The Book of Prayer (Travellers)

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported: I went with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on an expedition and my camel delayed me and I was exhausted. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) thus came earlier than I, whereas I came on the next day and went to the mosque and found him (the Holy Prophet) at the gate of the mosque. He said: It is now that you have come. I said. Yes. He said: Leave your camel and enter (the mosque) and observe two rak'ahs. He (the narrator) said: So I entered and observed (two rak'ahs) of prayer and then went back.

Ka'b b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not come back from the journey but by day in the forenoon, and when he arrived, he went first to the mosque, and having prayed two rak'ahs in it he sat down in it.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported: I asked 'A'isha whether the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe the forenoon prayer. She said: No, but when he came back from the journey.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported: I aksed 'A'isha whether the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe the forenoon prayer. She said: No, except when he came back from a journey.

'Urwa reported 'A'isha to be sayidg: I have never seen the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observing the supererogatory prayer of the forenoon, but I observed it. And if the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) abandoned any act which he in fact loved to do, it was out of fear that if the people practised it constantly, it might become obligatory for them.

Mu'adha asked 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) how many rak'ahs Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) prayed at the forenoon prayer. She replied: Four rak'ahs, but sometimes more as he pleased.

A hadith like this has been reported by the same chain of transmitters, but with this alteration that the transmitter said: " As Allah pleased."

Mua'ada 'Adawiyya reported 'A'isha as saying: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe four rak'ahs in the forenoon prayer and he sometimes observed more as Allah pleased.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Qatada with the same chain of transmitters.

Abd al-Rahman b. Abu Laila reported: No one has ever narrated to me that he saw the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observing the forenoon prayer, except Umm Hani. She, however, narrated that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) entered her house on the day of the Conquest of Mecca and prayed eight rak'ahs (adding): I never saw a shorter prayer than it except that he performed the bowing and prostration completely. But (one of the narrators) Ibn Bashshar in his narration made no mention of the word:" Never".

'Abdullah b. Harith b. Naufal reported: I had been asking about, as I was desirous to find one among people who should inform me, whether the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed the forenoon prayer, but I found none to narrate that to me except Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib (the real sister of Hadrat 'Ali), who told me that on the day of the Conquest the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came (to our house) after the dawn had (sufficiently) arisen. A cloth was brought and privacy was provided for him (the Holy Prophet). He took a bath and then stood up and observed eight rak'ahs. I do not know whether his Qiyam (standing posture) was longer, or bending or prostration or all of them were of equal duration. She (Umm Hani) further said: I never saw him saying this Nafl prayer prior to it or subsequently. (Al-Muradi narrated on the authority of Yunus that he made no mention of the words:" He informed me." )

Abu Murra, the freed slave of Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib, reported Umm Hani to be saying: I went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the day of the Conquest of Mecca and found him taking bath, and Fatimah, his daughter, had provided him privacy with the help of a cloth. I gave him salutation and he said: Who is she? I said: It is Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Greeting for Umm Hani. When he had completed the bath, he stood up and observed eight rak'ahs wrapped up in one cloth. When he turned back (after the prayer), I said to him: Messenger of Allah, the son of my mother 'Ali b. Abu Talib is going to kill a person, Fulan b. Hubaira whom I have given protection. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) said: We too have given protection whom you have given protection, O Umm Hani. Umm Hani said: It was the forenoon (prayer).

Abu Murra narrated on the authority of Umm Hani that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the day of the Conquest of Mecca observed in her house eight rak'abs of prayer in one cloth, its opposite corners having been tied from the opposite sides.

Abu Dharr reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: In the morning charity is due from every bone in the body of every one of you. Every utterance of Allah's glorification is an act of charity. Every utterance of praise of Him is an act of charity, every utterance of profession of His Oneness is an act of charity, every utterance of profession of His Greatness is an act of charity, enjoining good is an act of charity, forbidding what is distreputable is an act of charity, and two rak'ahs which one prays in the forenoon will suffice.

Abu Huraira reported. My friend (the Holy Prophet, may peace be upon him) has instructed me to do three things: three fasts during every month, two rak'ahs of the forenoon prayer, and observing Witr prayer before going to bed.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Abu Huraira by another chain of transmitters.

Abu Huraira reported: My friend Abu'l-Qasim (may peace be upon him) instructed me to do three things, and the rest of the hadith is the same.

Abu Murra, the freed slave of Umm Hani, narrated on the authority of Abu Darda': My Friend (may peace be upon him) instructed me in three (acts), and I would never abandon them as long as I live. (And these three things are): Three fasts during every month, the forenoon prayer, and this that I should not sleep till I have observed the Witr prayer.

Ibn 'Umar reported that Hafsa, the Mother of the Believers, informed him that when the Mu'adhdhin became silent after calling (people) to the dawn prayer, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) commenced the dawn (prayer) when it dawned by observing two short rak'ahs before the commencement of the (Fard) prayer.

This hadith has been transmitted by Nafi' with the same chain of narrators.

Hafsa reported that when it was dawn, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not observe (any other prayers) but two short rak'ahs.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters.

Hafsa reported: When the dawn appeared, the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed two rak'ahs (of Sunnah prayers).

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe two rak'ahs of Sunnah (prayer) when he heard the Adhin and shortened them.

This hadith has been narrated by the same chain of transmitters and in the hadith narrated by Usama the words are: " When it was dawn".

'A'isha reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe two (supererogatory) rak'ahs in between the call to prayer and the Iqama of the dawn prayer.

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer and he shortened them (to the extent) that I (out of surprise) said: Did he recite in them Surah Fatiha (only)?

'A'isha reported: When it was dawn, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed two rak'ahs, and I would say: Does he recite only the opening chapter of the Qur'an in it?

'A'isha reported that the Apostle (may peace be upon him) was not so much particular about observing supererogatory rak'ahs as in case of the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer.

'A'isha reported: I have never seen the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) hastening as much in observing supererogatory as two rak'ahs before the (Fard) of the dawn prayer.