The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

Waki' reported (this hadith) with the same chain of transmitters (that the Holy Prophet) said: You will be soon presented before your Lord, and you will see Him as you are seeing this moon, and then recited (the above-mentioned verse). But (in this hadith) no mention is made of Jarir.

'Umara b. Ruwaiba is reported to have said on the authority of his father: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saying: He who observed prayer before the rising of the son and its setting, i. e. the dawn prayer and the afternoon prayer, would not cater the (Hell) fire. A person belonging to Basra said to him: Did you yourself bear it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? He said: Yes. The person (from Basra) said: I bear witness that I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ; my ears heard it and my heart retained it.

Umara b. Ruwaiba reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: He who said prayer before the rising of the sun and its setting would not enter the fire (of Hell), and there was a man from Basra (sitting) beside him who said: Did you hear it from the Apostle of Allah (way peace be upon him)? He said: Yes, I bear witness to it. The man from Basra said: I bear witness that I did hear from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) saying it from the place that you heard from him.

Abu Bakr reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: He who observed two prayers at two cool (hours) would enter Paradise.

This hadith has been narrated by the same chain of transmitters by Hammam, and said about Abu Bakr that he was Ibn Abu Musa.

Salama b. al-Akwa' reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to say the evening prayer when the sun had set and disappeared (behind the horizon).

Rafi' b. Khadij reported: We used to observe the evening prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and then one of us would go away and he could see the (distant) place where his arrow would fall.

A hadith like this, i. e." We used to observe evening prayer...." so on and so forth, has been narrated by Rafi' b. Khadij by another chain of transmitters.

'A'isha. the wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) deferred one night the 'Isya' prayer. And this is called 'Atama. And the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not come out till Umar b. Khattab told (him) that the women and children had gone to sleep. So the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came out towards them and said to the people of the mosque: None except you from the people of the earth waits for it (for the night prayer at this late hour), and it was before Islam had spread amongst people. And in the narration transmitted by Ibn Shihab the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) is reported to have said: It is not meant that you should compel the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) for prayer. And (this he said) when 'Umar b. Khattab called (the Holy Prophet) in a loud voice.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Ibn Shihab with the same chain of transmitters, but therein no mention has been made of the words of al-Zuhri: It was narrated to me, and that which followed.

'A'isha reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) one night delayed (observing the 'Isya' prayer) till a great part of the night was over and the people in the mosque had gone to sleep. He (the Holy Prophet) then came out and observed prayer and said: This is the proper time for it; were it not that I would impose a burden on my people (I would normally pray at this time). In the hadith transmitters by 'Abd al-Razzaq (the words are):" Were it not that it would impose burden on my people."

Abdullah b. Umar reported: We waited one night in expectation of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) for the last prayer of the night, and he came out to us when a third of the night had passed even after that. We do not know whether he had been occupied with family business or something else. When he came cut he said: You are waiting for prayer, for which the followers of no other religion wait. except you. Were it not a burden for my Ummah, I would have led them (in the 'Isya' prayer) at this hour. He then ordered the Mu'adhdbin (to call for prayer) and then stood up for prayer and observed prayer.

Abdullah b. 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was one night occupied (in some work) and he delayed it ('Isya' prayer) till we went to sleep in the mosque. We then woke up and again went to sleep and again woke up. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then came to us and said: None among the people of the earth except you waits for prayer in the night.

Thabit reported: They (the believers) asked Anas about the ring of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he said: One night the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) delayed (observing) the 'Isya' prayer up to the midnight or midnight was about to be over. He then came and said: (Other) people have offered prayers and slept, but you are constantly in prayer as long as you wait for prayer. Anas said: I perceive as if I am seeing the lustre of his silver ring, and lifted his, small left finger (in order to show how the Holy Prophet had lifted it).

Anas b. Malik reported: We waited for the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon hi n) one night, till it was about midnight. He (the Holy Prophet) came and observed prayer and then turned his face towards us, as it I was seeing the lustre of the silver ring on his finger.

This hadith has been narrated by Qurra with the same chain of transmitters, but therein he did not mention: " He turned his face towards us."

Abu Musa reported: I and my companions who had sailed along with me in the boat landed with me in the valley of Buthan while the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was staying in Medina. A party of people amongst them went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) every night at the time of the 'Isya' prayer turn by turn. Abu Musa said: (One night) we (I and my companions) went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he was occupied in some matter till there was a delay in prayer so much so that it was the middle of the night. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) then came out and led them (Musa's companions) in prayer. And when he had observed his prayer he said to the audience present: Take it easy, I am going to give you information and glad tidings that it is the blessing of Allah upon you for there is none among the people, except you, who prays at this hour (of the night), or he said: None except you observed prayer at this. (late) hour. He (i. e. the narrator) said: I am not sure which of these two sentences he actually uttered. Abu Musa, said: We came back happy for what we heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).

Ibn Juraij reported: I said to Ata': Which time do you deem fit for me to say the 'Isya' prayer, -as an Imam or alone, -that time which is called by people 'Atama? He said: I heard Ibn 'Abbas saying: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) one night delayed the 'Isya' prayer till the people went to sleep. They woke up and again went to sleep and again woke up. Then 'Umar b. Khattab stood up and said (loudly)" Prayer." Ata' further reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) came out, and as if I am still seeing him with water trickling from his head, and with his hand placed on one side of the head, and he said: Were it not hard for my Ummah, I would have ordered them to observe this prayer like this (i. e. at late hours). I inquired from 'Ata' how the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) placed his hand upon his head as Ibn Abbas had informed. So Ata' spread his fingers a little and then placed the ends of his fingers on the side of his head. He then moved them like this over his head till the thumb touched that part of the ear which is near the face and then it (went) to the earlock and the part of the heard. It (the bind) neither held nor caught anything but this is how (it moved oil). I said to Ata': Was it mentioned to you (by Ibn Abbas) how long did the Apostle (may peace be upon him) delay it (the prayer) during that eight? He said: I do not know (I cannot give you the exact time). Ali' said: I love that I should say prayer, whether as an Imam or alone at delayed hours as the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said that night, but if It is hard upon you in your individual capacity or upon people in the congregation and you are their Imam, then say prayer ('Isha') at the middle hours neither too early nor too late.

Jabir b. Samura reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) postponed the last 'Isha' prayer.

Jabir b. Samura reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe prayers like your prayers, but he would delay the prayer after nightfall to a little after the time you observed it, and he would shorten the prayer.

Abdullah b. 'Umar reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Let the bedouin not gain upper hand over you in regard to the name of your prayer. See I (The night prayer should be called) 'Isya' (and the bedouins call it Atama (because) they milk their camels late.

Ibn 'Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Let the bedouin not gain upper band over you In regard to the name of your prayer, i. e. night prayer, for it is mentioned 'Isya' in the Book of Allah (i. e. the Qur'an). (The bedouin call it 'Atama because) they make delay in milling their she-camels.

'A'isha reported: The believing women used to pray the morning prayer with the Messenger of Allah and then return wrapped in their mantles. No one could recognise them.

'A'isha, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), reported: The believing women observed the morning prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) wrapped in their mantles. They then went back to their houses and were unrecognisable, because of the Messenger of Allah's (may peace be upon him) praying in the darkness before dawn.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe the morning prayer, and the women would go back wrapped in their mantles being unrecognisable because of the darkness before dawn. (Ishaq b. Musa) al-Ansari (one of the transmitters in this chain of narration) narrated" wrapped" (only) in his narration. (No mention was made of mantles.)

Muhammad b. 'Amr b. al-Hasan b. 'All reported: When Hajjaj came to Medina we asked Jabir b. Abdullah (about the timings of prayer as observed by the Holy Prophet). He said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to pray afternoon prayer in the midday heat; the afternoon prayer when the sun was bright; the evening prayer when the sun had completely set; and as for the night prayer, he sometimes delayed and sometimes (observed it) at earlier hours. When he found them (his Companions) assembled (at earlier hours) he (prayed) early. and when he saw them coming late, he delayed the (prayer). and the morning prayer the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed in the darkness before dawn.

Muhammad b. 'Amr al-Hasan b. 'All reported: Hajjaj used to delay the prayers, and so we asked Jabir b. 'Abdullah, and the rest of the hadith is the same.

Sayyar b. Salama reported: I heard my father asking Abu Barza (al- Aslami) about the prayer of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) I (Shu'ba, one of the narrators) said: Did you hear it (from Abu Barza)? He said: 1 feel as if I am bearing you at this very time. He said: I heard my father asking about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he (Abu Barza) making this reply: He (the Holy Prophet) did not mind delaying-some (prayer) i. e. 'Isya' prayer, even up to the midnight and did not like sleeping before observing it, and talking after it. Shu'ba said: I met him subsequently and asked him (about the prayers of the Holy Prophet) and he said: He observed the noon prayer when the sun was past the meridian, he would pray the afternoon prayer, after which a person would o to the outskirts of Medina and the sun was still bright; (I forgot what he said about the evening prayer) ; I then met him on a subsequent occasion and asked him (about the prayers of the Holy Prophet; and he said: He would observe the morning prayer (at such a time) so that a man would go back and would recognise his neighbour by casting a glance at his face, and he would recite from sixty to one hundred verses in it.

Sayyar b. Salama reported: I heard Abu Barza saying that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not mind some delay in the 'Isha' prayer even up to midnight and he did not like sleeping before (observing it) and talking after it. Shu'ba said: I again met him (Sayyar b. Salama) for the second time and he said: Even up to the third (part) of the night.

Abu Barza b. Aslami is reported to have said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) delayed the night prayer till a third of the night had passed and he did not approve of sleeping before it, and talking after it, and he used to recite in the morning prayer from one hundred to sixty verses (and completed the prayer at such hours) when we recognised the faces of one another.