9. Shortening the Prayer

Yahya related to me from Malik from Da'ud ibn al-Husayn from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, joined dhuhr and asr on his journey to Tabuk. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr al-Makki fromAbu't-Tufayl Amir ibn Wathila that Muadh ibn Jabal told him that theywent out with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, in the year of Tabuk, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, joined dhuhr with asr and maghrib withisha. Muadh said, "One day he delayed the prayer, and then came outand prayed dhuhr and asr together. Then he said, 'Tomorrow you willcome, insha' llah, to the spring of Tabuk. But you will not get thereuntil well into the morning. No one who arrives should touch any ofits water until I come.' We came to it and two men had got to itbefore us and the spring was dripping with a little water. TheMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, askedthem, 'Have you touched any of its water?' They said, 'Yes.' TheMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, reviledthem and said what Allah wished him to say. Then they took water withtheir hands from the spring little by little until it had beencollected in something. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, washed his face and hands in it. Then he putit back into the spring and the spring flowed with an abundance ofwater and the people drew water from it. The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If you live long enough,Muadh, you will soon see this place filled with gardens.' " 3 Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarsaid, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, used to join maghrib and isha together when it was urgent totravel." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zubayr al-Makki from Said ibn Jubayr that Abdullah ibn Abbas said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed dhuhr and asr together and maghrib and isha together, and not out of fear nor because of travelling." (with regards to above) Malik said, "I believe that was during rain." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to join the prayer along with the amirs if they joined maghriband isha in the rain. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that he had askedSalim ibn Abdullah, "Can you join dhuhr and asr when travelling?" Hesaid, "Yes, there is no harm in that. Haven't you seen the people prayon Arafa?" Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that AIi ibnHusain used to say, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, would join dhuhr and asr if he wished to travel thesame day, and he would join maghrib and isha if he wished to travelthe same night." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from a man of thefamily of Khalid ibn Asid that he said to Abdullah ibn Umar, "Abu Abdar-Rahman, we find the fear prayer and the prayer when settledmentioned in the Qur'an, but we do not find any mention of thetravelling prayer in it." Ibn Umar said, "Son of my brother! Allahthe Mighty and Majestic sent us Muhammad, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, and we know nothing. We only do as we saw him doing." Yahya related to me from Malik from Salih ibn Kaysan from Urwaibn az-Zubayr that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "The prayer was prescribed as tworakas, both when settled and when travelling. Then the travellingprayer was kept as it was, and an increase was made in the prayer whensettled. " Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that he saidto Salim ibn Abdullah, "What is the latest you have seen your fatherdelay maghrib while on a journey?" and Salim replied, "One time thesun set when we were at Dhat al-Jaysh and he prayed maghrib at al-Aqiq." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar,shortened the prayer when he left for hajj or umra at Dhu'l Hulayfa. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah that his father rode to Rim and shortened the prayer on thejourney. Malik said, "That was about four mail-stages."(approximately forty-eight miles). Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Salim ibn Abdullahthat Abdullah ibn Umar rode to Dhat an-Nusub and shortened the prayeron the journey. Malik said, "There are four mail-stagesbetween Dhat an-Nusub and Madina." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Ibn Umar that heused to travel to Khaybar and he would shorten the prayer. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to shorten the prayer when hetravelled for a whole day. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that he used to travelone mail-stage with Ibn Umar, and he would not shorten the prayer. Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullahibn Abbas used to shorten the prayer when he travelled a distanceequivalent to that between Makka and Ta'if, and that between Makka andUsfan and that between Makka and Jedda. Malik said, "That isfour mail-stages, and to me that is the most preferable distance forshortening the prayer." Malik said, "Someone who intends totravel does not shorten the prayer until he has left the houses of thevillage. And he does not do it in full until he comes to the firsthouses of the village, or is nearby." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "I pray the prayerof atraveller as long as I am undecided whether to remain somewhere ornot, even if I am detained for twelve nights." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Ibn Umar stayed inMakka for ten nights, shortening the prayer, except when he prayed itbehind an imam, in which case he followed the imam's prayer. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ata al-Khurasani that heheard Said ibn al Musayyab say, "A traveller who has decided to remainsomewhere for four nights does the prayer in full." Maliksaid, "That is what I prefer most out of what I have heard." Malik when asked about the prayer of a prisoner, said, "It is the sameas the prayer of a person who remains in one place, except if he istravelling." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab, when he went to Makka, used to lead them in prayer and do two rakas and then say, "People of Makka,complete the prayer, we are a group travelling." Yahya related the same as that to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from his father from Umar ibn al-Khattab. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to pray four rakas behind the imam at Mina, and when he prayed byhimself he would pray two rakas. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Safwan said,"Abdullah ibn Umar used to come and visit Abdullah ibn Safwan and hewould pray two rakas with us, and when he went away we would stand andcomplete the prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarnever used to pray anything with the fard prayer, either before it orafter it, while travelling, except in the depths of the night. Hewould pray on the ground or on his mount, whichever way it was facing. Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that al-Qasimibn Muhammad and Urwa ibn az-Zubayr and Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar Rahmanused to pray nawafil when travelling. Yahya said that Malikwas asked about voluntary prayers when travelling and he said, "Thereis no harm in them, either at night or during the day. I have heardthat some of the people of knowledge used to do that." Yahya related to me that Malik said, "I have heard from Nafi thatAbdullah ibn Umar used to see his son, Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah, doingvoluntary prayers on a journey,and he would not disapprove of it." Yahya related to me from Malik from Amr ibn Yahya al-Mazini fromAbu'l-Hubab Said ibn Yasar that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "I saw theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayingon a donkey while heading towards Khaybar." 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, used to pray on his mount while travelling, whicheverway it was facing. Abdullah ibn Dinar said, "Abdullah ibn Umar wouldalso do that." Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "I sawAnas ibn Malik on a journey praying on a donkey facing away from theqibla. He did the raka and the sajda by motioning with his head,without putting his face on anything." Yahya related to me from Malik from Musa ibn Maysara from AbuMurra, the mawla of Aqil ibn Abi Talib, that Umm Hani bint Abi Talibtold him that in the year of the conquest the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, prayed eight rakas, coveringhimself with one garment. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umaribn Ubaydullah, that Abu Murra, the mawla of Aqil ibn Abi Talib, toldhim that he had heard Umm Hani bint Abi Talib say, "I went to theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in theyear of the conquest and found him doing ghusl while his daughterFatima, was screening him with a garment. I said to him, 'Peace beupon you' and he said, 'Who is that?' I replied, 'Umm Hani bint AbiTalib,' and he said, 'Welcome, Umm Hani!' When he had finished hisghusl, he stood and prayed eight rakas, covering himself with onegarment, and then came away. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, the son ofmy mother, AIi, says that he is determined to kill so-and-so, son ofHubayra, a man I have placed under my protection.' The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'We giveprotection to whoever you have given protection to, Umm Hani.' " Umm Hani related that this incident happened in the morning. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "I never once saw the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, doing the voluntary prayer ofduha, but I myself do it. Sometimes the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, would refrain from a practice that heloved to do, fearing that people would do the same and it would becomefard for them ." Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from A'ishathat she used to pray duha with eight rakas, and she would say, "Iwould never stop doing them even if my parents were to be brought backto life." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn AbiTalha from Anas ibn Malik that his grandmother, Mulayka, invited theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for foodand he ate some of it. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "Get up and I will lead you in prayer." Anas said, "I stood up and took a woven mat belonging to usthat had become black through long use and sprinkled it with water,and the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,stood on it. The orphan and I formed a row behind him, and the oldwoman stood behind us. He prayed two rakas with us and then left." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Ubaydullahibn Abdullah ibn Utba said, "I visited Umar ibn al-Khattab just beforenoon and found him praying a voluntary prayer. So I stood behind him,but he pulled me nearer and put me next to him, on his right handside, and then Yarfa came and I moved back and we formed a row behindhim." Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Said al-Khudri from his father that the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do not letanyone pass in front of you when you are praying. Repel him as much asyou can, and, if he refuses, fight him, for he is only a shaytan." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umaribn Ubaydullah from Busr ibn Said that Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani senthim to Abu Juhaym to ask him what he had heard from the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about passing in frontof someone praying. Abu Juhaym said, "The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If the one who passes infront of a man praying knew what he was bringing upon himself it wouldbe better for him to stop for forty than to pass in front of him.' " Abu'n-Nadr said, "I do not know whether he said forty days ormonths or years." Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibnYasar that Kab al-Ahbar said, "If the person who passed in front of aman praying knew what he was bringing on himself, it would be betterfor him to sink into the ground than to pass in front of him." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullahibn Umar used to disapprove of passing in front of women while theywere praying. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarwould neither pass in front of anyone, nor let anyone pass in front ofhim. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ubaydullahibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that Abdullah ibn Abbas said, "Iapproached, riding on a donkey, while the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, was leading the people in prayerat Mina, and I was, at that time, nearing puberty. I passed in frontof part of the row, dismounted, sent the donkey off to graze, and thenjoined the row, and no one rebuked me for doing so." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Said ibnAbi Waqqas used to pass in front of some of the rows while the prayerwas in progress. Malik said, "I consider that it ispermissible to do that if the iqama for the prayer has been said andthe imam has said the initial takbir and a man cannot find any wayinto the mosque except by going between the rows." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Ali ibn Abi Talib said, "Things that pass in front of a man praying do not break his prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "Things that pass in front of a man praying do not break his prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Umar would use the animal he was riding as a sutra when he prayed. Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father used to pray in the desert without a sutra. Yahya related to me from Malik that Abu Jafar al-Qari said, "Isaw Abdullah ibn Umar quickly brush away the small stones from theplace where he was going to put his forehead as he was going down intosajda." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that he hadheard that Abu Dharr used to say, "Brush away the small stones withone sweep, but if you leave them it is better than a red camel." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Umar ibn al-Khattabused to order the rows to be straightened, and when they had come tohim and told him that the rows were straight he would say the takbir. Yahya related to me from Malik from his paternal uncle, AbuSuhayl ibn Malik, that his father said, "I was with Uthman ibn Affanwhen the iqama was said for the prayer and I was talking to him aboutbeing assigned a definite allowance by him. I continued talking to himwhile he was levelling some small stones with his sandals, and thensome men that he had entrusted to straighten the rows came and toldhim that the rows were straight. He said to me, 'Line up in the row,'and then he said the takbir." Yahya related to me from Malik that Abd al-Karim ibn Abi'l-Mukhariq al-Basri said, "Among things the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said and did are: 'As long as you donot feel ashamed, do whatever you wish', the placing of one hand onthe other in prayer (one places the right hand on the left), beingquick to break the fast, and delaying the meal before dawn." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Hazim ibn Dinar that Sahlibn Sad said, "People used to be ordered to place their right hands ontheir left forearms in the prayer." Abu Hazim added, "I knowfor sure that Sahl traces that back to the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umardid not say qunut in any of the prayers. Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that Abdullah ibn al-Arqam used to lead his companions inprayer. The time for prayer came one day and he went to relievehimself. When he returned, he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'If you wish todefecate, you should do so before the prayer.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Umar ibnal-Khattab said, "You should not pray while you are holding yourbowels." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The angels ask for blessings on each one of you as long as he is in the place where he has prayed and has not discharged anything. They say, 'Allah, forgive him. Allah have mercy on him.' " Malik said, "I do not consider that his words, 'has not discharged anything' refer to anything other than the discharges that break wudu." 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, "You are in prayer as long as the prayer detains youand there is nothing that prevents you from returning to your familyexcept the prayer." Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of AbuBakr, that Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman used to say, "Someone who goesto the mosque in the morning or the afternoon with no intention ofgoing anywhere else, either to learn good or teach it, is like someonewho does jihad in the way of Allah and returns with booty." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nuaym ibn Abdullah al-Mujmirthat he heard Abu Hurayra say, "If any one of you prays and then sitsdown in the spot where he has prayed, the angels ask blessings on himsaying, 'Allah, forgive him. Allah, have mercy on him.' And if hemoves from the spot where he has prayed and sits elsewhere in themosque waiting for the prayer, he remains in prayer until he prays." Yahya related to me from Malik from al Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Yaqub from his father from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you the things by which Allah erases wrong actions and by which he raises ranks: the complete and correct performance of wudu in adverseconditions, a great number of steps towards the mosque,and waitingafter one prayer for the next prayer. That is the firm hold, that isthe firm hold, that is the firm hold." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Said ibnal-Musayyab said, "It is said that no-one except a hypocrite leavesthe mosque after the call to prayer, except for someone who intends toreturn." Yahya related to me from Malik from Amir ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr from Amr ibn Sulaymaz-Zuraqi from Abu Qatadaal-Ansari that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"When you enter the mosque, you should pray two rakas before you sitdown." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'nNadr, the mawla of Umaribn Ubaydullah, that Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman asked him, "Didn't Isee your master sit down before praying after he had entered themosque?" Abu'n-Nadr said, "By that he meant Umar ibnUbaydullah, and he was finding fault with him for sitting down beforepraying after he had come into the mosque." Yahya said thatMalik said, "It is good to do that but not obligatory." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to place his palms flat on the surface where he put his forehead.Nafi said, "I have seen him take his hands out from under his burnuson a very cold day and place them on the ground." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say, "When one of you puts his forehead on the ground heshould put his palms on the place where he puts his forehead. Then,when he rises, he should raise them, for the hands prostrate just asthe face prostrates." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Hazim Salama ibn Dinarfrom Sahl ibn Said as-Saidi that the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, went to the tribe of Bani Amr ibn Awfto settle their disputes .The time for the prayer came and themuadhdhin came to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and said, "Could you lead thepeople in prayer and I will say the iqama?" He said, "Yes," and AbuBakr prayed. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, came back while the people were praying, and approached andjoined the row. People clapped, but Abu Bakr did not turn round. Thepeople increased their clapping, and Abu Bakr turned round and saw theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, indicatedto him to stay in his place. Abu Bakr raised his hands and praisedAllah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, had told him to do that. Then he drew back until he was in therow, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, stepped forward and led the prayer. When he had finished hesaid, "Abu Bakr, what stopped you from staying put like I told you?"Abu Bakr said, "It is not for Ibn Abi Quhafa to pray in front of theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"Why did I see you all clapping so much? If something happens to youin the prayer you should say 'Subhana-llah' (Glory be to Allah), andwhen you say 'Subhana-llah' you will be heard. Clapping is only forwomen." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Ibn Umar wouldnever turn around when praying. Yahya related to me from Malik that Abu Jafar al-Qari said, "Iwas praying, and Abdullah ibn Umar was behind me and I was not awareof it. Then I turned round and he prodded me (in disapproval)." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Abu Umama ibnSahl ibn Hunayf said, "Zayd ibn Thabit entered the mosque and foundthe people in ruku, so he went into ruku and then moved slowly forwarduntil he reached the row." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullahibn Masud used to move forward while in ruku. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibnHazim from his father that Amr ibn Sulaym az-Zuraqi said, "Abu Humaydas-Saidi told me that they asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, how they were to ask for blessings uponhim and he replied that they should say, 'O Allah, bless Muhammad andhis wives and his descendants asYou blessed the family of Ibrahim, andgive baraka to Muhammad and his wives and his descendants as You gavebaraka to the family of Ibrahim. You are worthy of Praise andGlorious.'" Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa azwajihi wa alihikama sallaita ala ali Ibrahim, wa barakaala Muhammad wa azwajihi waalihi kama baraktaalaali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidu'm - Majid. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nuaym ibn Abdullah al-Mujmirthat Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Zayd told him that Abu Masud alAnsari said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, came to us at the gathering of Sad ibn Ubada. Bashir ibnSad said to him, 'Allah has ordered us to ask for blessings on you,Messenger of Allah. How should we do it?' The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, remained silent until we wishedwe had not asked him. Then he told us to say, 'O Allah, bless Muhammadand the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim, and give baraka toMuhammad and the family of Muhammad as You gave baraka to the familyof Ibrahim. In all the worlds You are worthy of Praise and Glorious,'and then give the taslim as you have learnt." Allahumma salliala Muhammad wa ali Muhammad kama sallaita Ibrahim, wa baraka alaMuhammad wa ali Muhammad kama baraktaala ali Ibrahim. Fi'l alamin,innaka Hamidu'm - Majid. Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Dinar said, "Isaw Abdullah ibn Umar stop by the grave of the Prophet, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, and ask for blessings on the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and on Abu Bakr and Umar." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Ibn Umar that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used topray two rakas before dhuhr and two rakas after it, two rakas aftermaghrib, in his house, and two rakas after isha. He did not pray afterjumua until he had left, and then he prayed two rakas. 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, "Do you see the direction I am facing here? By Allah,neither your concentration nor your ruku is hidden from me. I can seeyou behind my back." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umarthat when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, used to go to Quba (to pray), he would walk as well as ride. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from an-Numanibn Murra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said,"What about drunkenness, stealing and adultery? "Thatwas before anything had been revealed about them. They said, "Allahand His Messenger know best." He said, "They are excesses and in themis a punishment. And the worst of thieves is the one who steals hisprayer." They said, "How does he steal his prayer, Messenger ofAllah?" He replied, "He does not do ruku or sajda properly." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "Do some of the prayers in your houses." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say, "When a sick man is unable to prostrate he should motionwith his head, and not raise anything to his forehead." Yahya related to me from Malik from Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahmanthat if Abdullah ibn Umar arrived at the mosque and the people hadalready prayed, he would begin with the obligatory prayer and not prayanything before it. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarpassed by a man who was praying and said, "Peace be upon you," and theman replied to him. Abdullah ibn Umar returned to him and said, "Whensomeone says, 'Peace be upon you' to you while you are praying do notreply, but give a signal with your hand." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say, "Someone who only remembers that he has forgotten aprayer when he is praying the next prayer behind an imam, should praythe prayer he has forgotten after the imam has said the taslim, andthen pray the other one again." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammadibn Yahya ibn Habban that his paternal uncle Wasi ibn Habban said, "Iwas praying, and Abdullah ibn Umar was resting his back on the wall ofthe qibla. When I had finished the prayer I turned towards him on myleft hand side. Abdullah ibn Umar said, 'What stopped you from turningaway to your right?' I replied, 'I saw you and turned towards you.'Abdullah said, 'You have spoken correctly. People say that you shouldturn away to your right, but when you pray, you can turn whichever wayyou wish. If you like, to your right, and if you like, to your left.'" Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that one of the muhajirun in whom he saw no harm asked Abdullahibn Amr ibn al-As, "Can I pray in a place where camels are watered?"Abdullah replied, "No, but you can pray in a sheep-pen." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "Which prayer is it when you remain in the sittingposition in every raka?'' Said said, "It is maghrib when you miss oneraka, and that is the sunna in all the prayers." Yahya related to me from Malik from Amir ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr from Amr ibn Sulaym az-Zuraqi from Abu Qutada al-Ansari thatthe Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, usedto pray carrying Umama, who was the daughter of his daughter Zaynab byAbu'l As ibn Rabia ibn Abd Shams. When he prostrated, he put her down,and when he got up he carried her. Yahya related to me from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from AbuHurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "A group of angels in the night and a group of angels inthe day alternate with each other among you, and gather together atthe time of the asr and fajr prayers. Then those that have spent thenight among you ascend, and He asks them, and He knows best, 'How didyou leave my slaves?' and they say, 'When we left them they werepraying, and when we came to them they were praying.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather from A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer."A'isha said, "Messenger of Allah, when Abu Bakr stands in your placehis voice does not reach the ears of the people because of hisweeping, so tell Umar to lead the people in prayer." He said, "TellAbu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." A'isha continued, "I toldHafsa to tell him that when Abu Bakr stood in his place his voice didnot reach the ears of the people because of his weeping, and that heshould tell Umar to lead the people in prayer. Hafsa did so, and theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,'You are the companions of Yusuf! (referring to the women who cuttheir hands when they saw the beauty of Yusuf). Tell Abu Bakr to leadthe people in prayer!' " A'isha added that Hafsa said to her,"I have never had anything good from you!" Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ata ibn Yazidal-Laythi that Ubaydullah ibn Adi ibnal-Khiyar said, "Once when theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wassitting with some people, a man came to him and spoke secretly to him.Nobody knew what he had said until the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, disclosed that he had asked forpermission to kill one of the hypocrites. When he disclosed this, theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,'Doesn't he testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammadis the Messenger of Allah?' The man replied, 'Of course, but hehasn't really done so.' He said, 'Doesn't he do the prayer?' and theman replied, 'Of course, but he doesn't really do the prayer.' Hesaid, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, 'Those are the oneswhom Allah has forbidden me (to kill).' " 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, "O Allah! Do not make my grave an idol that isworshipped. The anger on those who took the graves of their Prophetsas places of prostration was terrible." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Mahmud ibnRabi al-Ansari that Utban ibn Malik, who was a blind man, used to leadhis people in prayer, and he said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, "Sometimes it is dark and rainy andthere is a lot of water around outside, and I am a man who has losthis sight. Messenger of Allah, pray in a certain place in my house sothat I can take it as a place to pray." The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, came to him and said, "Wherewould you like me to pray?" He indicated a place to him and theMessengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayedthere. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abbad ibn Tamim from his paternal uncle that he saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, lying down in the mosque with one foot on top of the other. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ihn al-Musayyab that Umar ibn al Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with them, used to do the same. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Abdullahibn Masud said to a certain man, "You are in a time when men ofunderstanding (fuqaha) are many and Qur'an reciters are few, when thelimits of behaviour defined in the Qur'an are guarded and its lettersare lost, when few people ask and many give, when they make the prayerlong and the khutba short, and put their actions before their desires.A time will come upon men when their fuqaha are few but their Qur'anreciters are many, when the letters of the Qur'an are guardedcarefully but its limits are lost, when many ask but few give, whenthey make the khutba long but the prayer short, and put their desiresbefore their actions." Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "I haveheard that the first of the actions of a slave to be considered on theday of rising is the prayer. If it is accepted from him, the rest ofhis actions will be considered, and if it is not accepted from him,none of his actions will be considered." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "The actions which the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, loved most were those which weredone most constantly." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard from Amir ibnSad ibn Abi Waqqas that his father said, "There were two brothers, oneof whom died forty nights before the other. The merit of the first wasbeing mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, and he said, 'Wasn't the other one amuslim?' They said, 'Of course, Messenger of Allah, and there was noharm in him.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, 'What will make you realise what his prayer hasbrought him. The prayer is like a deep river of sweet water running byyour door into which you plunge five times a day. How much of yourdirtiness do you think that will leave? You do not realise what hisprayer has brought him.' " Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that if some onepassed by Ata ibn Yasar in the mosque with something to trade, hewould call him and ask, "What is the matter with you? What do youwant?" If the man said that he wished to trade with him, he would say,"You need the market of this world. This is the market of the nextworld." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Umar ibnal-Khattab set aside an area near the mosque called al-Butayha andsaid, "Whoever wishes to talk nonsense or recite poetry or raise hisvoice should go to that area." Yahya related to me from Malik from his paternal uncle Abu Suhaylibn Malik that his father heard Talha ibn Ubaydullah say, "Once one ofthe people of Najd came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace. He had dishevelled hair and although his voicecould be heard we could not make out what he was saying until he drewnearer and then we found he was asking about Islam. The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'Thereare five prayers during the day and the night.' He said, 'Do I have todo anything else besides that?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, added, 'And fasting the month ofRamadan.' He said, 'Is there anything else I have to do?' He said,'No, except what you do of your own accord.' The Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned zakat. The mansaid, 'Is there anything else that I have to do?' He said, 'No, exceptwhat you do of your own accord.' He continued, "The man wentaway saying, 'By Allah, I won't do any more than this, nor will I doany less.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, 'That man will be successful, if he is telling thetruth.' 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, "Shaytan ties three knots at the back of your headwhen you sleep, and he seals the place of each knot with 'You have along night ahead, so sleep.' If you wake up and remember Allah, a knotis untied. If you do wudu, a knot is untied. If you pray, a knot isuntied, and morning finds you lively and in good spirits, and if not,morning finds you in bad spirits and lazy."