On a rainy day Ibn `Abbas said to his Mu'adh-dhin, "After saying, 'Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah' (I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle), do not say 'Haiya 'Alas-Salat' (come for the prayer) but say 'Pray in your houses'." (The man did so). But the people disliked it. Ibn `Abbas said, "It was done by one who was much better than I (i.e. the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ). No doubt, the Jumua prayer is compulsory but I dislike to put you to task by bringing you out walking in mud and slush."

A man came to the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and said, "Livestock are destroyed and the roads are cut off." So Allah's Apostle invoked Allah for rain and it rained from that Friday till the next Friday. The same person came again and said, "Houses have collapsed, roads are cut off, and the livestock are destroyed. Please pray to Allah to withhold the rain." Allah's Apostle (stood up and) said, "O Allah! (Let it rain) on the plateaus, on the hills, in the valleys and over the places where trees grow." So the clouds cleared away from Medina as clothes are taken off .

I asked `Abdullah bin `Amr, "What was the worst thing the pagans did to Allah's Apostle?" He said, "I saw `Uqba bin Abi Mu'ait coming to the Prophet while he was praying.' `Uqba put his sheet round the Prophet's neck and squeezed it very severely. Abu Bakr came and pulled `Uqba away from the Prophet and said, "Do you intend to kill a man just because he says: 'My Lord is Allah, and he has brought forth to you the Evident Signs from your Lord?"

That Allah's Apostle came to him and Fatima the daughter of Allah's Apostle at their house at night and said, "Won't you pray?" `Ali replied, "O Allah's Apostle! Our souls are in the Hands of Allah and when he wants us to get up, He makes us get up." When `Ali said that to him, Allah's Apostle left without saying anything to him. While the Prophet was leaving, `Ali heard him striking his thigh (with his hand) and saying, "But man is quarrelsome more than anything else." (18.54)

We were sitting with Abu Musa Al-Ash'sari, and as there were ties of friendship and mutual favors between us and his tribe. His meal was presented before him and there was chicken meat in it. Among those who were present there was a man from Bani Taimillah having a red complexion as a non-Arab freed slave, and that man did not approach the meal. Abu Musa said to him, "Come along! I have seen Allah's Apostle eating of that (i.e., chicken)." The man said, "I have seen it (chickens) eating something I regarded as dirty, and so I have taken an oath that I shall not eat (its meat) chicken." Abu Musa said, "Come along! I will inform you about it (i.e., your oath). Once we went to Allah's Apostle in company with a group of Ash'airiyin, asking him for mounts while he was distributing some camels from the camels of Zakat. (Aiyub said, "I think he said that the Prophet was in an angry mood at the time.") The Prophet said, 'By Allah! I will not give you mounts, and I have nothing to mount you on.' After we had left, some camels of booty were brought to Allah's Apostle and he said, "Where are those Ash`ariyin? Where are those Ash`ariyin?" So we went (to him) and he gave us five very fat good-looking camels. We mounted them and went away, and then I said to my companions, 'We went to Allah's Apostle to give us mounts, but he took an oath that he would not give us mounts, and then later on he sent for us and gave us mounts, perhaps Allah's Apostle forgot his oath. By Allah, we will never be successful, for we have taken advantage of the fact that Allah's Apostle forgot to fulfill his oath. So let us return to Allah's Apostle to remind him of his oath.' We returned and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! We came to you and asked you for mounts, but you took an oath that you would not give us mounts) but later on you gave us mounts, and we thought or considered that you have forgotten your oath.' The Prophet said, 'Depart, for Allah has given you Mounts. By Allah, Allah willing, if I take an oath and then later find another thing better than that, I do what is better, and make expiation for the oath.' "

(two other narrations through Zahdam as above)

Men from the companions of Allah's Apostle used to see dreams during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle and they used to narrate those dreams to Allah's Apostle. Allah's Apostle would interpret them as Allah wished. I was a young man and used to stay in the mosque before my wedlock. I said to myself, "If there were any good in myself, I too would see what these people see." So when I went to bed one night, I said, "O Allah! If you see any good in me, show me a good dream." So while I was in that state, there came to me (in a dream) two angels. In the hand of each of them, there was a mace of iron, and both of them were taking me to Hell, and I was between them, invoking Allah, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from Hell." Then I saw myself being confronted by another angel holding a mace of iron in his hand. He said to me, "Do not be afraid, you will be an excellent man if you only pray more often." So they took me till they stopped me at the edge of Hell, and behold, it was built inside like a well and it had side posts like those of a well, and beside each post there was an angel carrying an iron mace. I saw therein many people hanging upside down with iron chains, and I recognized therein some men from the Quraish. Then (the angels) took me to the right side. I narrated this dream to (my sister) Hafsa and she told it to Allah's Apostle. Allah's Apostle said, "No doubt, `Abdullah is a good man." (Nafi` said, "Since then `Abdullah bin `Umar used to pray much.)

A group of eight men from the tribe of 'Ukil came to the Prophet and then they found the climate of Medina unsuitable for them. So, they said, "O Allah's Apostle! Provide us with some milk." Allah's Apostle said, "I recommend that you should join the herd of camels." So they went and drank the urine and the milk of the camels (as a medicine) till they became healthy and fat. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels, and they became unbelievers after whey were Muslims. When the Prophet was informed by a shouter for help, he sent some men in their pursuit, and before the sun rose high, they were brought, and he had their hands and feet cut off. Then he ordered for nails which were heated and passed over their eyes, and whey were left in the Harra (i.e. rocky land in Medina). They asked for water, and nobody provided them with water till they died (Abu Qilaba, a sub-narrator said, "They committed murder and theft and fought against Allah and His Apostle, and spread evil in the land.")

The Prophet used to pray while I was sleeping across in his bed in front of him. Whenever he wanted to pray witr, he would wake me up and I would pray witr.

The Messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him) as saying: "If one who passes in front of a man who is praying knew the responsibility he incurs, he would prefer to stand still for forty. . . rather than pass in front of him. Abu al-Nadr said: I do not know whether he said forty days, or months, or years."

Abu Dawud: Sufyan al-Thawri said: If a man passes proudly in front of me while I am praying, I shall stop him, and if a weak man passes, I shall not stop him.

I along with my father went to Abu- Barza Al-Aslami and my father asked him, "How Allah's Apostle used to offer the five compulsory congregational prayers?" Abu- Barza said, "The Prophet used to pray the Zuhr prayer which you (people) call the first one at midday when the sun had just declined The `Asr prayer at a time when after the prayer, a man could go to the house at the farthest place in Medina (and arrive) while the sun was still hot. (I forgot about the Maghrib prayer). The Prophet Loved to delay the `Isha which you call Al- `Atama [??] and he disliked sleeping before it and speaking after it. After the Fajr prayer he used to leave when a man could recognize the one sitting beside him and he used to recite between 60 to 100 Ayat (in the Fajr prayer) .

Allah's Apostle used to pray (optional, non-obligatory prayer) while riding on his mount (Rahila) wherever it turned, and whenever he wanted to pray the compulsory prayer he dismounted and prayed facing the Qibla.

Allah's Apostle used to pray two rak`at before the Zuhr prayer and two rak`at after it. He also used to pray two rak`at after the Maghrib prayer in his house, and two rak`at after the `Isha' prayer. He never prayed after Jumua prayer till he departed (from the Mosque), and then he would pray two rak`at at home.

Anas bin Malik said, "A person entered the Mosque on a Friday through the gate facing the Daril- Qada' and Allah's Apostle was standing delivering the Khutba (sermon). The man stood in front of Allah's Apostle and said, 'O Allah's Apostle, livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; please pray to Allah for rain.' So Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) raised both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Bless us with rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain!" Anas added, "By Allah, there were no clouds in the sky and there was no house or building between us and the mountain of Sila'. Then a big cloud like a shield appeared from behind it (i.e. Silas Mountain) and when it came in the middle of the sky, it spread and then rained. By Allah! We could not see the sun for a week. The next Friday, a person entered through the same gate and Allah's Apostle was delivering the Friday Khutba and the man stood in front of him and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; Please pray to Allah to withhold rain.' " Anas added, "Allah's Apostle raised both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not on us. O Allah!' On the plateaus, on the mountains, on the hills, in the valleys and on the places where trees grow.' " Anas added, "The rain stopped and we came out, walking in the sun." Sharik asked Anas whether it was the same person who had asked for rain the previous Friday. Anas replied that he did not know.

The Prophet prayed two rak`at of Zuhr prayer (instead of four) and he was told that he had prayed two rak`at only. Then he prayed two more rak`at and finished them with the Taslim followed by two prostrations.

had piles, so I asked the Prophet about the prayer. He said, "Pray while standing and if you can't, pray while sitting and if you cannot do even that, then pray Lying on your side."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Said ibn al- Musayyab said that Abu Hurayra was asked, "May a man pray in one garment?" He said, "Yes." The man then said to him "Do you do that?" and he replied, "Yes, I pray in one garment while my clothes are on the clothes-rack."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar passed by a man who was praying and said, "Peace be upon you," and the man replied to him. Abdullah ibn Umar returned to him and said, "When someone says, 'Peace be upon you' to you while you are praying do not reply, but give a signal with your hand."

that he asked `Aisha "How was the prayer of Allah's Apostle in Ramadan?" She replied, "He did not pray more than eleven rak`at in Ramadan or in any other month. He used to pray four rak`at ---- let alone their beauty and length----and then he would pray four ----let alone their beauty and length ---- and then he would pray three rak`at (witr)." She added, "I asked, 'O Allah's Apostle! Do you sleep before praying the witr?' He replied, 'O `Aisha! My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep."

Abu Qilaba said, "Malik bin Huwairith came to this Mosque of ours and said, 'I pray in front of you and my aim is not to lead the prayer but to show you the way in which the Prophet used to pray.' " I asked Abu Qilaba, "How did he use to pray?' " He replied, "(The Prophet used to pray) like this Sheikh of ours and the Sheikh used to sit for a while after the prostration, before getting up after the first rak`a. "

Once Allah's Apostle went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) of `Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle ?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion."

The Prophet (saws) said: May Allah show mercy to a man who prays four rak'ahs before the afternoon prayer.