The Book of the Fear Prayer

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to us; he said: Waki‘ narrated to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Ash‘ath ibn Abi al-Sha‘tha’, from al-Aswad ibn Hilal, from Tha‘labah ibn Zahdam, who said: We were with Sa‘id ibn al-‘As in Tabaristan, and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman was with us. He asked, “Which of you prayed the fear prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” Hudhayfah said, “I did,” and described it: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the fear prayer with one group, who stood in a row behind him, while another group was between him and the enemy. He led the group closest to him in one rak‘ah. Then that group moved back to the positions of the others, and the others came forward, and he led them in one rak‘ah.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to me; he said: al-Ash‘ath ibn Sulaym narrated to me, from al-Aswad ibn Hilal, from Tha‘labah ibn Zahdam, who said: We were with Sa‘id ibn al-‘As in Tabaristan. He asked, “Which of you prayed the fear prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” Hudhayfah said, “I did.” Hudhayfah stood, and the people formed two rows: one behind him and one opposite the enemy. He led those behind him in one rak‘ah. Then the first group moved to the positions of the others, and the others came forward, and he led them in one rak‘ah. They did not make up any further portion.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us; he said: al-Rukayn ibn al-Rabi‘ narrated to me, from al-Qasim ibn Hassan, from Zayd ibn Thabit, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), with a description like Hudhayfah’s prayer.

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: Abu ‘Awanah narrated to us, from Bukayr ibn al-Akhnas, from Mujahid, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: Allah prescribed prayer through the words of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): four rak‘ahs when resident, two rak‘ahs when traveling, and one rak‘ah in a state of fear.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us, from Sufyan, who said: Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Jahm narrated to me, from ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed at Dhi Qarad. The people formed two rows: one behind him and one opposite the enemy. He led those behind him in one rak‘ah. Then the first group moved to the place of the others, and the others came forward, and he led them in one rak‘ah. They did not make up any further portion.

‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman ibn Sa‘id ibn Kathir narrated to me, from Muhammad, from al-Zubaydi, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah, that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood, and the people stood with him. He proclaimed Allah’s greatness, and they proclaimed His greatness. Then he bowed, and some of them bowed; then he prostrated, and they prostrated. He then stood for the second rak‘ah. Those who had prostrated with him moved back and guarded their brothers. The other group came forward, bowed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and prostrated. All the people were praying and proclaiming Allah’s greatness, while some guarded the others.

‘Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim narrated to us; he said: My uncle narrated to us; he said: My father narrated to us, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Dawud ibn al-Husayn narrated to me, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: The fear prayer was only two prostrations, like the prayer your guards perform today behind your imams, except that it was performed in turns. One group stood among them, all together with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while another group prostrated with him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood, and they all stood with him. Then he bowed, and they all bowed with him. Then he prostrated, and those who had been standing the first time prostrated with him. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who had prostrated with him sat at the end of their prayer, those who had been standing prostrated on their own. Then they sat, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) concluded the prayer with them all by saying the taslim.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from his father, from Salih ibn Khawwat, from Sahl ibn Abi Hathmah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in the fear prayer. One row stood behind him, and another row stood facing the enemy. He led them in one rak‘ah. Then that group went away and the others came, and he led them in one rak‘ah. Then they stood and each group made up one rak‘ah.

Qutaybah narrated to us, from Malik, from Yazid ibn Ruman, from Salih ibn Khawwat, from someone who prayed the fear prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of Dhat al-Riqa‘: One group formed a row with him, while another group faced the enemy. He led those with him in one rak‘ah, then remained standing while they completed the prayer on their own. They then moved away and formed a row facing the enemy. The other group came, and he led them in the remaining rak‘ah of his prayer. Then he remained seated while they completed the prayer on their own, and he said the taslim with them.

Isma‘il ibn Mas‘ud narrated to us, from Yazid ibn Zuray‘, who said: Ma‘mar narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led one of the two groups in one rak‘ah while the other group faced the enemy. Then they moved away and took the position of the others, who came forward, and he led them in another rak‘ah. Then he said the taslim with them. These people stood and made up their rak‘ah, and those people stood and made up their rak‘ah.

Kathir ibn ‘Ubayd narrated to me, from Baqiyyah, from Shu‘ayb, who said: Al-Zuhri narrated to me; he said: Salim ibn ‘Abdullah narrated to me, from his father, who said: I went on a campaign with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) toward Najd. We encountered the enemy and formed ranks facing them. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood to lead us in prayer. One group of us stood with him while another faced the enemy. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those with him performed one rak‘ah, with one bowing and two prostrations. Then they moved away and took the place of those who had not prayed. The group that had not prayed came, and he led them in one rak‘ah, with one bowing and two prostrations. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the taslim, and each Muslim stood and performed one rak‘ah and two prostrations individually.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Barqi narrated to us, from ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf, who said: Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz informed us, from al-Zuhri, who said: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar used to relate that he prayed the fear prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed Allah’s greatness. One group of us formed a row behind him while another group faced the enemy. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in one rak‘ah, with one bowing and two prostrations. Then they moved away and faced the enemy, and the other group came and prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who did the same with them. Then he said the taslim. Each man from both groups then stood and performed one rak‘ah with one bowing and two prostrations on his own.

‘Imran ibn Bakkar narrated to me; he said: Muhammad ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us; he said: al-Haytham ibn Humayd informed us, from al-‘Ala’ and Abu Ayyub, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the fear prayer. He stood and proclaimed Allah’s greatness. One group of us prayed behind him while another group faced the enemy. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in one rak‘ah and two prostrations. Then they moved away without saying the taslim, turned to face the enemy, and took their positions. The other group came and formed a row behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he led them in one rak‘ah and two prostrations. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the taslim, having completed two rak‘ahs and four prostrations. Then both groups stood, and each person among them prayed one rak‘ah and two prostrations individually. Abu Bakr ibn al-Sunni said: Al-Zuhri heard two hadiths from Ibn ‘Umar, but he did not hear this one from him.

‘Abd al-A‘la ibn Wasl ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la narrated to us; he said: Yahya ibn Adam narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Musa ibn ‘Uqbah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: During one of his campaigns, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the fear prayer. One group stood with him while another stood opposite the enemy. He led those with him in one rak‘ah. Then they went away and the others came, and he led them in one rak‘ah. Then each of the two groups made up one rak‘ah.

‘Ubaydullah ibn Fadalah ibn Ibrahim narrated to me; he said: ‘Abdullah ibn Yazid al-Muqri informed us. [Chain transferred.] Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yazid narrated to us; he said: My father narrated to us; he said: Haywah narrated to us, and he mentioned another [narrator]. They said: Abu al-Aswad narrated to us that he heard ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr narrating from Marwan ibn al-Hakam, who asked Abu Hurayrah, “Did you pray the fear prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” Abu Hurayrah said, “Yes.” He asked, “When?” He said, “In the year of the campaign to Najd.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood for the ‘Asr prayer. One group stood with him, while another group faced the enemy with their backs toward the qiblah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed Allah’s greatness, and both those with him and those facing the enemy proclaimed His greatness. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed one rak‘ah, and the group nearest him bowed with him. Then he prostrated, and the group nearest him prostrated, while the others stood facing the enemy. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then stood, and the group with him stood and went to face the enemy. The group that had faced the enemy came forward, bowed, and prostrated while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained standing. Then they stood, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed another rak‘ah; they bowed with him, and he prostrated and they prostrated with him. Then the group that had faced the enemy came forward and bowed and prostrated while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those with him were seated. Then it was time for the taslim, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said it, and they all said it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had performed two rak‘ahs, and each man in the two groups had performed two rak‘ahs.

Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azim narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Samad ibn ‘Abd al-Warith narrated to me; he said: Sa‘id ibn ‘Ubayd al-Huna’i narrated to me; he said: ‘Abdullah ibn Shaqiq narrated to us; he said: Abu Hurayrah narrated to us, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was encamped between Dajnan and ‘Usfan, besieging the polytheists. The polytheists said, “These people have a prayer they love more than their sons and virgins. Agree on your plan, then attack them all at once.” Jibril (peace be upon him) came and instructed him to divide his Companions into two groups. He was to lead one group in prayer while the other faced the enemy, on guard and carrying their weapons. He would lead them in one rak‘ah; then the first group would fall back and the others advance, and he would lead them in one rak‘ah. Thus, each group would have one rak‘ah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have prayed two rak‘ahs.

Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan narrated to us, from Hajjaj ibn Muhammad, from Shu‘bah, from al-Hakam, from Yazid al-Faqir, from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in the fear prayer. One row stood in front of him and another behind him. He led those behind him in one rak‘ah and two prostrations. Then they moved forward until they stood in the places of their companions, and the others came and took their places. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in one rak‘ah and two prostrations. Then he said the taslim. Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had prayed two rak‘ahs, while they had prayed one rak‘ah.

Ahmad ibn al-Miqdam narrated to us; he said: Yazid ibn Zuray‘ narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Abdullah al-Mas‘udi narrated to us; he said: Yazid al-Faqir informed me that he heard Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah say: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when the prayer was called. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood, and one group stood behind him while another faced the enemy. He led those behind him in one rak‘ah and prostrated twice with them. Then they went and took the place of those who had been facing the enemy, and that group came forward. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in one rak‘ah and prostrated twice with them. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the taslim, and those behind him said it, as did the other group.

‘Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Dirhami and Isma‘il ibn Mas‘ud narrated to us; they said: Khalid narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman narrated to us, from ‘Ata’, from Jabir, who said: We witnessed the fear prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). We stood behind him in two rows, with the enemy between us and the qiblah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed Allah’s greatness, and we did too. He bowed, and we bowed; then he raised his head, and we raised ours. When he went down to prostrate, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those closest to him prostrated, while the second row remained standing. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those closest to him rose, the second row prostrated where they were. Then the row that had been closest to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) moved back, and the other row moved forward, each taking the other’s place. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, and we bowed; then he raised his head, and we raised ours. When he went down to prostrate, those closest to him prostrated while the others remained standing. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those closest to him raised their heads, the others prostrated. Then he said the taslim.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Nakhla, with the enemy between us and the qiblah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed Allah’s greatness, and we all did too. Then he bowed, and we all bowed. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the row nearest him prostrated, while the others stood guarding them. When they stood, the others prostrated where they had been. Then the first group moved forward to the positions of the others. He bowed, and they all bowed; then he raised his head, and they all raised theirs. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the row nearest him prostrated, while the others stood guarding them. When they had prostrated and sat, the others prostrated where they were. Then he said the taslim. Jabir said: As your leaders do.