the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the dajjal, and the beast of the earth." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "In paradise there is a tree in whose shade a rider can travel for a hundred years without reaching the end of it, and the length of a bow of one of you in paradise is better than that on which the sun rises or sets." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

When we came to Medina accompanying the caravan, I used to preach after the dawn prayer, and prostrate on account of the recitation of the Qur'an. Ibn Umar prohibited me three times, but I did not cease doing that. He then repeated (his prohibition) saying: I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (saws), AbuBakr, Umar and Uthman, they would not prostrate (on account of the recitation of the Qur'an) till the sun had risen.

I was sitting behind the Messenger of Allah (saws) who was riding a donkey while the sun was setting. He asked: Do you know where this sets ? I replied: Allah and his Apostle know best. He said: It sets in a spring of warm water (Hamiyah).

"I went out with 'Abdullah bin 'Umar on a journey to some of his land. Then someone came to him and said: 'Safiyyah bint Abi 'Ubaid is sick, try to get there before it is too late.' He set out quickly, accompanied by a man of the Quraish. The sun set but he did not pray, although I knew him to be very careful about praying on time. When he slowed down I said: 'The prayer, may Allah have mercy on you.' He turned to me but carried on until the twilight was almost gone, then he stopped and prayed Maghrib, then he said the Iqamah for 'Isha', at that time the twilight had totally disappeared and led us in prayer. Then he turned to us and said: 'If the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was in a hurry to travel he would do this.'"

That there was a solar eclipse in the time of Allah's Messenger (SAW) on the day his son Ibrahim died. The people said, "The eclipse of the sun has happened due to the death of Ibrahim." Allah's Messenger (SAW) said, "The sun and the moon are two of Allah's signs; they are not eclipsed due to the death or the life of anyone. So when you see them (the eclipse of the moon or sun) supplicate to Allah and offer prayers until the eclipse is over." [Agreed upon].

`Do not pray after ‘Asr, unless you pray when the sun is still high.”

`Abdallah b. `Amr told that he heard God's messenger say, "The first of the signs to appear will be the rising of the sun in its place of setting and the coming forth of the beast against mankind in the forenoon. Whichever of them comes first will soon be followed by the other." Muslim transmitted it.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that once in the time of Uthman ibn Affan the new moon had been seen in the afternoon and Uthman did not break his fast until evening had come and the sun had set.

Yahya said that he had heard Malik say that some one who sees the new moon of Ramadan when he is on his own should start the fast and not break it if he knows that that day is part of Ramadan. He added, "Some one who sees the new moon of Shawwal when he is on his own does not break the fast, because people suspect the reliability of someone among them who breaks the fast. Such people should say, when they sight the new moon, 'We have seen the new moon.' Whoever sees the new moon of Shawwal during the day should not break his fast but should continue fasting for the rest of that day. This is because it is really the new moon of the night that is coming ."

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "If people are fasting on the day of Fitr thinking that it is still Ramadan and then definite evidence comes to them that the new moon of Ramadan had been seen one day before they began to fast and that they are now into the thirty- first day, then they should break the fast on that day at whatever time the news comes to them. However, they do not pray the id prayer if they hear the news after the sun has begun to decline."

Malik said, "The imam does not come down and prostrate when he recites a piece of Qur'an requiring a prostration while he is on the mimbar."

Malik said, "The position with us is that there are eleven prescribed prostrations in the Qur'an, none of which are in the mufassal."

Malik said, "No-one should recite any of the pieces of Qur'an that require a prostration after the prayers of subh and asr. This is because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade prayer after subh until after the sun had risen, and after asr until the sun had set, and prostration is part of the prayer. So no-one should recite any piece of Qur'an requiring a prostration during these two periods of time."

Malik was asked whether a menstruating woman could prostrate if she heard some-one reciting a passage of Qur'an requiring a prostration, and he said, "Neither a man nor a woman should prostrate unless they are ritually pure."

Malik was asked whether a man in the company of a woman who was reciting a passage of Qur'an requiring a prostration should prostrate with her, and he said, "He does not have to prostrate with her. The prostration is only obligatory for people who are with a man who is leading them. He recites the piece and they prostrate with him. Some one who hears a piece of Qur'an that requires a prostration being recited by a man who is not leading him in prayer does not have to do the prostration."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Dawud ibn al-Husayn from al- Araj from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abd al-Qari that Umar ibn al Khattab said, "Whoever misses reading his hizb at night and reads it from when the sun has passed the meridian until the dhuhr prayer has not missed it, or it is as if he has caught it."

"The Messenger of Allah stoned the Jimar when the sun had passed the zenith."

Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, “The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Adam was created, on it he was brought into paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the last hour will take place on no day other than Friday.” Muslim transmitted it.

“We asked ‘Ali about the voluntary (prayer) of Allah’s Messenger (saw) during the day. He said: ‘You will not be able.’ We said: ‘Inform us of it, we will do what we can of it?’ So he said: ‘When he prayed the Fajr he would delay praying any more. When the sun appeared over there (west) – like it appears here, meaning in the direction of the east, about the amount for the ‘Asr prayer from there, meaning in the direction of the west, meaning before the Maghrib – he would stand and perform two Rak’ah* then he would delay praying until the sun appeared over there (west), meaning in the direction of the east, about the amount of the Zuhr prayer from there, then he would stand and perform four. And, four before the Zuhr when the sun passed the zenith, and two Rak’ah after it, and, four before the ‘Asr, separating between every two Rak’ah with Taslim** upon the angels that are close (to Allah), the Prophets, and those who follow them among the Muslims and the believers.’”
'Ali said: "That is sixteen Rak'ah of voluntary prayer which Allah's Messenger (SAW) performed during the day. And there are very few who offer them regularly."
Waki` said: “My father added: Habib bin Abu Thabit said: ‘O Abu Ishaq, this mosque filled with gold would not be dearer to me than this Hadith of yours.’”
* Meaning, when the sun was low above the eastern horizon. That is the time of the Duha.
** Meaning the Tashah-hud.

The Prophet (SAW) said, "The time of the Zuhr (noon) prayer is when the sun passes the meridian and a man's shadow is of the same length as his height. It lasts until the time of the 'Asr (afternoon) prayer. The time of the 'Asr prayer is as long as the sun has not become yellow (during its setting). The time of the Maghrib (sunset) prayer is as long as the twilight has not disappeared. The time of the 'Isha' (night) prayer is up to midnight. And the time of the Fajr (morning) prayer is from the appearance of dawn as long as the sun has not risen; (but when the sun rises abstain from prayer; for it rises between the two horns of Satan)." [Reported by Muslim].

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say the following dua, "O Allah, it is You who makes the dawn break and makes the night a time for rest and appoints the sun and moon to reckon by. Relieve me of debt and enrich me from poverty and let me enjoy my hearing, my sight and my strength in Your way."

Allahumma faliqa'l isbah, wa ja ila'l-layli sakana, wa 'sh-shamsi wa'l-qamari husbana. Iqda anniy addayna, wa'ghnaniy mina'l faqr. Na'mti aniy bi samiy wa basariy, wa quwwatiy fi sabilik.

Yahya related to me from Malik, from Jafar ibn Muhammad, from his father, that AIi ibn Abi Talib used to say the talbiya while on hajj until after noon on the day of Arafa, when he would stop doing so.

Yahya said that Malik said, "This is what the people of knowledge in our city are still doing."

The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west".

[Muslim].

When al-Hajjaj killed Ibn Zubayr, he sent a message to Ibn Umar asking him: At which moment the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to proceed (to Arafat) this day? He replied: When it happens so, we shall proceed. When Ibn Umar intended to proceed, the people said: The sun did not decline. He (Ibn Umar) asked: Did it decline? They replied: It did not decline. When they said that the sun had declined, he proceeded.

The people asked : Messenger of Allah! Shall we see our lord, the Exalted, on the Day of resurrection? He replied : Do you feel any trouble in seeing the sun at noon when it is not in the cloud? They said: No. He asked : Do you feel any trouble in seeing the moon on the night when it is full and not in the cloud? They replied: No. He said: By him in whose hand my soul is, you will not feel any trouble in seeing him except as much as you feel in seeing any of them.

There was an eclipse of the sun in the time of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on a hot day. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)led his Companions in prayer and prolonged the standing until the people began to fall down. He then bowed and prolonged it; then he raised his head and prolonged (the stay); then he bowed and prolonged it; then he raised his head and prolonged (the stay); then he made two prostrations and then stood up; then he did in the same manner. He thus performed four bowings and four prostrations. Then the narrator narrated the rest of the tradition.

We came upon Anas b. Malik after the Zuhr prayer. He stood for saying the 'Asr prayer. When he became free from praying, we mentioned to him about observing prayer in its early period or he himself mentioned it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: This is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray, this is how hypocrites pray: He sits (watching the sun), and when it becomes yellow and is between the horns of the devil, or is on the horns of the devil, he rises and prays for rak'ahs quickly, remembering Allah only seldom during them.

I was with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when I witnessed that if he did not begin fighting in the early part of the day, he would postpone fighting till the sun had declined, the blowing of the breeze had blown and the victory from Allah had come.

[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to perform four Rak'ah prayer after the declining of the sun before Zuhr prayer and would say, "This is an hour at which the gates of heaven are opened, and I like that my good deeds should rise to heaven at that time."

[At- Tirmidhi].

‘Umar led us in praying Fajr in Jam', then he stood up and said: The mushrikoon used not to depart until the sun rose, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) differed from them and moved on before the sun rose.

The mushrikeen used not to move on from Jam' (Muzdalifah) until the sun rose over (the mountain of) Thabeer, The Prophet ﷺ differed from them and moved on before the sun rose.

“Do not pray after ‘Asr unless you pray when the sun is still high.” Sufyan said: I do not know whether he meant in Makkah or anywhere close.

`They distracted us from the middle prayer until the sunset. May Allah fill their bellies and their houses with fire.”

Mu'ādh al-Juhani reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone recites the Qur’ān and acts according to its contents, on the day of resurrection his parents will be given to wear a crown whose light is better than the light of the sun in the dwellings of this world if it were among you. So what do you think of him who acts according to this?” Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd transmitted it.

We asked Jabir b. ‘Abdallah about the Prophet’s observance of prayer and he said, “He used to pray the noon prayer in the midday heat; the afternoon prayer when the sun was bright; the sunset prayer when the sun had completely set; the night prayer early if many were present, but late if there were few; and the dawn prayer just before daybreak.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

He reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone, prays the dawn prayer in a company, then sits making mention of God till the sun rises, then prays two rak'as, he will have a reward equivalent to that for a hajja* and an ‘umra.” He reported God’s Messenger as adding, “A perfect one, a perfect one, a perfect one.” * A pilgrimage to Mecca and neighbouring spots made at the proper season in Dhul Hijja. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Khalil said on the authority of Abu Qatada that the Prophet disliked prayer in the middle of the day before the sun declined from the meridian, except on Friday, saying, “Jahannam is heated up except on Friday.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, adding that Abu Khalil did not meet Abu Qatada.

‘A’isha said there was an eclipse of the sun in the time of God’s Messenger, and he sent one to summon the people to congregational prayer. He then went forward and prayed two rak'as in which he bowed four times and prostrated himself four times. ‘A’isha said, “I never performed a bow or a prostration which was longer than it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Al-Hasan said Abu Huraira told him that God's messenger said, "The sun and the moon are two oxen which will be cast away into hell on the day of resurrection." Al-Hasan asked what sin they had committed, and on receiving the reply, "I am telling you on the authority of God's messenger," al-Hasan said no more. Baihaqi transmitted it in Kitab al-ba'th wan nushur.

Some of the companions of `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: Why don`t you tell us about the voluntary prayers that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offered during the day? `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: By Allah, you cannot do it. They said to him; Tell us about it and we will take whatever we are able to do... then he quoted the hadeeth at length. It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that He was asked about the (voluntary) prayers of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during the day. He said: He used to pray sixteen rak`ahs, When the sun was as high there as it is at the time of ‘Asr there, he would pray two rak’ahs. When the sun was as high there as it is at the time of Zuhr there, he would pray two rak`ahs, He would pray four rak`ahs before Zuhr and two rak`ahs after Zuhr, and he would pray four rak`ahs before ʻAsr.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Adam was created, on it he was expelled (from Paradise), on it his contrition was accepted, on it he died, and on it the Last Hour will take place. On Friday every beast is on the lookout from dawn to sunrise in fear of the Last Hour, but not jinn and men, and it contains a time at which no Muslim prays and asks anything from Allah but He will give it to him. Ka'b said: That is one day every year. So I said: It is on every Friday. Ka'b read the Torah and said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) has spoken the truth. AbuHurayrah said: I met Abdullah ibn Salam and told him of my meeting with Ka'b. Abdullah ibn Salam said: I know what time it is. AbuHurayrah said: I asked him to tell me about it. Abdullah ibn Salam said: It is at the very end of Friday. I asked: How can it be when the Messenger of Allah (saws) has said: "No Muslim finds it while he is praying...." and this is the moment when no prayer is offered. Abdullah ibn Salam said: Has the Messenger of Allah (saws) not said: "If anyone is seated waiting for the prayer, he is engaged in the prayer until he observes it." I said: Yes, it is so.

He who desires to ask anything from me let him ask me about it. By Allah, I shall not move from this place so long as I do not inform you about that which you ask. Anas b. Malik said: People began to shed tears profusely when they heard this from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said it repeatedly: You ask me. Thereupon 'Abdullah b. Hudhafa stood up and said: Allah's Messenger, who is my father? He said: Your father is Hudhafa, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said repeatedly: Ask me, and (it was at this juncture that 'Umar knelt down and said): We are well pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our code of life and with Muhammad as the Messenger (of Allah). Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kept quiet so long as 'Umar spoke. Then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: (The Doom) is near; by Him, in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, there was presented to me the Paradise and Hell in the nook of this enclosure, and I did not see good and evil like that of the present day. Ibn Shihab reported: Ubaidullah b. 'Abdullah b. 'Utba told me that the mother of 'Abdullah b. Hudhafa told 'Abdullah b. Hudhafa: I have never heard of a son more disobedient than you. Do you feel yourself immune from the fact that your mother committed a sin which the women in the pre-Islamic period committed and then you disgrace her in the eyes of the people? 'Abdullah b. Hudhafa said: If my fatherhood were to be attributed to a black slave I would have connected myself with him.

if one of them went to sleep before eating supper, it was not permissible for him to eat or drink anything that night or the following day, until the sun had set. (That continued) until this Verse was revealed: "And eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)." He said: "This was revealed concerning Abu Qais bin 'Amr who came to his family after Maghrib when he was fasting, and said: 'Is there anything to eat?" His wife said: 'No , but I will go out, and he lay down and slept. She came back and found him sleeping, so she woke him up, but he did not eat anything. He spent the night fasting and woke up the next day fasting, until he passed out at midday. That was before this Verse was revealed, and Allah revealed it concerning him." '