The Book of Salah

Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim informed us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: Hisham al-Dastawa’i narrated to us; he said: Qatadah narrated to us, from Anas ibn Malik, from Malik ibn Sa‘sa‘ah, that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“While I was at the House, between sleep and wakefulness, one of the three came, between two men. A basin of gold, filled with wisdom and faith, was brought to me. My body was opened from the throat to the lower abdomen, and my heart was washed with Zamzam water. Then it was filled with wisdom and faith. Then a mount was brought to me, smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey. I set out with Gabriel, peace be upon him, and we came to the lowest heaven.

“It was said, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘Gabriel.’ It was said, ‘And who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent?’ ‘Welcome to him; what an excellent arrival!’ Then I came to Adam, peace be upon him, and greeted him. He said, ‘Welcome to you, a son and a prophet.’

“Then we came to the second heaven, and it was said, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘Gabriel.’ It was said, ‘And who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ The same exchange took place. Then I came to Yahya and ‘Isa and greeted them. They said, ‘Welcome to you, a brother and a prophet.’ Then we came to the third heaven, and the same exchange took place. I came to Yusuf and greeted him. He said, ‘Welcome to you, a brother and a prophet.’ Then we came to the fourth heaven, and the same exchange took place. I came to Idris and greeted him. He said, ‘Welcome to you, a brother and a prophet.’ Then we came to the fifth heaven, and the same exchange took place. I came to Harun and greeted him. He said, ‘Welcome to you, a brother and a prophet.’ Then we came to the sixth heaven, and the same exchange took place. Then I came to Musa and greeted him. He said, ‘Welcome to you, a brother and a prophet.’

“When I passed him, he wept. It was said, ‘What makes you weep?’ He said, ‘My Lord, this young man whom You sent after me—more of his community will enter Paradise, and in greater number, than those who enter from my community.’ Then we came to the seventh heaven, and the same exchange took place. I came to Ibrahim and greeted him. He said, ‘Welcome to you, a son and a prophet.’

“Then the Oft-Frequented House was raised up for me. I asked Gabriel about it, and he said, ‘This is the Oft-Frequented House. Seventy thousand angels pray in it each day; when they leave it, they never return to it.’ Then the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary was raised up for me. Its berries were like the large jars of Hajar, and its leaves were like the ears of elephants. At its base were four rivers: two hidden rivers and two visible rivers. I asked Gabriel about them, and he said, ‘The two hidden rivers are in Paradise, and the two visible rivers are the Euphrates and the Nile.’

“Then fifty prayers were prescribed for me. I came to Musa, and he said, ‘What have you done?’ I said, ‘Fifty prayers have been prescribed for me.’ He said, ‘I know people better than you do. I dealt with the Children of Israel with the utmost effort, and your community will not be able to bear that. Return to your Lord and ask Him to lighten it for you.’ So I returned to my Lord and asked Him to lighten it for me, and He made them forty. Then I returned to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said, ‘What have you done?’ I said, ‘He made them forty.’ He said the same to me as he had said before. So I returned to my Lord, Mighty and Exalted, and He made them thirty. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and told him; he said the same as before. I returned to my Lord, and He made them twenty, then ten, then five. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said the same as before. I said, ‘I am too shy before my Lord, Mighty and Exalted, to return to Him.’ Then a call came: ‘I have confirmed My obligation, lightened it for My servants, and I reward each good deed tenfold.’”

Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la informed us; he said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us; he said: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Anas ibn Malik and Ibn Hazm said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah, Mighty and Exalted, prescribed fifty prayers for my community. I returned with that until I passed by Musa, peace be upon him. He said, ‘What has your Lord prescribed for your community?’ I said, ‘He prescribed fifty prayers for them.’ Musa said to me, ‘Return to your Lord, Mighty and Exalted, for your community will not be able to bear that.’ I returned to my Lord, Mighty and Exalted, and He removed half of them. I returned to Musa and told him. He said, ‘Return to your Lord, for your community will not be able to bear that.’ I returned to my Lord, Mighty and Exalted, and He said, ‘They are five, and they are fifty; the word with Me is not changed.’ I returned to Musa, and he said, ‘Return to your Lord.’ I said, ‘I am too shy before my Lord, Mighty and Exalted.’”

‘Amr ibn Hisham informed us; he said: Makhlad narrated to us, from Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, who said: Yazid ibn Abi Malik narrated to us; he said: Anas ibn Malik narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“A mount was brought to me, larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, whose stride reached as far as its gaze. I rode it with Gabriel, peace be upon him, and we set out. He said, ‘Dismount and pray.’ I did so. He said, ‘Do you know where you prayed? You prayed in Taybah, to which the emigration will be.’ Then he said, ‘Dismount and pray.’ I prayed, and he said, ‘Do you know where you prayed? You prayed at Mount Sinai, where Allah, Mighty and Exalted, spoke to Musa, peace be upon him.’ Then he said, ‘Dismount and pray.’ I dismounted and prayed. He said, ‘Do you know where you prayed? You prayed in Bethlehem, where ‘Isa, peace be upon him, was born.’

“Then I entered Jerusalem, and the prophets, peace be upon them, were gathered for me. Gabriel brought me forward until I led them in prayer. Then I was taken up to the lowest heaven, where I found Adam, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up to the second heaven, where I found the two maternal cousins, ‘Isa and Yahya, peace be upon them. Then I was taken up to the third heaven, where I found Yusuf, peace be upon him; to the fourth, where I found Harun, peace be upon him; to the fifth, where I found Idris, peace be upon him; to the sixth, where I found Musa, peace be upon him; and to the seventh, where I found Ibrahim, peace be upon him.

“Then I was taken up above the seven heavens, and we came to the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. A mist enveloped me, and I fell down prostrate. I was told: ‘On the day I created the heavens and the earth, I prescribed fifty prayers for you and your community. So perform them, you and your community.’

“I returned to Ibrahim, but he asked me nothing. Then I came to Musa, and he said, ‘How many prayers has Allah prescribed for you and your community?’ I said, ‘Fifty prayers.’ He said, ‘You and your community will not be able to perform them. Return to your Lord and ask Him to lighten them.’ I returned to my Lord, and He lightened them for me by ten. Then I came to Musa, and he told me to return. I returned, and He lightened them for me by ten; then they were reduced to five prayers.

“He said, ‘Return to your Lord and ask Him to lighten them, for He prescribed two prayers for the Children of Israel, but they did not keep them.’ I returned to my Lord, Mighty and Exalted, and asked Him to lighten them. He said: ‘On the day I created the heavens and the earth, I prescribed fifty prayers for you and your community. Five are worth fifty, so perform them, you and your community.’ I knew that this was fixed by Allah, Blessed and Exalted. I returned to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said, ‘Go back.’ I knew that this was decisively decreed by Allah, so I did not return.”

Ahmad ibn Sulayman informed us; he said: Yahya ibn Adam narrated to us; he said: Malik ibn Mighwal narrated to us, from al-Zubayr ibn ‘Adi, from Talhah ibn Musarrif, from Murrah, from ‘Abdullah, who said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey, he was brought to the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, which is in the sixth heaven. To it reaches what is carried up from below it, and to it reaches what is sent down from above it, until it is taken from there. He recited: “When the Lote Tree was covered by that which covered it.” He said: “Golden moths.” He was given three things: the five prayers, the closing verses of Surat al-Baqarah, and that whoever among his community dies without associating anything with Allah will be forgiven for al-muqhimat.

Sulayman ibn Dawud informed us, from Ibn Wahb, who said: ‘Amr ibn al-Harith informed me that ‘Abd Rabbihi ibn Sa‘id told him that al-Bunani told him, from Anas ibn Malik, that the prayers were prescribed in Makkah, and that two angels came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and took him to Zamzam. They split open his abdomen and placed his innards in a golden basin. They washed them with Zamzam water, then filled his interior with wisdom and knowledge.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us; he said: Sufyan informed us, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Urwah, from ‘A’ishah, who said: When prayer was first prescribed, it was two rak‘ahs. The travel prayer was retained as such, and the prayer at home was completed.

Muhammad ibn Hashim al-Ba‘labakki informed us; he said: al-Walid informed us; he said: Abu ‘Amr—that is, al-Awza‘i—informed me that he asked al-Zuhri about the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ prayer in Makkah before the Hijrah to Madinah. He said: ‘Urwah informed me, from ‘A’ishah, who said: Allah, Mighty and Exalted, prescribed prayer for His Messenger ﷺ. When it was first prescribed, it was two rak‘ahs at a time. Then the prayer at home was completed to four, while the travel prayer was retained at the original prescription.

Qutaybah informed us, from Malik, from Salih ibn Kaysan, from ‘Urwah, from ‘A’ishah, who said: Prayer was prescribed as two rak‘ahs at a time. The travel prayer was retained as it was, and the prayer at home was increased.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali informed us; he said: Yahya and ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, saying: Abu ‘Awanah narrated to us, from Bukayr ibn al-Akhnas, from Mujahid, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: Prayer was prescribed through the Prophet’s ﷺ words as four rak‘ahs at home, two while traveling, and one in a state of fear.

Yusuf ibn Sa‘id informed us; he said: Hajjaj ibn Muhammad narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Shu‘aythi narrated to us, from ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham, from Umayyah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Khalid ibn Asid, who said to Ibn ‘Umar: “How can you shorten the prayer when Allah, Mighty and Exalted, says: ‘There is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer if you fear…’?” Ibn ‘Umar said: “Nephew, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us when we were astray and taught us. Among what he taught us was that Allah, Mighty and Exalted, commanded us to pray two rak‘ahs while traveling.” Al-Shu‘aythi said: al-Zuhri used to narrate this hadith from ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr.

Qutaybah informed us, from Malik ibn Anas, from Abu Suhayl, from his father, who heard Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah say: A man from the people of Najd came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his hair disheveled. We could hear his loud voice, but could not understand what he was saying until he came close. He was asking about Islam. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: “Five prayers each day and night.” He asked, “Do I have any others to perform?” He said, “No, unless you offer them voluntarily.” He said: “And fasting the month of Ramadan.” He asked, “Do I have any others?” He said, “No, unless you do so voluntarily.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also mentioned zakah to him. He asked, “Do I have any others?” He said, “No, unless you give voluntarily.” The man turned away, saying: “By Allah, I will neither add anything to this nor take anything away from it.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “He will succeed, if he is truthful.”

Qutaybah informed us; he said: Nuh ibn Qays narrated to us, from Khalid ibn Qays, from Qatadah, from Anas, who said: A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Messenger of Allah, how many prayers has Allah, Mighty and Exalted, prescribed for His servants?” He said: “Allah has prescribed five prayers for His servants.” The man asked: “Is there anything before or after them?” He said: “Allah has prescribed five prayers for His servants.” The man swore that he would neither add anything to them nor take anything away. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If he is truthful, he will certainly enter Paradise.”

‘Amr ibn Mansur informed us; he said: Abu Mushir narrated to us; he said: Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz narrated to us, from Rabi‘ah ibn Yazid, from Abu Idris al-Khawlani, from Abu Muslim al-Khawlani, who said: The trusted and beloved one, ‘Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja‘i, told us: We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: “Will you pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” He repeated this three times. We held out our hands and pledged allegiance to him. We said: “Messenger of Allah, we have pledged allegiance to you. On what?” He said: “That you worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and observe the five prayers.” Then he whispered a word: “That you ask people for nothing.”

Qutaybah informed us, from Malik, from Yahya ibn Sa‘id, from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban, from Ibn Muhayriz, that a man from Banu Kinanah, called al-Mukhdaji, heard a man in Syria, known as Abu Muhammad, saying: “The witr prayer is obligatory.” Al-Mukhdaji said: I went to ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit and met him as he was heading to the mosque. I told him what Abu Muhammad had said. ‘Ubadah said: “Abu Muhammad has spoken falsely. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Allah has prescribed five prayers for His servants. Whoever performs them and does not neglect any of them by making light of their due has a covenant with Allah that He will admit him to Paradise. Whoever does not perform them has no such covenant with Allah: if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will admit him to Paradise.’”

Qutaybah informed us; he said: al-Layth narrated to us, from Ibn al-Had, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “What do you think: if there were a river at the door of one of you, and he bathed in it five times every day, would any dirt remain on him?” They said: “No dirt would remain on him.” He said: “That is like the five prayers: through them Allah erases sins.”

Al-Husayn ibn Hurayth informed us; he said: al-Fadl ibn Musa informed us, from al-Husayn ibn Waqid, from ‘Abdullah ibn Buraydah, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The covenant between us and them is prayer; whoever abandons it has disbelieved.”

Ahmad ibn Harb informed us; Muhammad ibn Rabi‘ah narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Nothing stands between a servant and disbelief except abandoning prayer.”

Abu Dawud informed us; he said: Harun—that is, Ibn Isma‘il al-Khazzaz—narrated to us; he said: Hammam narrated to us, from Qatadah, from al-Hasan, from Hurayth ibn Qabisah, who said: I came to Madinah and said: “O Allah, make it easy for me to find a righteous companion.” I sat with Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: “I asked Allah, Mighty and Exalted, to make it easy for me to find a righteous companion. Tell me a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so that perhaps Allah will benefit me through it.” He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The first thing for which a servant will be called to account is his prayer. If it is sound, he has succeeded and prospered; if it is unsound, he has failed and lost.” Hammam said: “I do not know whether this is Qatadah’s words or part of the narration.” [The narration continues:] “If anything is lacking from his obligatory prayer, He will say: ‘Look: does My servant have any voluntary prayers, so that what was lacking from the obligatory prayer may be completed by them?’ Then the rest of his deeds will be treated in the same way.” Abu al-‘Awwam differed from him.

Abu Dawud informed us; he said: Shu‘ayb—that is, Ibn Ziyad ibn Maymun—narrated to us. He said: ‘Ali ibn al-Madini wrote this from him: “Abu al-‘Awwam informed us,” from Qatadah, from al-Hasan, from Abu Rafi‘, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The first thing for which a servant will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection is his prayer. If it is found complete, it will be recorded as complete. If anything is lacking from it, He will say: ‘See whether you can find any voluntary prayers for him, so that what he neglected of an obligatory prayer may be completed from his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be treated accordingly.”

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us; he said: al-Nadr ibn Shumayl narrated to us; he said: Hammad ibn Salamah informed us, from al-Azraq ibn Qays, from Yahya ibn Ya‘mar, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: “The first thing for which a servant will be called to account is his prayer. If he has completed it, then all is well; otherwise Allah, Mighty and Exalted, will say: ‘Look for voluntary prayers for My servant.’ If he is found to have voluntary prayers, He will complete the obligatory prayer with them.”