rak‘ahs when dawn broke.

Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Hakam informed us; he said: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Zayd ibn Muhammad, who said: I heard Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, from Hafsah, who said: When dawn broke, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray nothing but two brief rak‘ahs.