The Prophet said, "Isn't he who raises his head before the Imam afraid that Allah may transform his head into that of a donkey or his figure (face) into that of a donkey?"

Allah's Apostle said, "If the Imam leads the prayer correctly then he and you will receive the rewards but if he makes a mistake (in the prayer) then you will receive the reward for the prayer and the sin will be his."

Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "When the Imam is delivering the Khutba, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done an evil act."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) prohibited to sit on hips by erecting feet, sticking them to the stomach and holding them with hands on Friday while the imam is delivering the sermon.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab used to say, "When a man catches the raka he says, 'Allah is greater' once, and that takbir is enough for him."

Malik added, "That is if he intended to begin the prayer by that takbir "

Malik was asked about a man who began with the imam but forgot the opening takbir and the takbir of the ruku until he had done one raka. Then he remembered that he had not said the takbir at the opening nor in the ruku,so he said the takbir in the second raka. He said, "I prefer that he start his prayer again, but if he forgets the opening takbir with the imam and says the takbir in the first ruku, I consider that enough for him if he intends by it the opening takbir."

Malik said, about some one who prayed by himself and forgot the opening takbir, "He begins his prayer afresh ."

Malik said, about an imam who forgot the opening takbir until he had finished his prayer, "I think that he should do the prayer again, and those behind him, even if they have said the takbir."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to pray four rakas behind the imam at Mina, and when he prayed by himself he would pray two rakas.

While delivering a sermon, Allah's Apostle said, "If anyone of you comes while the Imam is delivering the sermon or has come out for it, he should offer a two rak`at prayer."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar saw two men talking while the imam was giving the khutba on the day of jumua and he threw pebbles at them to tell them to be quiet.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Ibn Umar stayed in Makka for ten nights, shortening the prayer, except when he prayed it behind an imam, in which case he followed the imam's prayer.

The Prophet said, "The saying 'Sub Han Allah' is for men and clapping is for women." (If something happens in the prayer, the men can invite the attention of the Imam by saying "Sub Han Allah". And women, by clapping their hands).

The Prophet (saws) said: Attend the sermon (on Friday) and sit near the imam, for a man keeps himself away until he will be left behind at the time of entering Paradise though he enters it.

The version narrated by Maslamah goes : He said: On that day we were almost equal in knowledge.

The version narrated by Isma’il says: Khalid said: I said to Abu Qilabah: where is the Qur’an(i.e. why did the Prophet(may peace be upon him) not say: The one who knows the Qur’an most should act as imam)? He replied: Both of them were equal in the knowledge of the Qur’an.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he asked Ibn Shihab about talking in the jumua after the imam had come down from the mimbar but before he had said the takbir. Ibn Shihab said, "There is no harm in that."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad said that he had heard a man asking ibn Abbas about booty. Ibn Abbas said, "Horses are part of the booty and personal effects are as well."

Then the man repeated his question, and Ibn Abbas repeated his answer. Then the man said, "What are the spoils which He, the Blessed, the Exalted, mentioned in His Book?" He kept on asking until Ibn Abbas was on the verge of being annoyed, then Ibn Abbas said, "Do you know who this man is like? Ibn Sabigh, who was beaten by Umar ibn al-Khattab because he was notorious for asking foolish questions."

Yahya said that Malik was asked whether someone who killed one of the enemy could keep the man's effects without the permission of the Imam. He said, "No one can do that without the permission of the Imam. Only the Imam can make ijtihad. I have not heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ever said, 'Whoever kills someone can have his effects,' on any other day than the day of Hunayn."

3

The Prophet said, "When the Imam says 'Amin', then you should all say 'Amin', for the angels say 'Amin' at that time, and he whose 'Amin' coincides with the 'Amin' of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven."

The Prophet said, "Say Amin" when the Imam says it and if the Amin of any one of you coincides with that of the angels then all his past sins will be forgiven." Ibn Shihab said, "Allah's Apostle used to Say "Amin."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Ali, do not instruct the imam during the prayer.

Abu Dawud said: The narrator Abu Ishaq heard only for traditions from al-Harith, this tradition is not one of them.

`Uthman bin `Affan introduced the second Adhan on Fridays when the number of the people in the mosque increased. Previously the Adhan on Fridays used to be pronounced only after the Imam had taken his seat (on the pulpit).

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to pray dhuhr, asr, maghrib, isha and subh at Mina. Then in the morning, after the sun had risen, he would go to Arafa .

Malik said, "What we are all agreed upon here (in Madina) is that the imam does not recite the Qur'an out loud in dhuhr on the day of Arafa, and that he gives a khutba to the people on that day, and that the prayer on the day of Arafa is really a dhuhr prayer, and even if it coincides with a jumua it is still a dhuhr prayer, but one which has been shortened because of travelling."

Malik said that the imam of the pilgrims should not pray the jumua prayer if the day of Arafa, the day of sacrifice or one of the three days after the day of sacrifice, was a Friday.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad that Said ibn al- Musayyab said, "People used to be given bonuses from the Khumus."

Malik said, "That is the best of what I have heard on the matter."

Malik was asked about bonuses and whether they were taken from the first of the spoils, and he said, "That is only decided according to the ijtihad of the Imam. We do not have a known reliable command about that other than it is up to the ijtihad of the Sultan. I have not heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave bonuses in all his raids. I have only heard that he gave bonuses in one of them, namely the day of Hunayn. It depends on the ijtihad of the Imam whether they are taken from the first of the spoils or what is after it."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Uthman ibn Affan and Abdullah ibn Umar and Abu Hurayra used to pray over the dead, both men and women, in Madina. They would put the men nearer to the imam and the women nearer to the qibla.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that on a journey Abdullah ibn Umar did no more than the iqama, except for subh, when he called 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 Abu Nuaym Wahb ibn Kaysan that he heard Jabir ibn Abdullah say, "Someone who prays a raka without reciting the umm al-Qur'an in it has not done the prayer except behind an imam."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Ruman that Nafi ibn Jubayr ibn Mutim used to recite behind the imam when hedid not recite aloud .

Malik said, "That is the most preferable to me of what I have heard about the matter."

Allah's Apostle said, "When the Imam says, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah," you should say, "Allahumma Rabbana laka l-hamd." And if the saying of any one of you coincides with that of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven."

Malik related to me from Nafi that one time as Ibn Umar was served his evening meal, he heard the recitation of the Imam while he was in his house and he did not hurry from his food until he had finished what he needed.

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.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

The Prophet said, "On every Friday the angels take their stand at every gate of the mosque to write the names of the people chronologically (i.e. according to the time of their arrival for the Friday prayer) and when the Imam sits (on the pulpit) they fold up their scrolls and get ready to listen to the sermon."

Allah's Apostle said, "When the Imam, during the prayer, says, "Allah hears him who praises Him', say: 'O Allah! Our Lord! All the praises are for You/, for if the saying of anyone of you coincides with the saying of the angels, his past sins will be forgiven."

Allah's Apostle said, "There will be three types of people whom Allah will neither speak to them on the Day of Resurrection nor will purify them from sins, and they will have a painful punishment: They are, (1) a man possessed superfluous water (more than he needs) on a way and he withholds it from the travelers. (2) a man who gives a pledge of allegiance to an Imam (ruler) and gives it only for worldly benefits, if the Imam gives him what he wants, he abides by his pledge, otherwise he does not fulfill his pledge; (3) and a man who sells something to another man after the `Asr prayer and swears by Allah (a false oath) that he has been offered so much for it whereupon the buyer believes him and buys it although in fact, the seller has not been offered such a price." (See Hadith No. 838, Vol. 3)

The Messenger of Allah (saws) rode a horse in Medina. It threw him off at the root of a date-palm. His foot was injured. We visited him to inquire about his illness. We found him praying sitting in the apartment of Aisha. We, therefore, stood, (praying) behind him. He kept silent.

We again visited him to inquire about his illness. He offered the obligatory prayer sitting. We, therefore, stood (praying) behind him; he made a sign to us and we sat down. When he finished the prayer, he said: When the imam prays sitting, pray sitting; and when the imam prays standing, pray standing, and do not act as the people of Persia used to act with their chiefs (i.e. the people stood and they were sitting).

The Prophet (saws) said: The imam is appointed only to be followed. This version adds: When he recites (the Qur'an), keep silent."

Abu Dawud said: The addition of the words "When he recites, keep silent" in this version are not guarded. The misunderstanding, according to us, is on the part of Abu Khalid (a narrator).