The Book of Prayers

Abdullah b. Umar reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say: Don't prevent your women from going to the mosque when they seek your permission. Bilal b. 'Abdullah said: By Allah, we shall certainly prevent them. On this'Abdullah b. Umar turned towards him and reprimanded him to harshly as I had never heard him do before. He ('Abdullah b. Umar) said: I am narrating to you that which comes from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and you (have the audicity) to say: By Allah, we shall certainly prevent them.

Ibn 'Umar reported: 'The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not prevent the maid-servants of Allah from going to the mosque.

lbn Umar reported: I heard the Messeinger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: When your women seek your permission for going to the mosque, you grant them (permission).

Ibn 'Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not prevent women from going to the mosque at night. A boy said to 'Abdullah b. Umar: We would never let them go out, that they may not be caught in evil. He (the narrator) said: Ibn Umar reprimanded him and said.. I am saying that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said this, but you say: We would not allow!

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

Ibn 'Umar reported: Grant permission to women for going to the mosque in the night. His son who was called Waqid said: Then they would make mischief. He (the narrator) said: He thumped his (son's) chest and said: I am narrating to you the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and you say: No!

Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not deprive women of their share of the mosques, when they seek permission from you. Bilal said: By Allah, we would certainly prevent them. 'Abdullah said: I say that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said it and you say: We would certainly prevent them!

Zainab Thaqafiya reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you (women) participates in the 'Isha' prayer, she should not perfume herself that night.

Zainab, the wife of Abdullah (b. 'Umar), reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to us: When any one of you comes to the mosque, she should not apply perfume.

Abu Huraira said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Whoever (woman) fumigates herself with perfume should not join us in the 'Isha' prayer.

'Amra, daughter of Abd al-Rahmin, reported: I heard 'A'isha, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him). say: If the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had seen what new things the women have introduced (in their way of life) he would have definitely prevented them from going to the mosque, as the women of BaniIsra'il were prevented.

This hadith has been narrated by Yahya b. Sa'id with the same chain of transmitters.

Ibn 'Abbas reported: The word of (Allah) Great and Glorious: 'And utter not thy prayer loudly, nor be low in it" (xvii. 110) was revealed as the Messenger of Allah (may peace beupon him) was hiding himself in Mecca. When he led his Companions in prayer he raised his voice (while reciting the) Qur'an. And when the polytheists heard that, they reviled the Qur'an and Him Who revealed it and him who brought it. Upon this Allah, the Exalted, said to His Apostle (may peace be upon him): Utter not thy prayer so loudly that the polytheists may hear thy recitation and (recite it) not so low that it may be inaudible to your Companions. Make them hear the Qur'an, but do not recite it loudly and seek a (middle) way between these. Recite between loud and low tone.

'A'isha reported that so far as these words of (Allah) Glorious and High are concerned: " And utter not thy prayer loudly, not be low in it" (xvii. 110) relate to supplication (du'a').

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

Ibn 'Abbas reported with regard to the words of Allah, Great and Glorious: " Move not thy tongue therewith" (Ixxv. 16) that when Gabriel brought revelation to him (the Holy Prophet) he moved his tongue and lips (with a view to committing it to memory instantly). This was something hard for him and it was visible (from his face). Then Allah, the Exalted. revealed this a" Move not thy tongue therewith to make haste (in memorising it). Surely on us rests the collecting of it and the reciting of it" (ixxv. 16), i. e. Verily it rests with Us that We would preserve it in your heart and (enable you) to recite it You would recite it when We would recite it and so follow its recitation, and He (Allah) said:" We revealed it, so listen to it attentively. Verily its exposition rests with Us. i. e. We would make it deliver by your tongue." So when Gabriel came to him (to the Holy Prophet), he kept silence, and when he went away he recited as Allah had promised him.

Ibn Abbas reported with regard to the words: " Do not move thy tongue there with to make haste," that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) felt it hard and he moved his lips. Ibn 'Abbas said to me (Sa'id b. Jubair): I move them just as the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) moved them. Then said Sa'id: I move them just as Ibn 'Abbas moved them, and he moved his lips. Allah, the Exalted, revealed this:" Do not move your tongue therewith to make haste. It is with US that its collection rests and its recital" (al-Qur'an, ixxv. 16). He said: Its preservation in your heart and then your recital. So when We recite it, follow its recital. He said: Listen to it, and be silent and then it rests with Us that you recite it. So when Gabriel came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), he listened to him attentively, and when Gabriel went away, the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) recited as he (Gabriel) had recited it.

Ibn 'Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) neither recited the Qur'an to the Jinn nor did he see them. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) went out with some of his Companions with the intention of going to the bazaar of 'Ukaz And there had been (at that time) obstructions between satans and the news from the Heaven, and there were flung flames upon them. So satan went back to their people and they said: What has happened to you? They said: There have been created obstructions between us and the news from the Heaven. And there have been flung upon us flames. They said: It cannot happen but for some (important) event. So traverse the eastern parts of the earth and the western parts and find out why is it that there have been created obstructions between us and the news from the Heaven. So they went forth and traversed the easts of the earth and its wests. Some of them proceeded towards Tihama and that is a nakhl towards the bazaar of 'Ukaz and he (the Holy Prophet) was leading his Companions in the morning prayer. So when they heard the Qur'an. they listened to it attentively and said: It is this which has caused obstruction between us and news from the Heaven. They went back to their people and said: O our people, we have heard a strange Qur'an which directs us to the right path; so we affirm our faith in it and we would never associate anyone with our Lord. And Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed to His Apostle Muhammad (may peace be upon him):" It has been revealed to me that a party of Jinn listened to it" (Qur'an, lxxii. 1).

Dawud reported from 'Amir who said: I asked 'Alqama if Ibn Mas'ud was present with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the night of the Jinn (the night when the Holy Prophet met them). He (Ibn Mas'uad) said: No, but we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one night and we missed him. We searched for him in the valleys and the hills and said. He has either been taken away (by jinn) or has been secretly killed. He (the narrator) said. We spent the worst night which people could ever spend. When it was dawn we saw him coming from the side of Hiri'. He (the narrator) reported. We said: Messenger of Allah, we missed you and searched for you, but we could not find you and we spent the worst night which people could ever spend. He (the Holy Prophet) said: There came to me an inviter on behalf of the Jinn and I went along with him and recited to them the Qur'an. He (the narrator) said: He then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers. They (the Jinn) asked him (the Holy Prophet) about their provision and he said: Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it will fall in your hand it would be covered with flesh, and the dung of (the camels) is fodder for your animals. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Don't perform istinja with these (things) for these are the food of your brothers (Jinn).

This hadith has been reported by Dawud with the same chain of transmitters up to the word (s): " The traces of their embers." Sha'bi said: They (the Jinn) asked about their provision, and they were the Jinn of al-jazira, up to the end of the hadith, and the words of Sha'bi have been directly transmitted from the hadith of Abdullah.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah from the Apostle (may peace be upon him) up to the words: " The traces of the embers," but he made no mention of what followed afterward.

Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) said: I was not with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) but I wish I were with him.

Ma'n reported.. I heard it from my father who said: I asked Masruq who informed the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about the night when they heard the Qur'an. He said: Your father, Ibn Mas'ud, narrated it to me that a tree informed him about that.

Abu Qatada reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) led us in prayer and recited in the first two rak'ahs of the noon and afternoon prayers Surat al-Fitiha and two (other) surahs. And he would sometimes recite loud enough for us the verses. He would prolong the first rak'ah more than the second. And he acted similarly in the morning prayer.

Abu Qatada reported it on the authority of his father: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would recite in the first two rak'ahs of the noon and afternoon prayers the opening chapter of the Book and another surah. He would sometimes recite loud enough to make audible to us the verse and would recite in the last two rak'ahs Surat al-Faitiha (only).

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: We used to estimate how long Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood in the noon and afternoon prayers, and we estimated hat he stood in the first two rak'ahs of the noon prayer as long as it takes to recite Alif Lam Mim, Tanzil, i. e. as-Sajda. We estimated that he stood half that time in the last two rak'ahs; that he stood in the first two of the afternoon as long as he did in the last two at noon; and in the last two of the afternoon prayer about half that time. Abu Bakr in his narration has made no mention of Alif Lam Mim, Tanzil, but said: As long as it takes to recite thirty verses.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to recite in every rak'ah of the first two rak'ahs of the noon prayer about thirty verses and in the last two about fifteen verses or half (of the first rak'ah) and in every rak'ah of the 'Asr prayer of the first two rak'ahs about fifteen verses and in the last two verses half (of the first ones).

Jabir b. Samura reported: The people of Kufa complained to Umar b. Khattab about Sa'id and they made a mention of his prayer. 'Umar sent for him. He came to him. He ('Umar) totd him that the people had found fault with his prayer. He said: I lead them in prayer in accorance with the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). I make no decrease in it. I make them stand for a longer time in the first two (rak'ahs) and shorten it in the last two. Upon this 'Umar remarked: This is what I deemed of thee, O Abu Ishaq

This hadith his been narrated by 'Abu al-Malik with the same chain of transmitters.

Jabir b. Samura reported: 'Umar said to Sa'd: They complain against you in every matter, even in prayer. He (Sa'd) said: I prolong (standing) in the first two (rak'ahs) and shorten it in the last two, and I make no negligence in following the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He ('Umar) remarked: This is what is expected of you, or, that is what I deemed of you.