Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Said ibn al- Musayyab said, "Which prayer is it when you remain in the sitting position in every raka?'' Said said, "It is maghrib when you miss one raka, and that is the sunna in all the prayers."

"Once the Prophet offered five rak`at in Zuhr prayer. He was asked, "Is there an increase in the prayer?" The Prophet said, "And what is it?" They said, "You have prayed five rak`at.' So he bent his legs and performed two prostrations (of Sahu).

I saw a person praying at Muqam-Ibrahim (the place of Abraham by the Ka`ba) and he was saying Takbir on every bowing, rising, standing and sitting. I asked Ibn `Abbas (about this prayer). He admonished me saying: "Isn't that the prayer of the Prophet?"

The Prophet used to proceed to the Musalla on the days of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Adha; the first thing to begin with was the prayer and after that he would stand in front of the people and the people would keep sitting in their rows. Then he would preach to them, advise them and give them orders, (i.e. Khutba). And after that if he wished to send an army for an expedition, he would do so; or if he wanted to give and order, he would do so, and then depart. The people followed this tradition till I went out with Marwan, the Governor of Medina, for the prayer of Id-ul-Adha or Id-ul-Fitr. When we reached the Musalla, there was a pulpit made by Kathir bin As-Salt. Marwan wanted to get up on that pulpit before the prayer. I got hold of his clothes but he pulled them and ascended the pulpit and delivered the Khutba before the prayer. I said to him, "By Allah, you have changed (the Prophet's tradition)." He replied, "O Abu Sa`id! Gone is that which you know." I said, "By Allah! What I know is better than what I do not know." Marwan said, "People do not sit to listen to our Khutba after the prayer, so I delivered the Khutba before the prayer."

Salim b. 'Abdullah reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be. upon him) used to observe Nafl (supererogatory) prayer on his ride no matter in what direction it turned its face, and he observed Witr too on it, but did not observe obligatory prayer on it.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salama ibn Abdar-Rahman from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "Whoever catches a raka of the prayer has caught the prayer."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the muadhdhin came to Umar ibn al-Khattab to call him to the subh prayer and found him sleeping, so he said, "Prayer is better than sleep," and Umar ordered him to put that in the adhan for subh .

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Umar used to be asked, "an some one fast for some one else, or do the prayer for some one else?" and he would reply, "No one can fast or do the prayer for anyone else."

Qays ibn Talq said: Talq ibn Ali visited us on a certain day during Ramadan. He remained with us till evening and broke fast with us. He then stood up and led us in the witr prayer.

He then went to his mosque and led them in prayer. When the witr remained, he put forward another man and said: Lead your companions in the witr prayer, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) as saying: There are no two witrs during one night.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al As said, "When we arrived at Madina we were struck down by a severe epidemic which debilitated us greatly. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out to the people while they were praying nawafil prayers sitting down. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The prayer of the one sitting is equal to only half the prayer of the one standing.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to shorten the prayer when he travelled a distance equivalent to that between Makka and Ta'if, and that between Makka and Usfan and that between Makka and Jedda.

Malik said, "That is four mail-stages, and to me that is the most preferable distance for shortening the prayer."

Malik said, "Someone who intends to travel does not shorten the prayer until he has left the houses of the village. And he does not do it in full until he comes to the first houses of the village, or is nearby."

On the day of Al-Khandaq (the battle of trench.) `Umar bin Al-Khattab came cursing the disbelievers of Quraish after the sun had set and said, "O Allah's Apostle I could not offer the `Asr prayer till the sun had set." The Prophet said, "By Allah! I, too, have not prayed." So we turned towards Buthan, and the Prophet performed ablution and we too performed ablution and offered the `Asr prayer after the sun had set, and then he offered the Maghrib prayer.

Jabir bin `Abdullah said, "Mu`adh bin Jabal used to pray with the Prophet and then go to lead his people in prayer Once he led the `Isha' prayer and recited Surat "Al-Baqara." Somebody left the prayer and Mu`adh criticized him. The news reached the Prophet and he said to Mu`adh, 'You are putting the people to trial,' and repeated it thrice (or said something similar) and ordered him to recite two medium Suras of Mufassal." (`Amr said that he had forgotten the names of those Suras).

Allah's Apostle offered the prayer on the day of Nahr and then delivered the Khutba and ordered that whoever had slaughtered his sacrifice before the prayer should repeat it, that is, should slaughter another sacrifice. Then a person from the Ansar stood up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! because of my neighbors (he described them as being very needy or poor) I slaughtered before the prayer. I have a young she-goat which, in my opinion, is better than two sheep." The Prophet gave him the permission for slaughtering it as a sacrifice.

AbuGhutayf al-Hudhali reported: I was in the company of Ibn Umar. When the call was made for the noon (zuhr) prayer, he performed ablution and said the prayer. When the call for the afternoon ('asr) prayer was made, he again performed ablution. Thus I asked him (about the reason of performing ablution). He replied: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: For a man who performs ablution in a state of purity, ten virtuous deeds will be recorded (in his favour).

AbuDawud said: This is the tradition narrated by Musaddad, and it is more perfect.

We used to salute during prayer and talk about our needs. I came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and found him praying. I saluted him, but he did not respond to me. I recalled what happened to me in the past and in the present.

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) finished his prayer, he said to me: Allah, the Almighty, creates new command as He wishes, and Allah, the Exalted, has sent a fresh command that you must not talk during prayer. He then returned my salutation.

I went out in the company of the Prophet in the year of Khaibar, and when we reached As Sahba' which is the lower part of Khaibar, the Prophet offered the `Asr prayer and then asked the people to collect the journey food. Nothing was brought but Sawiq which the Prophet ordered to be moistened with water, and then he ate it and we also ate it. Then he got up to offer the Maghrib prayer. He washed his mouth, and we too washed our mouths, and then he offered the prayer without repeating his abulution.

Nafi' reported that when Ibn 'Umar was in a state of hurry on a journey, he combined the sunset and 'Isha' prayers after the twilight had disappeared, and he would say that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in a state of hurry on a journey, he combined the sunset and 'Isha' prayers.

that he saw the Prophet holding a shoulder piece of mutton in his hand and cutting part of it with a knife. Then he was called for the prayer whereupon he put down the shoulder piece and the knife with which he was cutting it, and then stood for prayer without performing ablution again.

"The Prophet offered a two-rak`at prayer on `Id day and he did not offer any (Nawafil prayer) before or after it. He then went towards the women, and Bilal was accompanying him, and ordered them to give alms. And so the women started giving their earrings (etc .).

I never prayed behind any Imam a prayer lighter and more perfect than that behind the Prophet and he used to cut short the prayer whenever he heard the cries of a child lest he should put the child's mother to trial.

On the day of Nahr the Prophet offered the prayer and delivered the Khutba and then slaughtered the sacrifice and said, "Anybody who slaughtered (his sacrifice) before the prayer should slaughter another animal in lieu of it, and the one who has not yet slaughtered should slaughter the sacrifice mentioning Allah's name on it."

The Prophet said, "Your life in comparison to the lifetime of the past nations is like the period between the time of `Asr prayer and sunset. Your example and the example of the Jews and Christians is that of person who employed laborers and said to them, "Who will work for me till the middle of the day for one Qirat (a special weight)?' The Jews did. He then said, "Who will work for me from the middle of the day till the `Asr prayer for one Qirat each?" The Christians worked accordingly. Then you (Muslims) are working from the `Asr prayer till the Maghrib prayer for two Qirats each. They (the Jews and the Christians) said, 'We did more labor but took less wages.' He (Allah) said, 'Have I wronged you in your rights?' They replied, 'No.' Then He said, 'This is My Blessing which I give to whom I wish."