3. Prayer

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "TheMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, hadwanted to take two pieces of wood to strike them together to gatherpeople for the prayer, and Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Ansari, then of thetribe of Harith ibn al-Khazraj, was shown two pieces of wood in hissleep. He said, 'These are close to what the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, wants.' Then it was said, 'Doyou not call to the prayer?', so when he woke up he went to theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, andmentioned the dream to him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, ordered the adhan." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ata ibn Yazidal-Laythi from Abu Said al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When you hear the adhan,repeat what the muadhdhin says." Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakribn Abd ar-Rahman, from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If people knew what was inthe adhan and the first row of the prayer and could only draw lots forit, they would draw lots. And if they knew what was in doing dhuhrearly, they would race each other to it. And if they knew what was inisha and subh, they would go to them even if they had to crawl." Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibnYaqub from his father and Ishaq ibn Abdullah that they informed himthat they heard Abu Hurayra say, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, said, 'When the iqama is called forprayer, do not come to it running, but come with calmness. Pray whatyou catch and complete what you miss. You are in prayer as long asyour aim is the prayer.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd arRahman ibn Abdullah ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abu Sasaca al-Ansari, and later al-Mazini, that his father told him that Abu Said al-Khudri had said to him, "I see that you love sheep and the desert. When you are among your sheep or in your desert, call the prayer and raise your voice in the adhan, because I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'No jinn or man or anything within range hears the voice of the muadhdhin except that it bears witness for him on the day of rising.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj fromAbu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "When the call to prayer is made Shaytan retreats,passing wind, so that he will not hear the adhan. When the adhan iscompleted he comes back, until, when the iqama is said, he retreatsagain. When the iqama is completed, he comes back, until he comesbetween a man and his self and says, 'Think of such and such, think ofsuch and such,' which he was not thinking about before, until the mandoes not know how much he has prayed." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Hazim ibn Dinar that Sahlibn Sad as-Saidi said, "There are two times when the gates of heavenare opened, and few who make supplication have it returned to themunanswered. They are at the timeof the adhan, and in a rank of peoplefighting in the way of Allah." Malik was asked whether theadhan on the day of jumua was called before the time had come for theprayer and he said, "It is not called until after the sun has passedthe meridian." Malik was asked about doubling the adhan andthe iqama, and at what point people had to stand when the iqama forthe prayer was called. He said, "I have heard nothing about the adhanand iqama except what I have seen people do. As for the iqama, it isnot doubled. That is what the people of knowledge in our regioncontinue to do. As for people standing up when the iqama for theprayer is called, I have not heard of any definite point at which itis begun, and I consider it rather to be according to people's(individual) capacity, for some people are heavy and some are light,and they are not able to be as one man ." Malik was askedabout a gathering of people who wished to do the prescribed prayercalling the iqama and not the adhan, and he said, "lt is enough forthem. The adhan is only obligatory in mosques where the prayer is saidin congregation." Malik was asked about the muadhdhin saying"Peace be upon you" to the imam and calling him to the prayer, and hewas asked who was the first person to whom such a greeting was made.He replied, "I have not heard that this greeting occurred in the firstcommunity." Yahya said that Malik was asked whether amuadhdhin who called the people to prayer and then waited to see ifanyone would come and no one did, so he said the iqama and did theprayer by himself and then people came after he had finished, shouldrepeat the prayer with them. Malik said, "He does not repeat theprayer, and whoever comes after he has finished should do the prayerby himself." Yahya said that Malik was asked about amuadhdhin who called the adhan for a group of people, did voluntaryprayers, and then the group of people wanted to do the prayer withsome one else saying the iqama. He said, "There is no harm in that.His iqama or somebody else's are the same." Yahya said thatMalik said, "The subh prayer is still called before dawn. As for theother prayers, we believe that they should only be called after thetime has started." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that themuadhdhin came to Umar ibn al-Khattab to call him to the subh prayerand found him sleeping, so he said, "Prayer is better than sleep," andUmar ordered him to put that in the adhan for subh . Yahya related to me from Malik from his paternal uncle Abu Suhaylibn Malik that his uncle's father said, "I recognise nothing nowadaysof what I saw the people (i.e. the companions of the Messenger, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace ) doing except the call toprayer." Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Umar heard theiqama while he was in Baqi, so he increased his pace of walking to themosque. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarcalled the adhan on a cold and windy night and included the phrase,"Do the prayer in shelter." Then he said, "The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, used to orderthe muadhdhin tosay, 'Do the prayerin shelter' when it was a cold, rainy night " Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that on a journeyAbdullah ibn Umar did no more than the iqama, except for subh, when hecalled both the adhan and the iqama. Abdullah ibn Umar used to say,"The adhan is for an imam whom people join ." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that hisfather said to him, "When you are on a journey you can, if you wish,call the adhan and the iqama, or, if you wish, the iqama and not theadhan." Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "There is no harmin a man calling the adhan while riding." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibnal-Musayyab used to say, "Whoever prays on waterless, desolate land -an angel prays on his right and an angel prays on his left. When hecalls both the adhan and the iqama for the prayer, or calls out theiqama, angels like mountains pray behind him." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar fromAbdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Bilal calls the adhan whilst it is still nightso eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum calls the adhan." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "Bilal calls the adhan in the night, so eat and drinkuntil Ibn Umm Maktum calls the adhan." Ibn Umm Maktum was a blind manwho did not call the adhan until someone said to him, "The morning hascome. The morning has come." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messengerof Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, used to raise his hands to the level ofhis shoulders when he began the prayer and when he raised his headfrom the ruku he raised them in the same way, saying, "Allah hearswhoever praises him, our Lord and praise belongs to You." He did notraise them in the sujud. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that AIi ibnHusayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, used to say, 'Allah is greater'whenever he lowered himself and raised himself, and he continued topray like that until he met Al lah ." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Sa'id from Sulaymanibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, used to raise his hands in the prayer. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salamaibn Abdar-Rahman ibn Awf that Abu Hurayra used to lead them in prayerand would say "Allah is greater" whenever he lowered himself andraised himself. When he had finished he would say, "By Allah, I am theperson whose prayer most resembles the prayer of the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say "Allah is greater" in theprayer whenever he lowered himself and raised himself. Yahyarelated to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used toraise his hands to the level of his shoulders when he began the prayerand when he raised his head from the ruku he would raise them lessthan that. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Nuaym Wahb ibn Kaysanthat Jabir ibn Abdullah used to teach them the takbir in the prayer.Abu Nuaym said, "He used to tell us to say 'Allah is greater' wheneverwe lowered or raised ourselves." Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab used to say, "Whena man catches the raka he says, 'Allah is greater' once, and thattakbir is enough for him." Malik added, "That is if heintended to begin the prayer by that takbir " Malik was askedabout a man who began with the imam but forgot the opening takbir andthe takbir of the ruku until he had done one raka. Then he rememberedthat he had not said the takbir at the opening nor in the ruku,so hesaid the takbir in the second raka. He said, "I prefer that he starthis prayer again, but if he forgets the opening takbir with the imamand says the takbir in the first ruku, I consider that enough for himif he intends by it the opening takbir." Malik said, aboutsome one who prayed by himself and forgot the opening takbir, "Hebegins his prayer afresh ." Malik said, about an imam whoforgot the opening takbir until he had finished his prayer, "I thinkthat he should do the prayer again, and those behind him, even if theyhave said the takbir." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Muhammad ibnJubayr ibn Mutim that his father said, "I heard the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recite at-Tur (Sura52) in the maghrib prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ubaydullahibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud from Abdullah ibn Abbas that Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith heard him reciting al Mursalat (sura 77) and shesaid to him, "My son, you have reminded me by reciting this sura thatit was what I last heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, recite in the maghrib prayer." 26 Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Ubayd, the mawla ofSulayman ibn Abd alMalik, from Ubada ibn Nusayy from Qays ibn alHarith that Abu Abdullah as-Sunabihi said, "I arrived in Madina in thekhalifate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, and I prayed maghrib behind him. Herecited the umm al Qur'an and two suras from the shorter ones of themufassal in the first two rakas. Then he stood up in the third and Idrew so near to him that my clothes were almost touching his clothes.I heard him reciting the umm al-Qur'an and this ayat, 'Our Lord, donot make our hearts go astray after You have guided us, and give usmercy from Your presence. Surely You are the Giver. ' " (Sura 3 ayat8) Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to recite in all four rakas as when he prayed alone - in everyraka the umm al-Qur'an and another sura from the Qur'an. Sometimes hewould recite two or three suras in one raka in the obligatory prayer.Similarly, he recited the umm al-Qur'an and two suras in the first tworakas of maghrib. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Adi ibnThabit al-Ansari that al-Barra ibn Azib said, "I prayed isha with theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and herecited at-Tin (Sura 95) in it." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Ibrahim ibnAbdullah ibn Hunayn from hisfatherfromAliibnAbiTalibthattheMessengerofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade wearing theqassi (an Egyptian garment, stripedwithsilk),wearing gold rings, andreciting the Qur'an in ruku. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammadibn Ibrahim ibn al Harith at-Taymi from Abu Hazim at-Tammar from alBayadi that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, came out to the people while they were praying and their voiceswere raised in the recitation. He said, "When you pray you are talkingconfidentially to your Lord. So look to what you confide to Him, anddo not say the Qur'an out loud so that others hear it." Yahya related to me from Malik from Humayd at-Tawil that Anas ibnMalik said, "I stood behind Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman and none ofthem used to recite 'In the name of Allah, the Merciful, theCompassionate' when they began the prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik from his paternal uncle Abu Suhaylibn Malik that his father said, "We heard the recitation of Umar ibnal-Khattab when we were at the home of Abu Jahmin al-Balat." (Al-Balatwas a place in Madina between the mosque and the market.) Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that when Abdullah ibnUmar missed anything of the prayer in which the imam recited out loud,he would stand up when the imam had said the taslim and recite what heowed out loud to himself. Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Ruman said, "I usedto pray next to Nafi ibn Jubayr ibn Mutim and he would nudge me toprompt him while we were praying." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq prayed subh and recited suratal-Baqarain the two rak'as. Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that hisfather heard Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabia say, "We prayed subh behindUmar ibn al-Khattab and he recited suraYusuf (Sura 12) and surat al-Hajj (Sura 22) slowly." I (Hisham's father) said, "By Allah, then itmust have been his habit to get up at the crack of dawn." He said, "Ofcourse." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said and Rabia ibnAbi Abd arRahman from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad that al Furafisa ibnUmayral-Hanafi said, "I only learnt Sura Yusuf (Sura 12) from therecitation of it by Uthman ibn Affan in the subh prayer because of thegreat number of times he repeated it to us." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to recite the first ten suras of the mufassal in the subh prayer,and on a journey he would recite the ummal-Qur'an and a sura in everyraka. Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibnYaqub that Abu Said, the mawla of Amir ibn Kuraz told him that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, calledtoUbayy ibn Kab while he was praying. When Ubayy had finished hisprayer he joined the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, and the Messenger of Allah put his hand upon his hand, andhe was intending to leave by the door of the mosque, so the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I hope thatyou will not leave the mosque until you know a sura whose like Allahhas notsentdown in the Tawrah nor in the Injil nor in the Qur'an."Ubayysaid, "I began to slow down my pace in the hope of that. Then Isaid, 'Messenger of Allah, the sura you promised me!' He said, 'Whatdo you recite when you begin the prayer?' I recited the Fatiha (Sura 1) until I came to the end of it, and the Messengerof Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, said, 'It is this sura, and it is the"seven oft-repeated" and the Great Qur'an which I was given.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Nuaym Wahb ibn Kaysanthat he heard Jabir ibn Abdullah say, "Someone who prays a rakawithout reciting the umm al-Qur'an in it has not done the prayerexcept behind an imam." Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibnYa'qub that he heard Abu's-Sa'ib, the mawla of Hisham ibn Zuhra, sayhe had heard Abu Hurayra say, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Whoever prays a prayerwithout reciting the umm al-Qur'an in it, his prayer is aborted, it isaborted, it is aborted, incomplete.' So I said, 'Abu Hurayra,sometimes I am behind the imam.'Hepulled my forearm and said, 'Reciteit to yourself, O Persian, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, say that Allah the Blessed, theExalted, said, "I have divided the prayer into two halves between meand my slave. One half of it is for Me and one half of it is for IVlyslave, and My slave has what he asks." ' The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Recite." The slave says,'Praise be to AIIah, the Lord of theWorlds.' Allah the Blessed, theExalted, says, 'My slave has praised Me.' The slave says, 'TheMerciful, the Compassionate.' Allah says, 'My slave has spoken well ofMe.' The slave says, 'Master of the Day of the Deen.' Allah says, 'Myslave has glorified Me.' The slave says, 'You alone we worship and Youalone we askforhelp.'Allahsays,'This ayat is between Me and My slave,and for My slave is what he asks. 'The slave says, 'Guide us in thestraight Path, the Path of those whom You have blessed, not of thosewith whom You are angry, nor those who are in error. ' Allah says,'These are for My slaves, and for my slave is what he asks . ' " ' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that hisfather used to recite behind the imam when the imam did not recitealoud. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said and from Rabiaibn Abi Abd ar Rahman that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad used to recite behindthe imam when the imam did not recite aloud. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Ruman that Nafi ibnJubayr ibn Mutim used to recite behind the imam when hedid not recitealoud . Malik said, "That is the most preferable to me ofwhat I have heard about the matter." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar,when asked if anyone should recite behind an imam, said, "When youpray behind an imam then the recitation of the imam is enough for youand when you pray on your own you must recite." Nafi added, "Abdullahibn 'Umar used not to recite behind the imam." Yahya saidthat he heard Malik say, "The position with us is that aman recitesbehind the imam when the imam does not recite aloud and he refrainsfrom reciting when the imam recites aloud." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ibn Ukaymaal-Laythi from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, finished a prayer in which he hadrecited aloud and asked, "Did any of you recite with me just now?" Oneman said, "Yes, I did, Messenger of Allah." The Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was saying tomyself, 'Why am I distracted from the Qur'an?' " When the people heardthe Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saythat, they refrained from reciting with the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, when he recited aloud. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman told him from Abu Hurayrathat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,said, "When the imam says 'Amin', say 'Amin', for the one whose 'Amin'coincides with the 'Amin' of the angels - his previous wrong actionsare forgiven him." Ibn Shihab said, "The Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say 'Aameen'(extending it)." Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of AbuBakr, from Abu Salih as Samman, from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When the imamhas said, 'not of those with whom You are angry nor of those who arein error,' say 'Amin', for the previous wrong actions of the one whoseutterance coincides with that of the angels, are forgiven him." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj fromAbu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "When one of you says 'Amin' and the angels in thesky say 'Amin' so that one coincides with the other, his previouswrong actions are forgiven him." Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of AbuBakr, from Abu Salih as-Samman from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When the imamsays, 'Allah hears whoever praises Him,' say 'O Allah! Our Lord,praise be toYou, 'for the previous wrong actions done by the one whoseutterance coincides with that of the angels are forgiven." Yahya related to me from Malik from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam thatAIi ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Muawi said, "Abdullah ibn Umar saw me playingwith some small pebbles in the prayer. When I finished he forbade me,saying, 'Do as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, did.' I said, 'What did the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, do?' He said, 'When he sat in theprayer, he placed his right hand on his right thigh and he closed hisfist and pointed his index finger, and he placed his left hand on hisleft thigh. That is what he used to do.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar that hehad seen Abdullah ibn Umar with a man praying at his side. When theman sat in the fourth raka, heput both feet to one side and crossedthem. When Abdullah finished, he disapproved of that to him, and theman protested, "But you do the same." Abdullah ibn Umar said, "I amill." Yahya related to me from Malik from Sadaqa ibn Yasar that al-Mughira ibn Hakim saw Abdullah ibn Umar sit back from the two sajdasof the prayer onto the top of his feet. When he had finished, al-Mughira mentioned it to him, and Abdullah ibn Umar explained, "It isnot a sunna of the prayer. I do it because I am ill." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasimthat Abdullah ibn Umar told him that he used to see Abdullah ibn Umarcross his legs in the sitting position of the prayer.He said, "So Idid the same, and I was young at the time. Abdullah ibn Umar forbademe and said, 'The sunna of the prayer is that you keep your right footvertical and lay your left foot down.' I said to him, 'But you do thesame (as I did).' He said, 'My feet do not support me.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that al-Qasimibn Muhammad showed them how to sit in the tashahhud, and he kept hisright foot vertical and laid his left foot down, and sat on his lefthaunch not on his foot. Then he said, "Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Umarsaw me doing this and related to me that his father used to do thesame thing." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abd al-Qari that he heard Umar ibn al-Khattab say, while he was teaching people the tashahhud from themimbar, "Say, Greetings belong to Allah. Pure actions belong to Allah.Good words and prayers belong to Allah. Peace on you, Prophet, and themercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and on the slavesof Allah who are salihun. I testify that there is no god except Allah.And I testify that Muhammad is His slave and His messenger." 'At-tahiyatu lillah, az-zakiyatu lillah, at-tayibatu wa's-salawatulillah. As-salamu alayka ayyuha'nnabiyyu wa rahmatu'llahi wabarakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadi'llahi s-salihin. Ash-hadu anla ilaha illa 'llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say the tashahhud saying, "In the name of Allah. Greetingsbelong to Allah. Prayers belong to Allah. Pure actions belong toAllah. Peace be on the Prophet and the mercy of Allah and Hisblessings. Peace be on us and on the slaves of Allah who are salihun.I testify that there is no god except Allah. I testify that Muhammadis the Messenger of Allah." "Bismillah, at-tahiyatu lillah,as-salawatu lillah, az-zakiyatu lillah. As-salamu ala'n-nabiyyi warahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa alaibadi'llahi's-salihin. Shahidtu an la ilaha illallah. Shahidtu annaMuhammadu'r-rasulu'llah." He used to say this after the firsttwo rakas and he would make supplication with whatever seemed fit tohim when the tashahhud was completed. When he sat at the end of theprayer, he did the tashahhud in a similar manner, except that afterthe tashahhud he made supplication with whatever seemed fit to him.When he had completed the tashahhud and intended to say the taslim, hesaid, "Peace be on the Prophet and His mercy and blessings. Peace beupon us and on the slaves of Allah who are salihun." "As-salamu ala'n-nabiyyi wa rahmatu'llahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu alaynawa ala ibadi'llahi'ssalihin ." He then said, "Peace be uponyou" to his right, and would return the greeting to the imam, and ifanyone said "Peace be upon you" from his left he would return thegreeting to him. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasimfrom his father that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, used to say in the tashahhud, "Greetings,good words, prayers, pure actions belong to Allah. I testify thatthere is no god except Allah, alone without partner, and that Muhammadis His slave and His Messenger. Peace be on you, Prophet, and themercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be on us and on the slaves ofAllah who are salihun. Peace be upon you." "At-tahiyatu, at-tayibatu, as-salawatu, az-zakiyatu lillah. Ash-hadu an la ilahailla'llah, wahdahu la sharika lah wa anna Muhammadan abduhu warasuluhu. As-salamu alayka ayyuha-n-nabiyyu wa rahmatu-llahi wabarakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadi-llahi's-salihin. As-salamualaykum." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said al-Ansari thatal-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad told him that A'isha, the wife ofthe prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say inthe tashahhud, "Greetings, good words, prayers, pure actions belong toAllah. I testify that there is no god except Allah, alone withoutpartner, and I testify that Muhammad is the slave of Allah and HisMessenger. Peace be upon you, Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and Hisblessings. Peace be upon us and on the slaves of Allah who are salihun. Peace be upon you . " "At-tahiyatu, at-tayibatu, as-salawatu, az-zakiyatu lillah. Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa'llah, wahdahula sharika llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu. As-salamu alayka ayyuha-n-nabiyyu wa rahmatu-llahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadi-llahi's-salihin. As-salamu alaykum." Yahya related to me from Malik that he asked Ibn Shihab and Nafi,the mawla of Ibn Umar, whether a man who joined an imam who hadalready done a raka should say the tashahhud with the imam in thesecond and fourth rakas, even though these were odd for him? Theysaid, "He should say tashahhud with him." Malik said, "Thatis the position with us." Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Amr ibn AIqamafrom Malik ibn Abdullah as-Sadi that Abu Hurayra said, "The one whoraises his head and lowers it before the imam - his forelock is in thehand of a shaytan." Malik said, concerning someone who forgotand raised his head before the imam in ruku or sujud, "The sunna ofthat is to return to bowing or prostrating and not to wait for theimam to come up. What he has done is a mistake, because the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The imam isappointed to be followed as a leader, so do not oppose him.' AbuHurayra said, 'The one who raises his head and lowers it before theimam - his forelock is in the hand of a shaytan.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Ayyub ibn Abi Tamima as-Sakhtayani from Muhammad ibn Sirin from Abu Hurayra that the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, finished the prayerafter two rakas and Dhu'l-Yadayn said to him, "Has the prayer beenshortened or have you forgotten, Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "HasDhu'l-Yadayn spoken the truth?" The people said, "Yes," and theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood andprayed the other two rakas and then said, "Peace be upon you." Then hesaid, "Allah is greater" and went into a sadja as long as his usualprostrations or longer. Then he came up and said, "Allah is greater"and went into a sajda as long as his usual prostrations or longer andthen came up. Yahya related to me from Malik from Da'ud ibn al-Husayn that AbuSufyan, the mawla of Ibn Abi Ahmad, said that he heard Abu Hurayrasay, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,prayed asr and said the taslim after two rakas. Dhu'l-Yadayn stood upand said, 'Has the prayer been shortened, Messenger of Allah, or haveyou forgotten?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, stood up and completed what remained of the prayer, andthen, remaining sitting after saying the taslim, he made twoprostrations." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Abu Bakr ibnSulayman ibn Abi Hathma said, "I have heard that the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed two rakas ofone of the two day-ti me prayers, dhuhr or asr, and said the taslimafter two rakas. Dhu'sh-Shamalayn said to him, 'Has the prayer beenshortened, Messenger of Allah, or have you forgotten?' The Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The prayerhas not been shortened and I have not forgotten.' Dhu'shShamalaynsaid, 'It was certainly one of those, Messenger of Allah.' TheMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,approached the people and said, 'Has Dh u'sh-Shamalayn spoken thetruth?' They said, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah,' and the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, completed whatremained of the prayer, and then said, 'Peace be upon you.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al-Musayyab, and from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman, the same as that. Malik said, "Every forgetfulness which decreases from theprayer, prostrations for it come before the greeting, and everyforgetfulness which is an addition to the prayer, prostrations for itcome after the greeting." Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibnYasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "If you are uncertain in the prayer and do not knowwhether you have prayed three or four rakas, then pray a raka and maketwo prostrations from the sitting position before the taslim. If theraka that you prayed was the fifth, then you make it even by these twosajdas, and if it was the fourth, then the two prostrations spiteShaytan." Yahya related to me from Malik from Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Zaydfrom Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "If youare uncertain in the prayer, estimate what you think you haveforgotten of the prayer and repeat it, then do the two sajdas offorgetfulness from the sitting position." Yahya related to me from Malik from Afif ibn Amr as-Sahmi thatAta ibn Yasar said, "I asked Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As and Kab alAhbar about someone who was uncertain in his prayer, and did not knowwhether he had prayed three or four rakas. Both of them said, 'Heshould pray another raka and then do two sajdas from the sittingposition.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar,when questioned about forgetfulness in the prayer, said, "If you thinkthat you have forgotten part of the prayer, then pray it." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from al-Araj thatAbdullah ibn Buhayna said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, prayed two rakas with us and then stoodwithout sitting and the people stood with him. When he had finishedthe prayerand we had seen him say the taslim, he said 'Allah isgreater' and did two sajdas from the sitting position and then saidthe taslim again." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Hurmuz that Abdullah ibn Buhayna said, "The MessengerofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed dhuhr with usand he stood straight up after two rakas without sitting. When he hadfinished the prayer, he did two sajdas and then said the taslim afterthat." Malik said, concerning someone who forgot in hisprayer and stood up after he had completed four rakas and recited andthen went into ruku and then, when he raised his head from ruku,remembered that he had already completed (his prayer), "He returns toa sitting position and does not do any sajda. If he has already doneone sajda I do not think he should do the other. Then when his prayeris finished he does two sajdas from the sitting position after sayingthe taslim." Yahya related to me from Malik from AIqama ibn Abi AIqama fromhis mother that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "Abu Jahm ibn Hudhayfa gave the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a fine stripedgarment from Syria and he did the prayer in it. When he had finishedhe said, 'Give this garment back to Abu Jahm. I lookedat its stripesin the prayer and they almost distracted me.' " Malik related to me from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wore afine striped garment f rom Syria, and then gave it to Abu Jahm andtook a plain, rough, garment in return. Abu Jahm asked, "Messenger ofAllah! Why?" He said, "I looked at its stripes in the prayer." Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr that Abu Talha al-Ansari was praying in his garden when a wild pigeon flew in and beganto fly to and fro trying to find a way out. The sight was pleasing tohim and he let his eyes follow the bird for a time and then he wentback to his prayer but could not remember how much he had prayed. Hesaid, "A trial has befallen me in this property of mine." So he cameto the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,and mentioned the trial that had happened to him in his garden andsaid, "Messenger of Allah, it is a sadaqa for Allah, so dispose of itwherever you wish." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr that aman from the Ansar was praying in a garden of his in Quff, one of thevalleys of Madina, during the date season and the palms' branches wereweighed down with fruit on all sides. He looked at them and what hesaw of their fruits amazed him. Then he went back to his prayer and hedid not know how much he had prayed. He said, "A trial has befallen mein this property of mine." So he went toUthman ibn Affan, who was thekhalifa at the time, and mentioned it to him and said, "It is sadaqa,so give it away in the paths of good." Uthman ibn Affan sold it forfifty thousand and so that property became known as the Fifty.