Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father heard Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabia say, "We prayed subh behind Umar ibn al-Khattab and he recited suraYusuf (Sura 12) and surat al- Hajj (Sura 22) slowly." I (Hisham's father) said, "By Allah, then it must have been his habit to get up at the crack of dawn." He said, "Of course."

Simak narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura that when the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed the dawn prayer, he sat at the place of worship till the sun had risen enough.

I never saw the Prophet offering any prayer not at its stated time except two; he prayed the Maghrib and the `Isha' together and he offered the morning prayer before its usual time.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to Bilal: Do not call adhan until the dawn appears clearly to you in this way, stretching his hand in latitude.

Abu Dawud said: Shaddad did not see Bilal.

`Abdullah;- performed the Hajj and we reached Al-Muzdalifa at or about the time of the `Isha' prayer. He ordered a man to pronounce the Adhan and Iqama and then he offered the Maghrib prayer and offered two rak`at after it. Then he asked for his supper and took it, and then, I think, he ordered a man to pronounce the Adhan and Iqama (for the `Isha' prayer). (`Amr, a sub-narrator said: The intervening statement 'I think', was said by the sub-narrator Zuhair) (i.e. not by `Abdur-Rahman). Then `Abdullah offered two rak`at of `Isha' prayer. When the day dawned, `Abdullah said, "The Prophet never offered any prayer at this hour except this prayer at this time and at this place and on this day." `Abdullah added, "These two prayers are shifted from their actual times -- the Maghrib prayer (is offered) when the people reached Al-Muzdalifa and the Fajr (morning) prayer at the early dawn." `Abdullah added, "I saw the Prophet doing that."

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Ishaq and al-Auza'i from Yahya b. Sa'id in a similar manner, and Malik narrated it from Yahya b. Sa'id, saying: He observed I'tikaf during twenty days of Shawwal.

The Prophet used to pray eleven rak`at in the late part of the night, and when dawn appeared, he would offer two rak`at and then lie on his right side till the Muadhdhin came to inform him (that the morning prayer was due).

The believing women covered with their veiling sheets used to attend the Fajr prayer with Allah's Apostle, and after finishing the prayer they would return to their home and nobody could recognize them because of darkness.

The Prophet used to recite the following in the Fajr prayer of Friday, "Alif, Lam, Mim, Tanzil" (Suratas- Sajda #32) and "Hal-ata-ala-l-Insani" (i.e. Surah-Ad-Dahr #76).

Abu Dawud said: Sulaiman b. Musa has narrated this tradition about the time of the Maghrib prayer from Musa from 'Ata on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (saws). This version adds: He then offered the Isha prayer when a third of the night had passed, as narrated (he said the Isha prayer) when half the night had passed.

This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Buraidah on the authority of his father from the Prophet (saws) in a similar way.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Yusuf that as- Sa'ib ibn Yazid said, "Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered Ubayy ibn Kab and Tamim ad-Dari to watch the night in prayer with the people for eleven rakas.The reciterof the Qur'an would recite the Mi'in (a group of medium-sized suras) until we would be leaning on our staffs from having stood so long in prayer. And we would not leave until the approach of dawn."

Yahya related to me from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A group of angels in the night and a group of angels in the day alternate with each other among you, and gather together at the time of the asr and fajr prayers. Then those that have spent the night among you ascend, and He asks them, and He knows best, 'How did you leave my slaves?' and they say, 'When we left them they were praying, and when we came to them they were praying.' "

Allah's Apostle said, "There are angels coming to you in succession at night, and others during the day, and they all gather at the time of `Asr and Fajr prayers. Then the angels who have stayed with you overnight ascend (to the heaven) and He (Allah) asks them though He perfectly knows their affairs. 'In what state have you left my slaves?' They say, 'When we left them, they were praying and when we came to them they were praying.' "

The Prophet sent a Sariya (an army detachment) consisting of men called Al-Qurra', and all of them were martyred. I had never seen the Prophet so sad over anything as he was over them. So he said Qunut (invocation in the prayer) for one month in the Fajr prayer, invoking for Allah's wrath upon the tribe of 'Usaiya, and he used to say, "The people of 'Usaiya have disobeyed Allah and His Apostle."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father used to kill his sacrificial animals while they were standing.

Malik said, "No-one is permitted to shave his head until he has killed his sacrificial animal, and no-one must sacrifice before dawn on the day of sacrifice. The things that should be done on the day of sacrifice are slaughtering, donning clothes, grooming the body generally (at-tafath) and shaving the head, and none of this may be done before the day of sacrifice."

The Prophet said, "Angels keep on descending from and ascending to the Heaven in turn, some at night and some by daytime, and all of them assemble together at the time of the Fajr and `Asr prayers. Then those who have stayed with you over-night, ascent unto Allah Who asks them, and He knows the answer better than they, "How have you left My slaves?" They reply, "We have left them praying as we found them praying." If anyone of you says "Amin" (during the Prayer at the end of the recitation of Surat-al-Faitiha), and the angels in Heaven say the same, and the two sayings coincide, all his past sins will be forgiven."

The Prophet (saws) sent Umm Salamah on the night before the day of sacrifice and she threw pebbles at the jamrah before dawn. She hastened (to Mecca) and performed the circumambulation. That day was the one the Messenger of Allah (saws) spent with her.

Ibn Buraida narrated it on the authority of his father that a Bedouin came when the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had completed the morning prayer. He thrust his head in the door of the mosque, and then the hadith (as narrated above) was narrated.

This hadith has been reported by another chain of transmitters.

Allah's Apostle said, "Angels come to you in succession by night and day and all of them get together at the time of the Fajr and `Asr prayers. Those who have passed the night with you (or stayed with you) ascend (to the Heaven) and Allah asks them, though He knows everything about you, well, "In what state did you leave my slaves?" The angels reply: "When we left them they were praying and when we reached them, they were praying."

Allah's Apostle said, "The (call for prayer) Adhan of Bilal should not stop anyone of you from taking his Suhur for he pronounces the Adhan in order that whoever among you is praying the night prayer, may return (to eat his Suhur) and whoever among you is sleeping, may get up, for it is not yet dawn (when it is like this)." (Yahya, the sub-narrator stretched his two index fingers side ways).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sulaiman Taimi with the same chain of transmitters and, at the end, it was said that the first Adhan was meant to awaken those who were in slumber amongst them and in order to make them turn who stand in (prayer) among them (towards food at the commencement of the fast). Jarir (one of the narrators) said that the Messenger (may peace be upon him) did not say like this but he said like it (true dawn) that the streaks of (true dawn ) are horizontal and not vertical.