The Book of Salah

Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman ibn Abi Safwan al-Thaqafi informed us; he said: Bahz ibn Asad narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman ibn ‘Abdullah and his father, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Abdullah, heard Musa ibn Talhah relate from Abu Ayyub that a man said: “Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will admit me to Paradise.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him; establish prayer, give zakah, and maintain ties of kinship. Let her go”—as though he were on his riding mount.

Qutaybah informed us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibn al-Munkadir and Ibrahim ibn Maysarah, who both heard Anas say: I prayed Zuhr with the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah, four rak‘ahs, and ‘Asr at Dhu al-Hulayfah, two rak‘ahs.

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna and Muhammad ibn Bashshar informed us; both said: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from al-Hakam ibn ‘Utaybah, who said: I heard Abu Juhaifah say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out at midday—al-Muthanna said: to al-Batha’—then performed wudu’ and prayed Zuhr two rak‘ahs and ‘Asr two rak‘ahs, with a short spear in front of him.

Mahmud ibn Ghaylan informed us; he said: Waki‘ narrated to us; he said: Mis‘ar, Ibn Abi Khalid, and al-Bukhturi ibn Abi al-Bukhturi all heard it from Abu Bakr ibn ‘Umarah ibn Ruwaybah al-Thaqafi, from his father, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “He will never enter the Fire who prays before sunrise and before sunset.”

Qutaybah informed us, from Malik, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from al-Qa‘qa‘ ibn Hakim, from Abu Yunus, the client of ‘A’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, who said: ‘A’ishah instructed me to write a muṣḥaf for her. She said: “When you reach this verse, let me know: ‘Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer.’” When I reached it, I let her know, and she dictated to me: “Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer, and the ‘Asr prayer; and stand before Allah devoutly.” Then she said: “I heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la informed us; he said: Khalid narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us; he said: Qatadah informed me, from Abu Hassan, from ‘Ubaydah, from ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “They distracted us from the middle prayer until the sun set.”

‘Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘id informed us; he said: Yahya told me, from Hisham, who said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir told me, from Abu Qilabah, who said: Abu al-Malih told me: We were with Buraydah on a cloudy day, and he said: “Pray early, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever abandons the ‘Asr prayer, his deeds have come to nothing.’”

Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim informed us; he said: Hushaim narrated to us; he said: Mansur ibn Zadhan informed us, from al-Walid ibn Muslim, from Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, who said: We used to estimate how long the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood in the Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers. We estimated that during the first two rak‘ahs of Zuhr he stood for the length of about thirty verses, approximately Surat al-Sajdah; in the final two rak‘ahs, for half that. We estimated that he stood in the first two rak‘ahs of ‘Asr for about as long as he stood in the final two rak‘ahs of Zuhr; in the final two rak‘ahs of ‘Asr, for half that.

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Abu ‘Awanah, from Mansur ibn Zadhan, from al-Walid Abu Bishr, from Abu al-Mutawakkil, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would stand in Zuhr and recite about thirty verses in each rak‘ah. Then in ‘Asr, during the first two rak‘ahs, he would stand for about fifteen verses.

Qutaybah informed us; he said: Hammad narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Abu Qilabah, from Anas ibn Malik, that the Prophet ﷺ prayed Zuhr in Madinah, four rak‘ahs, and prayed ‘Asr at Dhu al-Hulayfah, two rak‘ahs.

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Haywah ibn Shurayh; he said: Ja‘far ibn Rabi‘ah informed us that ‘Irak ibn Malik told him that Nawfal ibn Mu‘awiyah told him he had heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whoever misses the ‘Asr prayer, it is as though he were bereaved of his family and wealth.” ‘Irak said: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar also informed me that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whoever misses the ‘Asr prayer, it is as though he were bereaved of his family and wealth.” Yazid ibn Abi Habib differed from him.

‘Isa ibn Hammad, Zughbah, informed us; he said: al-Layth narrated to us, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, from ‘Irak ibn Malik, to whom it had been conveyed that Nawfal ibn Mu‘awiyah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Among the prayers there is a prayer which, if a person misses it, it is as though he were bereaved of his family and wealth.” Ibn ‘Umar said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘It is the ‘Asr prayer.’” Muhammad ibn Ishaq differed from him.

‘Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa‘d informed us; he said: My paternal uncle told me; my father narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, who said: Yazid ibn Abi Habib told me, from ‘Irak ibn Malik, who said: I heard Nawfal ibn Mu‘awiyah say: “A prayer: whoever misses it is as though bereaved of his family and wealth.” Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is the ‘Asr prayer.”

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la informed us; he said: Khalid narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Salamah ibn Kuhayl, who said: I saw Sa‘id ibn Jubayr at Jam‘. He gave the call to commence the prayer and prayed Maghrib three rak‘ahs. Then he gave the call to commence the prayer and prayed—I mean—‘Isha’ two rak‘ahs. He then mentioned that Ibn ‘Umar had done the same with them in that place, and he mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had done the same in that place.

Nasr ibn ‘Ali ibn Nasr informed us, from ‘Abd al-A‘la, who said: Ma‘mar narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Urwah, from ‘A’ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed ‘Isha’ until ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, called out to him: “The women and children have fallen asleep.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and said: “No one is praying this prayer except you.” At that time, no one was praying except the people of Madinah.

‘Amr ibn Yazid informed us; he said: Bahz ibn Asad narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us; he said: al-Hakam informed me: Sa‘id ibn Jubayr led us in prayer at Jam‘. He prayed Maghrib, three rak‘ahs, with an iqamah, then gave the salutation. Then he prayed ‘Isha’, two rak‘ahs. He then mentioned that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar did the same, and he mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did the same.

‘Amr ibn Yazid informed us; he said: Bahz ibn Asad narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us; he said: Salamah ibn Kuhayl narrated to us; he said: I heard Sa‘id ibn Jubayr say: I saw ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar pray at Jam‘. He gave the iqamah and prayed Maghrib three rak‘ahs, then prayed ‘Isha’ two rak‘ahs. Then he said: “This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ act in this place.”

Qutaybah informed us, from Malik, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Angels come to you in succession by night and by day, and they gather at the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers. Then those who spent the night among you ascend, and He asks them—though He knows best—‘In what state did you leave My servants?’ They say: ‘We left them while they were praying, and we came to them while they were praying.’”

Kathir ibn ‘Ubayd informed us; he said: Muhammad ibn Harb narrated to us, from al-Zubaydi, from al-Zuhri, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Congregational prayer surpasses the prayer of any one of you alone by twenty-five portions. The angels of the night and the day gather at the Fajr prayer. Recite, if you wish: ‘And the recitation at dawn; indeed, the recitation at dawn is witnessed.’”

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali and Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim informed us; both said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us, from Isma‘il, who said: Abu Bakr ibn ‘Umarah ibn Ruwaybah told me, from his father, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “No one who prays before sunrise and before sunset will enter the Fire.”