Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Talhah b. 'Ubaid Allah said: A man from among the people of Najd with disheveled hair came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The humming sound of his voice could be heard but what he was saying could not be understood. He came closer and it was then known that he was asking about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Five times of prayer each day and night: He asked: Must I observe any more than them? He replied: No, unless you do it voluntarily. He (Talhah) said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned fasting during the month of Ramadan. He asked: Must I observe anything else? He replied: No, unless you do it voluntarily. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned Zakat to him. He asked: Must I pay anything else? He replied: No, unless you do it voluntarily. The man then turned away saying: I swear by Allah, I shall not add anything to this or fall short of it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The man will be successful if he speaks truth.

This tradition has also been reported by Abu Suhail Nafi' b. Malik b. Abi 'Amir through a different chain of narrators. It adds: He will be successful, by his father, if he speaks the truth; he will enter Paradise, by his father, if he speaks the truth.

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Gabriel (ﷺ) led me in prayer at the House (i.e. the Ka'bah). He prayed the noon prayer with me when the sun had passed the meridian to the extent of the thong of a sandal; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when the shadow of everything was as long as itself; he prayed the sunset prayer with me when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when the twilight had ended; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when food and drink become forbidden to one who is keeping the fast. On the following day he prayed the noon prayer with me when his shadow was as long as himself; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when his shadow was twice as long as himself; he prayed the sunset prayer at the time when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when about the third of the night had passed; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when there was a fair amount of light. Then turning to me he said: Muhammad, this is the time observed by the prophets before you, and the time is anywhere between two times.

Ibn Shihab said: 'Umar b. 'Abdul 'Aziz was sitting on the pulpit and he somewhat postponed the afternoon prayer. 'Urwah b. al-Zubair said to him: "Gabriel informed Muhammed (ﷺ) of the time of prayer". So 'Umar said to him: "Be sure of what you are saying". 'Urwah then replied: "I heard Bashir b. Abu Mas'ud say that he heard Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari say that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Gabriel came down and informed me of the time of prayer, and I prayed along with him, then prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, then I prayed along with him, reckoning with his fingers five times of the prayer.' I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offering the Duhr prayer when the sun had passed the meridian. Sometimes he would delay it when it was sever heat ; and I witnessed that he prayer the 'Asr prayer when the sun was high and bright before the yellowness had overcome it; then a man could go off after the prayer and reach Dhu'l-Hulaifah before the sunset, and he would pray Maghrib when the sun had set ; and he would pray the 'Isha prayer when darkness prevailed over the horizon; sometime he would delay it until the people assembled; and once he prayer the fair prayer in the darkness of dawn and at another time he prayed it when it became fairly light; but later on he continued to pray in the darkness of dawn until his death; he never prayed it again in the light of the dawn." Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted from al-Zuhri by Ma'mar, Malik, Ibn 'Uyainah, Shu'aib b. Abi Hamzah, and al-Laith b. Sa'd and others; but they did not mention the time in which he (the Prophet) had prayer, nor did they explain it. And similarly it has been narrated by Hisham b. 'Urwah and Habib b. Abu Mazruq from 'Urwah like the report of Ma'mar and his companions. But Habib did not make a mention of Bashir. And Wahb b. Kaisan reported on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (ﷺ) the time of the Maghrib prayer. He said: "Next day he (Gabriel) came to him at the time of the Maghrib prayer when the sun had already set. (He came both days) at the same time." Abu Dawud said: Similarly, this tradition has been transmitted by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: "Then he (Gabriel) led me in the sunset prayer next day at the same time." Similarly, this tradition has been narrated through a different chain by 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, through a chain from Hassan b. 'Atiyyah, from 'Amr b. Shu'aib, from his father, on the authority from the Prophet (ﷺ).

Abu Musa reported: A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) [about the prayer times] but he did reply to him but he commanded Bilal, who made the announcement for the beginning of the time of the the fair prayer prayer when the dawn broke. He offered (the fair prayer) when a man (due to darkness) could not recognize the face of his companion ; or a man could not know the person who stood by his side. He then commanded Bilal who made announcement for the beginning of the time of the Zuhr prayer when the sun had passed the meridian until some said: Has the noon come ? While he (the Prophet) knew (the time) well. He the commanded Bilal who announced the beginning of the time of the 'Asr prayer when the sun was white and high. When the sunset he commanded Bilal who announced beginning of the time of the Maghrib prayer. When the twilight disappeared he commanded Bilal who announced the beginning of the Isha prayer. Next day he offered the Fajr prayer and returned until we said: Has the sun rise ? He observed the Zuhr prayer at the time he has previously observed the 'Asr prayer. He offered the 'Asr prayer at the time when the sun had become yellow or the evening had come. He offered the Maghrib prayer before the twilight had ended. He observed the Isha prayer when a third of the night had passed. He then asked: Where is the man who was asking me about the time of prayer. (Then replying to him he said): The time (of your prayer) lies within these two limits. Abu Dawud said: Sulaiman b. Musa has narrated this tradition about the time of the Maghrib prayer from Musa from 'Ata on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (ﷺ). This version adds: He then offered the Isha prayer when a third of the night had passed, as narrated (he said the Isha prayer) when half the night had passed. This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Buraidah on the authority of his father from the Prophet (ﷺ) in a similar way.

'Abd Allah b. 'Amr reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: The time of the Zuhr prayer is as along as the time of the 'Asr prayer has not come; the time of the Asr prayer is as long as the sun has not become yellow ; the time of the Maghrib prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the Isha prayer is up to midnight; and the time of the Fajr prayer is as long as the sun has not risen.

Muhammad b. 'Amr b. al-Hasan reported: We asked Jabir about the time of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: He used to offer the Zuhr prayer in the midday heat, the 'Asr prayer when the sun was bright, the Maghrib prayer when the sun had completely set, the Isha prayer early when many people were present, but late if there were few, and the Fajr prayer in the darkness (of the dawn).

Abu Barzah reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would offer the Zuhr prayer when the sun had passed the meridian; he would offer 'Asr prayer after which one of us would visit the skirts of Medina and return him while the sun was still bright; I forgot what he said about the Maghrib prayer; he did not fear postponing the Isha prayer until a third of night had passed, or he said: until the midnight had passed. He would dislike sleeping before it or talking after it. And he would offer the Fajr prayer when a man could recognize his neighbor whom he recognized well; and he would recite from sixty to a hundred verses during it.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: I would offer my noon prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and took a handful of gravels so that they might become cold in my hand and I placed them (before me) so that I may put my forehead on them at the time when I would prostrate. I did this due to the intensity of heat.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The extent of the shadow when the Messenger of Allah prayed (the noon prayer) was three to five feet in summer and five to seven feet in winter.

Abu Dharr said: We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ). The mu'adhdhin intended to call for the Zuhr prayer. He said: Make it cooler. He then intended to call for prayer. He said twice or thrice: Make it cooler. We then witnessed the shadow of the mounds. He then said: The intensity of heat comes from the bubbling over of the Hell ; so when the heat is violent, offer (the Zuhr) prayer when it becomes cooler.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When the heat is violent, offer (the Zuhr) prayer when it becomes fairly cool, for the violent heat comes from the bubbling over the Hell.

Jabir b. Samurah reported that Bilal used to call for the noon prayer when the sun had declined.

Anas b. Malik said the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the 'Asr prayer when the sun was high and bright and living, then one would go off to al-'Awali and get there while the sun was still high.

Al-Zuhri said: Al-'Awali is situated at a distance of two miles or three (from Medina). He (the narrator) said: I think he said: or four miles.

Khaythamah said: By the life of the sun is meant that you may find heat in it.

'Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would offer the Zuhr prayer while the sunlight was present in her apartment before it ascended (the walls).

Narrated Ali ibn Shayban: We came upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Medina. He would postpone the afternoon prayer as long as the sun remained white and clear.

'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying on the day of Battle of Khandaq (Trench). They (the unbelievers) prevented us from offering the middle prayer i.e. 'Asr prayer. May Allah fill their houses and their graves with Hell-fire.

Abu Yunus, the freed slave of 'Aishah said: 'Aishah commanded me to write for her come passage from the Qur'an. She also added: When you reach the following verse, inform me: "Be guardian of your prayers and of the midmost prayer" (2:238). When I reached it, I informed her. She asked me to write: "Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and of the 'Asr prayer, and stand up with devotion of Allah" (2:238). 'Aishah then said: I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Zaid b. Thabit said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer the Zuhr prayer in midday heat; and no prayer was harder on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that this one. Hence the revelation came down: "Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer" (2:238). He (the narrator) said: There are two prayers before it and two prayers after it.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone says a rak'ah of the 'Asr prayer before sunset, he has observed (the 'Asr prayer), and if anyone performs a rak'ah of the Fajr prayer, he has observed (the Fajr prayer).

'Ala b. 'Abd al-Rahman said: We came upon Anas b. Malik after the Zuhr prayer. He stood for saying the 'Asr prayer. When he became free from praying, we mentioned to him about observing prayer in its early period or he himself mentioned it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: This is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray: He sits (watching the sun), and when it becomes yellow and is between the horns of the devil, or is on the horns of the devil, he rises and prays for rak'ahs quickly, remembering Allah only seldom during them.

Ibn 'Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Anyone who loses his 'Asr prayer is like a person whose family has perished and whose property has been plundered. Abu Dawud said: 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar narrated the word utira (instead of wutira, meaning perished). The dispute on this point goes back to Ayyub. Al-Zuhri reported from Salim on the authority of this father from the Prophet (ﷺ) the word 'wutira'.

Al-Awza'i said: Delaying the 'Asr prayer means that the sunshine becomes yellow on the earth.

Anas b. Malik said: We used to offer the Maghrib prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) and then shoot arrows, one of us could see the place where arrow would fall.

Salamah b. al-Akwa' said: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say the Maghrib prayer immediately after the sun had set when its upper side would disappear.

Narrated AbuAyyub: Marthad ibn Abdullah said: When AbuAyyub came upon us to fight the infidels and in those days Uqbah ibn Amir was the Governor of Egypt, he (Uqbah) delayed the sunset prayer. Hence AbuAyyub stood and said: What kind of prayer is this, Uqbah? He said: We were busy. He said: Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: My community will remain well, or he said: will remain on its natural condition, so long as it would not delay the evening prayer until the stars shine brightly just like a network.

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: I am the one who is best informed of the time of this prayer, i.e. the night prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer it at the hour when the moon went down on its third night.

'Abd Allah b. 'Umar said: We remained one night waiting for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to offer the Isha prayer. He came out to us when one-third of the night has passed or even after it. We did not know whether anything kept him occupied or there was some other matter. When he came out, he said: Are you waiting for this prayer ? Were it not that it would impose a burden on my people, I would normally pray with them at this time. He then gave orders to the mu'adhdhin who declared that the time of the prayer had come.

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal: We waited for the Prophet (ﷺ) to offer the night prayer. He delayed until people thought that he would not come out and some of us said that he had offered the prayer. At the moment when we were in this condition the Prophet (ﷺ) came out. People said to him as they were already saying. He said: Observe this prayer when it is dark, for by it you have been made superior to all the peoples, no people having observed it before you.

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri: We observed the prayer after nightfall with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he did not come out till about half the night had passed. He then said: Take your places. We then took our places. Then he said: The people have prayed and gone to bed, but you are still engaged in prayer as long as you wait for the prayer. Were it not for the weakness of the weak and for the sickness of the sick. I would delay this prayer till half the night had gone.

'Aishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would say the Fajr prayer after which the women would depart wrapped up their woolen garments, being unrecognizable because of the darkness before dawn.

Rafi' b. Khadij reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Offer Fajr prayer at dawn, for it is most productive of rewards to you or most productive of reward.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Sunabihi: AbuMuhammad fancies that witr prayer is essential. (Hearing this) Ubadah ibn as-Samit said: AbuMuhammad was wrong. I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Allah, the Exalted, has made five prayers obligatory. If anyone performs ablution for them well, offers them at their (right) time, and observes perfectly their bowing and submissiveness in them, it is the guarantee of Allah that He will pardon him; if anyone does not do so, there is no guarantee for him on the part of Allah; He may pardon him if He wills, and punish him if He wills.

Narrated Umm Farwah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: Which of the actions is best? He replied: Observing prayer early in its period. Al-Khuza'i narrated in his version from his aunt named Umm Farwah who took the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ): He was questioned.

Narrated Umarah ibn Ruwaybah: A man from Basrah said: Tell me what you heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: No one will enter Hell who has prayed before the rising of the sun and before its setting (meaning the dawn and the afternoon prayers). He said three times: Have you heard it from him? He replied: Yes, each time saying: My ears heard it and my heart memorised it. The man then said: And I heard him (the Prophet) say that.

Narrated Fudalah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me and what he taught me is this: Observe the five prayers regularly. He said: I told (him): I have many works at these times; so give me a comprehensive advice which, if I follow, should be enough for me. He said: Observe the two afternoon prayers (al-asrayn). But the term al-asrayn (two afternoon prayers) was not used in our language. Hence I said: What is al-asrayn? He said: A prayer before the sunrise and a prayer before the sunset (i.e. the dawn and the afternoon prayers).

Abu al-Darda' reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: There are five thing, if anyone observe them with faith, he will enter Paradise. He who prays the five times prayer regularly, with the ablution for them, with their bowing, with their prostration and their (right) times ; keeps fast during Ramadan ; performs Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (Ka'bah), provided he has the ability for its passage; pays Zakat happily ; and fulfills the trust (he will enter Paradise). People said: Abu al-Darda', what is fulfilling the trust ? He replied: Washing because of sexual defilement.

Narrated Abu Qatadah ibn Rib'iyy: Allah , the Exalted said: I made five times' prayers obligatory on your people, and I took a guarantee that if anyone observes them regularly at their times, I shall admit him to Paradise; if anyone does not offer them regularly, there is no such guarantee of Mine for him.

Abu Dharr said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked me: 'How will you act, Abu Dharr, when you are under rulers who kill prayer or delay it (beyond its proper time) ?' I said: 'Messenger of Allah, what do you command me ?' He replied: 'Offer the prayer at its proper time, and if you say it along with them, say it, for it will be a supererogatory prayer for you.'"

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: Amr ibn Maymun al-Awdi said: Mu'adh ibn Jabal, the Messenger of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us in Yemen, I heard his takbir (utterance of AllahuAkbar) in the dawn prayer. He was a man with loud voice. I began to love him. I did depart from him until I buried him dead in Syria (i.e. until his death). Then I searched for a person who had deep understanding in religion amongst the people after him. So I came to Ibn Mas'ud and remained in his company until his death. He (Ibn Mas'ud) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: How will you act when you are ruled by rulers who say prayer beyond its proper time? I said: What do you command me, Messenger of Allah, if I witness such a time? He replied: Offer the prayer at its proper time and also say your prayer along with them as a supererogatory prayer.

Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: After me you will come under rulers who will be detained from saying prayer at its proper time by (their) works until its time has run out, so offer prayer at its proper time. A man asked him: Messenger of Allah, may I offer prayer with them? He replied: Yes, if you wish (to do so). Sufyan (another narrator through a different chain)said: May I offer prayer with them if I get it with them? He said: Yes, if you wish to do so.

Narrated Qabisah ibn Waqqas: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: After me you will be ruled by rulers who will delay the prayer and it will be to your credit but to their discredit. So pray with them so long as they pray facing the qiblah.

Abu Hurairah reported: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) returned from the Battle of Khaibar, he travelled during the night. When we felt sleep, he halted for rest. Addressing Bilal he said: Keep vigilance at night for us. But Bilal who was leaning against the saddle of his mount was dominated by sleep. Neither the Prophet (ﷺ) nor Bilal nor any of his Companions could get up till the sunshine struck them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up first of all. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was embarrassed and said: O Bilal ! He replied: He who detained your soul, detained my soul, Messenger of Allah, my parents be sacrificed for you. Then they drove their mounts to a little distance. The Prophet (ﷺ) perfumed ablution and commanded Bilal who made announcement for the prayer. He (the Prophet) led them in the Fajr prayer. When he finished prayer, he said: If anyone forget saying prayer, he should observe it when he recalls it, for Allah has said (in the Qur'an): "Establish prayer for my remembrance". Yunus said: Ibn Shihab used to recite this verse in a similar way (i.e. instead of reciting the word li-dhikri - for the sake of My remembrance - he would recite li-dhikra - when you remember). Ahmad (one of the narrator) said: 'Anbasah (a reporter) reported on the authority of Yunus the word li-dhikri (for the sake of my remembrance). Ahmad said: The word nu'as (occurring in this tradition) means "drowsiness".

Abu Hurairah reported: Another version of the above tradition adds: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Go away from this place of yours where inadvertence took hold of you. He then commanded Bilal who called for prayer and announced that the prayer in congregation was ready (i.e. he uttered the iqamah) and he observed prayer. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Malik, Sufyan b. 'Uyainah, al-Awza'i, and 'Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar and Ibn Ishaq, none of them made a mention of the call for prayer (adman) in this version of the tradition narrated by al-Zuhri, and none of them attribute (this tradition) to him except al-Awza'i and Aban al-'Attar on the authority of Ma'mar.

Abu Qatadah reported: "The Prophet (ﷺ) was on a journey. The Prophet (ﷺ) took a turn and I also took a turn with him. He said: 'Look!' I said: 'This is a rider; these are two riders; and these are three' until we became seven. He then said: Guard for us our prayer, i.e. the Fajr prayer. But sleep dominated them and none could awaken them except the heat of the sun. They stood up and drove away a little. Then they got down (from their mounts) and performed ablution. Bilal called for prayer and they offered two rak'ahs of (Sunnah) of Fajr and then offered the Fajr prayer and mounted (their mounts). Some of them said to others: We showed negligence in prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no negligence in sleep. The negligence is in wakefulness. If any of you forget saying prayer, he should offer it when he remembers it and next day (he should say it) at its proper time.

Khalid b. Sumair said: 'Abd Allah b. Rabah al-Ansari, whom the Ansar called faqih (juries), came to us from Medina, and reported us on the authority of Abu Qatadah al-Ansari, the horseman of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a military expedition consisting of the chief Companions. He then narrated the same story, saying Nothing awakened us except the rising sun. We stoop up in bewilderment, for our prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Wait a little, wait a little. When the sun rose high, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Those who sued to observer the two rak'ahs of Fajr prayer (sunnah prayer before obligatory prayer) should observe them. Then those who used to observe and those who would not observe stood up and said prayer. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded to call for prayer; the call for prayer was made accordingly. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood and led us in prayer. When he turned away (from the prayer) he said: We thank Allah for the fact that we were not engaged in any wordily affairs which detained us from our prayer. Instead our souls were in the hands of Allah. He released them whenever He wished. If any one of you gets morning prayer tomorrow at its proper time, he should offer a similar prayer as an atonement.

This tradition has also been reported by Abu Qatadah through a different chain of narrators. He said (that the Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Allah takes your souls as He wishes, and returns them as He wishes. Stand up and call the Adhan to prayer." They (the Companions) stood and performed ablution. When the sun rose high, the Prophet (ﷺ) stood and led the people in prayer.

This tradition has been transmitted through a different chain by Abu Qatadah to the same effect. This version adds: "He performed ablution when the sun had arisen high and led them in prayer."

Abu Qatadah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: There is no remissness in sleep, it is only when one is awake that there is remissness when you delay saying the prayer till the time for the next prayer comes.

Anas b. Malik reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If any one forgets a prayer or oversleeps, he should observe it when he remembers it ; there is no expiation for it except that.

'Imran b. Husain said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was on his journey. They (the people) slept abandoning the Fajr prayer. They awoke by the heat of the sun. Then they travelled a little until the sun rose high. He (the Prophet) commanded the mu'adhdhin (one who called for prayer) to call for prayer. He then offered two rak'ahs of prayer (sunnah prayer) before the (obligatory) fajr prayer. Then he (the mu'adhdhin) announced for saying the prayer in congregation (i.e. he uttered iqamah). Then he led them in the morning prayer.

Narrated Amr ibn Umayyah ad-Damri: We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during one of his journeys. He overslept abandoning the morning prayer until the sun had arisen. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) awoke and said: Go away from this place. He then commanded Bilal to call for prayer. He called for prayer. They (the people) performed ablution and offered two rak'ahs of the morning prayer (sunnah prayer). He then commanded Bilal (to utter the iqamah, i.e. to summon the people to attend the prayer). He announced the prayer (i.e. uttered the iqamah) and he led them in the morning prayer.

Dhu Mikhbar al-Habashi, who used to serve the Prophet (ﷺ), reported a version of the previous tradition. The Prophet (ﷺ) performed ablution in such a way that there is no mud on the earth. He then commanded Bilal (to call for prayer). He called for prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) stood and offered two rak'ahs of prayer unhurriedly. This is narrated by Hajjaj on the authority of Yazid b. Sulaih from Dhu Mikhbar from a person of al-Habashah (Ethiopia). 'Ubaid (a narrator) said: Yazid b. Salih (instead of Yazid b. Sulaih).

This tradition has also been transmitted through another chain of narrators by Dhu Mikhbar, the nephew of the Negus. This version adds: "He (Bilal) called for prayer unhurriedly."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: We proceeded with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the occasion of al-Hudaybiyyah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Who will keep watch for us? Bilal said: I (shall do). The overslept till the sun arose. The Prophet (ﷺ) awoke and said: Do as you used to do (i.e. offer prayer as usual). Then we did accordingly. He said: Anyone who oversleeps or forgets (prayer) should do similarly.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: I was not commanded to build high mosques. Ibn Abbas said: You will certainly adorn them as the Jews and Christians did.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The Last Hour will not come until people vie with one another about mosques.

Narrated Uthman ibn Abul'As: The Prophet (nay peace be upon him) commanded him to build a mosque at Ta'if where the idols were placed.

'Abd Allah b. 'Umar reported: The mosque (of the Prophet) during his lifetime was built with bricks, its roof with branches of the palm-tree, and its pillars with palm-wood, as Mujahid said: Abu Bakr did not add anything to it. But 'Umar added to it; he built as it was built during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with bricks and branches, and he changed its pillars. Mujahid said: Its pillars were made of wood. 'Uthman changed it altogether with increasing addition. He built its walls with decorated stone and lime. And he built the pillars with decorated stone and its roof with teak. Mujahid said: Its roof was made of teak. Abu Dawud said: Al-Qassah means lime used as mortar.

Ibn 'Umar reported: The pillars of the mosque of the Prophet (ﷺ) during the life time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) were made of the trunks of the palm-tree; they covered from the above by twigs of the palm-tree; they decayed during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. He built it afresh with trunks and twigs of the palm-tree. But they again decayed during the caliphate of 'Uthman. He, therefore, built it with bricks. That survives until today.

Anas b. Malik reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came over to Medina and encamped at the upper side of Medina among the tribe known as Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf. He stayed among them for fourteen days. He then sent someone to call Banu al-Najjar. They came to him hanging their swords from the necks. Anas then said: As if I am looking at the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sitting on his mount and Abu Bakr seated behind him, and Banu al-Najjar standing around him. He descended in the courtyard of Abu Ayyub. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would say his prayer in the folds of the sheep and goats. He commanded us to build a mosque. He then sent for Banu al-Najjar and said to them: Banu al-Najjar, sell this land of yours to me for some price. They replied: By Allah, we do not want any price (from you) except from Allah. Anas said: I tell what this land contained. It contained the graves of the disbelievers, dung-hills, and some trees of date-palm. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded and the graves of the disbelievers were dug open, and the trees of the date-palm were cut off. The wood of the date-palm were erected in front of the mosque ; the door-steps wre built of stone. They were reciting verses carrying the stones. The Prophet (ﷺ) also joined them (in reciting verses) saying: O Allah, there is no good except the good of the Hereafter. So grant you aid to the Ansar and the Muhajirah.

Anas b. Malik said: The Mosque (of the Prophet) was built in the land of Banu al-Najjar which contained crops, palm trees and graves of the disbelievers. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Sell it to me for some price. They (Banu al-Najjar) replied: We do not want (any price). The palm-trees were cut off, and the crops removed and the graves of the disbelievers dug opened. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. But this version has the word "forgive" in the verse, instead of the word "help". Musa said: 'Abd al-Warith also narrated this tradition in a like manner. The version of 'Abd al-Warith has the word "dung-hill" (instead of crop), and he asserted that he narrated this tradition to Hammad.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to build mosques in different localities (i.e. in the locality of each tribe separately) and that they should be kept clean and be perfumed.

Samurah reported that he wrote (a letter) to his sons: After (praising Allah and blessing the Prophet) that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to command us to build mosques in our localities and keep them well and clean.

Narrated Maymunah ibn Sa'd: I said: Messenger of Allah, tell us the legal injunction about (visiting) Bayt al-Muqaddas (the dome of the Rock at Jerusalem). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: go and pray there. All the cities at that time were effected by war. If you cannot visit it and pray there, then send some oil to be used in the lamps.

Abu al-Walid said: I asked Ibn 'Umar about the gravel spread pin the mosque. He replied: One night the rain fell and the earth was moistened. A man was bringing the gravel (broken stones) in his cloth and spreading it beneath him. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished his prayer, he said: How fine it is !

Abu Salih said: It was said that when a man removed gravels from the mosque, they adjured him.

Abu Hurairah reported (Abu Bakr said that in his opinion he narrated this tradition from the Prophet): The gravels adjure the person when removes them from the mosque.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The rewards of my people were presented before me, so much so that even the reward for removing a mote by a person from the mosque was presented to me. The sins of my people were also presented before me. I did not find a sin greater than that of a person forgetting the Qur'anic chapter or verse memorised by him.

Ibn 'Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If we left this door for women (it would have been better). Nafi' said: Ibn 'Umar did not enter (the door) until his death. The other except 'Abd al-Warith said: This was said by 'Umar (and not by Ibn 'Umar) and that is more correct.

This tradition has been reported by 'Umar b. al-Khattab through a different chain of narrators. He narrated it to the same effect and that is more correct.

Nafi said : ‘Umar b. al-Khattab used to prohibit (men) to enter through the door reserved for women.

Abu Usaid al-Ansari reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying: when any of you enters the mosque he should invoke blessing on the prophet (ﷺ) and then he should say: O Allah, open to me the gates of thy mercy. And when he goes out, he should say: O Allah, I ask thee out of Thine abundance.

Haiwah b. Shuraih reported : I met ‘Uqbah b. Muslim and said to him: it has been reported to me that someone has narrated to you from the prophet (ﷺ) that when he entered the mosque, he would say: I seek refuge in Allah, the Magnificent, and in His noble face, and in his eternal domain, from the accursed Devil. He asked : is it so much only? I said: Yes. He said: when anyone says so. The devil says: he is protected from me all the day long.

Abu Qatadah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; when any one of you enters the mosque, he should pray two RAKAHS before sitting down.

This tradition has been narrated by Abu Qatadah through a different chain of transmitters to the same effect from the prophet (ﷺ). This version adds: then he may remain sitting (after praying two RAKAHS) or may go for his work.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; The angels invoke blessings on any of you who remains sitting at the place where he says his prayers so long as he is defiled (needs ablution) or stands up, saying: O Allah, forgives him; O Allah, have mercy on him.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; one is considered to be at prayer so long as one is detained by prayer: Nothing prevents one from going home to one’s family except prayer.

Abu Hurairah reported the apostle of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; The servant (of Allah) is considered to he at prayer so long as he remains at the place of prayer waiting for prayer. The angels say: O Allah, forgive him? O Allah, take mercy on him, until he turns away, or he is defiled. He was asked: what is meant by defilement? He replied: he breaks wind gently or loudly.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; one shall have the thing the for which one comes to the mosque.

Abu Hurairah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; if anyone hears a man crying out in the mosque about something he has lost, he should say: May Allah not restore it to you, for the mosque were not built for this.

Anas b. Malik reported the Prophet(ﷺ) as saying: Spitting in the mosque is a sin and it is expiated by burying the spittle.

Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Spitting in the mosque is a sin and it is expiated by burying the spittle.

Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: Spitting phlegm in the mosque... The narrator then transmitted the rest of the tradition to the same effect.

Abu Hurairah reported: The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: if anyone enters the mosque, and spits in it, or ejects phlegm, he should remove some earth and bury it there. If he does not do so, then he should spit in his clothes and not come out with it.

Narrated Abdullah al-Muharibi: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When a man stands with the intention of saying prayer, or if any of you says prayer, he should not spit before him, nor at his right side; but he should do so at his left side, if there is a place for it; or he should spit under his left foot and then rub it off.

Ibn ‘Umar reported: One day while the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ)was giving sermon he suddenly saw phlegm on the wall towards the qiblah(the direction to which Muslims turn in prayer) of the mosque. So he became angry at people. He then scraped it and sent for saffron and stained with it. He then said: When any one of you prays, Allah, the Exalted, faces him: he, therefore, should not spit before him.

Abu Sa’id al-khudri said: The Prophet(ﷺ) liked the twigs of the date-palm, and he often had one of them in his hand. He entered the mosque and saw phlegm in the wall towards qiblah and he scraped it. He then turned towards people in anger and said: Is any one of you is pleased to spit in his face? When any of you faces qiblah, he indeed faces his Lord, the Majestic the Glorious: the angels are at right side. Therefore, he should not spit on his right side or before him towards qiblah. He should spit towards his left side or beneath his foot. If he is in a hurry, he should do so-and-so. Describing it Ibn ‘Ajlan said: He should spit in his cloth and fold a part of it over the other.

Narrated AbuSahlah as-Sa'ib ibn Khallad: A man led the people in prayer. He spat towards qiblah while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was looking at him. The Messenger of Allah said to the people when he finished his prayer: He should not lead you in prayer (henceforth). Thenceforth he intended to lead them in prayer, but they forbade him and informed him of the prohibition of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who said to him: Yes. The narrator said: I think he (the Prophet) said: You did harm to Allah and His Apostle.

Abu al-‘Ala’ reported on the authority of his father: I came to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) who was saying prayer. He spat beneath his left foot.

Abu al-‘Ala’ reported this tradition on the authority of his father to the same effect with a different chain of narrators. This version adds: “He then rubbed it with his shoe."

Narrated Wathilah ibn al-Asqa': AbuSa'id said: I saw Wathilah ibn al-Asqa' in the mosque of Damascus. He spat at the mat and then rubbed it with his foot. He was asked: Why did you do so? He said: Because I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) doing so.

Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: We came to Jabir ibn Abdullah who was sitting in his mosque. He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us in this mosque and he had a twig of date-palm of the kind of Ibn Tab. He looked and saw phlegm on the wall towards qiblah. He turned to it and scraped it with the twig. He then said: Who of you likes that Allah turns His face from him? He further said: When any of you stands for praying, Allah faces him. So he should not spit before him, nor on his right side. He should spit on his left side under his left foot. If he is in a hurry (i.e. forced to spit immediately), he should do with his cloth in this manner. He then placed the cloth on his mouth and rubbed it off. He then said: Bring perfume. A young man of the tribe stood and hurried to his house and returned with perfume in his palm. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took it and put it at the end of the twig. He then stained the mark of phlegm with it. Jabir said: This is the reason you use perfume in your mosques.

Anas b. Malik reported : A man entered the mosque on camel and made it kneel down, and then tied his leg with rope. He then asked: Who among you is Muhammad? The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) was sitting leaning upon something among them. We said to him: This white (man) who is leaning. The man said: O son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said; I already responded to you. The man (again) said: O Muhammad. I am asking you. The narrator then narrated the rest of the tradition.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported : Banu Sa’d b. Bakr sent Qamam b. Tha’labah to the apostle of Allah (May peace be upon him). He came to him and made his camel kneel down near the gate of the mosque. He then tied its leg and entered the mosque. The narrator then reported in a similar way. He then said: Who among you is the son of Abd al-Muttalib? The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) replied: I am the son of Ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He said: O son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib. The narrator then reported the rest of the tradition.

Abu Hurairah said: The Jews came to the Prophet (May peace be upon him) and he was sitting in the mosque among his Companions. They said: O Abu al-Qasim, a man and a woman have committed adultery.

Narrated AbuDharr: The earth has been made for me purifying and as a mosque (place for prayer).

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: AbuSalih al-Ghifari reported: Ali (once) passed by Babylon during his travels. The mu'adhdhin (the person who calls for prayer) came to him to call for the afternoon prayer. When he passed by that place, he commanded to announce for the prayer. After finishing the prayer he said: My affectionate friend (i.e. the Prophet) prohibited me to say prayer in the graveyard. He also forbade me to offer prayer in Babylon because it is accursed.

Abu Salih narrated this tradition with a different chain of transmitters to the same effect as reported by Sulaiman b. Dawud. But this version has the word KHARAJA (he went out) instead of BARAZA (proceeded).

Narrated Sa'id: and the narrator Musa said: As far as Amr thinks, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: The whole earth is a place of prayer except public baths and graveyards.

Bara’ b. Azib reported : The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) was asked about saying prayer at places where the camels kneel down. He replied; Do not say prayer at places where the camels kneel down because they are the places of devils. And he was asked about saying prayer in the fold of sheep. He replied: pray there because they are the places of blessing.

Narrated As-Saburah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Command a boy to pray when he reaches the age of seven years. When he becomes ten years old, then beat him for prayer.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Command your children to pray when they become seven years old, and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.

This tradition has been narrated by Dawud b. Sawar al-Muzani through a different chain of transmitters and to the same effect. This version adds; if any of you marries his slave-girl to his male-slave or his servant, he should not look at her private part below her navel and above her knees. Abu Dawud said: Waki' misunderstood the name of Dawud b. Sawar. Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi has narrated this tradition from him. He said: Anu Hamzah Sawar al-Sairafi.

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Abdullah ibn Khubayb al-Juhani: Hisham ibn Sa'd reported: We entered upon Mu'adh ibn Abdullah ibn Khubayb al-Juhani. He said to his wife: When (at what age) should a boy pray? She replied: Some person of us reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about it; he said: When a boy distinguishes right hand from the left hand, then command him to pray.

Narrated AbuUmayr ibn Anas: AbuUmayr reported on the authority of his uncle who was from the Ansar (the helpers of the Prophet): The Prophet (ﷺ) was anxious as to how to gather the people for prayer. The people told him: Hoist a flag at the time of prayer; when they see it, they will inform one another. But he (the Prophet) did not like it. Then someone mentioned to him the horn. Ziyad said: A horn of the Jews. He (the Prophet) did not like it. He said: This is the matter of the Jews. Then they mentioned to him the bell of the Christians. He said: This is the matter of the Christians. Abdullah ibn Zayd returned anxiously from there because of the anxiety of the Apostle (ﷺ). He was then taught the call to prayer in his dream. Next day he came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him about it. He said: Messenger of Allah, I was between sleep and wakefulness; all of a sudden a newcomer came (to me) and taught me the call to prayer. Umar ibn al-Khattab had also seen it in his dream before, but he kept it hidden for twenty days. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me (Umar): What did prevent you from saying it to me? He said: Abdullah ibn Zayd had already told you about it before me: hence I was ashamed. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Bilal, stand up, see what Abdullah ibn Zayd tells you (to do), then do it. Bilal then called them to prayer. AbuBishr reported on the authority of AbuUmayr: The Ansar thought that if Abdullah ibn Zayd had not been ill on that day, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would have made him mu'adhdhin.

‘Abd Allah b. Zaid reported : when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered a bell to be made so that it might be struck to gather the people for prayer, a man carrying a bell in his hand appeared to me while I was asleep, and I said; servant of ‘abd Allah, will you sell the bell? He asked; what will you do with it? I replied; we shall use it to call the people to prayer. He said; should I not suggest you something better than that. I replied: certainly. Then he told me to say: Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to pray, come to pray; come to salvation; come to salvation. Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. He then moved backward a few steps and said: when you utter the IQAMAH, you should say: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to salvation. The time for prayer has come, the time for prayer has come: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. There is no god but Allah. When the morning came, I came to the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) and informed him of what I had seen in the dream. He said: it is a genuine vision, and he then should use it to call people to prayer, for he has a louder voice than you have. So I got up along with Bilal and began to teach it to him and he used it in making the call to prayer. ‘Umar b. al-khattab (Allah be pleased with him) heard it while he was in his house and came out trailing his cloak and said: Messenger of Allah. By him who has sent you with the truth, I have also seen the kind of thing as has been shown to him. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: To Allah be the praise. Abu Dawud said; Al-Zuhri narrated this tradition in a similar way from Sa’id b. al-Musayyib on the authority of ‘Abd Allah b. Zaid. In this version Ibn Ishaq narrated from al-Zuhri: Allah is most great. Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great. Ma;mar and yunus narrated from al-Zuhri; Allah is most great, Allah is most great. They did not report it twice again.

Abu Mahdhurah reported; I said; Messenger of Allah, teach me the method of ADHAN (how to pronounce the call to prayer). He wiped my forehead (with his hand) and asked me to pronounce; Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great, raising your voice while saying them (these words). Then you must raise your voice in making the testimony: I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Lowering your voice while saying them (these words). Then you must raise your voice in making the testimony: I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify there is no god but Allah; I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation. If it is the morning prayer, you must pronounce; prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep, Allah is most great; there is no god but Allah.

Abu Mahdhurah also narrated this tradition from the prophet (May peace be upon him) to the same effect through a different chain of transmitters. This version has the additional wordings. The phrases “prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep” are to be pronounced in the first ADHAN (i.e., not in Iqamah) of the morning prayer. Abu Dawud said; The version narrated by Musaddad is more clear. It reads: He (the prophet) taught me IQAMAH (to pronounce each phrase) twice: Allah is most great. Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah: come to prayer, come to prayer: come to salvation, come to salvation: Allah is most great. Allah is great; there is no god but Allah. Abu Dawud said: The narrator ‘Abd al-Razzaq said; You pronounce IQAMAH for announcing the prayer; you must say twice: the time for prayer has come, the time for prayer has come. (The Prophet said to Abu Mahdhurah): did you listen (to me)? Abu Mahdhurah would not have the hair of his forehead cut, nor would he separate them (from him) because the Prophet (ﷺ) wiped over them.

Abu Mahdhurah reported ; The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) taught him nineteen phrases in ADHAN and seventeen phrases in IQAMAH. ADHAN runs; Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great; I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is Messenger of Allah: come to prayer, come to prayer, come to salvation; Allah is most great, Allah is most great: there is no god but Allah. IQAMAH runs: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. Allah is most great, Allah is most great: I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer; come to prayer: come to salvation. Come to salvation; the time for prayer has come the time for prayer has come: Allah is most great, Allah is most great: there is no god but Allah. This is recorded in his collection (i.e., in the collection of the narrator Hammam b. Yahya) according to the tradition reported by Abu Mahdhurah (i.e., IQAMAH contains seventeen phrases)

Abu Mahdurah reported : The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) himself taught me the call to prayer (adhan). He asked me to pronounce: Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great: I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is Messenger of Allah. Then repeat and raise your voice; I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah ; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation; Allah is most great. Allah is most great; there is no god but Allah.

Abu Mahdhurah reported: The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) taught me the call to prayer (adhan) verbatim; Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great; I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation. He used to pronounce “prayer is better than sleep” in the dawn prayer.

Abu Mahdhurah said that the apostle of Allah (May peace be upon him) taught him the call to prayer (adhan), saying: Allah is most great, Allah is most great; I testify that there is no god but Allah. He then narrated adhan like the one contained in the tradition transmitted by Ibn Juraij from ‘Abd al-aziz b. ‘abd al-Malik to the same effect. The version Malik b. Dinar has. I asked the son of Abu Mahdhurah, saying: Narrate to me the adhan of your father narrated from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him). He said: Allah is most great, Allah is most great, that is all. Similar is the version narrated by Ja’far b. Sulaiman from the son of Abd Muhdhurah from his uncle on the authority of his grandfather, excepting that he said; Then repeat and raise your voice. Allah is most great. Allah is most great.

Ibn Abi Laila said: Prayer passed through three stages. And out people narrated to us that Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said; it is to my liking that the prayer of Muslims or believers should be united (i.e., in congregation), so much so that I intended to send people to the houses to announce the time of prayer; and I also resolved that I should order people to stand at (the tops of) the forts and announce the time of the prayer for Muslims; and they struck the bell or were about to strike the bell (to announce the time for prayer). Then came a person from among the Ansar who said: Messenger of Allah, when I returned from you, as I saw your anxiety. I saw (in sleep) a person with two green clothes on him; he stood on the mosque and called (people) to prayer. He then sat down for a short while and stood up and pronounced in a like manner, except that he added: “The time for prayer has come”. If the people did not call me (a liar), and according to the version of Ibn al-Muthanna, if you did not call me (a liar). I would say that I was awake; I was awake; I was not asleep. The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: According to the version of Ibn al-Muthanna, Allah has shown you a good (dream). But the version of ‘Amr does not have the words: Allah has shown you a good (dream). Then ask Bilal to pronounce the ADHAN (to call to the prayer). ‘Umar (in the meantime) said: I also had a dream like the one he had. But as he informed earlier. I was ashamed (to inform). Our people have narrated to us: when a person came (to the mosque during the prayer in congregation), he would ask (about the RAKAHS of prayer), and he would be informed about the number of RAKAHS already performed. They would stand (in prayer) along with the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him): some in standing position; others bowing; some sitting and some praying along with the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him). Ibn al-Muthanna reported from ‘Amr from Hussain b. Abi Laila, saying ; Until Mu’adh came. Shu’bah said ; I heard it from Hussain who said : I shall follow the position (in the prayer in which I find him (the prophet)). . . you should do in a similar way. Abu Dawud said: I then turned to the tradition reported by ‘Amr b. Marzuq he said; then Ma’adh came and they (the people) hinted at him. Shu’bah said; I heard it from hussain who said: Mu’adh then said; I shall follow the position (in the prayer when I join it) in which I find him (the prophet). He then said: Mu’adh has prayer when I join it in which I find him (the prophet). He then said: MU’adh has introduced for you a SUNNAH (a model behaviour), so you should do in a like manner. He said; our people have narrated to us; when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to Madina, he commanded them (the people) to keep fast for three days. Thereafter the Quranic verses with regard to the fasts during Ramadan were revealed. But they were people who were not accustomed to keep fast ; hence the keeping of the fasts was hard for them; so those who could not keep fast would feed an indigent; then the month”. The concession was granted to the patient and the traveler; all were commanded to keep fast.

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal: Prayer passed through three stages and fasting also passed through three stages. The narrator Nasr reported the rest of the tradition completely. The narrator, Ibn al-Muthanna, narrated the story of saying prayer facing in the direction of Jerusalem. He said: The third stage is that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to Medina and prayed, i.e. facing Jerusalem, for thirteen months. Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed the verse: "We have seen thee turning thy face to Heaven (for guidance, O Muhammad). And now verily We shall make thee turn (in prayer) toward a qiblah which is dear to thee. So turn thy face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship, and ye (O Muslims), wherever ye may be, turn your face (when ye pray) toward it" (ii.144). And Allah, the Reverend and the Majestic, turned (them) towards the Ka'bah. He (the narrator) completed his tradition. The narrator, Nasr, mentioned the name of the person who had the dream, saying: And Abdullah ibn Zayd, a man from the Ansar, came. The same version reads: And he turned his face towards the qiblah and said: Allah is most great, Allah is most great; I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer (he pronounced it twice), come to salvation (he pronounced it twice); Allah is Most Great, Allah is most great. He then paused for a while, and then got up and pronounced in a similar way, except that after the phrase "Come to salvation" he added. "The time for prayer has come, the time for prayer has come." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Teach it to Bilal, then pronounce the adhan (call to prayer) with the same words. As regards fasting, he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast for three days every month, and would fast on the tenth of Muharram. Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed the verse: ".......Fasting was prescribed for those before you, that ye may ward off (evil)......and for those who can afford it there is a ransom: the feeding of a man in need (ii.183-84). If someone wished to keep the fast, he would keep the fast; if someone wished to abandon the fast, he would feed an indigent every day; it would do for him. But this was changed. Allah, the Exalted, revealed: "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an ..........(let him fast the same) number of other days" (ii.185). Hence the fast was prescribed for the one who was present in the month (of Ramadan) and the traveller was required to atone (for them); feeding (the indigent) was prescribed for the old man and woman who were unable to fast. (The narrator, Nasr, further reported): The companion Sirmah, came after finishing his day's work......and he narrated the rest of the tradition.

Anas reported; Bilal was commanded to pronounce Adhan in double pairs and IQAMAH in single pairs. Hammam added in his version; “except IQAMAH”.

Anas reported the tradition like that of Wuhaib. Ismail said: I narrated this tradition to Ayyub who said: “Except IQAMAH”.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The words of adhan were pronounced from the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) twice in pairs (i.e. four times) each, and the words of iqamah were pronounced once in pairs (twice each), except that the phrase "The time for prayer has come" would be pronounced twice. When we heard iqamah, we would perform ablution, and go out for prayer. Shu'bah said: I did not hear AbuJa'far narrating any other tradition except this one.

This tradition has been narrated by Abu Ja’far, the mu’adhdhin of ‘Uryan mosque (at Kufah), from Abu al-Muthanna, the mu’adhdhin of masjid al-akbar (at kufah) on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar. The rest of the tradition was transmitted in a like manner.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Zayd: The Prophet (ﷺ) intended to do many things for calling (the people) to prayer, but he did not do any of them. Then Abdullah ibn Zayd was taught in a dream how to pronounce the call to prayer. He came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him. He said: Teach it to Bilal. He then taught him, and Bilal made a call to prayer. Abdullah said: I saw it in a dream and I wished to pronounce it, but he (the Prophet) said: You should pronounce iqamah.

This tradition has also been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by ‘abd Allah b. Zaid. He said: My grandfather pronounced the Iqamah.

Narrated Ziyad ibn al-Harith as-Suda'i: When the adhan for the dawn prayer was initially introduced, the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded me to call the adhan and I did so. Then I began to ask: Should I utter iqamah, Messenger of Allah? But he began to look at the direction of the east, (waiting) for the break of dawn, and said: No. When the dawn broke, he came down and performed ablution and he then turned to me. In the meantime his Companions joined him. Then Bilal wanted to utter the iqamah, but the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: The man of Suda' has called the adhan, and he who calls the adhan utters the iqamah.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The mu'adhdhin will receive forgiveness to the extent to which his voice reaches, and every moist and dry place will testify on his behalf; and he who attends (the congregation of) prayer will have twenty-five prayers recorded for him and will have expiation for sins committed between every two times of prayer.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: when the call to prayer is made; the devil turns his back and breaks wind so as not to hear the call being made; but when the call is finished, he turns round. When the second call to prayer (iqamah) is made, he turns his back, and when the second call is finished, he turns round and suggest notions in the mind of the man (at prayer) to distract his attention, saying: remember such and such, referring to something the man did not have n mind, with the result that he does not know how much he has prayed.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The imam is responsible and the mu'adhdhin is trusted, O Allah, guide the imams and forgive the mu'adhdhins.

This tradition has also been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by Abu Hurairah who reported it in a similar manner from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Narrated A woman from Banu an-Najjar: Urwah ibn az-Zubayr reported on the authority of a woman from Banu an-Najjar. She said: My house was the loftiest of all the houses around the mosque (of the Prophet at Medina). Bilal used to make a call to the morning prayer from it. He would come there before the break of dawn and wait for it. When he saw it, he would yawn and say: O Allah, I praise you and seek Your assistance for the Quraysh so that they might establish Thine religion. He then would make the call to prayer. She (the narrator) said: By Allah, I do not know whether he ever left saying these words on any night.

Abu Juhaifah reported: I came to the prophet (ﷺ) at Mecca; he was sitting in a tent made of leather. Then Bilal came out and called to prayer. I looked at his mouth following him this side and that side (i.e., right and left). Later at his Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out clad in a red suit, i.e, wearing the sheets of the Yemen, of the Qatri design. The version narrated by Musa has the word; “I saw Bilal going towards al-Abtah”. He then made a call to prayer. When he reached the words “ come to prayer, come to salvation”. He turned his neck right and left, respectively; he did not turn himself (with his whole body). He then entered (his house) and came out with a lancet. The narrator then reported the rest of the tradition.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying : When you hear the Adhan, you should repeat the same words as the mu’adhdhin pronounces.

‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr b. al-As reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying: when you hear the mu'adhdhin repeat what he says, invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invoke one blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah. Then ask Allah to give me the wasilah, which is a rank in paradise fitting for only one of Allah’s servants, and I hope that I may be the one. If anyone asks Allah that I be given the wasilah, he will be assured of my intercession.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: A man said: Messenger of Allah, the mu'adhdhins excel us. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Say (the same words) as they say, and when you come to the end, make a petition and that will be granted to you.

Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying : If anyone says when he hears the MU’ADHDHIN : “And I testify that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner and that Muhammad is His servant and Apostle: I am satisfied with Allah as lord, with Muhammad as apostle and with Islam as religion”, he will be forgiven.

‘A’ishah said that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard the MU’ADHDHIN uttering the testimony, he would say: “And I too, and I too”.

‘Umar b. al-khattab reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; When the MU’ADHDHIN says: “Allah is most great, Allah is most great”, and one of you says in response: “Allah is most great”, Allah is most great; then says: “ I testify tht there is no god but Allah”, and he says in response: “I testify that there is no god but Allah”, then say:” I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”, and he makes the response: “ I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”, then says: “Come to prayer”, and he makes the response: “There is no might and no power except in Allah”: then says: “ Allah is most great, Allah is most great”, and he makes the response: “Allah is most great”, then says: “There is no god but Allah”, if he says this from his heart, he enter Paradise.

Narrated AbuUmamah, or one of the Companion of the Prophet: Bilal began the Iqamah, and when he said: "The time for prayer has come," the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "May Allah establish it and cause it to continue."

Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: if anyone says when he hears the call to prayer : “O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and of the prayer which is established for all time, grant Muhammad the wasilah and excellency, and raise him up in a praiseworthy position which Thou hast promised, he will be assured of my intercession.

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught me to say when the adhan for the sunset prayer was called; "O Allah, this is the time when Thy night comes on, Thy day retires, and the voices of Thy summoners are heard, so forgive me."

Narrated Uthman ibn Abul'As: Messenger of Allah, appoint me the leader of the tribe in prayer. He said: You are their leader, but you should follow on who is the weakest of them: and appoint a mu'adhdhin who does not charge for the calling of adhan.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Bilal made a call to prayer before the break of dawn; the Prophet (ﷺ), therefore, commanded him to return and make a call: Lo! the servant of Allah (i.e. I) had slept (hence this mistake). The version of Musa has the addition: He returned and made a call: Lo! the servant of Allah had slept. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by al-Darawardi from 'Ubaid Allah on the authority of Ibn 'Umar saying: There was a mu'adhdhin of 'Umar, named Mas'ud. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. This version is more correct than that one.

Nafi' reported : A mu'adhdhin of ‘Umar, named Masruh, called the Adhan for the morning prayer before the break of dawn; ‘Umar commanded him (to repeat). The narrator reported the tradition in a similar way. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by al-Darawardi from ‘Ubaid Allah on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, saying: there was a mu'adhdhin of ‘Umar, named Mas’ud. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. This version is more correct than one.

Narrated Bilal: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Bilal: Do not call adhan until the dawn appears clearly to you in this way, stretching his hand in latitude. Abu Dawud said: Shaddad did not see Bilal.

‘A’ishah reported: Ibn Umm Maktum was the mu'adhdhin of the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) and he was blind.

Abu al-Sha’tha said : we were sitting with Abu Hurairah in the mosque. A man went out of the mosque after the ADHAN for the afternoon prayer had been called. Abu Hurairah said: As regards this (man), he disobeyed Abu al-Qasim, the prophet (ﷺ).

Jabir b. Samurah said: Bilal would call the Adhan, then he used come to wait. When he would see that the prophet (ﷺ) had come out (of his house), he would pronounce the iqama.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Mujahid reported: I was in the company of Ibn Umar. A person invited the people for the noon or afternoon prayer (after the adhan had been called). He said: Go out with us (from this mosque) because this is an innovation (in religion).

Abu Qatadah reported on the authority of his father : the prophet (ﷺ) said; When the Iqamah for prayer is pronounced, do not stand until you see me. Abu Dawud said: this has been narrated by Ayyub and Hajjaj al-Sawwaf from Yahya and Hisham al-Duatawa’i in a similar way, saying : Yahya wrote to me (in this way). And this has been narrated by Mu’awiyah b. Sallam and ‘Ali b. al-Mubarak from Yahya: “Until you see me and show tranquility”.

This tradition has also been reported through a different chain of narrators in a similar way. This version says: “Until you see me that I have come out”. Abu dawud said: No one except Ma’mar has narrated the words “that I have come out”. And the version transmitted by Ibn ‘Uyainah from Ma’mar does not mention the words “that I have come out”.

Abu Hurairah reported: when the Iqamah was pronounced for prayer during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), the people would take their seats before the prophet (ﷺ) came to his seat.

Humaid reported : I asked Thabit al-Bunani whether it was permissible for a man to talk after the qamah had been pronounced. He narrated a tradition on the authority of Anas: (once) the Iqamah was pronounced, and a person came to the apostle of Allah (ﷺ) and detained him after the Iqamah had been pronounced.

‘Awn b. Kahmas reported on the authority of his father Kahmas : we stood for praying at Mina when the Imam had not come out. Some of us sat down (and I too). An old man from Kufah said to me: Why did you down? I said : Ibn Buraidah, this is Sumud (i.e., waiting for the Imam in the standing condition). The old man then narrated a tradition from ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awaajah on the authority of al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib: We would stand in rows during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for a long time before he pronounced Takbir. He further said; Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, sends blessings and the angles invoke blessings for those who are nearer to the front rows. No step is more liking to Allah than a step which one takes to join the row (of the prayer).

Anas reported : the Iqamah was pronounced (for the night prayer) and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remained engaged in talking (to a person) in the corner of the mosque. He did not begin prayer until the people slept.

Abu al-Nadr said: when the Iqamah was pronounced and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw that they (the people) were small in number, he would sit down, nd would not pray; but when he saw them (the people) large in number, he would pray.

This tradition has been transmitted through a different chain of narrators in a similar way by ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.

Narrated AbudDarda': I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in congregation), the devil has got the mastery over them. So observe (prayer) in congregation), for the wolf eats only the straggling animal. Sa'ib said: By the word Jama'ah he meant saying prayer in company or in congregation.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying; I thought to give orders for arranging prayer in congregation, and then to have the Iqamah called for it, then to order a man to lead the people in prayer, then to go off in company of the people who have bundles of firewood to those people who are not present at the prayer and then to burn down their houses with fire.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: I thought about giving orders to some youths for gathering a bundle of firewood, then going off to some people who their prayers in their homes without any excuse, and burning down their houses over them. I (Yazid b. Yazid) said: I asked Yazid b. al-Asamm: Abu ‘Awf did he mean Friday (prayer) or any other? He replied: may my ears become deaf if I have not heard Abu Hurairah narrating it from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him); He did not mention Friday (prayer) or any other.

Abd Allah b. Mas’ud said: Persevere in observing these five times of prayer where the announcement for them is made, because they are from the paths of right guidance. And Allah, the Might, the Majestic, has laid down for his prophet (ﷺ) the paths of right guidance. I have seen the time when no one stayed away from prayer except a hypocrite whose hypocrite was well known. I witnessed the time when a man would be brought swaying between two men till he was set up in the row (of the prayer). Every one of us has a mosque of his in his house. If you were to pray in your houses and stay from your mosques. You would abandon the Sunnah (practice) of your prophet, and if you were Abandon the Sunnah (Practice) of your Prophet, you would become an unbeliever.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: If anyone hears him who makes the call to prayer and is not prevented from joining the congregation by any excuse--he was asked what an excuse consisted of and replied that it was fear or illness--the prayer he offers will not be accepted from him.

Narrated Amr ibn Za'dah, Ibn Umm Maktum: Ibn Umm Maktum asked the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: Messenger of Allah, I am a blind man, my house is far away (from the mosque), and I have a guide who does not follow me. Is it possible that permission be granted to me for saying prayer in my house? He asked: Do you hear summons (adhan)? He said: Yes. He said: I do not find any permission for you.

Narrated Ibn Umm Maktum: Messenger of Allah, there are many venomous creatures and wild beasts in Medina (so allow me to pray in my house because I am blind). The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do you hear the call, "Come to prayer," "Come to salvation"? (He said: Yes.) Then you must come. Abu Dawud said: Al-Qasim al-Jarmi has narrated this tradition from Sufyan in a similar manner. But his version does not contain the words "Then you must come."

Narrated Ubayy ibn Ka'b: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in the dawn prayer one day. And he said: Is so and so present? They said: No. He (again) asked: Is so and so present? They replied: No. He then said: These two prayers are the ones which are most burdensome to hypocrites. If you knew what they contain (i.e. blessings), you would come to them, even though you had to crawl on your knees. The first row is like that of the angels, and if you knew the nature of its excellence, you would race to join it. A man's prayer said along with another is purer than his prayer said alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one, but if there are more it is more pleasing to Allah, the Almighty, the Majestic.

‘Uthman b. ‘Affan reported the Messenger of Allah (may peace be him) as saying; if anyone says the night prayer in congregation, he is like one who keeps vigil (in prayer) till midnight; and he who says both the night and dawn prayer in congregation is like one who keeps vigil (in prayer) the whole night.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The further one is from the mosque , the greater will be one's reward.

Ubayy b. Ka’b said: There was a certain person, out of all people of Medina, who used to pray in the mosque. I do not know that any one of them lived at a farther distance than that man. Still he never missed the prayer in congregation in the mosque. I said: it would be better if you buy a donkey and ride it in heat and darkness. He said: I do not like that my house be by the side of the mosque. The discourse reached the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said him about it. He said: I did it so that my walking to the mosque and return to my home when I return be recorded. He said: Allah has granted all this to you; Allah has granted all that you reckoned.

Narrated AbuUmamah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If anyone goes out from his house after performing ablution for saying the prescribed prayer in congregation (in the mosque), his reward will be like that of one who goes for hajj pilgrimage after wearing ihram (robe worn by the hajj pilgrims). And he who goes out to say the mid-morning (duha) prayer, and takes the trouble for this purpose, will take the reward like that of a person who performs umrah. And a prayer followed by a prayer with no worldly talk during the gap between them will be recorded in Illiyyun.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Prayer said by a man in congregation is twenty five degrees more excellent than prayer said by him alone in his house or in the market. This is because when any of you performs ablution and does it perfectly, and goes out to the mosque having no intention except praying, and nothing moves him except prayer, then at every step which he takes his rank is elevated by one degree on account of this (walking), and one sin is remitted from him for this (walking), till he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he will be reckoned as praying as long as he will be detained by the prayer. The angels keep on invoking blessing on any of you so long as he remains seated in the place he prayer, saying: O Allah, forgive him; O Allah, have mercy on him; O Allah, accept his repentance so long as he does not harm anyone, or breaks his ablution.

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri: Prayer in congregation is equivalent to twenty-five prayers (offered alone). If he prays in a jungle, and performs its bowing and prostrations perfectly, it becomes equivalent to fifty prayers (in respect of reward). Abu Dawud said: 'Abd al-Walid b. Ziyad narrated in his version of this tradition: "Prayer said by a single person in a jungle is more excellent by multiplied degrees than prayer said in congregation."

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Give good tidings to those who walk to the mosques in darkness for having a perfect light on the Day of Judgment.

Narrated Ka'b ibn Ujrah: AbuThumamah al-Hannat said that Ka'b ibn Ujrah met him while he was going to the mosque; one of the two (companions) met his companion (on his way to the mosque) And he met crossing the fingers of my both hands. He prohibited me to do so, and said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has said: If any of you performs ablution, and performs his ablution perfectly, and then goes out intending for the mosque, he should not cross the fingers of his hand because he is already in prayer.

Narrated A person from the Ansar: Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab said: An Ansari was breathing his last. He said: I narrate to you a tradition, and I narrate it with the intention of getting a reward from Allah. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If any one of you performs ablution and performs it very well, and goes out for prayer, he does not take his right step but Allah records a good work (or blessing) for him, and he does not take his left step but Allah remits one sin from him. Any one of you may reside near the mosque or far from it; if he comes to the mosque and prays in congregation, he will be forgiven (by Allah). If he comes to the mosque while the people had prayed in part, and the prayer remained in part, and he prays in congregation the part he joined, and completed the part he had missed, he will enjoy similarly (i.e. he will be forgiven). If he comes to the mosque when the people had finished prayer, he will enjoy the same.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever performs ablution, and performs his ablution perfectly, and then goes to the mosque and finds that the people had finished the prayer (in congregation), Allah will give him a reward like one who prayed in congregation and attended it; The reward of those who prayed in congregation will not be curtailed.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from visiting the mosques of Allah, but they may go out (to the mosque) having no perfumed themselves.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying; Do not prevent the female servant your women from visiting the mosques of Allah.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying; Do not prevent your women from visiting the mosque; but their houses are better for them (for praying).

‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar reported the prophet (ﷺ) as saying; Allow women to visit the mosque at night. A son of his (Bilal) said; I swear by Allah, we shall certainly not allow them because they will defraud. I swear by Allah, we shall not allow them. He (Ibn ‘Umar) abused him and became angry at him and said : I tell you that the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: Allow them; yet you say; we shall not allow them.

‘A’ishah (Allah be pleased with her), wife of the prophet (ﷺ), said ; if the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had seen what the women have invented, he would have prevented them from visiting the mosque (for praying), as the women of the children of the Israel were prevented. Yahya (the narrator) said; I asked ‘Umrah ; were the women of Israel prevented? She said: yes.

‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud) reported the prophet (ﷺ) as saying; it is more excellent for a woman to pray in her house than in her courtyard, and more excellent for her to pray in her private chamber than in her house.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying : if we reserve this door for women (it would be better). Nafi' said: Ibn ‘Umar did not enter through it( the door) till he died. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated though a different chain of transmitters by 'Umar. And this is more correct.

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah( may peace be upon him) say: When the iqamah is pronounced for prayer, do not come to it running, but come walking(slowly). You should observe tranquility. The part of the prayer you get(along with the imam) offer it, and the part you miss complete it(afterwards). Abu Dawud said: The version narrated by al-Zubaidi, Ibn Abi Dhi’b, Ibrahim b. Sa’d, Ma’mar, Shu’aib b. Abi Hamzah on the authority of al-Zuhri has the words: “the part you miss then complete it”. Ibn ‘Uyainah alone narrated from al-Zuhri the words “then offer it afterwards”. And Muhammad b. ‘Amr narrated from Abu Salamah on the authority of Abu Hurairah, and Ja’far b. Rabi’ah narrated from al-A’raj on the authority of Abu Hurairah the words “then complete it”. And Ibn Mas’ud narrated from the Prophet(ﷺ) and Abu Qatadah and Anas reported from the Prophet( may peace be upon him) the words” then complete it”.

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet(ﷺ) as saying: Come to prayer with calmness and tranquility. Then pray the part you get (long with the imam) and complete afterwards the part you miss. Abu Dawud said: Ibn Sirin narrated from Abu Hurairah the words: "he should complete it afterwards." Similarly, Abu Rafi' narrated from Abu Hurairah and Abu Dharr narrated from him the words "then complete it, and complete it afterwards." There is a variation of words in the narration from him.

Narrated Sa'id al-Khudri: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a person praying alone. He said: Is there any man who may do good with this (man) and pray along with him.

Narrated Yazid ibn al-Aswad: Yazid prayed along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was a young boy. When he (the Prophet) had prayed there were two persons (sitting) in the corner of the mosque; they did not pray (along with the Prophet). He called for them. They were brought trembling (before him). He asked: What prevented you from praying along with us? They replied: We have already prayed in our houses. He said: Do not do so. If any of you prays in his house and finds that the imam has not prayed, he should pray along with him; and that will be a supererogatory prayer for him.

Jabir b. Yazid reported on the authority of his father: I said the morning prayer along with the prophet (ﷺ) at Mina. He narrated the rest of the tradition to the same effect.

Narrated Yazid ibn Amir: I came while the Prophet (ﷺ) was saying the prayer. I sat down and did not pray along with them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned towards us and saw that Yazid was sitting there. He said: Did you not embrace Islam, Yazid? He replied: Why not, Messenger of Allah; I have embraced Islam. He said: What prevented you from saying prayer along with the people? He replied: I have already prayed in my house, and I thought that you had prayed (in congregation). He said: When you come to pray (in the mosque) and find the people praying, then you should pray along with them, though you have already prayed. This will be a supererogatory prayer for you and that will be counted as obligatory.

A man from Banu Asad b. Khuzaimah asked Abu Ayyub al-Ansari: if one of us prays in his house, then comes to the mosque and finds that the iqamah is being called, and if I pray along with them ( in congregation), I feel something inside about it. Abu Ayyub replied: We asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about it. He said: That is a share from the spoils received by the warriors (i.e. he will receive double the reward of the prayer).

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Sulayman, the freed slave of Maymunah, said: I came to Ibn Umar at Bilat (a place in Medina) while the people were praying. I said: Do you not pray along with them? He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Do not say a prayer twice in a day.

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He who leads the people in prayer, and he does so at the right time, will receive, as well as those who are led (in prayer) will get (the reward). He who delays (prayer) from the appointed time will be responsible (for this delay) and not those who are led in prayer.

Narrated Sulamah daughter of al-Hurr: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: One of the signs of the Last Hour will be that people in a mosque will refuse to act as imam and will not find an imam to lead them in prayer.

Abu Mas’ud al-Badri reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The one of you who is most versed in the Books of Allah should act as imam for the people; and the one who is the earliest of them in reciting (the Qur’an); if they are equally versed in reciting it, then the earliest of them to emigrate (to Medina); if they emigrated at the same time, then the oldest of them. No man must lead another in prayer in his house (i.e. in the house of a latter) or where the latter has authority, or sit in his place of honor without his permission. Shu’bah said: I asked Isma’il: what is the meaning of his place of honor? He replied: his throne.

The version of this tradition narrated through a different chain by Shu’bah has the words: “A man should not lead the another man in prayer. Abu Dawud said: Yahya al-Qattan narrated from Shu’bah in a similar way, i.e. the earliest of them in recitation.

This tradition has been transmitted through a different chain by Abu Mas’ud This version has words ; “If they are equally versed in recitation, then the one who has most knowledge of the Sunnah ; if they are equal with regard to (the knowledge of) the Sunnah, then the earliest of them to emigrate (to medina)”. He did not narrate the words; “ The earliest of them in recitation”. Abu Dawud said: Hajjaj b. Artata reported from Isma’il: Do not sit in the place of honour of anyone except with his permission.

‘Amr b. Salamah said ; we lived at a place where the people would pass by us when they came to the prophet (ﷺ). When they returned they would again pass by us. And they used to inform us that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said so –and-so. I was a boy with a good memory. From the( process) I memorized a large portion of the Qur’an. Then my father went to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) along with a group of his clan. He (the Prophet) taught them prayer. And he said: The one of you who knows most of the Qur’an should act as your imam. I knew the Qur’an better than most of them because I had memorized it. They, therefore, put me in front of them, and I would lead them in prayer. I wore a small yellow mantle which, when I prostrated myself, went up on me, and a woman of the clan said: Cover the back side of your leader from us. So they bought an ‘Ammani shirt for me, and I have never been so pleased about anything after embracing Islam as I was about that (shirt). I used to lead them in prayer and I was only seven or eight year old.

This tradition has also been transmitted through a different chain by ‘Amr b. Salamah. This version says: “I used to lead them in prayer with a sheet of cloth on me that was patched and torn. When I prostrated myself, my buttocks were disclosed.

‘Amr b. Salamah reported on the authority of his father (Salamah) that they visited the Prophet (ﷺ). When they intended to return, they said: Messenger of Allah, who will lead us in prayer? He said: The one of you who knows most of the Qur’an, or memorizes most of the Qur’an, (should act as your imam). There was none in the clan who knew more of the Qur’an than I did. They, therefore, put me in front of them and I was only a boy. And I wore a mantle, Whenever I was present in the gathering of Jarm (name of his clan), I would act as their Imam, and lead them in their funeral prayer until today. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by ‘Amr b. Salamah through a different chain of transmitter. This version has: “When my clan visited the Prophet( may peace be upon him) ....” He did not report it on the authority of his father.

Ibn ‘Umar said: when the first emigrants came (to Madina), they stayed at al-‘Asbah (a place near Madina) before the advent of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Salim, the client of Abu Hudhaifah, acted as their imam, as he knew the Qur’an better than all of them, al-Haitham(the narrator) added: and ‘Umar b. al-Khattab and Abu Salamah b. ‘Abd al-Asad were among them.

Malik b. al-Huwairith said that the Prophet( may peace be upon him) told him or some of his companions: When the time of prayer comes, call the Adhan, then call the iqamah, then the one who is oldest of you should act as your imam. The version narrated by Maslamah goes : He said: On that day we were almost equal in knowledge. The version narrated by Isma’il says: Khalid said: I said to Abu Qilabah: where is the Qur’an(i.e. why did the Prophet(ﷺ) not say: The one who knows the Qur’an most should act as imam)? He replied: Both of them were equal in the knowledge of the Qur’an.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: Let the best among you call the adhan for you, and the Qur'an-readers act as your imams.

Narrated Umm Waraqah daughter of Nawfal: When the Prophet (ﷺ) proceeded for the Battle of Badr, I said to him: Messenger of Allah allow me to accompany you in the battle. I shall act as a nurse for patients. It is possible that Allah might bestow martyrdom upon me. He said: Stay at your home. Allah, the Almighty , will bestow martyrdom upon you. The narrator said: Hence she was called martyr. She read the Qur'an. She sought permission from the Prophet (ﷺ) to have a mu'adhdhin in her house. He, therefore, permitted her (to do so). She announced that her slave and slave-girl would be free after her death. One night they went to her and strangled her with a sheet of cloth until she died, and they ran away. Next day Umar announced among the people, "Anyone who has knowledge about them, or has seen them, should bring them (to him)." Umar (after their arrest) ordered (to crucify them) and they were crucified. This was the first crucifixion at Medina.

This tradition has also been narrated through a different chain of transmitters by Umm Waraqah daughter of ‘Abd Allah b. al-Harith. The first version is complete. This version goes: The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) used to visit her at her house. He appointed a mu’adhdhin to call adhan for her; and he commanded her to lead the inmates of her house in prayer. ‘Abd al-Rahman said: I saw her mu’adhdhin who was an old man.