“While I was at the Ka’bah, in a state between sleep and wakefulness, three men came, and one of them who was in the middle came toward me. I was brought a basin of gold, filled with wisdom and faith, and he slit open from the throat to the lower abdomen, and washed the heart with Zamzam water, then – “it was filled with wisdom and faith. Then I was brought a riding-beast, smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey. I set off with Jibril, peace be upon him, and we came to the lowest heaven. It was said: ‘Who is with you?’ He said: ‘Muhammad.’ It was said: ‘Has (revelation) been sent to him? Welcome to him, what an excellent visit his is.’ I came to Adam, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: ‘Welcome to you! What an excellent son and Prophet.’ Then we came to the second heaven and it was said: ‘Who is this?’ He said: ‘Jibra’il.’ of Hajar and its leaves were like the ears of elephants. At its base were four rivers: Two hidden rivers and two manifest rivers. I asked Jibril (About them) and he said: ‘The two hidden ones are in paradise, and the two manifest ones are the Euphrates and the Nile.’ Then fifty prayers were enjoined upon me. I came to Musa and he said: ‘What happened?’ I said: ‘Fifty prayers have been enjoined upon me.’ He said: ‘I know more about the people than you. I tried hard with the Children of Israel. Your Ummah will never be able to bear that. Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce it for you.’ So I went back to my Lord and asked Him to reduce it, and He made it forty. Then I went back to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said: ‘What happened?’ I said: ‘He made it forty.’ He said to me something similar to what he said the first time, so I went back to my Lord and He made it thirty. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and told him, and he said to me something similar to what he said the first time, so I went back to my Lord and he made it twenty, then ten, then five. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said to me something like he had said the first time, but I said: ‘I feel too shy before my Lord to go back to Him.’ Then it was called out: ‘I have decreed (the reward for) My obligation, and I have reduced the burden for My slaves and I will give a ten-fold reward for each good deed.'” It is like this here, while it is Jibra’il the first time it appears in this narration, and Jibra’il is often used in the Hadith literature. Plural of Qullah
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, enjoined fifty prayers upon my Ummah, and I came back with that until I passed by Musa, peace be upon him, who said: ‘What has your Lord enjoined upon your Ummah?’ I said: ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers on them.’ Musa said to me: ‘Go back to your Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, for your Ummah will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, and He reduced a portion of it. Then I came back to Musa and told him, and he said: ‘Go back to you Lord, for your Ummah will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, and He said: ‘They are five (prayers) but they are fifty (in reward), and the Word that comes from Me cannot be changed.’ I came back to Musa and he said: ‘Go back to your Lord.’ I said: ‘I feel too shy before my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime.'” See Surah Qaf 50:29.
“I was brought an animal that was larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, whose stride could reach as far as it could see. I mounted it, and Jibril was with me, and I set off. Then he said: ‘Dismount and pray,’ so I did that. He said: ‘Do you know where you have prayed? You have prayed in Taibah, which will be the place of the emigration.’ Then he said: ‘Dismount and pray,’ so I prayed. He said: ‘Do you know where you have prayed? You have prayed in Mount Sinai, where Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, spoke to Musa, peace be upon him.’ So I dismounted and prayed, and he said: ‘Do you know where you have prayed? You have prayed in Bethlehem, where ‘Eisa, peace be upon him, was born.’ Then I entered Bait Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) where the Prophets, peace be upon them, were assembled for me, and Jibril brought me forward to lead them in prayer. Then I was taken up to the first heaven, where I saw Adam, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up to the second heaven where I saw the maternal cousins ‘Eisa and Yahya, peace be upon them. Then I was taken up to the third heaven where I saw Yusuf, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up to the fourth heaven where I saw Harun, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up to the fifth heaven where I saw Idris, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up to the sixth heaven where I saw Musa, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up to the seventh heaven where I saw Ibrahim, peace be upon him. Then I was taken up above seven heavens and we came to Sidrah Al-Muntaha and I was covered with fog. I fell down prostrate and it was said to me: ‘(Indeed) The day I created the heavens and the Earth, I enjoined upon you and your Ummah fifty prayers, so establish them, you and your Ummah.’ I came back to Ibrahim and he did not ask me about anything, then I came to Musa and he said: ‘How much did your Lord enjoin upon you and your Ummah?’ I said: ‘Fifty prayers.’ He said: ‘You will not be able to establish them, neither you nor your Ummah. Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce it.’ So I went back to my Lord and He reduced it by ten. Then I came to Musa and he told me to go back, so I went back and He reduced it by ten. Then I came to Musa and he told me to go back, so I went back and He reduced it by ten. Then it was reduced it by ten. Then it was reduced to five prayers. He (Musa) said: ‘Go back to you Lord and ask Him to reduce it, for two prayers were enjoined upon the Children of Israel but they did not establish them.’ So I went back to my Lord and asked Him to reduce it, but He said: ‘The day I created the heavens and the Earth, I enjoined fifty prayers upon you and your Ummah. Five is for fifty, so establish them, you and your Ummah.’ I knew that this was what Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, had determined so I went back to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said: ‘Go back.’ But I knew that it was what Allah had determined, so I did not go back.”
“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was taken on the Night Journey, he came to Sidrah Al-Muntaha, which is in the sixth heaven. That is where everything that comes up from below ends, and where everything that comes down from above, until it is taken from it. Allah says: When what covered the lote-tree did cover it! An-Najm 53:16. “The sins of the worst magnitude that drag one into the Fire.” (An-Nihayah)
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the prayers were enjoined in Makkah, and that two angels came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and took him to Zamzam, where they split open his stomach and took out his innards in a basin of gold, and washed them with Zamzam water, then they filled his heart with wisdom and knowledge.
“The first time the Salah was enjoined it was two Rak’ahs, and it remained as such when traveling, but the Salah while resident was made complete.”
“Urwah told me that ‘Aishah said: ‘Allah enjoined the salah upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and the first thing that He enjoined was two Rak’ahs at a time, then it was made complete four Rak’ahs while in the state of residence but the prayer when traveling remained two Rak’ahs, as it was first enjoined.'”
“The Salah was enjoined two Rak’ahs at a time, then the Salah when traveling remained like that, but the Salah while resident was increased.”
“The Salah was enjoined on the lips of the Prophet (ﷺ), four Rak’ahs while resident, and two while traveling, and one Rak’ah during times of fear.”
“How can the Salah be shortened as Allah says: There is no sin on you if you shorten As-Salah (the prayer) if you are in fear?” Ibn ‘Umar said: “O son of my brother! The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us when we had gone astray and he taught us. One of the things that he taught us was that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has commanded us to pray two Rak’ahs when traveling.” An-Nisa’ 4:101.
“A man from the people of Najd came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with unkempt hair. We could hear him talking loudly but we could not understand what he was saying until he came closer. He was asking about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: ‘Five prayers each day and night.’ He said: ‘Do I have to do anything else’ He said: ‘No, unless you do it voluntarily.’ He said: ‘And fasting the month of Ramadan.’ He said: ‘Do I have to do anything else?’ He said: ‘No, unless you do it voluntarily.’ And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned Zakah to him, and he said: ‘Do I have to do anything else?’ He said: ‘No, unless you do it voluntarily.’ The man left saying: ‘By Allah, I will not do any more than this or any less.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘He will achieve salvation, if he is speaking the truth.'”
“A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): ‘O Messenger of Allah, how many prayers has Allah enjoined upon His slaves?’ He said: ‘Allah has enjoined upon His slaves (five) prayers.’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, is there anything before them or after them?’ He said: ‘Allah has enjoined upon His salves (five) prayers.’ The man swore that he would not do anything more or less than that. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If he is speaking the truth he will most certainly enter Paradise.'”
“We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: ‘Will you not pledge to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?’ And he repeated it three times. So we stretched forth our hands to give our pledge. We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we are willing to give you our pledge, but on what?’ He said: ‘That you will worship Allah and not associate anything with him, and (offer) the five daily prayers.’ And he said, very quietly: ‘And you will not ask the people for anything.'”
“In the morning I went to ‘Ubadah bin As-Samit, and I met him while he was on his way to the Masjid. I told him what Abu Muhammad said, and ‘Ubadah said: ‘Abu Muhammad is wrong. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Five prayers are those that Allah has decreed for (His) slaves, whoever does them, and does not neglect any of them out of disregard toward them, will have a promise from Allah that He will admit him to Paradise. And whoever does not to them will have no such promise from Allah; if He wills he will punish him and if He wills He will admit him to Paradise.
“Do you think that is there was a river by the door of any one of you, and he bathed in it five times each day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?” They said: “No trace of dirt would be left on him.” He said: “That is the likeness of the five daily prayers. By means of them Allah erases sins.”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The covenant that stands between us and them is the Salah; whoever abandons it, he has committed disbelief.'”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There is nothing between a person and disbelief except abandoning Salah.'”
“I arrived in Al-Madinah and said: ‘O Allah, make it easy for me to find a righteous companion.’ Then I sat with Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: ‘I prayed to Allah to help me find a righteous companion.’ So tell me a Hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so that Allah might benefit me from it. He said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “The first thing for which a person will be brought to account will be his Salah. If it is sound then he will have succeeded, be salvaged, but if it is not then he will have lost and be doomed.” – (One of the narrators) Hammam said: “I do not know whether this was the words of Qatadah or part of the report.” – “If anything is lacking from his obligatory prayers, He will say: ‘Look and see whether My slave has any voluntary prayers to make up for what is deficient from his obligatory prayers.’ Then all of his deeds will be dealt with in like manner.”
“The first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his Salah. If it is found to be complete then it will be recorded as complete, and if anything is lacking He will say: ‘Look and see if you can find any voluntary prayers with which to complete what he neglected of his obligatory prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be reckoned in like manner.”
“The first thing for which a person will be brought to account will be his Salah. If it is complete (all well and good), otherwise Allah will say: ‘Look and see if My slave did any voluntary prayer.’ If he is found to have done voluntary prayers, his obligatory prayers will be completed therewith.”
“O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will gain me admittance to Paradise.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the Salah, pay the Zakah and uphold the ties of kinship. Let go!” – as if he was riding his camel. As if he was riding his camel and the man had grabbed hold of its reins to ask this question.
“I prayed Zuhr with the Prophet (ﷺ) in Al-Madinah, four Rak’ahs and ‘Asr in Dhul-Hulaifah, two Rak’ahs.”
“I heard Abu Juhaifah say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set off at midday, during the time of intense heat’ – (One of the narrators) Ibn Al-Muthanna said, to Al-Batha’ – and he performed Wudu’, and prayed Zuhr, two Rak’ahs, and ‘Asr, two Rak’ahs, with a short spear (‘Anzah) in front of him.
“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘He will never enter the Fire, the one who prays before the sun rises and before it sets.'”
“Aishah told me to copy a Mushaf for her, and she said: ‘When you reach this verse, call my attention: Guard strictly the Salawat especially the middle (Al-Wusta) Salah. When I reached it, I called her attention and she dictated to me: ‘Guard strictly the Salawat expecially the middle (Al-Wusta) Salah and the ‘Asr prayer, and stand before Allah with obedience.’ Then she said: ‘I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).'” Al-Baqarah 2:238.
“They distracted us from Salatul-Wusta (the middle prayer) until the sun went down.”
“Abu Al-Malih narrated to me: ‘We were with Buraidah on a cloudy day and he said: “Pray early, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever abandons Salat Al-‘Asr, his good deeds will perish.'”
“We used to estimate how long the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood when praying in Zuhr and ‘Asr. We estimated that he stood in Zuhr for as long as it take to recite thirty verses, as long as Surat As-Sajadah in the fits two Rak’ahs, and half that in the last two. And we estimated that he stood for as long in the fits two Rak’ahs, and half that in the last two. And we estimated that he stood for as long in the first two Rak’ahs of ‘Asr as he stood in the last two Rak’ahs of Zuhr, and we estimated that he stood half as long as that in the last two Rak’ahs of ‘Asr.”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to stand in Zuhr and recite the equivalent of thirty verses in each Rak’ah, then in the first two Rak’ahs of ‘Asr he would stand for the equivalent of fifteen verses.”
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed Zuhr in Al-Madinah, four Rak’ahs, and he prayed ‘Asr in Dhul-Hulaifah, two Rak’ahs.
“Whoever misses ‘Asr prayer, it is as if he has been robbed of his family and wealth.” ‘Irak said: ‘And ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar informed me that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: ‘Whosoever misses ‘Asr prayer, it is as if he has been robbed of his family and wealth.'” Yazid bin Abi Habib contradicted him. That is, contradicted Ja’far bin Rabi’ah who narrated it from ‘Irik here – and Yazid’s narration is next.
“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Among the prayers is a prayer which, if a person misses it, it is as if he has robbed of his family and his wealth.” Ibn ‘Umar said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘It is ‘Asr prayer.'” Muhammad bin Ishaq contradicted him. That is, Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated it from Yazid bin Abi Habib with the following chain and wording, which differs with this narration, reported by Al-Laith from Yazid.
“I heard Nawfal bin Mu’awiyah say: ‘There is a prayer which if a person misses it, it is as of he has been robbed of his family and his wealth.'” Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘It is ‘Asr prayer.'”
“I saw Sa’eed bin Jubari in Jam’. He stood and prayed Maghrib, three Rak’ahs, then he stood and prayed ‘Isha’, two Rak’ahs. Then he mentioned that Ibn ‘Umar had done the same thing in that place, and he mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has done the same thing in that place. Meaning Al-Muzdalifah.
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delayed ‘Isha’ until ‘Umar called him and said: ‘The women and children have gone to sleep.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out and said: ‘There is no one who is offering this prayer but you.’ And at that time no one used to pray except the people of Al-Madinah.”
“Sa’eed bin Jubair led us in prayer in Jam’. (He prayed) Maghrib, three Rak’ahs with an Iqamah, then he prayed ‘Isha’, two Rak’ahs. Then he mentioned that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar had done that, and he mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had done that.”
“I heard Sa’eed bin Jubair say: ‘I saw ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar pray in Jam’; he made the Iqamah and prayed Maghrib, three Rak’ahs, then he prayed ‘Isha’, two Rak’ahs, then he said: ‘This is what I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do in this place.'”
“Angels come to you in succession by night and day, and they meet at Fajr prayer and ‘Asr prayer. Then those who spent the night among you ascend, and He (Allah) will ask them, although He knows best: ‘In what condition did you leave My slaves.’ They will say: ‘We left them when they were praying and we came to them when they were praying.'”
“Prayer in congregation is twenty-five times more virtuous than the prayer of any one of you offered on his own. The angels of the night and the day meet at Fajr prayer. Recite if you wish: Verily, the recitation of the Qur’an in the early dawn is ever witnessed.” Al-Isra’ 17:78.
“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘No one will enter the Fire who prays before the sun rises and before it sets.'”
“We prayed toward Bait Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for sixteen or seventeen months – Safwan was not sure – then it was changed to the Qiblah.”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to Al-Madinah and prayed toward Bait Al-Maqdis for sixteen months, then he was commanded to face towards the Ka’bah. A man who had prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by some of the Ansar and said: ‘I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has been commanded to face towards the Ka’bah’ so they turned to face the Ka’bah.”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray voluntary prayers (Usabbih) while riding his mount, facing whatever direction it was facing, and he would pray Witr likewise, but he would not offer the prescribed prayers on it.”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray while on his animal when he was coming back from Makkah to Madinah. Concerning this, the verse was revealed: So wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allah.'” Al-Baqarah 2:115.
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray on his mount while on a journey, no matter what direction it was facing.” Malik said: “Abdullah bin Dinar said: ‘And Ibn ‘Umar used to do likewise.'”
“While the people were in Quba’, praying the Subh prayer, someone came to them and said that revelation had come to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the night before, and he has been commanded to face the Ka’bah. So they turned around, and they has been facing toward Ash-Sham, but now they turned to face toward the Ka’bah.”